Rotary cutter ( brushhog ) question..

[Buckshot-73]

For those that brushhog often, Do you “ sharpen” your blades?

I realize you don’t want them lawn mower sharp, but during a pretrip inspection, mine are about as sharp as a wooden rolling pin..[emoji16]

Mine only has approximately 70 hours use,, only 2 yrs. old.

[MossyRockRanch]

I replace with new blades every two years and sharpen every 90 days or so.

[Drycreek3189]

If you have the means, unhook your top link, throw a chain around your tail wheel, and lift your mower up until you can sharpen the blades with a big grinder without pulling them off. It makes a semi-hard job easy.

[Pstraw]

Some folks call them a cutter but I call mine a shredder. I 'might' sharpen mine every two or three years. Not razor sharp.

[ThisLadyHunts]

Some folks call them a cutter but I call mine a shredder. I 'might' sharpen mine every two or three years. Not razor sharp.

We refer to ours as “shredders,” too, and rarely do we sharpen them. As for replacing the blades, only when we sustain damage/ breakage or if their performance has noticeably degraded over time because we managed not to damage or break them.

I’m curious to know what those of you who regularly sharpen and replace your blades are cutting? As for me, I’m usually just shredding managed pastureland or maybe occasionally some overgrown property.

[OldRiverRat]

I run a 15’ batwing and hit mine with a grinder about every 12 hrs of mowing



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[Pstraw]

If I can run over and knock it down I'll cut it. Don't do a lot of this' but mostly open places I've been before.
Another thing is don't go in the opposite direction from the last pass. You can cause a lot of problems with things coming through the radiator and around your legs.

[BTLowry]

I have sharpened my blades before, I think they dull in about 30min again

[Shinesintx]

Good question. I don’t think I’ve sharpened mine in 7-8 years...it might be time?

[Geezy Rider]

I’ve never sharpened the blades on my JD rotary cutter but I suppose if it ever fails to get the job done, I may replace the blades.
For those who sharpen theirs, how do you balance the blades?

[Txhunter3000]

I concur, it's a shredder not a finish mower. I touched up my blades after 8 years and couldn't tell any difference. I don't abuse it either.

[RascalArms]

When it stops cutting clean hit them with a grinder. About every other year.

[Kenner97]

Good question. I don’t think I’ve sharpened mine in 7-8 years...it might be time?

Yeah going on 10 years. Probably time to replace or sharpen!

[camoclad]

Nice yards need sharp blades.

I always thought dull blades was beneficial to most pasture grasses. Instead of slicing, the blades rip the grass, stimulating new growth. Kinda like a cow or buffalo crushing and pulling. The grass responds well to that...

On the other hand, maybe sharp blades cause less strain on the tractor? Would that be the only benefit? First woody brush or rock or whatever that's not grass you hit dolls them. Seems like unnecessary extra work, but I was wrong once before.

[cva34]

Dang sounds like you guys do more beatin brush than cuttin/mowing...I sharpen mine several times a season...I seldom remove blades just use Dewalt 20v angle grinder..If you do it regular its not too bad a job..Otherwise if its as dull as the side of your finger...Probably remove and replace or use bench grinder...How sharp do you want best answer is look at a new blade and try to duplicate angle...It aint rocket science