Trying to settle a bet about blade cutting edges location under the deck. One says it doesn't matter , the other says it does. Anyone have imput as to who is correct ? Thanks
MMM Blades
- Thread starter Wavewhacker
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TripleR
Active member
Equipment
BX2200, BX2660, L5740 HSTC, M8540HDC and some other tractors and equipment
I may be misunderstanding you, but MMM blades need to be sharp, rotary cutter blades don't, they have a different edge profile.
CountryBumkin
New member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
BX2370 w/LA243, Bucket, Grapple, QA Pallet Forks, 60" MMM, rear blade & rake
re you asking about the relationship between the different blades - meaning, how they line up with each other (like all blades facing 9 and 3 o'clock when first installed)? If that's the question, it doesn't matter.
If that is not the question, then I don't understand your question.
If that is not the question, then I don't understand your question.
On a finish mower, all MMM are, be sure to put the sharp edge closest to the grass (bottom/turf)....and keep all human parts away while they turn!
You question lacks clarity!
You question lacks clarity!
Sorry Lads ! I was referring to the picture in the operators manual that shows blade specific placement as they correlate to each other and in relationship to the mower deck location. Thanks for the imput referring to your ideas on your present situations .
TripleR
Active member
Equipment
BX2200, BX2660, L5740 HSTC, M8540HDC and some other tractors and equipment
It has been a long time since I saw a MMM with specific blade orientation, it was a Massey Ferguson gear drive unit, no belts, all gear driven. It was great until you hit a solid object.
When I first saw that illustration in my deck manual, I was wondering if it was referencing the relative orientation, or clocking, of the blades. But I think they're only talking about changing which blade goes on which spindle in a regular rotation to keep the wear even. I.e. swap 'em out for each other in a clockwise pattern when looking from the bottom.
Seems like the blade closest to the discharge will theoretically get the most wear, as it sees the grass coming from the other blades, in addition to what it's slicing off of the lawn. But since my wear mostly comes from hitting roots, stumps, and rocks, I'm not sure the theory applies so much for me.
Seems like the blade closest to the discharge will theoretically get the most wear, as it sees the grass coming from the other blades, in addition to what it's slicing off of the lawn. But since my wear mostly comes from hitting roots, stumps, and rocks, I'm not sure the theory applies so much for me.
The illustration is vague but I do agree with your explanation. They spin so fast it wouldn't matter if they were pointing one way or the other. I will pay more attention to wear this fall when I service it.
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CountryBumkin
New member
Lifetime Member
Equipment
BX2370 w/LA243, Bucket, Grapple, QA Pallet Forks, 60" MMM, rear blade & rake
That's my take on the diagram too - it's like rotating the tires on your car.
But I never do this, I just remove all the blades at the same time, sharpen them, check them for balance, and reinstall. By the time I am reinstalling, I have no idea which blade came from which spindle.
It doesn't matter which blade is turned in which direction. The belt always has a bit of slippage and they never return to the same orientation after running a while.
As far as left, center, and right, depends. If you mow a lot of dirt, sand, leaves...basically the stuff that wears blades faster than grass, then it's not a bad idea to rotate the discharge blade to the opposite side, then put the center blade on the discharge side. I do it during sharpening, seems to help them last a little bit longer. The discharge blade tends to wear faster as it's got to deal with the material that's discharged from the other two blades. When I see them cracked, it's almost always the discharge side blade that's worse than the other 1 or 2 depending on the deck.
Did y'all forget about the John Deere "freedom" 42" deck? The blades were connected via a timing belt, and they needed to be set in a particular orientation (timed) during belt replacement. When (not IF) the belt broke, the blades would hit each other rather spectacularly, usually resulting in blade and/or deck bending. What a pile of junk design. They cut awesome but they were junk. Tall grass would break the timing belt. Sold and installed thousands of them before we quit messing with Deere.
As far as left, center, and right, depends. If you mow a lot of dirt, sand, leaves...basically the stuff that wears blades faster than grass, then it's not a bad idea to rotate the discharge blade to the opposite side, then put the center blade on the discharge side. I do it during sharpening, seems to help them last a little bit longer. The discharge blade tends to wear faster as it's got to deal with the material that's discharged from the other two blades. When I see them cracked, it's almost always the discharge side blade that's worse than the other 1 or 2 depending on the deck.
Did y'all forget about the John Deere "freedom" 42" deck? The blades were connected via a timing belt, and they needed to be set in a particular orientation (timed) during belt replacement. When (not IF) the belt broke, the blades would hit each other rather spectacularly, usually resulting in blade and/or deck bending. What a pile of junk design. They cut awesome but they were junk. Tall grass would break the timing belt. Sold and installed thousands of them before we quit messing with Deere.