Do You Balance Your Mower Blades

   / Do You Balance Your Mower Blades #31  
I think you guys are mixing apples and oranges. The YouTube video addresses residential lots and their lawns. In the case of finish mowers for up around the house you'll have nice smooth ground with no hidden surprises in it and you'll want a nice clean cut so a sharp blade will be needed. However, for field work and cutting brush, pastures, etc where you'll encounter things other than grass blades, the butter knife sharp (although I've never heard the term before) is what you'll want.

Besides, you'll be very frustrated trying to keep a bush hog blade sharp.
 
   / Do You Balance Your Mower Blades #32  
Too bad the guys at This Old House don't know enough not to put a sharp edge on the blade.


YouTube
maybe they don't have expert proofreaders.. also, he's showing people how to get your fingers sucked into a grinder by wearing gloves!.:shocked: people, ignore this video, and use one from a blade manufacturer!. you don't wear gloves, and you put a flat edge on the cutting edge of the blade, just like as they come new!..
 
   / Do You Balance Your Mower Blades #33  
I think you guys are mixing apples and oranges. The YouTube video addresses residential lots and their lawns. In the case of finish mowers for up around the house you'll have nice smooth ground with no hidden surprises in it and you'll want a nice clean cut so a sharp blade will be needed. However, for field work and cutting brush, pastures, etc where you'll encounter things other than grass blades, the butter knife sharp (although I've never heard the term before) is what you'll want.

Besides, you'll be very frustrated trying to keep a bush hog blade sharp.

I like this explanation.

Richard
 
   / Do You Balance Your Mower Blades #34  
Yessir. I put one blade in the middle and one on either side! :D

No, seriously, I don't balance because I don't grind. I buy new factory blades and run them until they're worn, then replace.
But, if you sharpen blades, then I would recommend balancing. Unbalanced blades are hard on spindles.[/URL]

I need to sharpen my blades with every use. Anyway, a large screwdriver is a good static balancer. Blade straight up, end for end straight up, and the blade on the horizontal, and flipped horizontally. If that is good enough for wooden aircraft props, its good enough for my three-bladed mower.

This $12 balancer should work for the weird-sized hole for the OP (as well as everybody else, for that matter).

Anyway, here is how I do it.

 
   / Do You Balance Your Mower Blades #35  
I like this explanation.

Richard
but it's wrong though!. a sharp edge will go round in a few minutes, which is the worst thing you want, the small flat edge, like on a brand new blade, cuts perfectly, and lasts much longer than grinding to sharp, a lot of experience has proven this to me..
 
   / Do You Balance Your Mower Blades #36  
It is much easier to sharpen a used blade sharp than square edge or what ever it is called. Blades do not wear evenly along the cutting edge.
The tip of the blade does the bulk of the cutting thus wears faster than the inside edge.
Thru use the blade edge is lost and it will become blunt.
I run double blades on my 22hp 61 Scag and it cuts much easier and mulches the grass better when (sharp).
As was mentioned earlier this is not a brush cutter which beats grass, shrubs, small trees and rocks into submission.
Has anyone done a side by side test comparing a knife sharp blade to the blunt edge or square face blade?
I could also see major liability if blades were knife sharp when delivered into the hands of the average consumer.
I will continue to rotate Sharp sets of blades 2 or 3 times during Summer To minimize the load on my engine and get s better cut with fine mulching.
90cummins
 
   / Do You Balance Your Mower Blades #37  
Has anyone done a side by side test comparing a knife sharp blade to the blunt edge or square face blade?
I have, the brand new blades that have the tiny square edge last longer than a blade made knife sharp!..
 
   / Do You Balance Your Mower Blades #38  
I have, the brand new blades that have the tiny square edge last longer than a blade made knife sharp!..

^^^^^^^^for grass up there maybe but not southern grasses.

It's just been my experience but you can cut your grass any way you'd like.
 
   / Do You Balance Your Mower Blades #39  
I have, the brand new blades that have the tiny square edge last longer than a blade made knife sharp!..

I believe that the manufactures don't sharpen the blades because people will hurt themselves while picking thru the blades at the store or while installing them. Big liability issue for them and the distributors.

"OH I didn't know that this is sharp, you will be hearing from my attorney"
 
   / Do You Balance Your Mower Blades #40  
I believe that the manufactures don't sharpen the blades because people will hurt themselves while picking thru the blades at the store or while installing them. Big liability issue for them and the distributors.

"OH I didn't know that this is sharp, you will be hearing from my attorney"

Doesn't make a lot of sense. Do they do that with kitchen knives or pocket knives? There are reasons for an edge that is not knife-sharp on a mower blade and liability is not it.
 

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