Timing Blades

[Grasscape Inc]

How do you time all your blades?<p>----------<br>-Grasscape Mgmt.<br>Http://sites.netscape.net/grasscapeinc/homepage

[Richard Martin]

None of the mowers, homeowner or commercial, that I am aware of need to &quot;time&quot; the blades. The blades usually overlap by a small amount. They also stagger the blades so they don't hit one another while they are rotating. This is why one blade is further forward on the mower deck than the one right next to it. Usually on a 2 blade mower the right blade is set forward from the left blade and on a 3 blade mower the center blade is set forward. Side-by-side blade arrangements are possible but they are usually gear driven with a cradle that the blade sits in so the blades cannot hit one another.

[Alan]

Really,, why bother! The first time you clip something soild they are going to slip on the belts a little anyhow and your &quot;timing&quot; would go out the window. Kinda rates up there with keeping your blades in matched sets, a guy I know bent a blade on his Exmark so he threw away the whole set because he like to keep his blades &quot;matched&quot;,, whatver that is supposed to do for ya.

[thelawnguy]

&quot; a guy I know bent a blade on his Exmark so he threw away the whole set because he like to keep his blades &quot;matched&quot;,, whatver that is supposed to do for ya.&quot;<p>Ive done this, on the premise that I wouldnt want two worn, and one new blade affecting the cut. Kinda like the same thinking that has me replace tires on my truck in pairs.<p>Now you have me thinking. Does it really matter if two are worn and one isnt? <p>Bill

[Alan]

Bill, I can see the tires thing, matching traction and wear on the diff (if on the rear). But mower blades, at least to me, don't fit that same category. I won'r run a brand new one as part of a set that is almost shot, but when blades are in the middle of their lifespan I can't see any difference in how they perform.

[MLS]

Thanks to Eric we now run two blades on each spindle and often they are mismatched on purpose. For example in heavy grass or tall grass we run gators top and bottom on the trim swide and in the middle and run a gator on the bottom and a hi-lift on the top on the ejection side. I always keep old blades that are almost worn out to use on top of the spindles.

[Bobby]

Hey guys. For most mowers it don't mater.Walker decks come factory timed. The blades overlap and are gear driven. If they are not timed, they will slam into each other.If you change a deck gearbox and don't time it, you will regret it. I think the JD36 walkbehind has an automotive cam type belt also due to overlaping blades.<p>----------<br>Yesteryear L/S<br>Hollywood Fla

[Charles]

Grasscape, you got waaaaay too much time on your hands. When you ride on the mower, start thinking about girls. Something more productive like that.

[yardsmith]

you can't time or position your blades because as you start them up, each grabs independently, & if you hit something big or small, the belts slips a little. Consider it pointless, I guess. That's why they use belts; so they can give if you hit something.<br>You won't hit blades against each other unless they're too big for that particular mower, or if a spindle is bent or loose in the bolt holes, or wallered out the holes, etc. The factory takes care of all that engineering before it hits the showroom.<p>----------<br>Smitty ô¿ô<br>

[Grasscape Inc]

I'M TRYING TO GET MY MIND OFF GIRLS, THAT'S WHY I ASK THESE TYPE OF QUESTIONS :)<br><p>----------<br>-Grasscape Mgmt.<br>Http://sites.netscape.net/grasscapeinc/homepage

[Bobby]

Hey Smitty,there are no belts on a Walker deck.Each blade is conected to a gearbox witch is conected to a center gearbox. My blades overlap one and a half inches.The timing I am refering to is in the gearbox. I recently changed a box due to bearing failure. After putting it together, I found that the blades would not rotate. Had to take it back apart and (time) the gears so that there would be clearance betwene the blades. I think where the confution is, is on a Walker blade, there is a hub that is mounted on the blade that has a slot that holds onto the blade shaft. Not a circle like on most mowers. So the blade only goes on in one position.<p>----------<br>Yesteryear L/S<br>Hollywood Fla

[JJ Lawn]

Bobby says:<br>&quot;Hey Smitty,there are no belts on a Walker deck.&quot;<p>Oh yes there are.... :) <p>My 52&quot; side discharge/mulch deck has a belt instead of gear boxes. And I believe that the 62&quot; is belt driven also. Now if you want to get technical, the belt is driven by a gearbox but the blades are on spindles and driven by a belt.<p>But you are right about the timing on decks with gearboxs. Has to be done. <p>Jim

[yardsmith]

Sorry; I figured it was a given that Walker type GHS decks had gearboxes, I was referring to regular side dicharge types like the other 98% of mowers have.<br><p>----------<br>Smitty ô¿ô<br>

[Runner]

About the mismatched blades.... To throw away blades is rather ridiculous because provided they're not damaged too bad and the tip is still there they can be saved. HOWEVER, I choose to run Dixie chopper blades on all my mowers including my Exmarks. They are a little thicker steel, and are a bit cheaper. They look the exact same,(bevel length, lift fin, etc.) but they ARE different. Because of the differences in thickness, I have to be careful not to run the two together on the same mower or it will leave marks. Just a little tidbit of info.

[nysnowman]

MLS, Did you say you put two blades per spindle( totaling 6 blades)on your deck.If so ive never heard of doing that.What are the advantages to that.