Do I actually need a blade balance?

[Gord Baker]

Off Topic I know but a cut rate Gasoline station In Hamilton Ontario (CENTEX) is selling E 15 Fuel as it's cheapest.
Not good for pre 2020 vehicles and should never be used in Small engines like Mowers etc according to Google.
Preignition with no knock sensor to ****** timing. Just so you know.

 

[2muchgrass2mow]

I always keep two sets of blades, one on my JD X-370 and a newly sharpened pair on reserve. I have them sharpened at a local dealer/hardware store for $10. I don't know if they balance them or not, but I've had no issues with them. I'm 75 and have owned my fair share of lawn tractors - JD, Cub, Craftsman and a couple others over the years. I remove and install my blades but have never sharpened OR balanced them - EVER. Arthritic hands/fingers are ever making it harder to even do that. My Mo-Jack is indispensable for that.

What I will say is that occasionally improper inflation has been my greatest contributor to uneven cut. With the rear tires @ just 10 lbs., even 3 or 4 lbs. off can affect the cut noticeably. It's mower 101, but easy to just assume they're at the right pressure.

 

[LMPPLUS]

Many people over sharpen their blades, an razor sharp blade dulls easily, an edge with a hand file holds up much longer and is less likely to get out of balance.

 

[MartinR]

Alright so a couple weeks in with the X350 and Im already down the rabbit hole of blade care lol. Cut looked a little uneven last mow and figured its time to pull em, sharpen, put em back.
Watched a bunch of vids and now Im more confused than when I started. Half the guys say just stick a screwdriver through the center hole, eyeball it, if one side dips down grind that side till it sits level. Other half swear you need an actual balancer or the vibration will kill your spindles over time.
Then I came across this blade balancer. Its magnetic, mounts on the wall, you set the blade on the cone and it tells you which side is heavy. Looks way more accurate than the screwdriver trick but part of me wonders if Im overthinkin it for a homeowner rig thats only cuttin 1.5 acres. Or should I just skip the whole sharpen and balance thing and drop a fresh set of blades on instead? Wanna hear what you guys actually do.

Alright so a couple weeks in with the X350 and Im already down the rabbit hole of blade care lol. Cut looked a little uneven last mow and figured its time to pull em, sharpen, put em back.
Watched a bunch of vids and now Im more confused than when I started. Half the guys say just stick a screwdriver through the center hole, eyeball it, if one side dips down grind that side till it sits level. Other half swear you need an actual balancer or the vibration will kill your spindles over time.
Then I came across this blade balancer. Its magnetic, mounts on the wall, you set the blade on the cone and it tells you which side is heavy. Looks way more accurate than the screwdriver trick but part of me wonders if Im overthinkin it for a homeowner rig thats only cuttin 1.5 acres. Or should I just skip the whole sharpen and balance thing and drop a fresh set of blades on instead? Wanna hear what you guys actually do.

Alright so a couple weeks in with the X350 and Im already down the rabbit hole of blade care lol. Cut looked a little uneven last mow and figured its time to pull em, sharpen, put em back.
Watched a bunch of vids and now Im more confused than when I started. Half the guys say just stick a screwdriver through the center hole, eyeball it, if one side dips down grind that side till it sits level. Other half swear you need an actual balancer or the vibration will kill your spindles over time.
Then I came across this blade balancer. Its magnetic, mounts on the wall, you set the blade on the cone and it tells you which side is heavy. Looks way more accurate than the screwdriver trick but part of me wonders if Im overthinkin it for a homeowner rig thats only cuttin 1.5 acres. Or should I just skip the whole sharpen and balance thing and drop a fresh set of blades on instead? Wanna hear what you guys actually do.

 

[jmdaniel]

Alright so a couple weeks in with the X350 and Im already down the rabbit hole of blade care lol. Cut looked a little uneven last mow and figured its time to pull em, sharpen, put em back.
Watched a bunch of vids and now Im more confused than when I started. Half the guys say just stick a screwdriver through the center hole, eyeball it, if one side dips down grind that side till it sits level. Other half swear you need an actual balancer or the vibration will kill your spindles over time.
Then I came across this blade balancer. Its magnetic, mounts on the wall, you set the blade on the cone and it tells you which side is heavy. Looks way more accurate than the screwdriver trick but part of me wonders if Im overthinkin it for a homeowner rig thats only cuttin 1.5 acres. Or should I just skip the whole sharpen and balance thing and drop a fresh set of blades on instead? Wanna hear what you guys actually do.

I have not that exact balancer, but one just like it. Works well, takes very little time to get my blades balanced. And I'm only on an acre!

 

[ghutch]

+ Uneven cut, I'd check tire pressures first...

 

[RevB]

Alright so a couple weeks in with the X350 and Im already down the rabbit hole of blade care lol. Cut looked a little uneven last mow and figured its time to pull em, sharpen, put em back.
Watched a bunch of vids and now Im more confused than when I started. Half the guys say just stick a screwdriver through the center hole, eyeball it, if one side dips down grind that side till it sits level. Other half swear you need an actual balancer or the vibration will kill your spindles over time.
Then I came across this blade balancer. Its magnetic, mounts on the wall, you set the blade on the cone and it tells you which side is heavy. Looks way more accurate than the screwdriver trick but part of me wonders if Im overthinkin it for a homeowner rig thats only cuttin 1.5 acres. Or should I just skip the whole sharpen and balance thing and drop a fresh set of blades on instead? Wanna hear what you guys actually do.

Screwdriver "trick" is crap....you already fail when the balance point in now at the edge of the hole and not in the center of the hole. That is the reason for the cone.

 

[RevB]

Full disclosure, I am from the NO blade sharpening camp. I acknowledge that a sharp blade will require less hp to cut, than a blunt. This may translate into marginally faster cutting, but will have almost zero impact on quality of cut. (Note: This does not apply to drum type mowers).

The reasoning is simple:

• The blades cut by impact.
• The main factor in cutting, is the speed of the blade, not how sharp it is (see above statement). Always run the deck at Maximum RPM. Check that the engine is developing the rated RPM according to the manufacture.
• In most situation's the blade will only stay sharp for a relativly short time . The rest of the time it is bluntish, negating the time & money spent to sharpen.
• One of the videos made a big point about the blade tip wear. The tip, or at least a 15-25mm in from the tip, is where 99% of the cutting is done,. Sharpening further in towards the centre is cosmetic ie a wast of time. I very much doubt that squaring of the tip has a significant impact on cut efficiency.
• Sharpening blades just accelerates wear and shortens the life of the blade. This costs you money for very little short term gain.
• Blade sharpness will not correct misaligned blades / deck, which results in uneven cut.
• Blades that are severely damaged, bent, warn short or cracked should be relapsed as a matter of urgency/safety. Sharpening such blades will not improve cut quality.
• Replace blades as a set ie all deck blades, not one at a time.

NOTE:

• Blades should be balanced to reduce vibration, which causes accelerated wear on bearings & is annoying/fatiguing to/on the operator.
• There is little benefit in the fancy static balancing device, featured in the videos. A balanced blade will go out of, precise balance, quite quickly, due to damage, corrosion and adhering organic material.

I've seen bad advice before....this is at the top.

 

[RevB]

I've just hammered a nail into a stud on the inside of the garage for a balancer but never had an unbalanced blade to be truthful. For my old school riding mower, $49 buys 3 sets of blades off of eBay. IMO blades don't need to be razor sharp but they do cut better after a quick sharpening, especially if you are the guy like me who runs over lots of fallen branches and tree roots.

And you're starting above the centerline of the blade. Just where do you think the majority of the mass is now?

 

[jcworks]

Alright so a couple weeks in with the X350 and Im already down the rabbit hole of blade care lol. Cut looked a little uneven last mow and figured its time to pull em, sharpen, put em back.
Watched a bunch of vids and now Im more confused than when I started. Half the guys say just stick a screwdriver through the center hole, eyeball it, if one side dips down grind that side till it sits level. Other half swear you need an actual balancer or the vibration will kill your spindles over time.
Then I came across this blade balancer. Its magnetic, mounts on the wall, you set the blade on the cone and it tells you which side is heavy. Looks way more accurate than the screwdriver trick but part of me wonders if Im overthinkin it for a homeowner rig thats only cuttin 1.5 acres. Or should I just skip the whole sharpen and balance thing and drop a fresh set of blades on instead? Wanna hear what you guys actually do.

My two cents is yes you are over-thinking it. I just put a screwdriver through the hole. If both sides are even you'll know it. Just balance the blade; if it moves then take some off. I've never gotten one unbalanced.