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Chris Cooper
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2001-05-16          28262

I have a bush hog squeeler mower 48", The problem I am having is that it is not mowing (cutting) as well as it used to. It is leaving grass uncut. The area of concern is in the middle of the deck where the rear wheel is.The blades appear to be ok. Pto speed is alright.. Any suggestions? Thanks chris

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Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999
Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2001-05-17          28293

Sharpen the blades, it's that simple. Also, be sure they are sharpened only on top side, i.e the bottom of the blade should be totally flat, the cutting edge should NOT look like this < it should be a ramp up, not a wedge shape, if that makes sense. If it is not sharpened this way it will not cut correctly. Best of luck. ....

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MarkS
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2001-05-17          28313

Also, if you ever look at a new blade or one that has been professionaly sharpend, there is always a smalee 1/32" TO 1/16" flat at the front of the blade and not a knife edge. This helps the blade maintain a better edge for a longer time. A sharp knife edge rolls over much quicker and easier and a blade with a small flat left on the end. ....

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Peters
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 3034 Northern AL
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2001-05-20          28385

We do not what the blade to round over therefore we preround the blade? If you are cutting wood or grass you want as sharp a blade as possible.
If I am cutting wood with an axe then the sharper the axe the better. I sharpen it regularly. The sharper it is the less HP it takes me to cut the wood. If I am chopping wood then I use a dull axe as it then does not stick in the block as easily. (Correctly I also use a quick twist of the blade as it strikes the block to prevent sticking and additional splitting action.)
Blades do not come from the manufacture razor sharp as they do not what people assembling the equipment to be cut. Just as you buy a new axe with a dull blade.
The rounding or flattening of the edge speaks to the poor temper in the steel more than the correct method of sharpening. If you dull the edge of the blade then the mower will not cut as well and use more HP. If you are cutting mostly grass/weeds then I keep it as sharp as possible. If I was clearing a wood lot you might want to flatten the edge or sharpen more often.

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MarkS
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2001-05-20          28399

I did not say we want to round the blade, a round blade tip does not cut it just pushes grass out of the way. There however sould be a small flat at the tip of the blade that will give two nice 90deg sharp edges. As per the woods Mower manual "Always sharpen both ends at the same time to maintain balance. Follow original sharpening pattern. DO NOT SHARPEN BLADE TO A RAZOR EDGE. Leave from 1/32" to 1/16" blunt edge. Do not sharpen back side" This was taken verbatim from the woods RD 7200 mower manual page 17. There is also a nice picture showing the small flat at the blade tip. Woods has been making quality mowers for a long long time. I think I'll trust them. ....

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JeffM
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2001-05-21          28404

Here is a question related to blade sharpening. Took my new finish mower out this weekend for the first time - cuts great! But sure enough, after an hour and a half of mowing I caught an embedded rock that grew this past winter, as they tend to do with our deep frost. The rock didn't really nick the blade; rather it "rolled" the last 1/4 inch or so of the 2 cutting edges up about 1/4 inch. In general, my thought on this type of damage is to peen this back into shape on an anvil before touching up on the grinder. Sound logical? Is it a good idea? I'm sure this is not the last rock I'll find this summer, no matter how carefully I search them out. ....

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Bird Senter
Join Date: Jun 1999
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2001-05-21          28406

JeffM, does it sound logical? It does to me. I've never done it, but believe I'd have to give it a try. ....

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TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley
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2001-05-22          28429

I think that if it was pounded long enough with a big enough hammer on a heavy enough anvil, it would be cold-worked and about as good as new. Otherwise, it might tend to break where the edge was bent. Maybe somebody who has done some smithing knows how long and how big and heavy. ....

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harvey
Join Date: Sep 2000
Posts: 1550 Moravia, NY
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2001-05-24          28512

Morning Jeff That the trouble with something new. It gotta get its first ding or dent in it somehow. I'd try laying the curled up part on the anvil and wail the back of it with a BFH (big fine hammer). I just replaced my 7 year old set on my 72" 3PH Landpride. Lots of rock, sticks and who knows what else been thru them. One was bent from the middle 3/8 of an inch. I could not tell the difference in the cut. I also do not sharpen them much, just enought to take out the nicks and dings. I never put much of an edge on them. I have waaaaay to much mowing to do each weekend so I am not very picky. I never get all those dandy-lions they just seem to pop right back up. My standard is green and flat. By what evermeans. Harvey ....

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JeffM
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2001-05-25          28562

Harvey, I have just the BFH for the job. (I worked on a dairy farm as a kid - seems like the first thing I learned is what a BFH is) I'll let you guys know how this turns out. Hopefully get to work on it this holiday weekend. ....

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Peters
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 3034 Northern AL
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2001-05-28          28678

Temper - Temper Mark;
I am sure that Woods makes good products. But what I wrote intially is correct. The sharper the blade the better it will cut. Take your machette out and dull the blade if you don't agree. A flat a long the edge of the blade will only use more energy to cut. Dual angles rather than a flat on the blade may keep the edge from damaging but the key is having the correct temper in the blade not techniques that allow the manufacturer to provide inferior steel blades.
A blade which is too hard could split if it hits an object. I have seen this happen. Even if a small piece of metal split off the blades could cause unbalance and this could do considerable damage. Rather than hardening the steel and risk liability many manufactures prefer to use softer steel. It is easier to machine, bend and grind. It also does not require a costly tempering step. Naturally the soft blade will not hold a good edge and the edge will roll over when struck. It is easier to sharpen as the soft steel cuts well, but it will not hold an edge.
If tempered correctly the steel can have both hardness and ductility but this requires tempering skill and quality control on the steel. The tempering must be done after the blades are bent and machined.

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Charles L. Barnes
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2001-05-29          28718

So, Peter, where do you get good replacement blades? I'm doing finishing work rather than brush hog cutting, but I do note that sharp blades make a big difference to the appearance of the cut. I'm pulling a 5' Brush Hog ATH600 which came used with blades so dull the cutting surface was curved. The dealer gave me a set of not-so-used replacement blades, and I first put just a semi-sharp edge on them thinking to avoid blade damage. That gave me uneven cutting, so I put a decent edge on before my last job and got much better results. However, after about 6-7 acres I'm back to an edge similar to my first sharpening effort. Is it common to need to sharpen so often? I plan to get an extra set of blades so I can switch off and have a set sharp. Are genuine Bush Hog blades likely to be better than third party stuff? I really don't know if the blades I have now are BH or not. Chuck
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