I thought reversing a blade is a design no no ,the blades work like a boomerang creating an upward lift
Hi
Max and
GadgeInteresting topic this.
I think we need to look at sickle bar blades as closer to neutral lift in design.
Fluted blades tell a different story. The difference must be by degree (pardon pun).
But - for me - there is a catch or proviso ...
I would like to make one observation about the difference
between sickle blades used on a bar, as opposed to on a rotary disc.
This also goes to the difference between agricultural and
the horticultural. It appears to me that slasher mowers inhabit
a half-way house.
I have read that one of the 'draw backs' of sickle bar blades was clogging.
Clearly the angled blade edge played a big part in helping prevent this ...
on a bar blade with fixed 'fingers' and moving blades.
On a slasher - designed to slash (as opposed to manicure), I
have no doubt that some folks reversed them.
But why? My main argument goes to
economy.
Rotaries killed the sickle-bar market in Australia simply because they
were
much cheaper to maintain. And they were way less
likely to clog in adverse cutting conditions.
Sickle bar blades were made in huge volume to service the agriculture mowers.
I can really understand why some early slasher makers used these
triangular blades. They were dirt cheap in servicing a rotary ... as opposed
to the service demands of a sickle bar.
Cheers Max and Gadge!Thanks for continuing to keep me honest.
----------------------------
Jack
