Are these blades shot or salvageable?

Brinybay

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Can these be sharpened, or are they scrap? I don't know how to sharpen mower blades and the local repair place wanted as much as a new blade. Cub Cadet 21inch deck, model 11A-A92.


20200704_134923 Blade 1.jpg20200704_135532 Blade 2.jpg
 

StarTech

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Yes it is salvageable unless it is bent.
 

Rivets

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They are salvagable if the wing, back edge of the cutting portion of the blade, is not too thin. I say replace if the thickness is less than 50% of a new blade on the wing. Dangerous to use at this point.
 

PTmowerMech

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Around here, with soooo much sand, the back edge of blades get razor sharp.
I'm gonna start stocking low lift blades.
At least for customers who have a lot of bare spots to mow.
 

StarTech

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Agree. I often see blades in my shop where the air lifts (wings as Rivets called them) completely broken off. Customers are always trying to save a few pennies but price difference between sharping and replacement can be just a few dollars more than sharping.

When these air lifts break they become a dangerous high speed projectile and can seriously injure a bystander. As Rivets noted when the thickness which is usually at the start of the air lift bend is around 50% of the original thickness I just replace them. Safety is more important to me.

In this case if the images are true there only light wear to the bend of the air lifts.
 

ILENGINE

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Around here, with soooo much sand, the back edge of blades get razor sharp.
I'm gonna start stocking low lift blades.
At least for customers who have a lot of bare spots to mow.
Several years ago had a customer with a JD LX176 that over time the sand actually cut the bottom inch of his deck off.
 

Brinybay

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I just used them until they got dull, then bought a new one (I actually have 3 blades total). I saw a YouTube video with blades in similar shape, and they used an angle grinder to sharpen them. Critical part I learned is to balance them, which is also appears easy. I bought an angle grinder from Harbor Freight tools yesterday, so I'm going to give it a try. The underside of the mower looks like it good use a good cleaning too. Another thing to add to my to-do list, (sigh).
 

tom3

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That blade looks better than what I've been using for years. Usually takes a couple resharpening to get it out of balance to where it would be noticed.
 

PTmowerMech

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I just used them until they got dull, then bought a new one (I actually have 3 blades total). I saw a YouTube video with blades in similar shape, and they used an angle grinder to sharpen them. Critical part I learned is to balance them, which is also appears easy. I bought an angle grinder from Harbor Freight tools yesterday, so I'm going to give it a try. The underside of the mower looks like it good use a good cleaning too. Another thing to add to my to-do list, (sigh).

Get you some sanding disks, instead of the grinding blades. My son, who's a welder, calls them tiger disks. I use about a medium grade disk.
They make sharpening a lot easier.
 
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