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High Lift blade for 21 inch HONDAS push or self propelled mowers

#1

S

sousabone

If you mulch and use theIR standard double gator type of HONDA blades-don't read further. HONDA mulching is great and can't be beat.

If you want a high lift blade to bag read on...

The HONDAS all come with a mulching which is a middle of the road .75 lift blade. But if you move up to 1.00 lift, this is a 33 1/3% increase in lift and bagging. You can even hear the difference. Obviously HONDA sells 9 to 1 to owners who prefer to mulch.

How to accomplish this extra lift and superb bagging possibilities?

You will throw the small blade away.

Don't do the following: take the existing HONDA .75 lift mulching blade and bend the outer tails for more lift. This isn't permanent as the spring steel will spring back after time.

Buy the OREGON high life 92-101 blade at 1 lift. Yes, this blade is a little too long at 21.25 inches, but the 3 holes are a perfect fit for HONDAS. Now take this blade and grind the outer edges until the fit is perfect. yes, trial and error are fine. The balance IF you get it to fit is perfect too-I've checked. Obviously, if you grind WAY too much off one side you will be off balance. You also gain about 3/8 to 1/2 inch in your cut as the HONDA blades like all blades are measure diagonally and are a little short of 21 inches.

RESULT: you have a perfect fitting HONDA blade with a LIFT increase of 33 1/3 percent. The bagging is stunning better. The look of your lawn is text book stunning. The blade is twice as heavy as the HONDA mulch original equipment blade. The mowing swath is now larger with a true 21 inch blade not a diagonally measured 21 inch blade.

You get what you pay for. As an example, this new heavy duty blade can be sharpened about 30 times as it is THAT heavy duty. Thank you OREGON for perfection.

REMINDER: you CAN NOT drill the three holes correctly as this is high spring steel and must be done by OREGON during the manufacturing process.


#2

S

sousabone

about time!


#3

Mike88se

Mike88se

good tip... thanks!


#4

A

ammodave

I know it's an old thread but I just discovered this tip. I bought a couple of Oregon 92-101 blades for my HRX217HYA and modified them as recommended by the OPR and they work much better than the oem blade. You'll have to grind off about 1/8" from both ends of the blade but the results are worth it.


#5

H

HRX

I am using the Oregon 90-651 GATOR Blade on my Honda HRX machines. I am only using this blade. They do not say this fits the HRX, but it does. The setting for the height will have to be lowered 2 settings. The blade fits close and has more suction. It lifts the grass better and you can see the bag is really getting more air.
At first I thought it would hit the insides, but it does not. I love it!


#6

E

evanson86

To the folks running the 92-101 blade on the HRX; are you also running the 92-102 as the top blade? 92-102 is Oregon's factory replacement top blade on the HRC. Think an HRC top blade would even fit and work on an HRX.... are you guys running the original HRX top blade? Or, are you only running the 92-101 blade and not using a top blade?

I am about to sell this HRX and get a Time Master. cut quality at 4" on cool season TTTF, TRG, and KGB is driving me mad.

Thanks guys,


#7

E

evanson86

HRX said:
I am using the Oregon 90-651 GATOR Blade on my Honda HRX machines. I am only using this blade. They do not say this fits the HRX, but it does. The setting for the height will have to be lowered 2 settings. The blade fits close and has more suction. It lifts the grass better and you can see the bag is really getting more air.
At first I thought it would hit the insides, but it does not. I love it!
Click to expand...
that G3 blade you're using... that is a 3/4" lift blade.... same as OEM Honda blades. I dont think you are doing yourself any additional good by running this single G3 blade over the OE twin micro-cut blades.


#8

P

poohbear

slomo said:
Do you guys mean like this 21" blade? This one will suck spare change off your garage floor. Also any small rocks, ALL the dead thatch and leaves from your lawn. You guys should check this one out. Best bagging blade on the market.

View attachment 52770View attachment 52771
Click to expand...
What blade is this and where did you buy it?
Thanks


#9

A

ammodave

Interesting; bolt on airfoils. I wonder if this would work on a Honda? Any problems drilling the holes or balancing the blade?


#10

E

evanson86

So I went ahead and ordered the Oregon 92-101 blade and the 92-102 (HRC top blade) for my HRX217HXA. the 92-102 HRC top bale will not work. Also, the OE HRX top blade will not work with the 92-101. trying to use both blades pushes the blade below the deck. So, the 92-101 should only be used by itself.

After slight trimming of length, a razor sharpening and balance, the 92-101 blade works great. I have only been able to use the 92-101 one time. I have a cool season grass blend of TTTF, RG, KGB. HOC was set to 3.5", mow every 3rd day religiously. with 14k Sq.Ft. lawn I have adjusted the Governor to spin the engine at 3300/3400RPM's with the blade spinning. Engine turning near/just over 4K with no load. at lower RPM's, 2500-ish, I can hear a very defined whoosh sound coming from the mower, this made my ears happy. with mower at 3300RPM, clip director set all the way to mulch was my preferred way. even with clip director set 1 notch from full mulch, it left a very noticeable trail of cut grass left on the top. HOC @ 3.5" cutting wheel to wheel, no overlap, there is still not enough suction to suck up grass the front wheels have driven over for my preferred look. at 3.5". the 92-101 far exceeds the OE Honda blades but, 1 wheel width over lap cut damn nice compared to OE Honda blades.

I am going to lower my HOC to 3" and see how this blade does at that height. I'll probably play with the engine RPM at some point just because.... hopes this helps somebody..


#11

A

ammodave

I still want airfoils. The snapper high lift kit is cheap on eBay https://www.ebay.com/itm/Rotary-910-Air-Lift-Kit-Snapper-Kees-60785-7060785-7060785YP/182014611666. I may just buy one and try to attach it to a Honda blade,


#12

Westman

Westman

evanson86 said:
To the folks running the 92-101 blade on the HRX; are you also running the 92-102 as the top blade? 92-102 is Oregon's factory replacement top blade on the HRC. Think an HRC top blade would even fit and work on an HRX.... are you guys running the original HRX top blade? Or, are you only running the 92-101 blade and not using a top blade?

I am about to sell this HRX and get a Time Master. cut quality at 4" on cool season TTTF, TRG, and KGB is driving me mad.

Thanks guys,
Click to expand...
I just picked up the Oregon 92-101 blade for my HRR2168VKA. The blade bolted on without any need for modification. I removed the twin Honda stock blades, running the Oregon only. It's been raining here today so I can't comment on cut quality yet, but the suction and air movement into the rear bag is noticeably improved. I rear bag almost all the time, so improved vacuum and suction would be great. The Oregon blade is much more robust than the stock Honda blade (bottom). I'll report back when I can test it out once the weather improves.


#13

Westman

Westman

slomo said:
Only running one blade, how is the cut height now? Is it cutting taller with one blade? Your blade edge is now higher in the deck. Might need to space the blade down to match the OEM dual blade setup.

slomo
Click to expand...
I cut the lawn today for the first time with the Oregon 92-101 blade. As you mentioned, I needed to adjust the blade cut height down. I lowered the rear wheels by one notch on the adjusting bar to compensate. The new blade cuts evenly and provides more upward suction than the Honda OEM blade(s). Significantly more. This is what I was looking for. The rear bag seems to be more full with the increased air velocity. The grass that was pushed down by the wheels is raised. No "wheel stripes". In the fall, I'll re-install the Honda twin blades when the leaves here start to fall so that they are chopped a little finer when being bagged. The Oregon blade seems to be what I was looking for. I'll probably buy another ($20) Amazon so that I can rotate them, keeping them sharp. Thumbs up for the Oregon 92-101!


#14

A

ammodave

I bought the kit and installed it on a new standard lift Honda blade. Drilling the stock blade was not possible with the cobalt or carbide bits I had so I heated the trailing edges of the blade to remove some of the hardness. The cutting edge was clamped in a bench vise to act as a heat sink and preserve the hardness of the edge. The airfoils are about 1 3/4" by 2 5/8" and made of what appears to be 1/8" mild steel (you could easily make your own). They are attached by 5/16" fine thread bolts about 3/4" long overall. The airfoils increase the lift on the blade by about 1/2".

In use, they increase the suction considerably but there's a problem. After about 5 min of use the engine shuts down like it's run out of gas. I'm guessing the stock Honda carb can't deliver enough fuel to support the extra load. After the bowl refills, you can restart the mower and mow another 5 mins. The modified blade does not cause any extra vibration (it seems to be balanced). I surrendered, put my old blade back on and finished mowing.

IMG_0171.JPG


#15

A

ammodave

Do any of the snappers have a blade clutch? That was a big selling point to me when I bought the Honda.


#16

B

barreja4746

evanson86 said:
To the folks running the 92-101 blade on the HRX; are you also running the 92-102 as the top blade? 92-102 is Oregon's factory replacement top blade on the HRC. Think an HRC top blade would even fit and work on an HRX.... are you guys running the original HRX top blade? Or, are you only running the 92-101 blade and not using a top blade?

I am about to sell this HRX and get a Time Master. cut quality at 4" on cool season TTTF, TRG, and KGB is driving me mad.

Thanks guys,
Click to expand...
hi,

i have the exact same question. i followed this thread, bought the Oregon 92-101 and am looking for thoughts on whether or not i need the 92-102. i cant determine if the recommendations are to just run the one blade (92-101) by itself. did anyone respond to your question?


#17

B

barreja4746

sousabone said:
If you mulch and use theIR standard double gator type of HONDA blades-don't read further. HONDA mulching is great and can't be beat.

If you want a high lift blade to bag read on...

The HONDAS all come with a mulching which is a middle of the road .75 lift blade. But if you move up to 1.00 lift, this is a 33 1/3% increase in lift and bagging. You can even hear the difference. Obviously HONDA sells 9 to 1 to owners who prefer to mulch.

How to accomplish this extra lift and superb bagging possibilities?

You will throw the small blade away.

Don't do the following: take the existing HONDA .75 lift mulching blade and bend the outer tails for more lift. This isn't permanent as the spring steel will spring back after time.

Buy the OREGON high life 92-101 blade at 1 lift. Yes, this blade is a little too long at 21.25 inches, but the 3 holes are a perfect fit for HONDAS. Now take this blade and grind the outer edges until the fit is perfect. yes, trial and error are fine. The balance IF you get it to fit is perfect too-I've checked. Obviously, if you grind WAY too much off one side you will be off balance. You also gain about 3/8 to 1/2 inch in your cut as the HONDA blades like all blades are measure diagonally and are a little short of 21 inches.

RESULT: you have a perfect fitting HONDA blade with a LIFT increase of 33 1/3 percent. The bagging is stunning better. The look of your lawn is text book stunning. The blade is twice as heavy as the HONDA mulch original equipment blade. The mowing swath is now larger with a true 21 inch blade not a diagonally measured 21 inch blade.

You get what you pay for. As an example, this new heavy duty blade can be sharpened about 30 times as it is THAT heavy duty. Thank you OREGON for perfection.

REMINDER: you CAN NOT drill the three holes correctly as this is high spring steel and must be done by OREGON during the manufacturing process.
Click to expand...
the 92-101 is larger than the OEM blade on my Honda. However, the 92-101 fits inside the underside of the Honda, without contacting the edges of the mower. Do you still recommend grinding it down to match the OEM overall length?


#18

B

barreja4746

Westman said:
I cut the lawn today for the first time with the Oregon 92-101 blade. As you mentioned, I needed to adjust the blade cut height down. I lowered the rear wheels by one notch on the adjusting bar to compensate. The new blade cuts evenly and provides more upward suction than the Honda OEM blade(s). Significantly more. This is what I was looking for. The rear bag seems to be more full with the increased air velocity. The grass that was pushed down by the wheels is raised. No "wheel stripes". In the fall, I'll re-install the Honda twin blades when the leaves here start to fall so that they are chopped a little finer when being bagged. The Oregon blade seems to be what I was looking for. I'll probably buy another ($20) Amazon so that I can rotate them, keeping them sharp. Thumbs up for the Oregon 92-101!
Click to expand...
you are running the 92-101 single lower blade only on the Honda rather than the combination of the 92-101 and 92-102 upper blade?


#19

Westman

Westman

barreja4746 said:
you are running the 92-101 single lower blade only on the Honda rather than the combination of the 92-101 and 92-102 upper blade?
Click to expand...

I am running the blade single (no other blade). No issues.


#20

B

barreja4746

Westman said:
I am running the blade single (no other blade). No issues.
Click to expand...
one more question, did you sharpen the 92-101 or run with manufacturer's edge? i ask as the blade as delivered under Oregon's specs is dull to touch. after speaking with Oregon techs, they indicated this was the proper edge, sharpening not needed. however, when i used it the cut was a little dull and not very clean.


#21

Westman

Westman

barreja4746 said:
one more question, did you sharpen the 92-101 or run with manufacturer's edge? i ask as the blade as delivered under Oregon's specs is dull to touch. after speaking with Oregon techs, they indicated this was the proper edge, sharpening not needed. however, when i used it the cut was a little dull and not very clean.
Click to expand...
I sharpened my blade before use. I have since sharpened it numerous times this season.


#22

R

Rivets

<deleted>


#23

H

HRX

I am now using the

Stens Hi-Lift Blade 325-005 For Honda 72511-VA2-690,Black . I have my setting set to the 4th click and with this blade it cuts at 3.5 inches. As for the lift it picks up the grass better than any blade you can purchase. It actually lifts the grass better than the original 2 blade. And the blade stays sharper. It is a heavier blade. The price on Amazon was excellent. Best mod you can do.​



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