The blades on my Honda Harmony 215-series mower dull very quickly. I have a mix of lawn and wildflower meadow, not a lot of sticks are anything very hard to cut. Do others here also have to file their blades every hour or so of use to get a clean cut?
Can anyone here point to a store selling tool-steel or other harder blades to fit this mower? Is it crazy to consider brazing tool-steel or carbide plates to the end 2-3" of the existing blade? It's a fair amount of work (mostly the cleaning and hard-edge sharpening), and I'm also worried about engine damage from any imbalance.
I would love to find some tougher blades. I hit a lot of small rocks and my blades are always dull. I have thought many times about welding something harder on the ends of my blades.
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#3
Stash
Tool steel or blades that are too hard, may shatter if you hit a rock or another hard-surface object. Not a good scenario for anyone in the vicinity. Just my $0.02.
Forget it, not cost effective! My good lawn mower is a ZT Walker, only used on lawn grass, blades last for many years, sharpening 3 or 4 times a year. I have a 3/4HP 8" grinder and hand grind all. Also, my rough duty mower is a field mower, between lawn and pasture conditions, a much upgraded and reworked 38" deck MTD with 18 HP Vanguard V twin. With the sand and DG soil I go thru a complete set of blades every year, the tips and upturned trailing edges eroded away by the abrasive sand. They are sharpened for most every run. I've found on eBay sources from which to buy 10 or 12 blades at a time for relatively cheap.
They work great and actually lift higher and throw farther - I have an extra set of knives and sharpen them while the 2nd set is on the disc. be sure to use thread lock on the knife fasteners. They aren't cheap, but work great. (no I don't work for them and don't get any $ from them).:laughing:
Since these blades do contain a certain amount of carbon, you may be able to harden them. To do so you would need to heat them to at least a dull cherry red before quenching in cool water. As was said, making the blades too hard will also make them brittle and if they were to hit a rock could crack and break.
John
As most blades are machine cut to between 30 and 40 degrees, the most common problem with blades going dull is that the cutting edge is too great . A sharper edged blade will cut better but for a shorter period of time before it will dull . Keeping the correct bevel on the blade will give a optimal cut . As for the steel it is designed to handle bumps and strikes .
If you have a good machine shop near you take your blades and have Inconel welded to the cutting edge. Inconel is a millitary grade steel made for repairing tank treads, stuff is a little tuff to grind but will hold an edge for ever. I used it on other cutters at work and it realy holds up good:thumbsup:
I use a honda hrc 216 commerical walk behind mower and and lots of custmers, with grades of grass. the commerical mower blades seems a little better in quality then a residential blade. I have too sharpen my blade about twice a week. I use a right angle grinder and put the blade on a balancer. I have a friend that has a mower with 3 blades....they are a thick slab of steel and take forever too sharpen. some people like the gator blade. I would much rather a rock put a dent in a soft blade then shatter and hit me or a house widown....
... the commerical mower blades seems a little better in quality then a residential blade.... I would much rather a rock put a dent in a soft blade then shatter and hit me or a house widown....
Agreed on the safety issue. However, my Honda blades are so soft that they're far short of ever shattering. I first sharpened them on a bench grinder, before realizing that the steel is so soft that a hand-file takes about a minute to do each of the blades. Because of the softness, I also sharpen to a very blunt angle. Unless this was just a bad lot of steel, Honda seems to use *very* soft metal on homeowner blades.
Maybe I'll just ask the dealer next time I'm in that town. Annoying to have to sharpen both blades (mulching mower) ever three or four times around the lawn.
They work great and actually lift higher and throw farther - I have an extra set of knives and sharpen them while the 2nd set is on the disc. be sure to use thread lock on the knife fasteners. They aren't cheap, but work great. (no I don't work for them and don't get any $ from them).:laughing:
The Meg Mo blades are a good idea on paper, and apparently will work on some systems. I got a set for my 6 foot ZTR did not work, the center set pushed grass down and gave a bad , bad cut:thumbdown:. Mr Megli is a good guy, tried to be helpful but still not working out. I now have (2) sets of 72 inch Meg MO that will not mow. They would do ok for rough cut work, but not a finish cut.
I suspect it has a problem with some side discharge decks, or maby larger decks. My machine is a commercial grade, over $30k diesel/cab ZTR mower, it flies with regular blades and will cut perfect with gator blades... but is no good with either set of Meg Mo. KennyV
By the way you can experiment with disc blades of various shapes on your 'meg mo circles'... just shop around for the correct length ... they hold an edge well.
#14
BKBrown
Re: the Meg-Mo Blades - They work GREAT on my VENTRAC -- both finish mowing and rough cut. I don't understand why they would not work on every mower, but I'm sure maybe some decks just won't handle the extra lift or something. Roy Megli (owner) megli@att.net {e-mail} could give you exact prices for your size and application. Roy is very helpful ! :thumbsup:
I know they have saved me a few times with rocks and other debris.
I don't want to sound like I do not believe some people may have a problem with these blades - I believe it - I just don't understand it !
