Brush Cutter Backstops

RegL · Mar 19, 2009

Central_PA_Chris said:
I was hoping the rubber solution would mean less blade bending. I noticed that my blades have a bit of curve to them and was thinking that at least part of that is probably the slamming against the stops when bouncing off a stump/rock.

I have been incorporating start at idle into my habits, but I'm not 100% yet, especially when stomping brush down and restarting the blades repeatedly when clearing, though there seems to be little slam then as the brush is taking the starting force.

I am pretty sure the blades take on that curve because they tend to hang somewhat from the mounting bolts and the first time you ground the the blades, the tips hit first and want to bend up. I have gone through several sets of blades and every one has taken on that curve within 1 hour of mowing. it does not affect performance at all. I find the PT brush mower kind of amazing in that, the blades can be about as sharp as two by fours and will still cut your lawn. Don't even want to think what kind of blade tip speed is going on under there.

SnowRidge · Mar 19, 2009

RegL said:
I am pretty sure the blades take on that curve because they tend to hang somewhat from the mounting bolts and the first time you ground the the blades, the tips hit first and want to bend up. I have gone through several sets of blades and every one has taken on that curve within 1 hour of mowing. it does not affect performance at all. I find the PT brush mower kind of amazing in that, the blades can be about as sharp as two by fours and will still cut your lawn. Don't even want to think what kind of blade tip speed is going on under there.

My six foot 3PH cutter is the same way. The blades look like they started WWIII and lost. They still cut perfectly well.

(I started to write perfectly fine, but no rotary cutter cuts fine in the grass sense of the word, even when new.)

cqaigy2 · Mar 20, 2009

Some years ago, or i should say many years ago, being very "smart" young man, i went ahead and sharpened up the blades on the brush hog. Not a disaster but the ranch supervisor took some time to explain to me it was a waste of time and that those "dull" blades would shatter the woody stems on brush and small trees. The shattered trunks were not sharp so little chance of injury to stock and they broke down faster without sending new shoots.

He did appreciate the initiative how ever.

Phils · Mar 20, 2009

cqaigy2 said:
Some years ago, or i should say many years ago, being very "smart" young man, i went ahead and sharpened up the blades on the brush hog. Not a disaster but the ranch supervisor took some time to explain to me it was a waste of time and that those "dull" blades would shatter the woody stems on brush and small trees. The shattered trunks were not sharp so little chance of injury to stock and they broke down faster without sending new shoots.

He did appreciate the initiative how ever.

I've sharpened my brushhog blades a few times, both on and off the mower. I never saw a noticible difference in cutting results. Thanks, cqaigy2, for helping me understand "why".

Phil

Central_PA_Chris · Mar 23, 2009

I found a set of energy suspension polyurethane suspension bushings Welcome to Energy Suspension! from an old truck in my shop. I think if I can find a metal bushing to span the size difference between the bolt and the hole in the hard red puck things I'll give them a whirl.

woodlandfarms · Mar 24, 2009

Thats a good idea. I just sold my friggin charger and I had a bucket of bushings from Energy that I was going to put in the car but never did....

I wonder if they would survive (The energy bushings). The hockeypucks were OK, soft enough to bounce, hard enough not to cut... There is a lot of force under that deck.