My good neighbor was giving me valuable advice and part of what he said was that it is important to always use a balancer. Is there any danger to the mower in general and if a balancer is not easily accessible can one make any modifications?
I have been filing my blades for years, not taking to much off . and then more recently (3 years ago) i have been using a angle grinder because it is quicker for me,but i never used a balancer or even a nail set up like jd green uses(and jd does like most people and lawn service co's. do) which i think is a good thing. the thing is that if you don't balance the blade(s) "supposedly" you may experience vibration on the mower , which i never have felt. there is a mower blade sharpener/cleaner from ...magna-matic.. that is suppose to be the cats.....for sharpening and cleaning the grass and rust off the blade, but the price is (imo) so high that i dont see how a person can justify owning one.but many people on a different forum swear by them.
I have thought about using my angle grinder but would hate to take too much metal off a cutting edge so I don't do it that way. Do you use a metal grinding wheel of any certain grit? Coarse or fine?
its just a cheapie black and decker 4 1/2 " grinder with a black and decker wheel but no indication of coarseness(unless "type27" means anything) but by feeling it i'm saying med/fine....i'm sure you wont have a problem with your blades just practice on a old scrap piece of like steel and "finesse" it you'll be fine with it,:thumbsup:
I have been clamping mower blades in a vise to sharpen them with files for over 35 years, really, the only "Balancer" you need is a finish nail driven into a wood block. Just hang the blade on the horizontal nail and if the blade is unbalanced the heavy end will be lower. I have NEVER had an unbalanced blade, because by filing you remove so little material from each end the blade usually remains well balanced.