[Cementhead]

A co worker of my wife asked if I would sharpen his blades off his JD L???I said I would be glad to so she bought them home from work.Worst looking set of blades ive seen in a long time,worn out,bent to the point of I dont know how it was possible.Someone had previously sharpened the wrong edge(back side).I sent them back to work with her telling him they were scrap iron and dont put them back on the machine.He went on to tell her that a neighbor had previously tried to straighten them and he also said he was going to hand file them and put them back on.Oh well I tried to tell him,over $40 worth of blades its probably going to cost him a lot more than that.

 

[Displaced Hokie]

I've seen blades almost paper thin, and folks still try to "get a little more" out if them.


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[PA318Guy]

When I bought my property it came with a JD 110 RF and the blades on the deck were "welded" to add steel so that they could be ground to get an edge. You right it's amazing to see how cheap someone will be.

 

[Harryc]

Well, we all know the outcome. Might not be this year but very soon your wife's coworker will need spindle bearings all around Bill. Can't balance blades that messed up.

 

[Cementhead]

Well, we all know the outcome. Might not be this year but very soon your wife's coworker will need spindle bearings all around Bill. Can't balance blades that messed up.

Exactly and then he will be one of those that loves to tell you what a cheap POS this machine is because the deck is already shot.It must be well on its way as it looks like he has been running it that way awhile now.He must be rototilling or stump grinding with that deck.

 

[jhon]

Blades are cheap. I just took off my high lift blades last night and put on mulchers. I took one look at the high lifts and tossed them in the scrap bin. I added them to my shopping list to get before the fall.

 

[Singalo]

You know, come to think of it, in all the years I have been mowing lawns, this will be the first year that I have actually had my own LT. I can't honestly recall ever seeing the old man change, or talk about changing the deck blades, on his honda, his simplicity or his kubota. That don't mean he never did, He took care of equipment, I just mowed our lawns with it. It's one of those things that someone like me has previously taken for granted. But now that you mention it, I have been mowing lawns since I was like 9 years old. And I am 37 now. I can't imagine in all those years that he never changed any blades. So I have to ask now. About how often does an average set of blades last? 2-3 Seasons I would think is not out of the question with sharpening each fall.

 

[Burtonbr]

I've only changed mower blades once or twice in my lifetime so don't know that much about it. This year I thought it would be a good idea to do some maintenance on my 42" riding mower, cleaned it up, changed oil and took a look at the blades and thought a new set couldn't hurt.
I took off one of the blades to be sure to get the correct replacement and thought it had an odd shaped end until I saw the new blades and figured they were not supposed to be that way they were worn beyond needing replacement. Ive never sharpened them but it looks like some one has.

Whatcha think??

 

[Singalo]

I've only changed mower blades once or twice in my lifetime so don't know that much about it. This year I thought it would be a good idea to do some maintenance on my 42" riding mower, cleaned it up, changed oil and took a look at the blades and thought a new set couldn't hurt.
I took off one of the blades to be sure to get the correct replacement and thought it had an odd shaped end until I saw the new blades and figured they were not supposed to be that way they were worn beyond needing replacement. Ive never sharpened them but it looks like some one has.

Whatcha think??

That top one is a blade? Looks like a rusted hunk of metal salvaged from a train wreck.

 

[Jcg1112]

Recently I pulled the blades off the 320 to sharpen them. Not!! Imagine my surprise to find that the previous owner had used a cutting torch to enlarge the holes so that the blades would fit the spindles. :banghead3 That is lazy and not very good for the spindles.

 

[pctdavis]

I'm twitching just reading this. I only mow 1 acre 15 times a year (if that). You check the blades every spring. Period. Its called maintenance. Now I know why on every job site I go to they force you to fill out a permit making sure the equipment isn't gushing oil or has a flat tire. If you buy equipment, there are responsibility's that come along with it. Argh.....

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[Chris223]

This is another reason box store mowers get horrible reputations. Are they great machines? No. But lets face it 90% of the people who shop box stores for lawn and garden equipment do not have a clue about how it works or how to maintain it. I see it every day at work. I get people coming in needing a spark plug cause it wont start they say its 7 years old and they've never bothered to change the air filter or the oil or the plug. This is why their equipment fails. Properly maintained most any lawn and garden product box store or not will serve a person fine


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[pctdavis]

This is another reason box store mowers get horrible reputations. Are they great machines? No. But lets face it 90% of the people who shop box stores for lawn and garden equipment do not have a clue about how it works or how to maintain it. I see it every day at work. I get people coming in needing a spark plug cause it wont start they say its 7 years old and they've never bothered to change the air filter or the oil or the plug. This is why their equipment fails. Properly maintained most any lawn and garden product box store or not will serve a person fine


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The other thing is we spend a lot of time talking to people on here or with people of a mind set similar to ours. We forget we are a minority. I met a gentleman through work who didn't know how the lights in his house worked. They are everywhere!

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[Hummer.2012]

I've only changed mower blades once or twice in my lifetime so don't know that much about it. This year I thought it would be a good idea to do some maintenance on my 42" riding mower, cleaned it up, changed oil and took a look at the blades and thought a new set couldn't hurt.
I took off one of the blades to be sure to get the correct replacement and thought it had an odd shaped end until I saw the new blades and figured they were not supposed to be that way they were worn beyond needing replacement. Ive never sharpened them but it looks like some one has.

Whatcha think??

How bad was the tractor vibrating when you mowed with that piece of iron that use to be a mower blade?

 

[Kiss4aFrog]

I've only changed mower blades once or twice in my lifetime so don't know that much about it. Ive never sharpened them but it looks like some one has.

I think in the long run it's going to cost you a lot of money repairing or replacing something that would have given you better service and would not have been hacking at your grass each time you mowed had you only done routine maintenance on it. Inspect blades as least once a year, sharpen and balance or replace, that's basic maintenance.

Have you taken it in for service/repairs or had someone come out ?? Whoever put those on a grinder needs to have their hands slapped. They should have sold you new blades and just shown you those old ones to close the sale.

 

[UrbanTractor]

I got the impression burtonbr was catching up on maintenance neglected by a previous owner.:dunno:

 

[Kiss4aFrog]

That could be. Maybe it's something he's catching up on and I edited my previous post to be nicer. After all the Craftsman I have I purchased cheap thinking the PTO was out on it when all that was wrong was the PTO plug had come off. When the PO said he wasn't handy he wasn't kidding.

Not sure if you took the deck off to change out those blades but you might want to flip it over and check out the underside of the deck. That Craftsman of mine was plugged solid and just had room for the three blades to rotate. It wouldn't cut very well but there was no room for the grass to stand up to be cut.

I didn't think to get a "before" photo of the Craftsman as I was just amazed how thick the stuff was and wanted to open it up. I don't think anyone ever put a hose to it or scraped that deck. That or the guy was cutting some pretty wet stuff each time.

First is the Craftsman after being scraped, wire brushed, rust inhibited and truck bed coating coated. Installed the two new belts the PO bought to try and fix the "blades not rotating" problem. :thThumbsU

Now I'm working on the JD deck. Second photo as it came out of service with a season of cutting and then prepared for painting.

If you ever have a doubt that when you pay the big $$$$ for a Deere you're paying for the name or the machine, , , there is a difference. I had a pretty easy time of manhandling that sears 46", the JD 38" makes me want to ask for help.

AND, it's pretty clear from the picture my blades are overdue for some sharpening :hide:

 

[NDwrench]

I really don't understand it either, there is nothing worse than running a mower with dull blades. Aside from sharp they also need good balance, and it seems many people completely ignore that aspect. I guess if you don't care about spindles and bearings then by all means.... :hide:

 

[farmer69]

You know, come to think of it, in all the years I have been mowing lawns, this will be the first year that I have actually had my own LT. I can't honestly recall ever seeing the old man change, or talk about changing the deck blades, on his honda, his simplicity or his kubota. That don't mean he never did, He took care of equipment, I just mowed our lawns with it. It's one of those things that someone like me has previously taken for granted. But now that you mention it, I have been mowing lawns since I was like 9 years old. And I am 37 now. I can't imagine in all those years that he never changed any blades. So I have to ask now. About how often does an average set of blades last? 2-3 Seasons I would think is not out of the question with sharpening each fall.

I have had blades last ten year, if you look after them and don't sharpen them excessively.

 

[jhon]

Three of us were taking about our lawn tractors the other day at work. One was a lady that is married to gentleman who is about 80, she is 60. From when she bought it, she either has a la 120 or the series just before that as it is 8 years old and a automatic. They have a 1 acre yard. She asked me if I have ever had my tractor serviced. I told her I did all my own work. I then asked her if she was having a problem with it and she said no, but her husband has never had it serviced.... I asked what she meant by "serviced" She said, you know, tuned up. I then asked her if he ever changed the oil or sharpened the blades.... Guess what......No....I said you never even changed the oil... She said no, and her husband was concerned about it....

Long story short, when she bought it for him, she also ordered a plow and weights. They have never been used. As soon as she gets me the model number, I will buy a tune up kit and some blades, put about an hour into it and the plow and weights are mine. I have a LA120 myself but because of all the horror stories you people tell me about the transmission, I will just sell it.