Rotary cutter blade pics, advice?

[ovrszd]

You already have "lifting" blades.

 

[3gunr]

I have several brush cutters over 15 yrs old that look much better than those . Look like you were cutting steel fence posts off . Dealer was full of it.

 

[MF243RedTop]

Still life left in those blades, run a grinder straight down the edge, even it out then resharpen them.

 

[Bullwinkle123]

You already have "lifting" blades.

Yes, I was saying I'd inquire about alternatives, since clearly the lifting blades aren't doing well. (The cut is nice enough, the blades are another matter).

 

[jaxs]

To be sure we are on the same page,the blades in post #16 are what's found on most cutters and have years of life left and you would only be wearing them out by sharpening. Are the blades in post #1 and post #16 one and the same (they look like totaly different type blades)? I totally agree that the rocks you describe shouldn't do much if any damage. At any rate,sharpening blades in post #1 only reduce's blade life without improving preformance "IF" they continue being used in same field. I wouldn't worry about LIFT or no LIFT,that's only relivent with lawn mowers. Claims of lift for pasture cutters is sales pitch hype. For the record,the ability to cut trees and brush increase's with mower quility and price. Bush Hog and Service mowers will cut anything the tractor can bend over and do as well in weeds and grass as anything you can buy at tractor supply or elsewhere. Yes,Bush Hog is a brand name so stop calling all cutters Bush Hogs.

 

[MF243RedTop]

You may need to look at flat blades if you can find them.
Set I just replaced on my 306...
The ends were rounded off, but other than that still in great shape
Probably 15-20 years old
No rocks here where I live.

 

[Tinhack]

To be sure we are on the same page,the blades in post #16 are what's found on most cutters and have years of life left and you would only be wearing them out by sharpening. Are the blades in post #1 and post #16 one and the same (they look like totaly different type blades)? I totally agree that the rocks you describe shouldn't do much if any damage. At any rate,sharpening blades in post #1 only reduce's blade life without improving preformance "IF" they continue being used in same field. I wouldn't worry about LIFT or no LIFT,that's only relivent with lawn mowers. Claims of lift for pasture cutters is sales pitch hype. For the record,the ability to cut trees and brush increase's with mower quility and price. Bush Hog and Service mowers will cut anything the tractor can bend over and do as well in weeds and grass as anything you can buy at tractor supply or elsewhere. Yes,Bush Hog is a brand name so stop calling all cutters Bush Hogs.

Whaaaaaaat? :talktothehand: You are the only one that has used the term "Bush Hog" in this thread. :confused3:

 

[Bullwinkle123]

To be sure we are on the same page,the blades in post #16 are what's found on most cutters and have years of life left and you would only be wearing them out by sharpening. Are the blades in post #1 and post #16 one and the same (they look like totaly different type blades)? I totally agree that the rocks you describe shouldn't do much if any damage. At any rate,sharpening blades in post #1 only reduce's blade life without improving preformance "IF" they continue being used in same field. I wouldn't worry about LIFT or no LIFT,that's only relivent with lawn mowers. Claims of lift for pasture cutters is sales pitch hype. For the record,the ability to cut trees and brush increase's with mower quility and price. Bush Hog and Service mowers will cut anything the tractor can bend over and do as well in weeds and grass as anything you can buy at tractor supply or elsewhere. Yes,Bush Hog is a brand name so stop calling all cutters Bush Hogs.

Yes, those blades are the same blades. The post 16 pictures were taken in the spring after a couple of hours of doctoring up my field after it had a rough cut by someone else the year before. So those are basically new blades. (The whole cutter was new, bought in the spring). The post 1 picture is the exact same blades after I did the full cutting in the fall. If they look different it's probably (partly) because of the different perspectives of the camera relative to the blade, but of course the blade clearly also looks so thin and raggedy in post 1 I can see why you'd wonder, it's why I posted this topic. I didn't touch the blades with grinders or anything else at any point, just rotary cutter use.

Re: Bush Hog, I will sometimes use the term "brush hog" because that is what it is sometimes called around here, but yes, I realize it's not Bush Hog.

 

[jaxs]

I think it's universally agreed the blades will not benifit from sharping but you say they don't do as well as they did earlier. May I suggest checking deck height to see if that might be some of the problem? Adjust deck so that blades are closer to ground when at front of deck. When blades are level or higher in front,weeds are clipped a secound time as they pass rear of deck. That secound clip leave's a ragged top on stem ,slow's blade and sap's horsepower. It's the same as cutting weeds with a machete. If you swing and cut weed mid-way between top and ground then swing a secound time attempting to cut stem 4" lower,the cut isn't as clean (if it cut's at all).

 

[Bullwinkle123]

I think it's universally agreed the blades will not benifit from sharping but you say they don't do as well as they did earlier. May I suggest checking deck height to see if that might be some of the problem? Adjust deck so that blades are closer to ground when at front of deck. When blades are level or higher in front,weeds are clipped a secound time as they pass rear of deck. That secound clip leave's a ragged top on stem ,slow's blade and sap's horsepower. It's the same as cutting weeds with a machete. If you swing and cut weed mid-way between top and ground then swing a secound time attempting to cut stem 4" lower,the cut isn't as clean (if it cut's at all).

Thanks. The front is lower than the rear, in fact my concern is that it may be more than the 1 inch differential that is recommended in the operator's manual, i.e. that the rear wheel setting may be too high, thereby inclining the blade to strike downward a bit more when it does come in contact with things. So I'll be checking that difference next time around with some actual tools instead of a guesstimate.

 

[Tinhack]

Re: Bush Hog, I will sometimes use the term "brush hog" because that is what it is sometimes called around here, but yes, I realize it's not Bush Hog.

I think we all do the same. Just like we use "Kleenex" to describe a facial tissue even though it may not be a Kleenex. The companies certainly don't mind as long as it's not used for advertising. They get their name mentioned more frequently. Isn't that the reason for a brand name? :confused3:

 

[beckmurph]

After 6 years of cutting brush, rocks, bricks, stumps, and what ever else was on the ground, this is/was my 48” rotary cutter blade.

Luckily it didn’t travel too far.

 

[CoyPatton]

View attachment 676283View attachment 676284View attachment 676285

After 6 years of cutting brush, rocks, bricks, stumps, and what ever else was on the ground, this is/was my 48” rotary cutter blade.

Luckily it didn’t travel too far.

This is a great picture of why I would NOT recommend you attempt to temper your blades yourself!
Improper tempering can result in metal becoming brittle.
I would recommend 1) an examination of the blades on a regular basis (no less than 2x/season—beginning and end, more often is better)
2) leave the blades alone—a soft blade will wear out quicker, but will loose small pieces instead of larger dangerous sized chunks. 3) if you feel a need to do something to the blades—then grind down that leading edge to a 1/4-5/16” face. It appears to have plenty of slope from the wear it has experienced. When about 2/3’s of the blade width is remaining replace them (1/3 width worn away).