Double blades...To Use or Not To Use????

[cleancut]

What's the best combination for double blades??I've never used double blades on my mowers...Does this give a better cut??Wouldn't doubling the blades cause more bearing wear????What's the benefits of double blades???Also, can double blades be used on every type of mower??..I have a Gravely 260z, gravely pro150 w/b, Honda 52 in. cut hydro, Eaglestar 48 in w/b..Thanks,,,Clean-Cut

[SMB]

There have been tons of threads on this subject. If you do a search you will come up with lots of threads. We run double blades on our Bob-Cat ZT219 and it does cut better and more evenly and when you go over grass twice it mulches the grass to almost nothing. We run a regular factory blade and a gator on each spindle, but plan to put double factory blades on it next spring to experiment. I bought a set of 3 gators for $20 so you've got nothing to lose by trying it. Please keep safety in mind-check out your deck design to make sure it won't interfere with baffles or anything.

[geogunn]

not many people post about them. are they powerful enough?

tell us what you think.

thanks.

GEO

[KirbysLawn]

Clean cut, can you feel your fingers? How big are your forearms? I did a demo on a Honda and the grips were the most difficult to squeeze I have ever seen.

[lawnMaster5000]

i have posted a few times about honda but have not really seen much else about them. I personaly have a Honda 52" with a 20hp on it. I have run double blades on it all year without a bit of hesitation from the engine. In reference to the hand grips - i have used hondas that were very hard, it is all about how they are adjusted-Mine are very soft.

other than that i really do like the mower and love the quality of cut, i have not much more to say. Any questions i would be happy to answer.

[cleancut]

I love my hydro Honda..The steering control is no problem..I can mow using one finger squeezing the handles..Also, I believe the thing would climb a tree if you could hang on...The decks on the honda are built extremely sturdy and is easy to adjust..The mower also gives a great cut...ONe question that wasn't answered about the double blades: Is it hard on your bearings???Also, are the blade in line with each other or are they place in a cross shape..???Thanks..Clean-Cut

[Davis TLC]

Hey Cleancut,

Like they have said there has been some serious discussions on this topic. Even questions about bearing life have been brought up. I have been running double blades on my Dixie just about all year. I grease my spindles about every 20 hrs on the machine. So far no failures on any of the bearings. I know one guy on here who has been running double blades for years without any problems. I would say what you do for daily maintenance and prevenative maintenance will have alot more to do with the bearing life. If you don't keep them properly greased no bearing will last no matter if you are running double or single blades.

As far as alignment, I run mine in a cross pattern. DC has a bracket that will hold the blades in postion. I am using the brackets now, but before I just tightened the blades up using a small triangle speed square to line them up. The only time they would move was if I hit something when mowing, then it was a quick trip to the trailer to re-align them.

Hopes this helps.

[Ocutter]

I started to use double blades this yr. (both factorys) liked the cut and appearance. I did not notice any HP drain. I have them on my 12.5 Kawi 48", 16 BS 52", and my 22 Kohler 61". The Kohler has the gators on it. Im eager to see the results. Doubles help w/ the leaf cleanups too.

[Eric ELM]

As others have said, there are lot of threads on double blades. I have used doubles for the past 13 seasons now and have replaced one spindle bearing that was a bit loose when the machine was new. I replaced the one spindle bearings at just under 3,000 hours, but the other 2 on that deck are still nice and solid. The other mowers are all fine too, so I'd say that it doesn't mess up the spindle bearings much if at all.

Here are some threads with double blades discussed:
http://www.lawnsite.com/search.php?query=double+blades&forumchoice=-1&booleanand=yes&searchin=subject&searchdate=-1&searchuser=&searchdateline=&exactname=yes&action=dosearch&getdaily=&pagenum=

Here are some 94 more threads that could have info:
http://www.lawnsite.com/search.php?query=double+blades&forumchoice=-1&booleanand=yes&searchin=all&searchdate=-1&searchuser=Eric+ELM&searchdateline=&exactname=yes&action=dosearch&getdaily=&pagenum=

[Ocutter]

I knew it wouldnt be long before Eric sank his teeth into this thread.

[Eric ELM]

:D

After all the years I have used them, the double blade posts get my attension. :)

[lawrence stone]

The hot set up for spring 2001 will be a regular gator blade on the bottom (cuz we have lots of them) and the new
high lift gator blade on top.

IMHO thats an all purpose set up for all seasons.

[Greenkeepers]

Running double blades if done right is a very good setup. I met a guy at the Expo in KY this year who was manufacturing a piece to hold the blades at 90's. I got a set of them from him but havn't had a chance to put them on because I need to get longer blade bolts.

I paid around $50 at the show for them, so I don't know what his retail price is. If anyone is interested in them post back or email me and I'll see what we can do for you.