The bed knife (Straight edge blade) may be warped. Lapping compound comes in different grits and can keep a reel mower cutting properly but not indefinately. Sometimes sharpening on a special grinder is required to true the reel but on a push mower lapping should work for a long time. A reversible electric drill is sometimes used to spin the reel backwards. A variable speed drill is ideal. You don't want to spin it too fast and you need to use a paint brush to apply the lapping compound. The lapping compound needs to be applied evenly for the best results. With the reel spinning put the brush with lapping compound on at one side of the reel and apply across the reel at a slow even speed all the way across the reel. Let it spin a bit and then you can apply some more starting at the other side. You may need to loosen the bedknife a bit if it is too tight for the reel to spin with the lapping compound. The bed knife still needs to be loosened evenly so it will lap true to the reel. After lapping you may need to take a fine file and just very lightly remove any burr that may be on the edge of the reel. When sharpened properly the mower should slice newspaper like a really good pair of scissors without pinching the paper or having to be really tight. Each individual reel blade should slice the paper cleanly across the complete blade length with very little effort. A commercial mower dealer like Toro, Jacobsen, or John Deere would be able to assist you and have the lapping compound. Clover is a popular brand. If you need a new bed knife it shouldn't be too hard to order one. If yours is warped too bad it will be impossible to set up your mower to work the best. The bed knife might be reversible as well. My dad sold commercial turf equipment for over 40 years and sharpened thousands of reels. He even taught students how at the turf grass management course at college. There is an art to it. The new automatic spin sharpeners make it a lot easier than the old manual machines like a Foley but cost about $50,000 for the reel sharpener and and about $15,000 just for the bed knife grinder. Hope this helps. Dave
We sell tractor parts! We have the parts you need to repair your tractor - the right parts. Our low prices and years of research make us your best choice when you need parts. Shop Online Today. [ About Us ]
Today's Featured Article - Old Time Threshing - by Anthony West. A lovely harvest evening late September 1947, I was a school boy, like all school boys I loved harvest time. The golden corn ripens well and early, the stoking, stacking,.... the drawing in with the tractors and trailers and a few buck rakes thrown in, and possibly a heavy horse. It would be a great day for the collies and the terrier dogs, rats and mice would be at the bottom of the stacks so the dogs, would have a busy time hunting and killing, all the corn was gathered and ricked in what we c
... [Read Article]
Latest Ad:
1964 I-H 140 tractor with cultivators and sidedresser. Starts and runs good. Asking 2650. CALL RON AT 502-319-1952
[More Ads]
All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of any part of this website, including design and content, without written permission is strictly prohibited. Trade Marks and Trade Names contained and used in this Website are those of others, and are used in this Website in a descriptive sense to refer to the products of others. Use of this Web site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy
TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER: Tradenames and Trademarks referred to within Yesterday's Tractor Co. products and within the Yesterday's Tractor Co. websites are the property of their respective trademark holders. None of these trademark holders are affiliated with Yesterday's Tractor Co., our products, or our website nor are we sponsored by them. John Deere and its logos are the registered trademarks of the John Deere Corporation. Agco, Agco Allis, White, Massey Ferguson and their logos are the registered trademarks of AGCO Corporation. Case, Case-IH, Farmall, International Harvester, New Holland and their logos are registered trademarks of CNH Global N.V.
