If I raise the deck I can just barely get under there to sharpen the blade
with a file. I can tip it on it's side but that hardly seems good for the
mower. I've been thinking of building some kind of ramp.

Mac Cool wrote:
If I raise the deck I can just barely get under there to sharpen the
blade with a file. I can tip it on it's side but that hardly seems
good for the mower. I've been thinking of building some kind of
ramp.

I made a 3 section ramp that the space between the tires could be
removed when the mower was parked on top of the ramp, leaving space to
get to the blades. I only ramped up 1 side 8" and that gave me plenty
of room to remove the blades and sharpen them on my bench grinder.
Beat filing with a hand file any day. You do notice all this is past
tense. I sold the farm with the 5 acre lawn!! My 40 X 50 foot lawn
now is in miniature mundo grass that I mow with a walk behind self
propelled mower once a year.
:-)
Tom J

Mac Cool wrote:
If I raise the deck I can just barely get under there to sharpen the
blade with a file. I can tip it on it's side but that hardly seems
good for the mower. I've been thinking of building some kind of ramp.

hoist it

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=elbq77&s=3


Clark...
--
Don't you have Google in your part of the world?

My mower deck disconnects by throwing a lever then dropping the belt and can
be removed without lifting the tractor. Then I turn it on its back, scrape,
pressure wash and remove the blades for sharpening on a bench grinder.

"Mac Cool" wrote in message
...
If I raise the deck I can just barely get under there to sharpen the blade
with a file. I can tip it on it's side but that hardly seems good for the
mower. I've been thinking of building some kind of ramp.

"Mac Cool" wrote in message
...
If I raise the deck I can just barely get under there to sharpen the blade
with a file. I can tip it on it's side but that hardly seems good for the
mower. I've been thinking of building some kind of ramp.

I take my decks off, remove the blades and sharpen them with a 4" angle
hand-held grinder. But you might want to consider one of the car ramps
available in all auto stores / departments.

On May 14, 5:17 pm, "Srgnt Billko" wrote:

I take my decks off, remove the blades and sharpen them with a 4" angle
hand-held grinder. But you might want to consider one of the car ramps
available in all auto stores / departments.

I bought the ramps, and also a cheap floor jack. After driving up the
ramps, I raise the rear end up about 3-4 inches and then lower it onto
some 3 in thick-4ft long landscape timbers. That gives me room to
clean the underside.

GrtArtiste

Mac Cool said:

If I raise the deck I can just barely get under there to sharpen the blade
with a file. I can tip it on it's side but that hardly seems good for the
mower. I've been thinking of building some kind of ramp.

If you sharpen the blade without removing it, how are you going to possibly
keep it balanced?

--

Eggs

What if there were no hypothetical questions?

EXT wrote:
My mower deck disconnects by throwing a lever then dropping the belt and
can be removed without lifting the tractor. Then I turn it on its back,
scrape, pressure wash and remove the blades for sharpening on a bench
grinder.


Be careful with that pressure washing. It's quite easy to push water
into the spindle bearings and they won't last long after that.

--
Art

"Mac Cool" wrote in message
...
If I raise the deck I can just barely get under there to sharpen the blade
with a file. I can tip it on it's side but that hardly seems good for the
mower. I've been thinking of building some kind of ramp.

I jack the front up with a floor jack and use an air powered die-grinder
with abrasive wheel.

Eggs Zachtly wrote:
Mac Cool said:

If I raise the deck I can just barely get under there to sharpen the
blade with a file. I can tip it on it's side but that hardly seems
good for the mower. I've been thinking of building some kind of ramp.

If you sharpen the blade without removing it, how are you going to
possibly keep it balanced?

And Eggs is an EXPERT in being unbalanced, ;-)

but needless to say he has a good point,
I balance my mower blades by placing them on my head after sharpening them,
and if they fall off my head, I sharpen the side of the blade that hit the
ground first, thus taking a little weight off that side.
grin.

Clark
--
Don't you have Google in your part of the world?

Clark...:

hoist it

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=elbq77&s=3

nice

"Mac Cool" wrote in message
...
If I raise the deck I can just barely get under there to sharpen the blade
with a file. I can tip it on it's side but that hardly seems good for the
mower. I've been thinking of building some kind of ramp.

I'm using a pair of car ramps made by Rhino, gotten at the local AutoZone.
Not too steep or high. Clears the bottom of the deck when the wheels go all
the way forward on the ramp.
--
Dave

Parkinson's disease, not easy to define.
Much less cure.

Eggs Zachtly:

If you sharpen the blade without removing it, how are you going to
possibly keep it balanced?

The old fashioned way, I count strokes. Not high tech or perfect but it
works. If it gets too dull or dinged up I take it down to the mower shop
where they sharpen and balance it for a couple of dollars.

Mac Cool said:

Eggs Zachtly:

If you sharpen the blade without removing it, how are you going to
possibly keep it balanced?

The old fashioned way, I count strokes. Not high tech or perfect but it
works. If it gets too dull or dinged up I take it down to the mower shop
where they sharpen and balance it for a couple of dollars.

Got ya. That works, to a degree. You're still going to be left with more
material on one side, than the other. Plus, leaving the blade in place
doesn't really give you enough room (or the proper angle) to properly put
an edge on the blade, IMO. Clamping it in a vise is safer and allows better
access to the edges.

You could also spend a couple dollars once, purchase a blade balancer (Ace
Hardware has one for about $5) and do it correctly, yourself. =) A
perfectly balanced blade is much easier on the spindle (and on up the
"drivetrain"). You'll also get a more even cut.

*shrugs* I'm just sayin... =)
--

Eggs

One nice thing about egotists... they don't talk about other people.

Clark... said:

Mac Cool wrote:
If I raise the deck I can just barely get under there to sharpen the
blade with a file. I can tip it on it's side but that hardly seems
good for the mower. I've been thinking of building some kind of ramp.

hoist it

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=elbq77&s=3

Clark...

LMAO

I forgot about that! =)
--

Eggs

Do vegetarians eat animal crackers?