# Flipping disc mower blades?



## tom-ky (May 30, 2011)

Do ohers feel like when you flip the blades the quality of cut is worse? It seems to me that they do not pick up down grass as good. Is it me or do others feel the same?


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

tom-ky said:


> Do tohers feel lik when you flip the blades the quality of cut is worse? It seems to me that they do not pick up down grass as good. Is it me or d o others feel the same?


Idk, perhaps I guess, depends on the blade......I use to have one with straight blades, obviously didn't matter on that one. Not so much that I can tell with the naked eye anyway, I flip or change every 60-80 acres......hth


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

My cut quality usually dramatically improves when the blades are flipped.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

slowzuki said:


> My cut quality usually dramatically improves when the blades are flipped.


Lol....excellent point slow


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## TJH (Mar 23, 2014)

Sharpen 6 times and flip, sharpen 6 times and change.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

TJH said:


> Sharpen 6 times and flip, sharpen 6 times and change.


Really TJ you sharpen the blades? How much they charging you for blades? It just ain't worth it to me.....I might grind on one if I hit something like a chain in the field, but if it needs sharpening I flip it or trash it.....


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## Tx Jim (Jun 30, 2014)

somedevildawg said:


> I flip or change every 60-80 acres......hth


I realize type of soil & whether one is mowing wet or dry grass contributes to blade wear but I mow several hundred acres before flipping blades on my Krone cutter but not that many acres with my Vermeer cutter. I mow mostly black soil & sometimes some sandy soil. Since blades aren't very high priced I don't even consider sharpening them.


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## TJH (Mar 23, 2014)

To each his own. I prefer to touch them up every 20 acres or so as to cut the hay not beat it, just maintain the bevel.


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

I sharpen sometimes but they are usually too damaged from rock strikes.


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

Tx Jim said:


> I realize type of soil & whether one is mowing wet or dry grass contributes to blade wear but I mow several hundred acres before flipping blades on my Krone cutter but not that many acres with my Vermeer cutter. I mow mostly black soil & sometimes some sandy soil. Since blades aren't very high priced I don't even consider sharpening them.


Of course, for several hundred acres per knife they would seem spectacularly cheap. If, on the other hand, it seems like you're hitting a few shale piles dug up by groundhogs each day, they wouldn't seem so cheap as they'd need replaced much, much sooner. It makes a little sharpening seem much more viable.


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## tom-ky (May 30, 2011)

I guess my main question is when flipping you end up with the bevel of the blade the opposite way, looks like you would lose the lift action. Maybe there is no lifting action. This is on a Kuhn mower.


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## rajela (Feb 15, 2014)

I see better cut quality when ever I flip or sharpen the blades...I do like TJH and hit them just a little with the grinder about every 40 acres or so.


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

tom-ky said:


> I guess my main question is when flipping you end up with the bevel of the blade the opposite way, looks like you would lose the lift action. Maybe there is no lifting action. This is on a Kuhn mower.


Sounds like maybe you need to switch them to discs that rotate the opposite way instead of flipping them?


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

tom-ky said:


> I guess my main question is when flipping you end up with the bevel of the blade the opposite way, looks like you would lose the lift action. Maybe there is no lifting action. This is on a Kuhn mower.


???? Flipping the blade the bevel should still be up.It is on my Vermeer anyway.

You do have clock wise and CCW blades or are they a flat blade?


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## mike10 (May 29, 2011)

Kuhn knives and probably others do not put the bevels on the knives so the bevel is up when the knives are flipped. Since Kuhn supplied JD and New Holland along with their own brand, you will see it often the bevel down when the knife is flipped. They say it should make no difference but I don't know.

I have seen knives that run hundreds of acres without being flipped, but they also wear out the unused side from the extreme wear on the cutting side. When you wear a blade to a point I think it is past time to flip them.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

I'm still not sure sharpening them is really worth my time, they are case hardened so once that is gone your down to mild steel.

I usually get away with making all my first cutting and second cutting on a set of blades, depending how fine third and later is then I either flip or install new to get a better cut on the finer thinner stuff. I don't do a lot of custom cutting anymore, the ones I do I know the rocks have been picked so I don't often get any rock damage. If I do one I've never mowed before the cutter bar does NOT get tipped down no matter how flat the hay may be.

Last couple of years I've been making our commanders at the VFW horse hay for him, have been checking to make sure the blades are good before his second cutting as it's straight grass and can pull very hard after first cutting if we've had any rain at all.


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

My blades have the same bevel on each side. Flipping is like adding a new blade.

On thick Bahia they do not last long.

I have touched them up a little after cutting Bahia. It takes a while to change blades. I can put a little edge back on in just a few minutes. It usually depends on how rounded the end of the blade is.

I can cut forever in Bermuda grass before changing.


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## Redbaler (Jun 10, 2011)

Got a Deere and the blade is upside down when I flip them. The book says it's better for rough ground and rocks. I just change them 2 times a year they're pretty cheap.


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## Colby (Mar 5, 2012)

I usually change/ flip mine every morning. So around 60-80 acres. Once the tip becomes rounded it's time to change them.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

mike10 said:


> Kuhn knives and probably others do not put the bevels on the knives so the bevel is up when the knives are flipped. Since Kuhn supplied JD and New Holland along with their own brand, you will see it often the bevel down when the knife is flipped. They say it should make no difference but I don't know.
> 
> I have seen knives that run hundreds of acres without being flipped, but they also wear out the unused side from the extreme wear on the cutting side. When you wear a blade to a point I think it is past time to flip them.


I was wondering that,about the bevels.So to do it corectly just move the blade to the next disc.Move from clockwise to CCW disc and vice versa.Correct???


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## discbinedr (Mar 4, 2013)

8350HiTech said:


> Sounds like maybe you need to switch them to discs that rotate the opposite way instead of flipping them?


Now that's some really bad advice. The twist would be wrong and would dramatically reduce cut quality.


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

discbinedr said:


> Now that's some really bad advice. The twist would be wrong and would dramatically reduce cut quality.


It sounded like a flat knife. Obviously it it is a twisted knife if wouldn't work.


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## discbinedr (Mar 4, 2013)

Doesn't sound like a flat knife to me. He was speaking of the knife edge bevel. Just showing you a hard time.


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

discbinedr said:


> Doesn't sound like a flat knife to me. He was speaking of the knife edge bevel. Just showing you a hard time.


i took it as a flat blade with the top edge beveled on both sides also.Flip it it would be upside down.switch to opposite turtle be fine


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## discbinedr (Mar 4, 2013)

He didn't say it's flat. Most are twisted.


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

discbinedr said:


> He didn't say it's flat. Most are twisted.


Nor did he say twisted


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## Grateful11 (Apr 5, 2009)

For less than what it cost to buy a round bale of hay you can change out the knives on most machines. Told my wife if you leaving even one able in the field due to dull knives it's not worth it. They managed about 48 acres on one edge this Spring, not bad with the rocks we have. I think the last knives she bought was a box of 20 at NH for something like $37. The bevels on NH knives are the same when you flip them, Kuhn knives have the bevel upside down when you flip them.


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## Grateful11 (Apr 5, 2009)

discbinedr said:


> Now that's some really bad advice. The twist would be wrong and would dramatically reduce cut quality.


Exactly, the twist would be blowing crop down instead of lifting it up.


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## luke strawwalker (Jul 31, 2014)

Tim/South said:


> My blades have the same bevel on each side. Flipping is like adding a new blade.
> 
> On thick Bahia they do not last long.
> 
> ...


Dunno what it is about bahia, just tough, abrasive grass I guess, but that stuff eats blades... about like cutting steel...

Seems like you get half the life out of the blades cutting bahia that you get cutting ANYTHING else...

Been my experience anyway. Later! OL J R


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## luke strawwalker (Jul 31, 2014)

swmnhay said:


> I was wondering that,about the bevels.So to do it corectly just move the blade to the next disc.Move from clockwise to CCW disc and vice versa.Correct???


If in doubt-- READ THE MANUAL! It'll give the correct procedures for flipping/reversing blades.

Flat blades are easy-- twisted blades, be careful so you don't end up with them "backwards".

Later! OL J R


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## rajela (Feb 15, 2014)

I use a twist blade but have been looking at trying some flat blades.


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