Installed these on a riding mower ru-vid.comUgkxetgfkJxfdT_B2vGYP-uNTLaBbim9OKTD . They were sharp out of the box, although I've never liked blade edges that were coated...not quite as sharp as I personally want. Using my belt sander, I removed the coating from the cutting edges and refined the edge enough to shave with them. So far, after three runs, these blades are holding up as expected. Even after hitting a few fallen 1/2 inch or so branches, the edges are still sharp as heck. No edge dings, no warping, etc. As far as installing them, the cutouts were of the proper size and shape to fit my aging Craftsman mower. Very satisfied.
Good job, funbro. FINALLY, a video that shows the BEST way to sharpen a mower blade. I have been doing it this way for years. With a belt sander you take off a very minimal amount of blade steel, and with the wide belt you get the smooth surface a 3/4" bench grinder just can't give you, not to mention the 'choppy' looking job of a handheld grinder. CUDOS!
That's one old Toro maybe 30 years? Aluminum deck!! Interesting idea on using the belt sander, I use a right angle grinder with a flap Wheel. What ever works! Thanks for sharing.
We bought it brand new from a local store that is no longer in business, it has been a great mower and starts very easy and runs great. I will also sometimes use a flap wheel or Dremmel depending on what is available or how bad the blade is. Thanks for watching
No. The grass build-up will return during the next mowing or 2, & be distributed along the blade roughly the same - dependent upon the deck & outlet design. The more accurate, long-term blade balance, therefore, accomodates the design of the deck & excavation of clippings causing grass debris to accumulate non-symetrically. Being too OCD in this case is, therefore, counter-productive, because the engineers were not assigned the task of considering typical grass- clipping accumulation on the deck & blade (not their given mission). For those who scrub absolutely all grass clippings off after each mowing session, please disregard what has worked fine for most people in the real world.
Jen H, I could not reply directly to your comment because of your security settings so hopefully you see this.: The belt sander I always use is the paper normally used for wood but it works well for sharpening blades and I also use it to sharpen chisels. Sharpening your blade will also allow your mower to work easier. Thanks for the question.
I just did it!!! I'll update soon how it cuts the grass in a few, I have to wait till I cut the oil change stores grass. Thanks again Bob your awesome!!
JUST A TIP: Definitely remove the ups sticker from your new lawn mower blade. Just that freakin' little sticker was making my brand new Snapper knock like hell. Took the sticker off, smooth as silk.
Sweet, thanks bro.... I am needing to do my blade and almost whipped out my angle grinder to do it... Lmao... I will use my belt sander, better control.... Thanks again, have a great day.
Great tip ie the needle nose as I've seen videos of the nail method not being consistent.Wish I had watched your vid before I ordered a little balancer, but it comes with a sharpening stone and you can never have too many tools and gadgets, right?Best of luck!
were you using metal specific sand paper? I use that mounted to granite to sharpen my chisels, but I haven't ever seen it available at my local hardward store for a belt sander. If you are just using standard paper, I need to do this today! :) Thanks! My mower is leaving my grass fuzzy, assuming it is time :)
i have always used a bench grinder to sharpen my blades. but the reason you want a well balanced blade is not for how bad the mowers shakes, its because of how terribly bad it is for the bearings in the spindle. i have watched a few videos of blade balancing and nobody mentioned this.
thats why it shakes. some people wouldn't realize that its bad for the bearings if you dont tell the directly. some people will just neglect the extra vibrations. not that it matters to much on a push mower. they are a dime a dozen.
Cool Breeze It does not have to be too aggressive, I've found that 120 works well unless you have a lot of nicks that need removed then you could move up to 80 or something else. The best bet is to remove less so it is easier to balance. Thanks for watching.
I feel stupid. I had used a needlenose several times in the past for balancing, but had more recently got an Arnold balancer. The mower I have nowadays has a blade that doesn't fit the balancer, and I was stumped. Thanks for the smack on the head.
Thank you very much. I had a middle blade that no one can get off.(I will be taking the mower to the Snapper shop-BUT we have caught a break in the rain here and I HAVE to get all I can. This middle blade should have been replaced. The Snapper shop nearest to me is 45 miles and sadly I do not own a pick up or trailer. thanks, jake
+Jake Parker Do you or someone you know have an impact wrench? There's a great combo kit at Menard's, a Tool Shop brand, that includes a drill and flashlight, with two lithium ion batteries. They go on sale every so often for about 70-80 bucks. The impact wrench alone is worth the price, and they include a set of impact sockets & a nice tool bag. Makes quick work of stubborn fasteners. Rated at 220 lbs/ft. If you only have a set of wrenches, you can also try heating the fastener VERY carefully with a Coleman torch, rapping on the wrench as you apply torque, or try an old mechanic's trick and attempt to tighten the fastener slightly before attempting to loosen it. I sometimes clamp a block of scrap wood securely on the under-deck to keep the blade from turning when I wrench on it.
Most people don’t know this, but balancers like that can also be used as pliers, and they actually do a decent job. Back in the old days, African tribesmen would use them to hold needles that they would insert into their noses. This was said to keep the evil spirits away from their riding lawnmowers. Eventually, they would become known as needle nose balancers. Obviously, no one calls them that anymore, though, because that would be racist. Nowadays, everyone just calls them lawnmower blade balancers, except for really cool people like myself, who call them LMBB. The more you know...
It depends on how bad the blade needs to be sharpened. If it is real bad then use 40 but if not you could use 80 or higher. Hope this help, Thanks for watching.
An Angle Grinder can create too much heat if not careful and takes the temper out of the mower blade. Better off with the method demonstrated. This is the method that I use and been doing this for years now. Cheers from Australia.
You know what they say, you can polish a turd but in the end it’s still a turd. Not sure what that has to do with a lawnmower blade but thanks for watching.
@@funbro1 you cannot find center with a nail. Its proven different every time. There are videos bow that prove it. Yes, alot of us believed it 10 years ago but not a commercial owner operator. We have to sharpen many blades weekly.
