About John Deere Mower Blades

Features and Benefits: Lawn mower blades

High quality

Mower blades are not all manufactured the same.  Blades used on John Deere tractors, riders, and mowers are the tops in the industry.  This high quality is achieved by:

·        Using superior material,

·        Taking extra care in manufacturing.

Made of high-carbon steel

John Deere mower blades are made of abrasion-resistant, high-carbon, nickel-alloy steel.  This steel (commonly used for automotive leaf springs) has the hardness to be extremely resistant to wear and breakage.  Unlike the lower-carbon blades used by many manufacturers, John Deere blades will withstand sand, stones, or other hard objects with little cracking or chipping.  The result is a better cutting job and longer blade life.

Precision manufacturing process

In providing a quality blade, the attention given to the manufacturing process is as important as using high-quality material.  John Deere mower blades are precision manufactured.  The process includes:

·        The blades are precision milled at each end for a smooth, sharp cutting surface.

·        They are then induction heated to 1600°F.  This gives them a consistent hardness.

·        Next they are “plastic quenched.”  This process of dipping and cooling the blade in a special solution ensures that the hardness attained during heat treating is not lost.

·        The next process is to draw and temper the blades in an oven to reduce brittleness and increase toughness.  This further decreases the chance of the blade edges cracking or chipping.

·        All John Deere blades have a Rockwell Hardness of 40-C to 45-C.  Hardness below 40-C results in a surface that is too soft.  Hardness over 45-C makes the blade too brittle.

·        The blades are then flattened to ensure they are perfectly straight and balanced to permit a smoother cut.

·        Finally the blades are inspected to be sure they meet rigid quality control standards. This ensures that only the best mower blades are used.

Low-lift blades

This blade is for use in dry, short grass or light mowing conditions.  The low-lift profile has the least amount of air flow of all three types of blades to keep dust and debris blowing to a minimum.  Use of this blade creates the lowest load on the engine.

Medium-lift blades

This blade has more lift and creates a more forceful grass discharge than the low-lift blade.  It does an excellent job of mowing as well as bagging in most grass cutting conditions.

High-lift blades

This blade is available for the 30- and 38-inch mowers with the rear bagging attachment.  It provides optimum grass lift and air flow to help prevent plugging when bagging in difficult conditions, such as long or wet grass.

Important:  Use of this blade without the rear bagging attachment will result in an unnecessary load on the engine and produce poor grass dispersal.