Angle Grinder for sharpening rotary mower

[Tallahassee Kubota Man]

I'm looking for a new angle grinder to be used for sharpening the blades on my 6' Land Pride rotary mower. I normally sharpen the blades while on the mower and get new ones when they wear out. Right now I'm using a Makita 7" grinder, but it's getting heavier (as I am) as I get older. Depending on the amount of mowing I do I may sharpen them weekly. I've been looking at the 4.5" grinders and would like to hear from those who do their sharpening on the mower and what they use.....specifically if they use the smaller grinder. I found a heavy duty DeWalt grinder for about $140. This may be overkill, but want to make sure it holds up to a lot of grinding.
Thanks!

 

[TripleR]

We haven't used our big grinder in years, instead opting for the 4". sharpen every two to three years and we mow quite a bit as well.

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

I use a 4 1/2 " for everything I do.

 

[Tallahassee Kubota Man]

What model make/model are you guys using? Trying to decide whether to get the HD Dewalt 13.0 amp ($130)or a cheaper model in the $80-$90 range. The quicker it cuts the better for me.

 

[Tallahassee Kubota Man]

I meant to add that the reason I sharpen a lot is most of my mowing is pastures with thick bahia grass. When working for customers I try to get as clean a cut as possible. When mowing brush I don't worry about it as much.

 

[olthumpa]

I use this Hatachi. I have had it about 6 years - replaced a Dewalt that I smoked. Got it at Lowes on clearance for around $40. It has worked flawlessly for me.
G12SE2 4-1/2" 9.5-Amp Angle Grinder, AC/DC


http://www.hitachipowertools.com/index/main-navigation/tools.aspx?d=8,31&p=138

http://www.amazon.com/Hitachi-G12SE2-2-Inch-Disk-Grinder/dp/B0000EI97E

 

[Tallahassee Kubota Man]

olthumpa, that's a nice looking tool. You got a great price compared to Amazon. It is almost half the weight of the DeWalt I'm looking at.

 

[Daren Todd]

I have a ryobi, that I paid around 40$ for. I've had it for around 5 years now. I have a cheapy 8" from harbor freight. Only time I pull that one out is if I'm looking to grind a big surface area.

 

[skeets]

I use a DeWalt 4 inched from Lowes scratch and dent table 40 bucks

 

[Diydave]

I use a Ryobi 18 volt cordless battery 4.5" grinder, it'll do 2 blades if they are not boogered up real bad. Once a year I pull the blades off, and sharpen them real good on a rotary blade sharpener, and weigh each blade, then grind the heavy one till it matches the light one. That way balance is pretty good, throughout the year...

 

[Tooljunkie]

7" makita and a couple 4-1/2 cheapos. I rarely use makita now, unless i have a lot of welds to clean up. I find the smaller makitas quieter than DeWalts.
Dont get a milwaukee, have one of them and hate it. Too heavy and noisy. Not a comfy tool to hang on to.

I usually give the first sharpening of season blades off, then poke grinder in unless i whack something hard.

 

[OldeEnglish]

I have a Hilti 5" grinder that is 15 years old now, and trust me it's well used and still works great. I like it for using 5" cutting wheels and you don't have to remove the guard off of a 4 1/2. I've gone through a few Dewalt grinders, they don't hold up for what I put them through. For cordless stuff I use Milwaukee, never had much luck with dewalt cordless and would never buy again. The Ryobi stuff is fine for a homeowner but useless if you need it all day every day.
Hitachi tools are good, I don't know if they are of their true quality from Lowes... My father always used their electric partner saws for years and always worked well. I find their tools a little too heavy for my liking and I have killed their toughest sawzall....
I've used and killed them all. Hilti power tools last for ever and are tough to kill. Milwaukee is my second favorite.

I've learned the hard way buying power tools at home cheapo, I'll never do it again. All of their products they sell are of "home cheapo quality" except Hilti. Hilti was going to pull out of Home Depot because HD wanted them to make a product that is less quality for a less money. If you buy a Hilti tool from HD and something goes wrong, you can take it to a Hilti dealer and get it repaired. If you buy Milwaukee at home cheapo and the same happens, a Milwaukee dealer will not accept it.

 

[Kurtee]

Take a look at different suppliers. There are different models available and some are easier to handle than others. We have some 5" Dewalt grinders that have the same type of handles as the larger grinders and handle well. You want one that handles well so look around.

 

[olthumpa]

Hitachi tools are good, I don't know if they are of their true quality from Lowes... My father always used their electric partner saws for years and always worked well. I find their tools a little too heavy for my liking and I have killed their toughest sawzall....

I got three of the Hitachi grinders when Lowes was discontinuing them. More like Hitachi was not going to make a cheaper one for Lowes to sell. Hitachi still makes the ones that I have. Hilti does make great tools but a little price. I have a couple of their drills, one going on 30 years.

 

[Donystoy]

I use an old 4" Makita. Works great and not very heavy. Make sure you are wearing gloves and safety glasses.

 

[Tallahassee Kubota Man]

I appreciate all the comments. Gonna go with a Hitachi 4 1/2 ", 9 amp, that weighs 4.2 libs. Found an open box for around $75. My 7" Makita weighs 12 lbs + so this will be a lot easier to work with.

 

[MagKarl]

I am particular about how they are actuated, prefer a paddle switch to be specific. Don't care much for sliders, but you may. Consider how it's going to work for you.

 

[Stubbyie]

Consider also the particular grinding wheel you are considering using.

Wheels come in hardness ratings. Do some research online. Check reputable manufacturers websites like Norton or Camel.

Also be careful to use "metal" not "masonry" blades: I've found the discount bins often have low-harness masonry blades priced low to get your attention. When using on metal the masonry blades / wheels / disks simply won't last. Harbor Freight is especially bad about this tricky deal.

As an afterthought regarding brands: I've landed with Milwaukee but any of the major brands will work fine; the switch type is a major consideration, as is the power cord (twist-lok replaceable on Milwaukee). I gave up on battery tools for heavy applications.

 

[85Hokie]

I am particular about how they are actuated, prefer a paddle switch to be specific. Don't care much for sliders, but you may. Consider how it's going to work for you.

Amen on the sliders - they seem to wear out and click off faster than you can click back on! I have two older Makitas, both with sliding on off buttons, any type of pressure near the switch will kick it off.

A smaller grinder will fit into those tighter places, the larger ones will have a faster rate of removal due to the feet per second speed of their orbits. I find the big boy is hard to handle after about 20 minutes!

And I agree on the battery ones, I have a dewalt 18v - works well to cut metal, really nice, but it is only on for about 90 seconds and I am done. Grinding would be a whole different story.

 

[Tallahassee Kubota Man]

What grit wheel would you guys recommend for sharpening the bush hog blades?

My new grinder has a paddle switch. I'm used to a trigger switch, don't care for the sliders.