The Green Industry's Resource Center

Davis Landscaping · #11 09-06-2012, 10:09 PM

i clamped the original blade over top of the new blade and drilled a pilot. i was lucky to have a drill press up at my grandfathers garage so i used that. man that steel was hard though. each hole took about 30 minutes of constant pressure. i used a 5/16 carbide bit.

stansoph · #12 09-06-2012, 10:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davis Landscaping

i clamped the original blade over top of the new blade and drilled a pilot. i was lucky to have a drill press up at my grandfathers garage so i used that. man that steel was hard though. each hole took about 30 minutes of constant pressure. i used a 5/16 carbide bit.

The two nested well enough to do that, nice. Off to Amazon.

Davis Landscaping · #13 09-06-2012, 10:55 PM

it worked out pretty well, i did have to take the paint off the center hole with a grinder to the the timing spacer to fit perfect and some other grinding in the fresh drilled holes to make it fit perfect, but i got it to fit nice and snug. blades were balanced really well even after the drilling and whatnot.

MJB · #14 09-07-2012, 01:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davis Landscaping

it worked out pretty well, i did have to take the paint off the center hole with a grinder to the the timing spacer to fit perfect and some other grinding in the fresh drilled holes to make it fit perfect, but i got it to fit nice and snug. blades were balanced really well even after the drilling and whatnot.

Good for you !! I have not needed to look at other blades as conditions here during the heat of summer, perfect for mulching and it does well. But today we bagged and it did a great job but the grass was dry, if wet the hi lifts will be a great option. Thanks for your imput.

Davis Landscaping · #15 09-07-2012, 08:12 AM

I am still currently in high school, im sitting in class now. I will be working after school so i will be able to test the new setup as soon as i get home. i will have pictures up. I personally am interested to see how the blades will hold up in tall, thick grass because the blades are heavier and could bog but the motor wasnt working much harder than normal when i did tests yesterday. Today will be an interesting day.

MJB · #16 09-07-2012, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davis Landscaping

I am still currently in high school, im sitting in class now. I will be working after school so i will be able to test the new setup as soon as i get home. i will have pictures up. I personally am interested to see how the blades will hold up in tall, thick grass because the blades are heavier and could bog but the motor wasnt working much harder than normal when i did tests yesterday. Today will be an interesting day.

Well that is the right attitude to have towards most mower purchases today.
Seems nothing comes right out of the factory that doesn't need tweaking for our particular area. There are so many different types of grasses, and customers that over water and over fertilize that it creates more problems for us, our ability to adapt keeps us in demand for our services. I try to teach my customers over time to let me take care of the timerbox and fertilizer and this has helped a lot, as I am 55 and not as energetic as I use to be. If they work with, I can work with them price wise, if not I charge more for the inconvenience to me.

Davis Landscaping · #17 09-07-2012, 01:21 PM

With mowers like this, tweaking is a must. the blades are not performing as good which clogs the mower. So instead of complaining about it, try something new. i even thought about filling the mulching blades with metal to make them higher-lift, but new blades were a better option. they fit pretty tight, and are heavier, and are a little harder for the mower to swing around, but its well worth it. my customers will enjoy the nice cut and im hoping that it will be more appealing to others, attracting customers because i could definitely use more.

stansoph · #18 09-07-2012, 02:51 PM

I installed a Tiny Tach, tachometer/hr meter. I adjusted the engine rpm's to 3600.

I built a cover plate to protect the governor bracket. I made it out of some .025 stainless that I had. It is not if but when; you run this under bushes and hedges and pull it out and the engine is either dead and won't start or it is running like a Banshee trying to explode.

Bent the lift to 45 degrees on the the blades.

Readjusted all belts and cables that stretched while using and break in.

I ran a couple of beads of weld around the bottom lip of the deck to help protect the deck from curb hopping and other things.

Added a section of 1/4" truck mud flap to the flap underneath to enhance striping.

I hope that the commercial model weighs close to the same, maybe Toro will use a cast aluminum deck. This will keep the weight down. I think it needs a larger gas tank, hydro drive like HRC 216. I love Personal Pace, I want them to put it on the commercial machine.

Blade options are non-existant. An otion for HiLift, med lift, mulch. I wonder if Oregon will intoduce a set of blades?

I like the mower a lot; I bought one, used it and bought 3 more for a total of 4. I was going to buy a 32 or 36 WB but the $4k made me look at some alternate options. I now have 4 mowers working vs 1.

I will see if the commercial is going to be better for us or stay with what we have. I would like to see the commercial stay below $2k. Even at $2k it has to be twice the mower than the current $1k price for the current model.

just some thoughts....