Lawnmower blades, what to buy?

[aigheadish]

Unfortunately, Crusarius, that can't be my problem. I'm running the mulching blades with the tines that stick up on the back side so it's near impossible to put them on wrong. My guess is between hitting rocks and my anti-scalp wheels being jenked up from hitting stuff is what's causing me issues. Also, since everyone wants you to buy their own parts it's hard telling if I'm buying the right length blades. Some say 17.5" some say 17.75" and Husqvarna says a part number and about 70 bucks more money.

[Crusarius]

yea, I have been noticing that trend. Some of these manufacturers would get more business if they stop doing that.

Sony has lost all of my business because of their proprietary nature.

[SwampDonkey]

I only go to the local saw shop, they carry Husqvarna, and this deck is such. Nothing fancy, as close to original as possible. Takes 3 blades on my 54" deck. Got a set this spring, sure cuts a lot better than the old ones. The old ones was used to smooth out new lawn. ;D :D

[Tom King]

Here is a version of the blade I was talking about that I like best.  It's called Extreme 2-n-1.  There are a bunch of variations for different mowers, and deck widths.

Xtreme® 2-in-1 Blade for 54-inch Cutting Decks - 942-05056-X | Cub Cadet US

[Crusarius]

looks like a high lift mulching combo. interesting. you say it doesn't leave clippings? what about mowing 10" of leaves?

[21incher]

As I said before,  the only good blades by Oregon are the fusion blades. The bottom has carbide fines impregnated in a 1/2 inch wide strip starting at the cutting edge. Grass cannot wear through  the carbide and the blades stays perfectly  sharp for a whole season cutting 8 acres sometimes twice a week all summer. Better cut with my deck then brand new Kubota  blades and the cut stays that way all summer.  The carbide is still intact after the first season and with a little  touch up I get a second  season before the carbide is worn thin.  All other Oregon blades start rounding from the bottom and dull quickly once the bottom edge rounds over a little. I won't waste  my money  on anything else.

[Tom King]

looks like a high lift mulching combo. interesting. you say it doesn't leave clippings? what about mowing 10" of leaves?

It shreds them into very small pieces, and they do get thrown out the chute. That turns into dirt in a few months.   It would be faster to hit them multiple times before they get 10" thick.  That thick, most are just going to get pushed in front of the deck.  I have the deck set at 2" when I'm shredding leaves.

I have 30 hours on that set of blades, and they have only been sharpened once.  They're much slower to sharpen than Oregon, and other knock-off blades, but don't seem to get hurt any worse when hitting a rock.  I think they must be harder, but don't seem to be much more brittle.

I'm sure someone makes them for Cub Cadet, but I haven't seen them anywhere else yet.

The blades on my mower are 3" wide, 1/4" thick, and 25" long, and blade tip speed is high.  It doesn't take long to balance them if you don't let a set get far out.  I think the only vibration I get is from the deck belt, and that's not much.

I'm one to balance trailer tires too, even though most say it doesn't matter.

[Crusarius]

Unfortunately I don't always have the option of getting to them before they are that deep. The hickory leaves are the worst. they are almost the size of a football.

[Tom King]

https://www.scag.com/product/stand-on-blowers/windstorm/

[Crusarius]

I cannot tell you how many times I have thought about something like that. But I was leaning more towards a yard vacuum. The biggest issue I have is I hate to leave equipment outside, and for the few times a year I would use it, it would totally be in the way the rest.

[Tom King]

I have an older version of this:
F1302SPH - F13 Series Force? Wheeled Blowers | Billy Goat

It will clean an 8' swath in one pass, until they get a couple of feet thick.  It's better to start on the finishing edge, and move 8 nor 10 feet at the time. It moves leaves, limbs, small rocks, down to bare ground.

With that blower and kerosene in an Indian pump, it will burn a hole all the way through the bottom of a big burn pile, and send the rest to outer space.  You get to see first hand how effective Kerosene and Oxygen was for rocket fuel for Saturn V rockets.

[Crusarius]

So I finally broke down and ordered a set of mulching blades. Of course the shipping is messed up and it seems they are not going to send me the order.

good news is I am pretty sure these still have a couple good years left in them (bottom image)... :D



 

I did actually find a spare set of blades, (top blade). The bottom blade has been well loved

I do have a set of mulching blades on order and look forward to trying them out.

[sawguy21]

  You sure get maximum mileage out of your blades! I changed them annually whether they needed it or not and they usually did. Easier than messing with sharpening, I always had a spare set on hand.

[rusticretreater]

Its impossible for me to keep blades going very long as one piece of ground I have is very rough with a lot of rock outcroppings.  I have multiple sets of spare blades as I would grab another pair if I saw them on sale.  I even snagged a pair at the landfill scrap pile.  I straighten them on my hydraulic press if needed.  Angle grinder makes quick sharpening work.

I bought a DR Leaf Vacuum which was pretty expensive, but its well made and holds a lot.  The mower picks up and mulches the leaves and then the leaf vacuum shreds them some more.  It also handles twigs and sticks pretty well.  I make big piles of leaf mulch which is great for the gardens and also for covering places where nothing grows but dandelions.  With the double suction from the mulching blades and the vacuum, no raking required.  

[LeeB]

My problem is not so much blades but the nut that holds them on gets loose and the blade rounds off the profile of the spindle shaft that keeps them from spinning on the shaft. Solved that problem by welding the blade to the shaft. I have plenty of spare blades and buggered up shafts so can replace the shaft if need be.

[Tom King]

I'm updating my input into this thread because I've been trying out some Oregon Gator mulching blades, just because I bought them a good while back and had them anyway.

I've only run them about 20 hours or so, but the edge longevity is impressive.  They're definitely harder than the other Cub Cadet combination blades I was talking about earlier in this thread.

They don't throw stuff out of the chute anything like the combination blades do, or leave the ground as clean, but they are, after all, mulching blades.  They're great at mulching, and for regular grass cutting they are great.

I only like to leave the ground cleaner where we rent an area for weddings.  With the combination blades, the cut grass is left as clean as if it was blown off, but I do have to keep throwing everything one way until it's clear of the area.  It works fine if I start down the middle of the area, and make back to back passes in the middle, and then keep throwing it to the outside until it's under some scrubbery.