Go BottomBetter Blades for 72 quot Kubota belly mower
 | cutter
Join Date: Feb 2000 Posts: 1307 The South Shore of Lake Ontario, New York 
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2004-05-30 87306
I sharpened my OEM blades prior to mowing this spring and I am already getting brown tips and torn blades of grass when I mow. I checked the edges and they are just slightly less than sharp. They are still much sharper than they were when I purchased them, the edge was actually rounded when new. The second set I bought lasted quite a time before requiring sharpening, so I will be filing a new edge on them tomorrow.
I have searched the web as well as checked with the local dealer for some hardened steel or Gator blades for this deck but can not seem to come up with anything. Has anyone here been able to find better blades for this mower?
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 | Art White
Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 6898 Waterville New York 
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2004-05-31 87347
Many blades hold an edge that is not razor sharp. They do work better when hollow ground while sharping. Gator blades are not available and hold an edge no longer then the factory blades. For the most part we don't see the likes of gator blades unless a mower has a problem with cutting. ....
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| Art White
Join Date: Jan 2000 Posts: 6898 Waterville New York
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2004-05-31 87348
Many blades hold an edge that is not razor sharp. They do work better when hollow ground while sharping. Gator blades are not available and hold an edge no longer then the factory blades. For the most part we don't see the likes of gator blades unless a mower has a problem with cutting. ....
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 | Chief
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 4299 Southwest MiddleTennessee
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2004-05-31 87351
Art, what exactly do you mean when you say hollow ground? Not being a smart ass just trying to understand so I can perhaps make some changes to how I sharpen my blades. I have a similar issue. I use a hand file to sharpen my blades and try to keep the original blade angle contour. ....
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 | Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999 Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2004-05-31 87352
Randy, there are two main ways to sharpen an edge, flat ground and hollow ground.
A good example of flat ground would be a wood chisel, a constant flat slope to a point.
Hollow ground is like the face of an axe, it is a convex or compound curve. If you laid a straight-edge across it you would have a gap in the center.
An easy way to achieve this is to use a small angle grinder and hold the grinding wheel perpendicular to the blade, the radius of the grinding stone will create the hollow you want in the blade. Keep a light pressure on the grinder and move quickly to prevent heat buildup. A bucket of cold water nearby is handy for keeping the blades cool also.
Hollow ground blades work better and hold their edge longer because they go through the grass more efficiently.
Mower blades do NOT need to be razor sharp to work well, in fact if they are sharpened to a fine edge it will quickly deteriorate into a small blunt face which will be worse than a 'normal' edge.
Best of luck. ....
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| Chief
Join Date: Jul 2003 Posts: 4299 Southwest MiddleTennessee
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2004-05-31 87354
I see what you mean. I was thinking that but was not sure about the terms. I have found that using a bench grinder, no matter how much care I take to prevent overheating with frequent quenching in water; the blade's edge just does not hold up like it does with the file. I suspect that the grinder may ruin or deteriorate the temper of the steel. I think the other part of the problem may be that I wait too long between cuttings of the grass too! ;o) Thanks for the information both Art and Murf! ....
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| cutter
Join Date: Feb 2000 Posts: 1307 The South Shore of Lake Ontario, New York
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2004-05-31 87356
What would be the optimum edge? I had to hit the OEM blades with the angle grinder due to the severely blunt "cutting" edge. I then filed flat. I tried the hollow grind, but it would have required taking so much off the blade I figured I would ruin it. ....
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| Murf
Join Date: Dec 1999 Posts: 7249 Toronto Area, Ontario, Canada
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2004-05-31 87360
It doesn't have to be a huge recess to be effective, even just the radius of a 4" angle grinder stone is more than enough.
We made a 'blade sharpener' many years ago. It is just like a 'key cutter' with a guide bar that only lets the cutter engage the blade by a set amount. It also uses a high speed belt driven spindle that turns the grinding wheel in a stream of water to keep the stone and blade cold & clean. It is basically an old deck spindle stuck through the side of a horse water trough (stock tank), it's driven by a 1/3hp. 110v. motor with an old power steering pump shooting water from the bottom of the tank over the point where the stone meets the blade.
It probably cost all of about $20 to make and took an afternoon. But then we sharpen a LOT of blades too.
We grind ours down to about an 1/8", then that last bit gets a 45 deg. chamfer.
Best of luck. ....
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