Mowing faster - Page 2

u3b3rg33k · 05-23-18, 02:07 AM

We use hard facing rods to re-build the cutting surface on our wood chipper knife. first is the actual factory metal, then an intermediate rod of tougher, harder material, followed by the hard facing rod, then some time on the wetstone. this seems to work quite nicely, and chips up buckthorn for much longer before it goes dull again. DC SMAW tombstone welding like a good farmer.

CrankyDoug · 05-24-18, 12:30 PM

We manufacture and resharpen blades for the carpet tile industry. They are made of ASTM-A2 and heat treated to R52C.

I designed a machine about ten years ago that used some of our A2 drops for a wear surface exposed to sand and glass beads. The wear block seems to last about the same whether heat treated or not. Thus we now deliver them without hardening to save money.

If you can locate A2 steel in 0.12 to 0.18 thickness you could try making bolt-on wear tips. In the unhardened condition it takes quite a beating.

I have tried to scrounge some A2 to make mower blade tips but everything we manufacture here is either 10MM or 7/16". Some OSB plants use 5/32 inserts for their chipper knives. We've never made them though.

oil pan 4 · 05-28-18, 10:40 PM

Having the carburetor working properly helps too.
I just rebuild the carb and replaced a lost spring on the governor on my 18.5hp V-twin, now it feels like it could power a 54 inch deck with ease in all but tall weeds.
The carb had 2 bad seals that would flood the engine with fuel under heavy load and the gov spring wasn't allowing the engine to run at full speed.

iikhod · 06-05-18, 08:32 AM

How long is your grass/weed before you cut it?

oil pan 4 · 06-05-18, 01:07 PM

The last guy didn't mow it for 4 or 5 years.

Elcam84 · 06-10-18, 08:46 AM

The big difference between commercial mowers and consumer mowers is the blade speed. The CPSC has regulated homeowner mowers to a certain feet per second. I forget what it is off hand. Commercial mowers don't have that problem so they run the blade at higher speeds resulting in a better cut and better ground speed.

So yeah increasing the blade speed is a good thing however most consumer mower decks are not built that well and the blades need to be balanced much better due to the higher speeds.

Anyone remember the old lawn boy mowers? They were two stroke, light weight high blade speed and a great push mower though odd wheel arrangement on it.

oil pan 4 · 06-10-18, 09:43 AM

I actually have been reconsidering upping blade speed since I rebuilt the carb and replaced a missing spring on the governor.
My mower has ridiculous power now and burns less fuel.
So I could run at a lower engine RPM for most mowing if the blades would spin fast enough.
Problem is a good portion of my field is way too bumpy to run the mower along as fast as I would like to go.
So if I could find smaller sheaves for the blades or a bigger one for the engine drive shaft.

Elcam84 · 06-10-18, 10:17 AM

Dont slow the engine rpm. Always mow at full throttle. Running the mower at slower rpms reduces its ability to cool. This is why most push mowers no longer have a throttle. Too many burned up engines from people not following directions and mowing at full throttle. On push mowers you dont need idle as you are mowing or you arent. Riders need to have idle sped but some now are also set at full throttle.

oil pan 4 · 04-23-20, 12:46 PM

I bought some close out Oregon gator blades.
Problem is they don't fit.
But in my lawn mower junk collection I have left over "universal blade adaptor kits" and a spare blade spindle.
So I can make them fit.

Once my experimental blades wore back to the high alloy homogeneous hard facing rod it stayed sharp a little longer but, meh, not really worth the trouble.

oil pan 4 · 07-20-20, 06:17 PM

I think found the final solution to mower blades that stay sharp longer pretty much for the life of the blade.
Laser-edge dot com.
They perfected what I was trying to make.
This company applies a paper thin very hard coating to underside of the mower blades and they make them for all different makes and models.
I needed star pattern 21 inch mower blades for craftsman, they didn't have any. But they had blades for professional grade Husqvarna 60 inch mower that uses 3x21 inch blades to make 60 inches. Husqvarna and craftsman use the same 5 point star pattern so I ordered some. $30 each plus $15 shipping.
Shipping was per order if I knew that these worked as well as they say they do I would have gotten 3 or 4. But I will start with 2 for now.
If they stay kind of sharpish they will 100% be worth it.
The company says for best results use in areas with gritty Sandy soil, which describes NM perfectly.

When I sharpen the standard tool steel blades I can run the mower full speed through knee high field grass, but after 20 minutes of mowing I have to start slowing way down or I miss more than I mow.

05-23-18, 02:07 AM	#11
u3b3rg33k Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: Mar 2018 Location: Rustbelt, USA Posts: 114 Thanks: 5 Thanked 10 Times in 9 Posts	We use hard facing rods to re-build the cutting surface on our wood chipper knife. first is the actual factory metal, then an intermediate rod of tougher, harder material, followed by the hard facing rod, then some time on the wetstone. this seems to work quite nicely, and chips up buckthorn for much longer before it goes dull again. DC SMAW tombstone welding like a good farmer.

05-24-18, 12:30 PM	#12
CrankyDoug Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: Georgia Posts: 100 Thanks: 6 Thanked 14 Times in 11 Posts	We manufacture and resharpen blades for the carpet tile industry. They are made of ASTM-A2 and heat treated to R52C. I designed a machine about ten years ago that used some of our A2 drops for a wear surface exposed to sand and glass beads. The wear block seems to last about the same whether heat treated or not. Thus we now deliver them without hardening to save money. If you can locate A2 steel in 0.12 to 0.18 thickness you could try making bolt-on wear tips. In the unhardened condition it takes quite a beating. I have tried to scrounge some A2 to make mower blade tips but everything we manufacture here is either 10MM or 7/16". Some OSB plants use 5/32 inserts for their chipper knives. We've never made them though.

05-28-18, 10:40 PM	#13
oil pan 4 Land owner Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: NM Posts: 1,026 Thanks: 12 Thanked 127 Times in 107 Posts	Having the carburetor working properly helps too. I just rebuild the carb and replaced a lost spring on the governor on my 18.5hp V-twin, now it feels like it could power a 54 inch deck with ease in all but tall weeds. The carb had 2 bad seals that would flood the engine with fuel under heavy load and the gov spring wasn't allowing the engine to run at full speed.

06-05-18, 08:32 AM	#14
iikhod Lurking Renovator Join Date: May 2018 Location: Panelia, Finland Posts: 1 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	How long is your grass/weed before you cut it?

06-05-18, 01:07 PM	#15
oil pan 4 Land owner Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: NM Posts: 1,026 Thanks: 12 Thanked 127 Times in 107 Posts	The last guy didn't mow it for 4 or 5 years.

06-10-18, 08:46 AM	#16
Elcam84 Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: TX Posts: 275 Thanks: 2 Thanked 31 Times in 24 Posts	The big difference between commercial mowers and consumer mowers is the blade speed. The CPSC has regulated homeowner mowers to a certain feet per second. I forget what it is off hand. Commercial mowers don't have that problem so they run the blade at higher speeds resulting in a better cut and better ground speed. So yeah increasing the blade speed is a good thing however most consumer mower decks are not built that well and the blades need to be balanced much better due to the higher speeds. Anyone remember the old lawn boy mowers? They were two stroke, light weight high blade speed and a great push mower though odd wheel arrangement on it.

06-10-18, 09:43 AM	#17
oil pan 4 Land owner Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: NM Posts: 1,026 Thanks: 12 Thanked 127 Times in 107 Posts	I actually have been reconsidering upping blade speed since I rebuilt the carb and replaced a missing spring on the governor. My mower has ridiculous power now and burns less fuel. So I could run at a lower engine RPM for most mowing if the blades would spin fast enough. Problem is a good portion of my field is way too bumpy to run the mower along as fast as I would like to go. So if I could find smaller sheaves for the blades or a bigger one for the engine drive shaft.

06-10-18, 10:17 AM	#18
Elcam84 Apprentice EcoRenovator Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: TX Posts: 275 Thanks: 2 Thanked 31 Times in 24 Posts	Dont slow the engine rpm. Always mow at full throttle. Running the mower at slower rpms reduces its ability to cool. This is why most push mowers no longer have a throttle. Too many burned up engines from people not following directions and mowing at full throttle. On push mowers you dont need idle as you are mowing or you arent. Riders need to have idle sped but some now are also set at full throttle.

04-23-20, 12:46 PM	#19
oil pan 4 Land owner Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: NM Posts: 1,026 Thanks: 12 Thanked 127 Times in 107 Posts	I bought some close out Oregon gator blades. Problem is they don't fit. But in my lawn mower junk collection I have left over "universal blade adaptor kits" and a spare blade spindle. So I can make them fit. Once my experimental blades wore back to the high alloy homogeneous hard facing rod it stayed sharp a little longer but, meh, not really worth the trouble.

07-20-20, 06:17 PM	#20
oil pan 4 Land owner Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: NM Posts: 1,026 Thanks: 12 Thanked 127 Times in 107 Posts	I think found the final solution to mower blades that stay sharp longer pretty much for the life of the blade. Laser-edge dot com. They perfected what I was trying to make. This company applies a paper thin very hard coating to underside of the mower blades and they make them for all different makes and models. I needed star pattern 21 inch mower blades for craftsman, they didn't have any. But they had blades for professional grade Husqvarna 60 inch mower that uses 3x21 inch blades to make 60 inches. Husqvarna and craftsman use the same 5 point star pattern so I ordered some. $30 each plus $15 shipping. Shipping was per order if I knew that these worked as well as they say they do I would have gotten 3 or 4. But I will start with 2 for now. If they stay kind of sharpish they will 100% be worth it. The company says for best results use in areas with gritty Sandy soil, which describes NM perfectly. When I sharpen the standard tool steel blades I can run the mower full speed through knee high field grass, but after 20 minutes of mowing I have to start slowing way down or I miss more than I mow.