Here is a Tip I have been using on my B-8200

[FERRARI]

The reason I thought someone would argue is that a lot of people think this is dangerous because they might come off.....the truth is that the blades turn counter-clockwise and they tighten as they turn and it is almost impossible for them to come off.....unless you stop the blades by pushing in on the clutch while they are running full speed and then they might come off and fall straight down...I have been doing this for almost 20 years.....A Kubota factory rep came to my house about 10 years ago because my dealer told him how good it cut......He said that Kubota was too conservative to endorse anything out of the norm........But it really works great giving extra lift and also with the blades so sharp the clippings are so small that they just disappear into lawn....because I cut so high.

 

[oliver28472]

Are your crossed blades welded together? Did you get a longer bolt? May try this on my Woods.

Ed

 

[FERRARI]

No....they are just on in the regular way.....and I don't tighten as hard as when they put the darn things on at the dealer with an impact wrench ! Man those things are the devil to get off!!!
Think about it....they turn counter-clockwise....the TIGHTEN as they turn...a safety feature I guess....but if you ever hit something substantial they do what I call SISSOR....Now that is a booger to get off.....This double blades effect cuts down on wind rowing..and makes the clippings so fine (if the blades are extra sharp) that one pass will create no pile-up...that extra grass on you lawn is not good for it .....and you don't have to do what I call....CUT...RE-CUT....AND CUT AGAIN.....to get rid of extra clippings....that is what I have been trying to say about this whole issue...and have not found the words to say it correctly.....And I do realize that I go to extremes on my grass, but it is what I LIKE to do!
My idea of a perfect day is.....Sharpen blades in morning....drive my mid-engine sports car over the very winding mountain roads to Sequatchie Valley to fly glider all afternoon....then go home and cut grass.....I just don't get to do it every day.....I really just don't know what part of that day I enjoy most!

The blades are safe this way...I have never had anything bad happen and have been doing this for at least 10 to 12 years...about 3000 hrs on B-8200 with 60" MMM....HAVE never had any excessive spindle bearing wear....but I do apply hight temp. grease to spindles and drive shaft every time I put in 5 gal. of fuel....after I warm up deck by letting the blades turn for about 2 or 3 minutes so grease will flow better..

One thing you will notice if you try this and cut in the transport mode is that grass clippings will fly out from under your deck a lot more and clog up you screen on front of tractor.....because deck is so far off ground...that is why you need so much more lifting power to raise grass much more to cut it...So don't let tractor over heat due to grass clogged radiator!

I always used to stop every 15 minutes and spray water over screen and spray off that "CATCHER" SCREEN in front of radiator on my B-8200 to avoid this....Now I use a gas powered leaf blower to do this....much better....I just never thought of it before.......Sometimes I think my lack of experience in regular mechianical knowledge has let me not be limited in trying things,
and in this way has helped me...I know this is not the safest approach.....and you should have seen my apprehension the first time I tried it....I had forgotten that until now......

 

[MicroPilot]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( .......I also HOLLOW GRIND my blades....that means at an angle of less than 21 degrees......This is very sharpe and it makes the clippings comming out of shute so small the just disappear into lawn..... )</font>

Actually, HOLLOW GRIND means having a convex area behind the cutting bevel. This kind of edge can be very sharp, but is also the weakest type of edge. It is also an almost unavoidable side-effect od using a bench grinder on the blades. Blade C in the pic is hollow ground.

 

[slowrev]

Gravely owners usually made brackets to keep the blades in position. Most of them made adapters to keep the blades in a 90 degree offset position. Just a bent piece of metal that fits between the blade bolt and the last blade on the bolt with ears that go down and straddle the other blade.

 

[FERRARI]

Picture "c" is exactly what my blades look like when I get through with them...That is a hollow grind...I use a 6" wheel to do this ...and like I said they are sharp.....But I go to extremes to not cut any area where you could hit even any dust because this will dull them quickly.....I have gotten rid of all of these areas in my yard through the years......Thanks for the pictures....that shows what I have been trying to say and show....exactly! And yes, If you ever try it this way you will see the clippings so small you won't believe it!

 

[Bowhunter]

I'm trying to picture your "crossed blade" setup. So you have 6 regular mowing blades on the 3 spindles? I can picture that. What I also am picturing is that the two blades on each spindle cut at different heights, one about 1/4 inch higher than the other, similar to a 2 blade razor on your face. I can see where that would make the clippings smaller. Does this require more power from the engine, causing it to bog down more? I may have to give it a try.

 

[Junkman]

Bowhunter....... I wouldn't expect a reply from Ferrari, because after 4 days of prolific posting, he has disappeared from the horizon. Rumor has it that he will never return. You might say, that his picture is on G-d's refrigerator, but for all the wrong reasons.

 

[Bowhunter]

Thanks for the info Junkman. I've been absent from the board awhile and am trying to play catch up. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[KiotiJohn]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( You might say, that his picture is on G-d's refrigerator, but for all the wrong reasons. )</font>
Can I sue for you breaking my ribs? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
I don't remember when I've laughed so hard! Thanks!