[Doogiegh]

Ok, so I picked up a new pair of mulching blades. Big deal. Problem is that they apparently were hitting the mulching baffle and wouldn't spin freely. So I took the blades over to the grinder, ran them down probably 1/16th or an inch, maybe not even, problem solved.

The blades are brand new, listed as being the right blades for my 32" Metro. Do you guys ever have to edge down the LENGHT of the blade just a smudge so you get the right baffle clearance.. Like I said, it wasn't much to take off at all. Just curious cause it was something new I never did before.

Gary

 

[Doogiegh]

Anyone?

 

[BSDeality]

never done it myself. it seems like you could get it off balance pretty easy and blow a spindle.

 

[dvmcmrhp52]

Sounds like your baffle or baffles are bent to make the blade hit.

 

[AztlanLC]

Or one of your spindles is shot

 

[Doogiegh]

Thanks guys. I don't think I have a bad spindle. How would I tell? Like I said, I had to shave MAYBE 1/16th of an inch off of each side of the supposed 15.75" blade that goes on my 32" Metro. I don't know how precisely the blades are made from the factory in length and wasn't sure if having to trim a hair off of either side is "normal" for replacement blades or not.

 

[Red Dwarf]

Grab a spindle pulley and try to wobble it. If it wobbles/clicks, the bearings are shot. Grease the heck out of it till you can get it replaced

I bet your baffles are tweaked. They're usually pretty thin and can bend easy when you hit a rock sticking out of the ground at 6 mph......

 

[Doogiegh]

I'm 99% sure that the baffle is a little bent cause I definatly have hit stuff, almost all of it by accident or unseen, but still it took a hit and bent the baffle even just a tad.. Like I said it wasn't much that I took off of the length of each blade, just a hair.. I was wondering if anyone else had to ever cut down their blades to size, or are replacement blades usually precise down to the 1/100 of an inch in length? Thanks for the help.

I'll check the spindles tommorow.
Gary

 

[TLS]

I would have taken an angle grinder to the baffle. Or a BFH and bang it back in place.

Sure hope you took equal amounts off both ends, and balanced afterwards, right!?

 

[Phishook]

Yep. I've cut a set of blade's that fit a 61" deck down to fit a 59" woods deck.