Noob = Idiot; Rotary Cutter Blades vs metal pipe

[Maibox]

So, I finally put the brand new LP 1872 on to cut a field, a portion of which had been overgrown with some very small brush. Despite first walking the overgrown area I was cutting and locating all the old stumps (there were a lot), I managed to miss a 3 inch diameter metal pipe that stuck up 10 inches (I know, how do you miss a freaking 3" pipe). I believe it is a survey monument. Now, I didn't hit it with the cutter all the way down, rather, I had the cutter up a bit as I was backing and managed to get the back over it but as I backed further. the blades "grazed" the top of the pipe...let's just say it was not a pleasant noise. Immediately raised the blade, moved forward, and cut the power. Everything looked okay and I finished cutting. However, after I finished, I looked at the blade. It's pretty darned nicked near the ends. The manual says "Replace any blade that is damaged, worn, bent, or excessively nicked. Small nicks can be ground out when sharpening." So what does "damaged" or "excessively nicked" mean? What's a "small" nick? I'm not looking forward to trying to remove the blades with the 450 ft/lbs of torque needed.

Also, how important is the "run-in" on the slip clutch? Forgot to do it. Given the commotion with the pipe, I'm guessing it's "run-in" at this point but wondering if I need to be worried about the clutch.

So much for this rainy Memorial Day.

Thanks in advance.

 

[TripleR]

Do uou have a picture, it is hard to tell "excessive", how is it cutting?

 

[Maibox]

I'll take a picture and post. Seemed to cut okay after. Cutting mainly smaller weedy brush (well under an inch).

 

[BeezFun]

Depends what you're mowing. I wouldn't worry much about nicks, but you can touch it up with a hand grinder while the blades are still mounted. Raise the deck as high as you can and put jack stands under to make sure you're safe. Then crawl under and have at it.
The way I check my slip clutch is to touch it after I mow. If it's hot I know it's slipping, otherwise it's not. They say you should make it slip once in awhile so it doesn't get frozen, but I've never done that. Occasionally mine will slip if I go into really tall wet grass and mow too fast, you could try that if you want to test it.

 

[Ted Summey]

Idiot -not at all! It happens to us all at some point and if it hasn't either someone hasn't used their rotary cutter much or they are flexing the truth. I "found" an old car rim that was partially buried the first time I used my FIL's cutter. Eventually, we all "find" something we wish we didn't with a cutter.

Blades were nicked up and so was my pride after he got through explaining his opinion of my tractor work. I used an angle grinder to cleanup the nicks and earned back a couple of points.

 

[whistlepig]

I used to rotary cut vacant lots for realtors for a few years. Most of these lots were adjacent to new high dollar homes. The owners of these homes use these vacant lots for a "dump". Everything that they didn't want was pitched over their back fence into or hauled out to these vacant lots. I have mowed over steel car rims, tires, concrete blocks, bed springs, matresses, chain link fence, steel T-posts, pay phones, ATM machines, TV's to name a few. I have bent a stump jumper or two. It did get to the point that I did have to start welding reinforcements on my stump jumpers to keep them from bending. This was all done with a rotary cutter protected by shear pins. I sharpened my blades once a year. Regardless. I might add that I have popped several hundred beer bottles with my rear tires without a flat. Tractors and rotary cutters are pretty tough.

 

[George the Beagle]

I ran over a set of hedge trimmers with a small riding lawn mower and for a minute I thought the world had come to an end.

 

[JimRB]

I was riding my biciyle last week and saw the top of a fire hydrant that was wacked off by one of those county floating cutters. I am sure I have hit some epic rocks over the years. I found some barbed wire last month that I thought I had picked up.

 

[mmorisoli]

My 6 foot rhino shredder has a slip clutch which has been tested with foreign objects from time to time. Aside from spending some time under the shredder with a peanut grinder fixing various nicks and dings the only other suggestion is to pick up a few extra shear bolts to keep in stock. They are typically a grade 5 or so bolt that act as a shear pin to help when the clutch isn't enough. Odd thing is I have never broken a shear bolt at the moment of impact. They tend to break when I am cutting the super easy stuff. All of the sudden nothing is being cut. The drive shaft is still spinning but the blades are quiet and still as a windless night...

 

[Ken45101]

Oh heck, I've taken on several concrete blocks over the years (the blocks lost).

Your concern is if you did enough damage to the blade so as to weaken it with a crack that might fail and throw the blade. It's doubtful that you did that.

You are lucky that the cutter hit it and not the tractor. My M9540 grazed the top of a stump and damaged some low hanging hydraulics. About $700 in damage!

Years ago when I first started out with tractors, I raised the cutter to go over a stump, but let it down too fast and the cutter hit the stump. It broke the blade which caused tremendous vibration (unbalanced, of course)! TSC carries blades.