Rear Blade Edge for rear blade

[Baby Grand]

Re: Edge for rear blade

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What kind of recip blade did you use in your saw to cut the tire? Do you have any suggestions how to make the cut so you get a straight edge?

I just ask because it seems like used tires are not hard to find, but they do have to be cut.

2many-
It was just a fine pitch hacksaw blade. A coarser blade would have probably worked a lot better. This tire wasn't steel belted, so next time I want to think about what kind of tire I'm cutting before I select the blade. To get a straight edge (I didn't do so well) I picked a feature on the carcass, just where the tread runs into the sidewall and sort of tried to keep the kerf on it as I went around. My attention span is not long and I found myself wandering all over the place, but it was close enough for a first pass.

Mike-
Thanks again for the help. Now I'm posting pictures all over the place. You may end up regretting this.

If you look at the picture that shows the side view, you will see that the tire's cross section varies significantly as you move from the thin sidewall (3/8") to the thick edge of the tread (7/8") to the relatively thin center of the thread (1/2"). I didn't realize that this would be so before I cut it, and I was kind of upset at what I wound up with, but the thick section actually seems to keep the rubber edge from rolling under the moldboard. It also gives you something of a cusp on the cutting edge side. I like your idea of the backing strip - if I notice the wiper starting to flex back too much I'll try that out.

Another thing - the section of tread was actually only 6" wide, not the 8" I had intended. I'm keeping my eyes peeled for a wider tire to get a full 8" section that I can flip over to get a second edge when the first one wears out.

Thanks again to all you guys for posting you experiences and ideas. It has made jumping into this whole "tractor thing" a much safer and productive venture for me.

-Jim

 

[MJPetersen]

Your very welcome. If there is one thing about this forum that I know it is that we LOVE pictures. You do not have to say so much if you include one pic!!

I had not thought of the fact that the thickness would vary in a tire. It is logical, just had not thought of it. Good job on your project. It should give you good service all winter and in the mean time you can keep searching for a new rubber source.

Mike

 

[MJPetersen]

I finally got a pic of the "sandwich" of my rear blade, the rubber edge, and a special retaining strip. Because I did not use my cutting edge I am able to leave less rubber exposed and I believe it will be stiffer because of it. I got to use it a bit today for the first time and more snow is predicted. I am so excited. I even cleaned off our front deck with the tractor.

Mike