LMAO...you guys are killin' me! You think you have it rough with the bastards, try some dykes. You'll be there all day. I mean they "chomp down" good, but definately do not understand what length is all about. I notice my dykes quite often while looking through my toolbox. I find that they are rarely used. All I have to say is "Dykes, thanks for nothing".
Anyway, this is an interesting subject for me. I am coming up on 25 hours on my LT, and am about to sharpen the blades for the 3rd time (every 8 hours). When given a file, a bastard it may be, I put my trust in electricity. If not the Dremel attachment, it's at least a Dremel with a grinding stone. Makes quick work of blades, but you would have to try awfully hard to heat an edge up enough to worry about temper.
I have found that both the tractor and walkbehind blades are easily maintained using a bench grinder and a Dremel. I start by making a few quick passes on the leading edge to kinda "square up" the blade, then use the Dremel to cut the angle. After sharpening the blades and deciding the very tip of the blade should be at a right angle, I then started doing the leading edge first.
I still have my Gator blades on (and have no reason to take them off), and with the Gator blades, I had to widen the slot in the Dremel attachment to accomodate the thickness of the blade. On the Toro blade, I have to keep downward pressure on the Dremel attachment from where it was widened, but it helps go over the "hump" on the "atomic" blade of the Toro. Both cut great, and I do not allow enough time between sharpening to see brown tips on the grass.
I also use a cone shaped balancer, in trust that they are much more accurate than hanging a blade from a nail driven into a 2"x4".
Greg
