Rotary Cutter Blades

[kenmac]

My Rotary cutter blades take a beating.(hitting rocks & such) I weld my blades up & re- sharpen them .Does anyone else weld up their rotary cutter blades & resharpen them or do you just buy new ones ?

 

[slowrev]

I rework my blades as long as they will hold up. Have not had one fly apart or anything yet.
Ben

 

[3RRL]

I'm sure lots of guys weld them up, depending on how badly they're worn, and where the wear is. If the damage was nearer the shank, I would buy new ones so they do not fly apart. I welded a good sized gouge in mine and re-sharpened, like you did.

 

[slowrev]

I also weigh my blades to keep them pretty well in balance, I figure the better the balance the longer the cutter will last.
Ben

 

[Bird]

I've sharpened blades and I've replaced blades, but I've never done any welding on one. And like slowrev, after sharpening, I weighed them to make sure I had them as close to balanced as possible.

 

[kenmac]

Bird, When I'am cutting grass/ weeds It's hard to see the rocks but my cutter doesn't seem to have a hard time finding them. My blades get some good size nicks in them . I weld the bad places up with a 7018 rod & grind or sharpen back down so that they are like new again. I do0 this instead of buying new ones

 

[Bird]

Ken, I sure didn't intend to insinuate that there was anything wrong with doing that; only that I've never done it so I wouldn't know what the difference would be in cost, time, etc. I'm sure it's cheaper than buying new blades, though.

 

[kenmac]

And I didn't take it that way bird. I was just explaining to you why I had to weld the blades up & was just wondering if anyone else has done this.

 

[john_bud]

And I didn't take it that way bird. I was just telling you why I had to weld the blades up & was just wondering if anyone else has done this.

You need to maybe think about that welding again. The blades are tempered for a combination of toughness (so they don't shatter) and hardness (so they wear a long time). Welding can embrittle the metal and allow it to shatter and shoot parts everywhere at high speed. It's rare, but it does happen. My Woods cutter had the blades replaced for free as they were too hard and prone to break.

Happy Ho Ho's ...

jb

 

[kenmac]

the blades that were on my cutter appear to have had the cutting edge cut with a cutting torch . So, if they were hardened it would have been after they put the edge on the blade . I have welded harden metel b-4 & can usually tell by the way it welds it it is hardened.I could b wrong, but These blades seemed to weld just like any other metal.I hope they don't shatter fly apart.I don't allow anyone near when I'am using the cutter for safety.