Mower blade maintenance in remote shop

[Lx460]

Weighing the options of how to allow for blade removals for sharpening. Need to be done at least twice a week. Have a small conex container with 4 mowers in a satellite branch. Should I set them up with a small 110V compressor and impact gun or just get a Milwaukee fuel 18v impact?

Thoughts?

 

[zkling]

A breaker bar, some heavy welding gloves and a hunk of 2x4.

 

[Lx460]

My thoughts too, but after working outside in 90 degrees plus with 100% humidity for 10+ hours a day, you have to have a little sympathy.

Just a little.

Besides that, I might actually end up having to do it once in a while.

 

[zkling]

What kind of mowers are we talking here? Single blade push mowers or twin+ blade riders? How are they sharpening?

How about an electric impact? Unless you are needing air for tires and such. I'd just be real careful of people using the impact to put the bolts back in. I've seen a hand full of crank ends destroyed because of that.

 

[justtools]

A breaker bar, some heavy welding gloves and a hunk of 2x4.

I agree completly

 

[justtools]

My thoughts too, but after working outside in 90 degrees plus with 100% humidity for 10+ hours a day, you have to have a little sympathy.

Just a little.

Besides that, I might actually end up having to do it once in a while.

No you dont. But if you insist the do have very good electric impacts.

 

[Lx460]

Commercial triple blade

 

[rice rocket]

Small compressor + impact is much less likely to grow legs and walk off than a cordless impact.

 

[Lx460]

No you dont. But if you insist the do have very good electric impacts.

You're right, I don't.

Maybe I'll just get the M18 for me when I need to do them...lol.

 

[Lx460]

Small compressor + impact is much less likely to grow legs and walk off than a cordless impact.

Yes, I thought of that too. A $300 impact might be too much temptation.

 

[justtools]

an electric impact is the least likely to grow legs

 

[great white tj]

I would go with the Compressor, that way they could blow off your mowers as needed all so..

 

[Lx460]

Screw it, they're getting a HF compressor and impact.

I'll get the Milwaukee or SO 18v cordless.

 

[RedneckWelder]

Air compressor and air impact.

The air compressor is great for airing up tires, blowing off the clippings and dust, pnuematic grease gun, etc.

 

[Lx460]

Air compressor and air impact.

The air compressor is great for airing up tires, blowing off the clippings and dust, pnuematic grease gun, etc.

You are 100% on task. I forgot about the air powered oil vacuum too.

 

[kd3pc]

the bigger issue is to how to "safely" get the blades off, without a ramp or something to raise the deck high enough to get a fuel or impact and the correctly sized socket to the hub bolts.

IIRC, the exMark is about an inch or 27mm bolt...I usually get them in the shop when someone has used a pipe wrench with two feet of kendorf or a pipe on the handle....or buzzed the corners off with an impact.

Now you need some tools...

best of luck. BTW, we ended up putting the machines on a 45 day maintenance plan where we just took blades and bolts from the shop out to the machine, replaced them and brought the "dull" blades and wonked up bolts back to the shop for sharpening. It turned out to be much cheaper time and effort, to have one guy responsible to NOT mess up three bolts and be down a day (or more) waiting on a part or a fix. HE kept the correct tools, washers and bolts and blades.

 

[zkling]

You are 100% on task. I forgot about the air powered oil vacuum too.

This thread is turning into a classic example of it pays to give the total picture from the get go.

 

[SARG]

Sharpening twice a week ??????
Seems like you're cutting something other than grass.

 

[Farmall 1066]

As much as I hate cordless angle grinders, this might be the place.
If it were mine, I'd get a cheap-assed 110v generator, grinder and impact.
Bargain shopping you could get all for 100-200, or new HF for not much more.
Quality of equipment would need to be balanced against likelihood of theft, I guess.

 

[Lx460]

This thread is turning into a classic example of it pays to give the total picture from the get go.

It's just shop talk, not rocket science. Everything doesn't have to be 100% perfect to bring it up for discussion. I was just throwing it out there for ideas and I got a lot of good ones.

 

[Lx460]

Sharpening twice a week ??????
Seems like you're cutting something other than grass.

Florida is all sand. Nothing dulls blades quicker than sand. Twice is on a heavy week but at least once. Maybe overkill but makes for a much better cut.

 

[Charles (in GA)]

Compressor and impact. Much more useful. You could rig a beam across the inside of the container, just inside the door, with a small trolley and come along or chain hoist to lift the front end. If your mechanical people are reasonably reliable they won't overload it or kill themselves. Couple of jackstands for safety.

 

[NC-Shaun]

Sharpen them on the equipment. Proper jack for the equipment and an angle grinder....Thats how I did my lawn mower when i was reclaiming 8 acres of land.

 

[rick carpenter]

Do you balance your blades every so often with such frequent sharpenings? And since going with both, don't forget compressor maintenance.