3 blade alignment pattern on deck

[pinecone 26]

i have a 42" deck with 3 blades. is there a best pattern to set them at for balance and discharge. planning to change them and thought i'd ask the pros. i can screw anything up if i try hard enough. tks

[cleat 7,166]

I would think that it does not matter. The blades ban move anyways unless you have a timing belt setup a belt can slip and the blade can move.

 

Just make sure each blade is balanced, put a little never seize on the shaft threads before installing the blade for ease of removal later.

 

Cleat

[pinecone 26]

tks cleat. i think i will try a 120 degree differance for starters but will photo how they are now in case.

[Kelly 1,033]

they will not stay, I just put them on, never had a problem. 

[jrc0528 20]

Ditto^^  

 

Anytime one blade gets into a thicker patch of grass it will tend to slip slightly on the belt.  

 

Just for kicks, set a pattern, go mow for a while (try to load the motor in a nice heavy area as well) then pull the deck and check the pattern.  My money says it will have changed!

Edited May 5, 2014 by jrc0528

[rwilson 128]

the only WH blades you need to align are the gear drive decks.

[smoreau 658]

The blades will change in 1 revaluation. The center pulley is a different size then the two outside ones. That is how both my 42 and 48 side discharge are. My 36 side has the same pulleys for all 3 I think, but I may be wrong, it's been a while cense I looked at that one.

Edited May 5, 2014 by smoreau

[pinecone 26]

tks all for the info.

[PaulC 342]

after some reading here on the site I was gonna try a dual blade setup?? like 3 little helicopters running under my 42" rear discharge deck. anyone have opinions on this? will I have issues with the 2 blades on the same spindle shifting to where they wouldn't be a true "X" anymore and then throwing everything off balance?

[bmsgaffer 2,052]

after some reading here on the site I was gonna try a dual blade setup?? like 3 little helicopters running under my 42" rear discharge deck. anyone have opinions on this? will I have issues with the 2 blades on the same spindle shifting to where they wouldn't be a true "X" anymore and then throwing everything off balance?

 

It wont throw anything off balance as the whole blade will slip, so the opposing forces will always be equal.

 

The only thing that will cause a problem (and a big one) is if the blade slips enough to contact the "twist" of the blade below it. I could see that if you hit a stump and the bottom blade stops spinning (even for a brief second) the top blade will probably fly very fast into the "wing" of the blade below it and probably destroy both of them...

[smoreau 658]

Glen uses the double blade set up on his and has been very happy with the set up

[PaulC 342]

 

It wont throw anything off balance as the whole blade will slip, so the opposing forces will always be equal.

 

The only thing that will cause a problem (and a big one) is if the blade slips enough to contact the "twist" of the blade below it. I could see that if you hit a stump and the bottom blade stops spinning (even for a brief second) the top blade will probably fly very fast into the "wing" of the blade below it and probably destroy both of them...

Both of these statements make sense, especially the first one.

 

Glen uses the double blade set up on his and has been very happy with the set up            

 

do you know if Glen has done anything to the blades to make sure the above suggestion doesn't happen? I had the thought that I could drill small holes beside the center bolt hole and bolt the two blades together?

[cleat 7,166]

Some commercial mowers come this way. I would think that if the blades move together it would just mimic a real thick single blade. I might try this on my 72" finishing mower on the diesel tractor.

 

Cleat