Mowing Do your Mower a favour and clean your deck!

[Scooby074]

Cleaned the deck of the ZD today and got this pile of grass as a result. This is only since the first of the season (about 14h of use).

Performance is much improved after a cleaning and blade sharpening.

My advise, it sure wont hurt to check and clean the deck mid-season, your mower will thank you for it

 

[meos1]

I did the same when the unit was up in the air for a blade sharpen and service. I wonder if spraying a "bed liner" like Teflon would be beneficial to reducing the grass sticking and building up. I might do it this winter and see if it increases the performance and reduces the amount of grass that sticks.

 

[AaronS]

With all the crabgrass in our yard and all the rain we've had this year, we get that much stuck to our 60" deck every time we mow. Pain in the butt.

 

[ovrszd]

I clean my deck every mowing. I mow 4 hours worth each mowing. Easily cuts 15-20 minutes off the mowing time and the quality is much improved.

 

[meos1]

How are you sharpening the blades? I use my grinder and quench the blade afterwards. My concern is that my grind is not even across the face of the cutting edge (I admit, I am new to sharpening thicker steel blades and I need to work on my technique). I thought about running a starret cross stick sharpener across the edge after the grind but decided to forego that as the spinning blade fresh from the grinder seemed sharp enough.

How are you sharpening? Grinder?

 

[MoKelly]

It is amazing the grass and "stuff" that gets stuck on the deck. This year has been worse than normal due to wet conditions. I hate mowing when wet/damp (even morning dew) but there are times it can't be helped.

I have tried the spray on stuff as well as polish. Doesn't really seem to make a difference that I can tell. The dryer the grass the fewer the issues seems to be the only hard and fast rule.

The deck needs to be clean to get the maximum updraft and best cut.

MoKelly

 

[RippySkippy]

How are you sharpening? Grinder?

Sorry to barge in and not interesting in highjacking. If your looking for a great device to sharpen mower blades look at this I bought the delta version (same exact machine different paint, shop around prices vary) with a 60 grit belt. Unless you really apply pressure, there's virtually zero chance of it over heating the blade. One belt will sharpen a set of blades (3) maybe 6 times or more, but it depends on how hard you sand and how much material is removed. I always take the cutting edge to less than 1/32nd of an inch.

I sharpen everything on it: shovels/spades, machetes, garden hoes, rough use wood chisels. Plus anything that needs sanded for construction whether it be wood or metal. I have 60, 80, 100 grit belts on hand all the time.

 

[Scooby074]

I did the same when the unit was up in the air for a blade sharpen and service. I wonder if spraying a "bed liner" like Teflon would be beneficial to reducing the grass sticking and building up. I might do it this winter and see if it increases the performance and reduces the amount of grass that sticks.

I dont believe a bed liner type product would work. There are products out there designed to work with decks to keep them clear and they get mixed reviews. Its hard to keep paint on a surface with the sandblasting effect the blades cause.

One such coating is called CLEAN DECK - Graphite Undercoating for Lawn Mowers . My opinion from reading up on it is that its generally (expensive) snake oil, that if it does work, it needs frequent re-application.

How are you sharpening the blades? I use my grinder and quench the blade afterwards. My concern is that my grind is not even across the face of the cutting edge (I admit, I am new to sharpening thicker steel blades and I need to work on my technique). I thought about running a starret cross stick sharpener across the edge after the grind but decided to forego that as the spinning blade fresh from the grinder seemed sharp enough.

How are you sharpening? Grinder?

I sharpen with a 5" grinder and a flapwheel (Walter Enduro-Flex, 80grit ENDURO-FLEX™ – Walter Surface Technologies) to roughly shape the edge, then finish with a flat file. The flapwheel is much better than a traditional rigid grinding disk because if follows the original grind contours better and runs much cooler. I also pour water on the edge to keep it cool. Be sure to remove the burr that forms under the blade with the file.

With practice you can lay the flap wheel on the factory edge and keep the correct geometry.

Also be sure to remove all crusted on grass with a wire wheel before sharpening, and balance the blade afterwards. A simple nail, hammered horizontally into the wall can act as a crude balancer . Better balancers are available for purchase. I grind metal out of the edge of the blade, behind the cutting edge but before the wing, to balance. Some regrind the edge to get the blade into balance. Once I have the blade sharpened as I like it, going back to regrind for balance it seems counter-productive.

 

[txdon]

The wings on my blades are the first to go after about 12 hours of mowing - also about the time I need to sharpen them. Is it productive to sharpen the blade at this point or just replace them?

 

[ovrszd]

Subjecting myself to flaming,,,,,, I never sharpen blades. I buy "good", "high quality" blades and run them until the lifts start to break off having never sharpened them. My last set I ran 4 years.

Currently I'm trying a set of Predator II blades. The verdict is still out on those. Just started using them this Summer.

 

[Scooby074]

The wings on my blades are the first to go after about 12 hours of mowing - also about the time I need to sharpen them. Is it productive to sharpen the blade at this point or just replace them?

If the wings are gone, you wont have much lift at all, so Id say replace. Also if there is that much sand that youre abrading the wings, how can you get 12h between sharpenings, you'd think the blades would be dull in an hour!

What kind of blades are you using? I like the Oregon Gator G6s on my BX better than the factory Kubotas on the ZD. The Kubotas are noticeably softer so they wear much faster than the G6. When these Kubota blades are worn out, G6's will be going on the ZD.

 

[Scooby074]

Subjecting myself to flaming,,,,,, I never sharpen blades. I buy "good", "high quality" blades and run them until the lifts start to break off having never sharpened them. My last set I ran 4 years.

Currently I'm trying a set of Predator II blades. The verdict is still out on those. Just started using them this Summer.

4 years on an a set of blades That cant be good for the turf. Even after 10h the blades on my mowers are too dull, cut quality and the turf start to suffer (brown patches, uneven cut etc), plus the mower itself has to work harder with dull blades.

 

[k0ua]

I dont believe a bed liner type product would work. There are products out there designed to work with decks to keep them clear and they get mixed reviews. Its hard to keep paint on a surface with the sandblasting effect the blades cause.

One such coating is called CLEAN DECK - Graphite Undercoating for Lawn Mowers . My opinion from reading up on it is that its generally (expensive) snake oil, that if it does work, it needs frequent re-application.



I sharpen with a 5" grinder and a flapwheel (Walter Enduro-Flex, 80grit ENDURO-FLEX™ – Walter Surface Technologies) to roughly shape the edge, then finish with a flat file. The flapwheel is much better than a traditional rigid grinding disk because if follows the original grind contours better and runs much cooler. I also pour water on the edge to keep it cool. Be sure to remove the burr that forms under the blade with the file.

With practice you can lay the flap wheel on the factory edge and keep the correct geometry.

Also be sure to remove all crusted on grass with a wire wheel before sharpening, and balance the blade afterwards. A simple nail, hammered horizontally into the wall can act as a crude balancer . Better balancers are available for purchase. I grind metal out of the edge of the blade, behind the cutting edge but before the wing, to balance. Some regrind the edge to get the blade into balance. Once I have the blade sharpened as I like it, going back to regrind for balance it seems counter-productive.

Another vote for the flap wheel. I used to grind them on a bench grinder, but one try with a flap wheel, and I will never return to the grinder. For all the reasons listed above.

 

[txdon]

If the wings are gone, you wont have much lift at all, so Id say replace. Also if there is that much sand that youre abrading the wings, how can you get 12h between sharpenings, you'd think the blades would be dull in an hour!

What kind of blades are you using? I like the Oregon Gator G6s on my BX better than the factory Kubotas on the ZD. The Kubotas are noticeably softer so they wear much faster than the G6. When these Kubota blades are worn out, G6's will be going on the ZD.

I'm using Hustler's OEM blades "Fusion" they have a harden edge and are suppose to last twice as long - and they do - my other blades only last 6 hours. It might be because I don't have "real" turf grass, just harden field grass - bahia. Kind of looks like this http://www.geocities.ws/pleasesayno/index2_files/bahia3.jpg

I'll try some G6s next, but they have the same "Fusion" edge, don't they?

 

[ovrszd]

4 years on an a set of blades That cant be good for the turf. Even after 10h the blades on my mowers are too dull, cut quality and the turf start to suffer (brown patches, uneven cut etc), plus the mower itself has to work harder with dull blades.

Yeah, that's what I thought too,,,, before having a good set of blades. I bought my JD2210 when it was a year old. It had the original blades on it with 113 hours on the tach. I removed them to sharpen. Noticed they were in very good shape. But took the flapper wheel to one anyway. After a couple licks I stopped, noticing that the blades are extremely hard. I reinstalled them and didn't touch them again until removing them for throw away. The cutting edges had barely worn. As I said before, the lifts were wore so thin they were starting to crack. Upon inspection you could see that the leading edge of these blades were hardened.

I don't think the Predator blades I'm using now have a hardened edge. I'll report back on that this Fall. So far they are still sharp. That's after app. 60 hours of mowing. No surf suffering. No harder work on the machine. Still providing a quality cut at high speed.

For what I cut, cleanliness of the deck is as critical or possibly more critical than sharpness of the blades.

 

[4570Man]

The wings on my blades are the first to go after about 12 hours of mowing - also about the time I need to sharpen them. Is it productive to sharpen the blade at this point or just replace them?

What kind of blades are you using? My dixie chopper blades have 800 hours on them, and are barley worn.

 

[94BULLITT]

Old grass on the mower deck can stink up a garage:laughing:

I have 3 year old blades and they look like new.

 

[Scooby074]

I'm using Hustler's OEM blades "Fusion" they have a harden edge and are suppose to last twice as long - and they do - my other blades only last 6 hours. It might be because I don't have "real" turf grass, just harden field grass - bahia. Kind of looks like this http://www.geocities.ws/pleasesayno/index2_files/bahia3.jpg

I'll try some G6s next, but they have the same "Fusion" edge, don't they?

Bahia isnt local to here but from what Ive read on the lawncare forums its brutal. That combined with sandy soil is a recipe for short blade life. Im glad for our "soft" fescue amd bluegrasses.

The G6s do have a hardened cutting edge and it makes a performance difference in my useage. I cant say what difference that will make in your turf conditions though.

 

[Scooby074]

Yeah, that's what I thought too,,,, before having a good set of blades. I bought my JD2210 when it was a year old. It had the original blades on it with 113 hours on the tach. I removed them to sharpen. Noticed they were in very good shape. But took the flapper wheel to one anyway. After a couple licks I stopped, noticing that the blades are extremely hard. I reinstalled them and didn't touch them again until removing them for throw away. The cutting edges had barely worn. As I said before, the lifts were wore so thin they were starting to crack. Upon inspection you could see that the leading edge of these blades were hardened.

I don't think the Predator blades I'm using now have a hardened edge. I'll report back on that this Fall. So far they are still sharp. That's after app. 60 hours of mowing. No surf suffering. No harder work on the machine. Still providing a quality cut at high speed.

For what I cut, cleanliness of the deck is as critical or possibly more critical than sharpness of the blades.

Cleanliness is next to godliness.

The Preditors are Stens versions of the G6 AFAIK. At least thats whats been said on some forums, apparently some got Preditor blades with Oregon markings. So in that sense they should be very good if they work as good as my experience with the G6s.

Sharpening frequency (and balancing) is a pretty hotly debated topic on the lawncare sites with some guys sharpening every (8-10h) day or even half days in tough conditions and others not sharpening at all or at least a long time between. Its like a R1 Vs R4 or Deere Vs Kubota debate here. Everybody has their closely held beliefs.:thumbsup:

Ive seen and felt the difference with regular sharpenings. My brother is a professional greenskeeper and hes drilled the importance of sharpening into me. His crews cut more in a day than many do in a whole season and have to deal with the pickiest customers of all, golfers . To each his own, but a dull blade (however long that takes to happen) will stress the grass, whether or not that matters is up to "you" and your lawn. A good quote was " You wouldnt shave with a dull razor, would you?" Made sense to me.

 

[hslogger]

I once did a summer stint as an extra hire for a municipal parks and recreation division. We were responsible for many parks, ball fields, etc. Daily maintenance of the mowers in the spring, summer and fall was standard operating procedure. This included daily lubrication and under deck washing. Old stuck on grass and mud wreck the deck, and affect the ability of the deck to operate in the manner for which it was designed and fabricated. Granted, some designs may not be user friendly, but all the more reason to give them a thorough cleaning.

It made a deep impression on me, and I take a hose and or putty knife to my riding and walk behind mowers very regularly. I believe it makes a big difference.