Blade questions & what blades to pick?

Hello all. Since the season is upon us I dragged my deck out and decided to sharpen up the blades. Got the old ones off and the spare ones together to sharpen and I noticed a big difference between them. The set that was on the deck have this nasty wear on it and look like the metal was thinned down and even bent, looks like there's ripples on it. I know I hit a few things last year and towards the end of the season mowing thick wet stuff was incredibly difficult. It would tend to bunch up, clog the blades and almost kill the mower. I'd have to completely stop and pick the junk out of the deck and start again and it would happen again in a couple yard. So, are my blades to blame?

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I've got the other set sharpened up and re-installed on the deck, they look nothing like the ones above. I do however want to get a second new set to put aside, ready for when the current ones crap out on me. I've been looking around and I'd like to try the Gator blades since I only mulch/side discharge, never bag. I don't really like the side discharge since it tends to bunch up and the next time I mow, I have to go over the top of that lump/bunch.

Here's the part numbers my manual says, and the Oregon cross-reference:
1x 742-0543 - 98-056
2x 742-0542 - 598-627

I looked at the Oregon website and they only list the Gator blades for the outside ones, not the center (smaller) one. I even checked Agri Supply Co and they don't have one for the middle blade.

Any of you gurus got some suggestions or ideas? I'm open to anything and seeing that this is my main mower for 6 acres, I'm not above spending more for a better blade. Thanks.

Your blades are just used up. Should have been replaced awhile ago.

If you are going to be cutting tall/thick/wet grass then stay with the high lift blades.

I thought I read that you can sharpen blades until it reaches the ramp part of the high lift. Or are the blades worn out just because they're so thin at the edge?

Most of the stuff I cut is usually thin or grass and weeds. There's just a couple spots that are really thick where water seems to collect.

In your case I would order two 98-057 and a 98-096. Without getting all three Gator blades, you will not get a good looking, even cut. You must also replace your blades more often, those blades should have been replaced two years ago. Those blades are a very serious accident waiting to happen.

Nate, what you heard is actually true. But, the problem is most consumer blades, due to debris sand blasting the blades, wears the air lifts thinner, until they will actually break off, and go flying, long before the cutting edge gets ground down to the point they are actually worn out. I have seen more than one set of blades not survive a single mowing season because of the wear on the air lifts.

Fair enough. I'll keep a closer eye on that edge throughout the season. I think I was really hard on that set though, I can't remember them looking anywhere near that bad when I put them on (I alternate sets when sharpening).

I'm not concerned with a perfect mow. I don't have a 'lawn', just grass and weeds that grow. I mow them rather than spraying. As long as it's flat enough to walk on, that's all I care about. Though, I was thinking, do the mulching blades take more power due to chopping up the material more, rather than the high-lift just spitting it out the side? If so, high-lift is definitely for me.

Thanks for the replies so far guys.

Do yourself a big favour & buy two sets of blades so you can sharpen one set while you are mowing with the other.
Swap them regularly and you will finish your mowing in 1/2 the time.
The sharper the blades the easier they cut.
The easier they cut the faster you can mow.
While blades can be sharpened back a long way, the further back they get the worse they cut.
The line from the start of the sharpened zone to the end must be straight and the sharpening angle consistent.
The other thing to watch is the balance, they have to be balanced left right or you will be up for some expensive deck repairs.
The blades dont all have to be the same weight but each individual blade must be balanced.

I don't sharpen blades because it is cheaper for me to fit new ones but I do have a lot of customers who take the old blades home & sharpen them .
We rotate the blades on each service.
I have a couple of commercial customers who do the same thing.
Drop the mowers & sharpened blades off Friday arvo and pick up mower & blunt blades Monday morning.
That way I catch all the deck problems ( pulleys, bearings belts & cracks ) before they become broken machine down time & the owner is paying a full team to sit on their butts while he gets emergency ( thus expensive ) repairs done or even worse burn up his week profit by having a team mow 2 acres with walk behind's

natenkiki2004 said:

Fair enough. I'll keep a closer eye on that edge throughout the season. I think I was really hard on that set though, I can't remember them looking anywhere near that bad when I put them on (I alternate sets when sharpening).

I'm not concerned with a perfect mow. I don't have a 'lawn', just grass and weeds that grow. I mow them rather than spraying. As long as it's flat enough to walk on, that's all I care about. Though, I was thinking, do the mulching blades take more power due to chopping up the material more, rather than the high-lift just spitting it out the side? If so, high-lift is definitely for me.

Thanks for the replies so far guys.

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I have a customer that buys a box store mower every two years, because the sand in his yard, will actually cut the skirt off the mowing deck in two mowing seasons.

natenkiki2004 said:

Fair enough. I'll keep a closer eye on that edge throughout the season. I think I was really hard on that set though, I can't remember them looking anywhere near that bad when I put them on (I alternate sets when sharpening).

I'm not concerned with a perfect mow. I don't have a 'lawn', just grass and weeds that grow. I mow them rather than spraying. As long as it's flat enough to walk on, that's all I care about. Though, I was thinking, do the mulching blades take more power due to chopping up the material more, rather than the high-lift just spitting it out the side? If so, high-lift is definitely for me.

Thanks for the replies so far guys.

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To use my favourite quote, "the magic pudding is a fairy tale" so yes using mulching blades does come with a cost.
The blades work a lot harder and so does your mower.
So like using dull blades, mulchers will require slower mowing speeds.
You also have to cut higher so the fine "mulch" has some where to go other wise it will just make windrows & deposit big clumps of clippings that will not get blown around & distributed but stay as clumps on the grass.
On "lawns" this means cutting more often in peak growing season on paddocks not so important except a lot of weeds will seed between weekly mows and the seeds will happily germinate in the mulch layer so making weed control a lot harder.
They also deposit a lot of clippings with a lot more liberated acidic moisture on the underside of the deck so if not cleaned after each use will rot through the deck in a season or two.
The blades do a lot more work and wear a lot faster.
And any Gator style blade will break off a flute section and become unbalanced in no time flat.

The up side is gator blades are thicker & heavier so carry a lot more energy so don't bog down as much when they hit a clump of tufting type grass and if used as a replacement for regular blades with the discharge chute open work a lot better than most standard domestic blades.

Just a little note here, most domestic blades are about 1/2 the thickness & 2/3 the width of commercial blades.
Gators are made from the same material as commercial blades so they make a big difference to a smaller home owner ( domestic ) mower.
They make little difference when fitted on commercial mowers and in most cases wear our a lot faster but will throw the finner cuttings further so they disappear or bag better.

Try turning the PTO off when you swing out onto the gravel drive to do a turn around.

I don't often have feelings for machinery and mechanical things but I do feel sorry for your mower.