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Changing Blades

#1

Bomba

Bomba

How often do you change the blades on your Exmark?


#2

Ric

Ric

Bomba said:
How often do you change the blades on your Exmark?
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Well I don't have an Exmark but I start every season with a new set of blades on each mower. I sharpen my blades often though.


#3

okiepc

okiepc

New blades are a good idea, then sharpen them occasionally. :thumbsup:


#4



AmericanTurf

When they star to get dull. On any mower. Couple times a week for me.


#5

Bomba

Bomba

I worry about sharpening mine and then balancing them incorrectly. I have a 60" ZT with 3 blades. I've never sharpened a blade before, except for my push mower.


#6

Carscw

Carscw

Watch a you tube on how the use a file on your blades. Takes just a couple mins at the end of each day

(( racing is the only sport that you need two balls ))


#7

M

Mad Mackie

I have a mid level Oregon blade grinder. It does a nice job but very time consuming. I keep the balancer nearby on top of my tablesaw. I've got 4-5 sets (3 blades) of blades to do right now and I need to get with it!!! I haven't found any difference doing short blades to long blades, I frequently check the balance while I'm sharpening. I have a crushed stone driveway and I set the grinder on a small table in the garage with the output going out into the driveway. I'll take some pics when I setup next time and post them here. Gotta do some cleanup in the garage first, been building model train modules since last October and finished just last week and the garage is a royal mess!!!! HaHa!!!:laughing:
Mad Mackie in CT:laughing::biggrin::cool:


#8

Ric

Ric

Bomba said:
I worry about sharpening mine and then balancing them incorrectly. I have a 60" ZT with 3 blades. I've never sharpened a blade before, except for my push mower.
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I use a Makita Hand grinder to sharpen my blades with a sanding disc. If you're worried about balancing you blades buy one of those Unifit Blade Balancing cones, ( metal not plastic ) They only cost 4 or 5 dollars. Find a place it on a level surface and sit your mower blade on it, you will be able to see if you had sharpened it right or not or if you just have to take just a little more off of one side than the other. It's really not that critical, they don't need to be perfect. You can take your blades to a shop to be done but there's no guarantee that they will be done any better than you can do them.


#9

Bomba

Bomba

Thanks to all of you who replied. I think I need to go to my Exmark dealer today and buy another set of blades. Blades that I can put on the mower while I'm sharpening the other blades. I will look on you tube and try the $5 balancer with the sanding disc. My mower in just 16 hours old but I've had a lot of hickory nuts and hard shells and other debris from my trees crashing against my blades. I've since raked it all up. There are a few "notches" here and there on the blades.


#10

L

LakeRat1

I dont have a Ex Mark, I have a JD LT 445 w/ 60 in. cut, i mow close to 4 ac. with it, the blades are heavy/thick Blades, i sharpen them about after ever 3 or 4 times of mowing, I replace them when the blades are getting to the point that I think they should be replaced, I get about a year and half out of a set of blades, i use a 4 1/2 in. side grinder to sharpen my blades, I put the blade in a vice to hold it while i sharpen it, i check the balance on them by putting it on a Nail that is driven in the wall, i dont very often fine one that needs to be fixed, blades ware even, not a big deal to me

One of the biggest problems i fine with oweners of Mowers, is they dont keep the Blades sharp, a mower runs so much better with sharp blades, when i was younger I helped with a Yard Mowing Crew, the big mower was going all day, we had 2 sets of blades, & most of the time we put on a sharp set of blades not long after lunch, you could tell it when the sharp set went on,


#11

Ric

Ric

LakeRat1 said:
I dont have a Ex Mark, I have a JD LT 445 w/ 60 in. cut, i mow close to 4 ac. with it, the blades are heavy/thick Blades, i sharpen them about after ever 3 or 4 times of mowing, I replace them when the blades are getting to the point that I think they should be replaced, I get about a year and half out of a set of blades, i use a 4 1/2 in. side grinder to sharpen my blades, I put the blade in a vice to hold it while i sharpen it, i check the balance on them by putting it on a Nail that is driven in the wall, i dont very often fine one that needs to be fixed, blades ware even, not a big deal to me

One of the biggest problems i fine with oweners of Mowers, is they dont keep the Blades sharp, a mower runs so much better with sharp blades, when i was younger I helped with a Yard Mowing Crew, the big mower was going all day, we had 2 sets of blades, & most of the time we put on a sharp set of blades not long after lunch, you could tell it when the sharp set went on,
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You check the blade balance by putting it on a Nail that is driven in the wall? You do know in order to balance a mower blade you have to find the center of rotation, you can't do that by using a nail. Using a nail is a myth and besides that you can't put the blade back on the nail in the same place twice.


#12

Bomba

Bomba

Thanks Rat1. RIC, how often do you sharpened your blades? A friend of mine has a 48" Exmark. He just told me he changes his blades for new ones every 18 months. He never sharpens.


#13

Ric

Ric

Bomba said:
Thanks Rat1. RIC, how often do you sharpened your blades? A friend of mine has a 48" Exmark. He just told me he changes his blades for new ones every 18 months. He never sharpens.
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I sharpen my blades every two weeks, sometimes earlier depending on the conditions and what type of grass I'm cutting. With the St.Augustine grass you can go two weeks before you sharpen but with Bahia grass about a week is it. If you want to know when to sharpen just look at the grass you cut, with the two types I mentioned if the grass has torn or has jagged edges vs a nice even cut then it's time for sharpening. If your friend has an Exmark 48" and never sharpens and just changes every 18 months he's not cutting with a lawn mower he's using a bush hog because that's the cut he is getting :laughing:


#14

Bomba

Bomba

Ric said:
I sharpen my blades every two weeks, sometimes earlier depending on the conditions and what type of grass I'm cutting. With the St.Augustine grass you can go two weeks before you sharpen but with Bahia grass about a week is it. If you want to know when to sharpen just look at the grass you cut, with the two types I mentioned if the grass has torn or has jagged edges vs a nice even cut then it's time for sharpening. If your friend has an Exmark 48" and never sharpens and just changes every 18 months he's not cutting with a lawn mower he's using a bush hog because that's the cut he is getting :laughing:
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Haha! Apparently mine is fescue, and I'm just cutting three of my 5 acres with my 60" Exmark. I cut the rougher more thick grass with my finish mower on the back of my old 1970s Ford tractor.


#15

Ric

Ric

Bomba said:
Haha! Apparently mine is fescue, and I'm just cutting three of my 5 acres with my 60" Exmark. I cut the rougher more thick grass with my finish mower on the back of my old 1970s Ford tractor.
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Keep on mind I mow 10 to 12 residential Lawns a day 6 days a week so my blade sharpening is influenced by what I do. If your a homeowner and mow on a weekly basis the you get get by a lot longer between sharpening or changing out blades. As you probably know I just purchased my Turfmaster March 14 2013 and just this morning I did the 5 hour oil change which was likely more like 12 hours for the first month of use and I changed out the blades and installed a new set. The blades were still cutting good but they definitely needed sharpening.


#16

Bomba

Bomba

Ric said:
Keep on mind I mow 10 to 12 residential Lawns a day 6 days a week so my blade sharpening is influenced by what I do. If your a homeowner and mow on a weekly basis the you get get by a lot longer between sharpening or changing out blades. As you probably know I just purchased my Turfmaster March 14 2013 and just this morning I did the 5 hour oil change which was likely more like 12 hours for the first month of use and I changed out the blades and installed a new set. The blades were still cutting good but they definitely needed sharpening.
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Yeah, I just mow my own lawn and that's it. How much did u pay for a new set of blades?


#17

Ric

Ric

Bomba said:
Yeah, I just mow my own lawn and that's it. How much did u pay for a new set of blades?
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A set of blades for the Turf Master run $37.00, just a bit more for the Grandstand. A set for the Z-Force Run $50.00 but it's a triple.


#18

Bomba

Bomba

Ric said:
A set of blades for the Turf Master run $37.00, just a bit more for the Grandstand. A set for the Z-Force Run $50.00 but it's a triple.
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Ok, thanks for that. Mine is a triple set also.


#19

M

Mad Mackie

Hi Troops,
Sharpened five sets of blades in about an hour, checking balance on each.
Attached are some pics of my Oregon model 88-023 blade sharpener. The motor is reversable so L/H rotation blades can also sharpened and reversing the blade guide to the opposite side of the grinding wheel. My older Case/Ingersoll machines were L/H rotation and my new Hustler with rear discharge deck has two of three blades that are L/H.
If a blade is rough, I sometimes will pre grind it on a regular grinder and then finish it on this machine. I've had this machine for about 10 years, it is still available from Oregon, but more $$$$$!!!!
I open my garage door and let the grit go out onto the stone driveway. Oregon does offer an optional grit collection attachment.
Mad Mackie in CT:laughing::biggrin::smile:

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