Hi Elton,

Sanderson Engineering is fairly close to me, $60 to sharpen the reel and bottom blade sounds too good to miss! Hope to get the same deal if I go there, except I need a new bottom blade too... Something heavy duty, like at least 5mm thick.

When it comes time to clean the clutch, pull it apart and check to make sure the keyways are not damaged. You can look at the key that sits in the PTO shaft to give you an idea of what condition the clutch will be in.

The SB45 seems to chew through the engine side clutch half consistently. This is probably a combination of a design fault, use of a cotter pin and the way the clutch engages. The clutch has two speeds, stop and go. And a lot of sideway force is applied to the key when the clutch is suddenly engaged. I am not sure if moving the lever very slowly would stop it from jolting like this. Perhaps the cork might wear our faster.

A centifugal clutch in its place would go a long way in protecting the PTO shaft, clutch drive shaft and bearings from damage. It would also allow for progessive engagement of the drive shaft without any sudden jolt. Clutch shoes also slip a bit, allowing engine RPMs to increase before the clutch applies all the torque.

Here are some photos of the clutch issues I have with my 17" and 14" respectively (both cotter pin types). Also my new 3/4" clutch half with holes for grub screws.

Original 17"
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Half way along the keyway is very damaged. The ribs are very thin.

Original 14"
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The keyway is moderately damaged. The key can still be secured from the other side to the midpont, without any play.

Aftermarket 3/4"
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Poor milling of the keyway. Keyway is not centred in the rib and being closer to one edge makes it weaker. The hole for the grub screw is off centre and not perpendicular to the keyway. The ribs are only moderately thicker but there are no longer any fillets and the centre ring is also thinner.

Sorry if I went a bit off track there. Not sure about enamel, it can chip and peel if the parts are not thoroughly cleaned and degreased. I am probably going to go with a powdercoat finish for durability.