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Old 27-10-2010, 07:41 PM posted to uk.rec.gardening
Rod[_5_] Rod[_5_] is offline
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First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Sep 2010
Posts: 254
Default Anyone know about Cylinder mowers (Suffolk Punch 35S)

On 26 Oct, 19:58, "Donnie" wrote:
Just aquired one at the local auction for a tenner as have always
fancied a cylinder mower so Im going to town on it and already stripped
and cleaned the carb, sorted the loose nuts, made sure there is a spark
and compression :-)

However, the biggest thing I need to suss (other than wondering if the
exhaust needs a decoke) is how to sharpen the blade!

I have already downloaded the manuals for the model from the qualcast
site but of course they relate to the later machines where there is a
"quick cassette" system to remove the cylinder for said sharpening.

However, this older model does not have said system and it looks like
you nearly need to dismantle the whole bottom end to get the cylinder
out!!

The only other option I can see is to sharpen the cylinder blades in
the machine?

--
Donnie


Really you need to forget DIY sharpening - take it to a proper mower
shop to get it sharpened & set (on a purpose made machine). From then
on keep it set properly, don't bang the bottom blade on anything hard.
There are abrasive pastes you can use - brush it onto the blades and
then run it for a while and wash off, these are normally used on big
pro machines that can be temporarily set up to run the blades
backwards - this lapping works better that way but in anycase it's
only a stop gap method to get a heavily used machine to the end of the
season.

The cost of a proper service will be repaid by the quality of the cut
you get. Cylinder mowers are a waste of time unless they are
maintained properly but if looked after they are very good indeed.

Rod