Rotary Cutter Balancing rotary cutter blades

[SCDolphin]

Does anyone have a method for balancing rotary cutter blades as they are being sharpened??

Thanks

 

[CCWKen]

Make a simple beam balance scale out of a piece of 2x4. Or if you have an accurate scale, weigh them. I've found it takes a big difference to cause vibration. I suppose because of the low rpm. It's not like a lawn mower blade that will shake the engine apart.

 

[greg_g]

Does anyone have a method for balancing rotary cutter blades as they are being sharpened??

Well, since they're not symmetrical like a finish mower blade, you can't actually balance one blade. What I do is weigh them. When I've got the edge I want on the first one, I weigh it and set it aside. When I have the edge I want on the 2nd one, I weigh it also. The heavier of the two gets a little more ground off, 'til it's within an ounce or so of the other one.

//greg//

 

[DMF]

Well, since they're not symmetrical like a finish mower blade, you can't actually balance one blade. What I do is weigh them. When I've got the edge I want on the first one, I weigh it and set it aside. When I have the edge I want on the 2nd one, I weigh it also. The heavier of the two gets a little more ground off, 'til it's within an ounce or so of the other one.

//greg//

That's exactly what I do as well.

 

[john_bud]

I don't worry about it.

Just grind the buggers off and go.

jb

 

[RickB]

I don't worry about it.

Just grind the buggers off and go.

jb

Exactly. My blade management consists of replacing them in pairs only, and sharpening both when they are dull. Generally I do not tolerate bent blades.

 

[Farmwithjunk]

3 batwings and 3 single spindle mowers on the job this past summer. So, 24 individual blades. All the batwing blades are the same. All the single spindle models use the same blades. We sharpen most of the in place, never removing thm from the mower. They get ground "as needed", with very little attention paid to matching weights. With both types, I keep several spare blades on the service truck. If a blade gets bent or broken, they get replaced as needed. No attention is paid to matching as they're replaced. And in the end, no ill effects or no out of the ordinary vibrations to report.

Long story short, I wouldn't take any extrordinary measures to balance bush hog blades.

 

[em14]

I never even worry about ... there is a need once in while tho not often to sharpen if you are "hogging" "cutting pasture" but if you are a finish cutter for real nice yards you may want to sharpen more often ...
Leo

 

[JDeerekid]

I sharpen my right on the mower also. Just sharpen and eyeball to see if they are approx the same. I sharpen mine maybe twice a year depending on what I am mowing.

 

[TORQUIN]

I tried the balance method, not having a scale accurate enough to weigh them handy. I will say that balance does matter, but I can't qualify that with how much. I sharpened both my blade and reinstalled them on the Howse 5' cutter I have, after attempting the balance with a piece of 1"x1" with knotches cut near the ends. While the stick alone was almost perfect, my knotches must have been off a little because no matter which blade I put on one side it always tipped that way.
Anyway, after the install I had a vibration in the cutter that I could feel all way through the tractor, so I figured those blades must be WAY off. I pulled them and ran it with just the stump jumper. No vibration, so I ran up to Tractor Supply and picked up a couple of new blades. Vibration is gone with the new blades. The next day I ran that cutter through very heavy pasture and small trees for 8 hours with no problem, and no vibration.
If anyone has any good balancing ideas, or can recommend a scale that would be suitable for this, I'm interested.

Chris