What Storm Debris Does to Your Mower Blades and Spindles

Late summer in South Mississippi means storms, and storms mean yards full of things a mower blade was never built to hit. Pine cones, oak branches, loose gravel washed out of a driveway, a chunk of shingle blown off the roof next door. None of it looks dangerous sitting in the grass. All of it can end a blade's life in about a quarter second.

What a hard strike actually does

A blade spinning at full speed carries a lot of energy. When it hits something solid, that energy has to go somewhere. Sometimes it nicks the cutting edge, which just dulls the cut. Sometimes it bends the blade enough that you can see the wobble with the deck raised. And sometimes the blade does not give at all, which means the shock travels straight up into the spindle.

A spindle is built to spin, not to absorb a sudden stop. One hard hit probably will not kill the bearing. A summer of hard hits, one after another, wears it out early. That shows up later as a spindle that hums, wobbles, or runs hot, usually months after the storm that actually caused it.

Checking blades after a cleanup mow

Before you mow a yard that has had storm debris sitting in it, walk it once and clear what you can see. After you mow it, check the blades before you put the mower away.

• Look down the cutting edge from the tip. A blade that curves instead of running straight has been bent.
• Spin each blade by hand with the spark plug wire off or the key out. It should turn smooth, with no grinding and no play at the spindle shaft.
• Check the balance. A blade that is nicked unevenly on one side will vibrate even if it still looks straight. If your mowing deck shakes more than normal, that is usually the first sign.

A blade with a small nick can often be sharpened and kept in rotation. A bent blade should not be straightened and reused. It has already stretched the metal, and it will not run true again, no matter how good it looks after the bend is worked out.

OEM versus will fit, on this one part

Blades are a place where the OEM versus will fit question actually matters. A genuine Ferris blade is balanced and hardened to the deck's original spec. A cheap aftermarket blade can be close enough for a while and still throw the deck out of balance under load, which puts the same stress on the spindle that a rock strike does, just spread out over months instead of an instant. For a wear item you are replacing every season anyway, genuine is worth the few extra dollars.

Spindles: the part people replace too late

A wobbling spindle rarely gets fixed the day someone notices it. It gets noticed, ignored for a few mowing cycles, and then it fails on a Saturday. By then it has usually taken the belt with it, since a wobbling spindle pulley walks the belt off its line. If you catch the wobble early, replacing one spindle is a straightforward job. Catching it late usually means a spindle, a belt, and sometimes a pulley, all at once.

When to call the shop instead of the parts counter

If a strike bent the blade shaft itself, cracked the deck housing, or the mower pulls hard to one side while cutting, that is past a parts order. Our service department can check deck alignment and spindle housing condition properly, and catching a housing problem early is a lot cheaper than replacing a deck.

Stocking up before the next storm

Genuine Ferris blades and spindles are in the online parts store, searchable by your mower's model and serial number so you get the exact fit the first time. The same goes for LS Tractor attachments that pick up storm debris on bigger acreage. Keep a spare blade set on hand during storm season. It is the one part every yard in this part of the state ends up needing on short notice.

Order genuine parts any time at dykesmotors.com/parts, or call the parts counter at (601) 516-7255 if you want a second opinion on what a strike did to your deck.