Hard surfacing rod for brush cutter

[560Dennis]

Can I use a stellate on brush cutter blade ?
Use use a oxy acetylene rod the was hard surfaces for repair of end cams .
Would the be the way to go on these worn cutters blades

What do you think ?

[52 Ford]

Can I use a stellate on brush cutter blade ?
Use use a oxy acetylene rod the was hard surfaces for repair of end cams .
Would the be the way to go on these worn cutters blades

What do you think ?

No. I recommend you do NOT build up blades with hard facing rods. Just use regular filler metal. Those blades are mild steel to begin with so they will yield instead of fracture if you hit something hard.

But, I'm not the boss of you. If you so still want to build up the cutting edges with something more wear resistant, go for something that has the ability to yeild. I think Stellite would break and send out shrapnel (shrapnel = bad! ).

Sent from my Lincoln Buzzbox using Tapatalk

[smithdoor]

Buy new blades.
If get blade out of balance you destroy your gear box.

Dave

Can I use a stellate on brush cutter blade ?
Use use a oxy acetylene rod the was hard surfaces for repair of end cams .
Would the be the way to go on these worn cutters blades

What do you think ?

[Oldiron2]

Can I use a stellate on brush cutter blade ?
Use use a oxy acetylene rod the was hard surfaces for repair of end cams .
Would the be the way to go on these worn cutters blades

What do you think ?

As often, little information has been given about the specific equipment, its blades and its usage. Please provide more details and good pictures of the machine and how it's used. And proofread your reply before posting.

[12V71]

No. I recommend you do NOT build up blades with hard facing rods. Just use regular filler metal. Those blades are mild steel to begin with so they will yield instead of fracture if you hit something hard.

But, I'm not the boss of you. If you so still want to build up the cutting edges with something more wear resistant, go for something that has the ability to yeild. I think Stellite would break and send out shrapnel (shrapnel = bad! ).

Sent from my Lincoln Buzzbox using Tapatalk

Actually the big Woods mower blades I've worked with are more like a type of spring steel. I definitely would not try welding them up. I tried straightening on in a 55 ton press once and chickened out when with 35 tons it would spring back when you released the pressure, I did not want it breaking and scattering chunks about the shop.

[Lis2323]

Buy new blades.
If get blade out of balance you destroy your gear box.

Dave

blades can be balanced but i agree.....buy new blades.

[smithdoor]

I due balancing it takes time to do. Most brush cutters need a Dynamic balancing too. I work in a machine shop where two guys spent 8 hours balancing brush cutters.

Dave

blades can be balanced but i agree.....buy new blades.

[old miner called Pop]

Can I use a stellate on brush cutter blade ?
Use use a oxy acetylene rod the was hard surfaces for repair of end cams .
Would the be the way to go on these worn cutters blades

What do you think ?

Dont do it...a fella near home here tried to rebuild his blades on the bush hog it didnt go well...he built them up with 7018...thing has 3 blades...2 of them shattered...pieces evrywhere...fortunately nowhere near anyone...pieces went out the side and messed up his machine...the machine never ran right again...he had to get new parts in the gearbox too as things werent balanced

[Willie B]

A Bush Hog (or other brand) is a violent machine. There are occasional injuries when operators do everything right. A friend got a broken piece of blade in the back of the head. It didn't kill him, but lots of blood & a real scare. Still can't figure out how the trajectory happened, but it did.

Building up blades is not something I'd do.

If I were building blades, I'd use a high manganese build up rod, I can get the numbers if you like. Manganese remains ductile except the hammered surface hardens. You can build up with multiple passes.

[whtbaron]

Build yourself a forge and use the old Bushhog blades to make swords... or plow shares.... or something else that won't fly apart and hit you in the head...

[N2 Welding]

Don’t weld a blade, replace it period!

[52 Ford]

Build yourself a forge and use the old Bushhog blades to make swords... or plow shares.... or something else that won't fly apart and hit you in the head...

... Machetes. Forge machetes!

Orrrr make some hoes! Can't never get enough hoes (if ya know what I mean...)

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[smithdoor]

I agree 👍 💯

Dave

Don’t weld a blade, replace it period!

[SweetMK]

Orrrr make some hoes! Can't never get enough hoes (if ya know what I mean...)

Sent from my Buzzbox

My Buzzbox still enjoys a good hoe,,,

BUT,, I have had three machines that came with self sharpening blades (two Cub Cadets, and a John Deere)

The blades had carbide particles (like 1/32" diameter particles,, kinda large) brazed to the bottom of the blade.
As the suction sucked up sand particles during mowing, the blade above the carbide would wear away.
Avoid hitting rocks or other obstacles that could break off the carbide,, the blades would stay amazingly sharp.

When you finally wore away enough blade, the blade would dull similar to a "normal" blade,,
you would replace them,, rather than sharpening them. it was a nice system.

I have tines on my TroyBilt tiller with similar brazed carbide. The tines las many times longer than regular tines.

[danielplace]

Mower/Brush cutter blades are not mild steel. If they were welding would not be as bad of an idea. They are tempered/hardened quite a bit.

Mild steel would never hold a edge or the blade itself really even be strong enough. Not enough temper to even hold a edge.

If you sharpened them you would know it isn't just common mild steel. Many of them a file will not hardly even touch it so you know there has to be some temper in the stuff.

Most blades are made from a grade of spring steel so you would not want to weld it. Get new and start fresh and balanced and go again in short order.

[G-ManBart]

No. I recommend you do NOT build up blades with hard facing rods. Just use regular filler metal. Those blades are mild steel to begin with so they will yield instead of fracture if you hit something hard.

Mower blades are definitely not mild steel. Most are made with 5160 alloy steel or something similar. I've welded a lot of 5160/spring steel, but I certainly wouldn't do that on a brush hog blade.

[Welder Dave]

I agree NEVER weld on mower blades that are spinning at 8000+ feet per minute. They are a tempered steel and will fly apart violently. Welding changes the grain structure in them making them prone to failure.

[Lis2323]

while we're on the subject….. mower blades should be hollow ground. (concave profile)

it makes me laugh when a "shop" will clamp a mower blade in the bench vise and run a couple passes over the edge with a flap wheel creating a "razor sharp" edge that immediately starts to dull when used and quickly gets progressively worse.

[smithdoor]

I agree

Dave

I agree NEVER weld on mower blades that are spinning at 8000+ feet per minute. They are a tempered steel and will fly apart violently. Welding changes the grain structure in them making them prone to failure.

[N2 Welding]

while we're on the subject….. mower blades should be hollow ground. (concave profile)

it makes me laugh when a "shop" will clamp a mower blade in the bench vise and run a couple passes over the edge with a flap wheel creating a "razor sharp" edge that immediately starts to dull when used and quickly gets progressively worse.

well with regular lawn mowers 22” and the likes, sharp blades cut the grass clean leaving a nice cut edge that does not cause the grass tips to dry out from ripping vs cutting.

I’m curious what blades you are talking about? I dn’t think it matters much on a brush hog, those just rip through tall thick weeds and brush including small trees.

[Lis2323]

well with regular lawn mowers 22” and the likes, sharp blades cut the grass clean leaving a nice cut edge that does not cause the grass tips to dry out from ripping vs cutting.

I’m curious what blades you are talking about? I dn’t think it matters much on a brush hog, those just rip through tall thick weeds and brush including small trees.

same theory for most cutting edges. knives, swords, lawn mower blades, bush hog.

all rotary mower blades chop not cut. reel mowers ( spiral cylindrical blade configuration with bed knife ) have true shearing action similar to scissors.

this is why golf courses use reel mowers on their greens not rotary.

[Munkul]

The disc mowers we run use single side edged blades. They're pretty sharp, but not razor sharp. They're also cranked, to lift the grass away as it's cut.
The Krone blades are fully reversible and mirrored, but the JD blades are only sharpened on one face on opposite edges. If you flip them over, the sharpened edge is upside down... like a wood chisel. However, we ran them like that as an experiment 2 weeks ago, and there was no real difference in cut quality... seemed to work just fine.

bush hog style blades vary a lot over here... the last couple of topping blades i straightened out were just mild steel. They don't hold an edge for toffee. But you can at least weld them back up again... and they're very cheap.