Rotary Mower blades sharpening

[JimMc]

Actually, for those of you who are interested in such things, one of the 4 standard tests we use on a new cutter design is to lower the cutter while running at 540 PTO RPM onto a 2" diameter steel stake buried 3 feet in the ground and sticking out of the ground 8 inches. Makes an unbelieveable racket, but fully checks cutter integrity from blades to PTO shaft.

 

[JohnMiller3]

Hi Jim,

That's interesting... What are the other 3 tests...?

In fact, can you start a new post on the mfr. testing and designing of implements in general... That would make great reading... /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Thank you...

 

[Inspector507]

I can see it now........"Try the First Choice Fence Post Mower" /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[Kodiak]

I haven't mowed any t posts with mine. But it only took a couple of seconds to wrap 35' of old barb wire around the spindle, in an incredibly tight mess. It was also time for a new pair of shorts after that wire started whipping under the tractor.

 

[Slamfire]

A few stratigically placed jack stands keep them mowers up in the air.

 

[JimMc]

The other tests involve running the cutter at full RPM with only one blade, checking a standard template representing a human leg and foot to check blade clearance from openings, and last, dropping nails through the deck into the spinning blades to check that the ejection of nails falls below a certain level. These tests are meant to check basic safety levels in rotary cutters. I can supply the specifics if anyone is interested.

 

[JimMc]

Russ, I did the same thing on a new property once. Unfortunately, the cheap posts came with the wire and it got very intense until I got the tractor shut down. One thing I knew for sure, I wasn't about to get off that tractor with all that wire and posts whipping around!

 

[jhburke]

When I clean and or need to work on the under side of my rfm, I hook a come along to the top link and to the back of the deck. First I disconect the pto shaft then I crank the deck to about 45 %. This makes inspection and maintenance easier.

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Patrick, you kind of hit the nail right square, it ain't anything I'd recommend to someone cause I flat know somebody else with a 120 volt wirefeeder is gonna figure he can do the process with his "machine" too.
I'll also tell you it doesn't involve a hard surface process. Just take a file to your blade and see how hard that is. Hard surface and abrasoweld really aren't designed for this type of application.
The first time I did it, I wondered if I was nuts for doing it, but I had the recommendation of a fellow I had complete trust in, so I figured why not try. After building up close to 1/4" of edge, and sharpening, I ran the machine for a few hours, and looked at the blade edges. The buildup was still there, and had performed as well as the original blade.
Now, if anyone wants to know how to rebuild rototiller blades, since they travel slow, I'll spill the beans on that. Just cut old leaf springs from a car to the original tooth profile and weld it onto the stub tooth with stainless rod. No, I don't do buildups on mower blades with stainless.

 

[Ozarker]

Think that was a mess? I was on a training exercise in Germany once when at about midnight we got word to break bivouac and move to a different site. In the process, a guy ran a 5 ton cargo truck through a concertina line wrapping an entire roll of it around the rear differential. It cut the tires to pieces and mangled the brake lines.

We had to move and couldn't do anything with the truck so I had it winched onto a low boy behind a D7E (it almost fit and didn't hang off the end too far) and away we went. Took two days to get all that wire cut off, replace the brake lines and get it back on the road.

I worked that driver to death for those two days. I didn't waste any of the maintenance guys time on getting that wire cut off.