Rotary Mower blades sharpening

   / Rotary Mower blades sharpening #1  

Sirius

New member
Joined
Feb 20, 2012
Messages
5
Location
USA
Tractor
ford
On my Land Pride rotary mower, the blades needed sharpening which was done OK. I noticed the ends were rounded so that the actual width of cut was reduced by several inches. Has anyone tried welding on to the blades to "square" them out? Or is this just not smart because of the heat/temper,etc. I have only 60 hours on this set of blades.
 
   / Rotary Mower blades sharpening #2  
On my Land Pride rotary mower, the blades needed sharpening which was done OK. I noticed the ends were rounded so that the actual width of cut was reduced by several inches. Has anyone tried welding on to the blades to "square" them out? Or is this just not smart because of the heat/temper,etc. I have only 60 hours on this set of blades.

You really don't want to weld on a piece of rotating equipment like a mower blade for safety reasons. If you aren't perfect with the repair and heat treatment, you run the risk of the repair coming apart and causing some real damage and possibly serious injury. Either leave them on an dsharpen them per the manufacturers instructions or replace themand the bolts with a new set.
 
   / Rotary Mower blades sharpening #3  
I have been sharpening my blades for several years. I was told to grind the edge flat to shape the blade and then put on a edge (not very sharp) as a thin edge will chip. I also have a scale so I can weigh each blade so one blade is the same weight as the other. This seems to work well for me but I still have to replace blades as they get thin after a while.
 
   / Rotary Mower blades sharpening #4  
Has anyone tried welding on to the blades to "square" them out? Or is this just not smart because of the heat/temper,etc.

Not smart.

--->Paul
 
   / Rotary Mower blades sharpening #5  
its much more important that each blade is balanced on center rather that one blade weighing as much as the an other. All rotary blades leading edge outter corners round with age this is normal, and shouldn't effect quality of cut until it becomes a very dramatic rounding or shortening of the blade.
The quality of your cut will tell you all you need to know, if youre leaving a stripe down the middle of the blades you know you need a new set.
I strongly urge you to NOT attempt to do a fill weld on your blades, the risks involved far out weigh the cost of a 15 or 20 dollar blade.
 
   / Rotary Mower blades sharpening #6  
its much more important that each blade is balanced on center rather that one blade weighing as much as the an other.

I have not had the pleasure of working on my blades yet since the new is still on them, but I am pretty sure they do not have a center hole as they attach at one end. The balance of the rotating forces would be affected by the weight of the two blades rather than the balance of any single blade. They are not like lawnmower blades which spin on a single shaft with cutting edges at both ends. RC cutters have two blades with cutting edges at only one end based on my limited experience.

I do agree it is a bad idea to try to attach a tip to the blades, just for the record. ;)
 
   / Rotary Mower blades sharpening #7  
I have not had the pleasure of working on my blades yet since the new is still on them, but I am pretty sure they do not have a center hole as they attach at one end. The balance of the rotating forces would be affected by the weight of the two blades rather than the balance of any single blade. They are not like lawnmower blades which spin on a single shaft with cutting edges at both ends. RC cutters have two blades with cutting edges at only one end based on my limited experience.

I do agree it is a bad idea to try to attach a tip to the blades, just for the record. ;)

Good catch...:D
 
   / Rotary Mower blades sharpening #8  
Although I wouldn't trust my welding skills for adding steel to lengthen a blade, I remember year ago working in marine shop that our welder would rebuild aluminium propellers in his spare time._
 
   / Rotary Mower blades sharpening #9  
People have been hard facing cutting edges for years.
Its usually done to prevent or reduce wear before it starts not as a repair.
Blades will stay sharp a lot longer , but if you are running over rocks and
junk, then nothing will last.
 
   / Rotary Mower blades sharpening #10  
JohnRex is talking about sharpening rotary cutter (bush hog) blades and everyone else is talking about lawn mowers, totally different approach.
I dont think you would gain much by welding on the tips and I dont think you would have to worry about them flying apart after proper welding. I just think that you would destroy what little temper is in the blade and the welded area would wear that much faster. Just sharpen it out and around the curve so that the whole blade to tip is sharp. CHeck that it is balanced centerline and reinstall it. As long as it doesnt leave a center patch of grass it is good to mow. Running the mower too low and sucking up sand or running them in bare ground really creates a lot of wear on blade especially in sandy soil or sandy loam and should be avoided. If you are making dust, you are basically sandblasting your blades and will wear them out quickly.
 
 
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