OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions on Walk Behind Lawn Mower Frames Four Stroke Lawn Mower Frames Blade quality? QLD made ASP blades using boron steel?

Hi All,

Just curious if anyone has used blades made by QLD based ASP Components? They claim to use a European Boron steel alloy for their mower blades, stating that they're around 50HRC hardness, whereas high carbon steels are around 40HRC.

https://asproductsadv.webninjashops.com/page/1/about-us

Seems the main other Australian blade maker is GA Spares, also from QLD - they often stamp their blades 'UTA'.

I've used the latter's blades - and found them good quality - and they're quite cheap, but have not used the more expensive ASP boron steel ones myself.

Thanks in advance, Nick

I have installed hundreds of the UTA blades and the only time I have complaints of them is people who are mowing dust bowls.

Rover do stock a heavy duty version of their standard 18 blade but I have never tried them. might look into asp for sandy applications now though

Just curious which is the correct way to install a tension/spring washer that sits between a mower blade and a carrier disc? Concave side up or Concave down?

The Honda manual has an illustration showing that the concave on the carbon steel spring washer (that they provide in their kits) should be concave side down. Yet oddly most Youtube tuts seem to install them concave up.

This is the style of tension washers I'm refering to:
https://www.greenacresmowers.com.au/blade-tension-washer-fits-most-rover-honda-cox-law

I always put them concave down (concave edges on the blade) as the concave edges tend to be a bit sharp - I would prefer they gouge the blade rather than the more long lived disc

Hmmmm well atleast I don't feel so silly now asking, as it does seem there's not a great concensus on the right way to orient. That said i don't sduppose there's a huge difference in effect. I need to buy some more as I'm well and truly due to change the bolt & nuts over - when you resharpen the blades you can get a bit slack about this but I'm aware of the danger metal fatigue can have on such parts and it's best to change rather than a blade suddenly detatching at several thousand RPM!

I've never worried about up or down with those wave washers, main thing IMO is not to have the fasteners too tight, as long as the blades can move when hitting a rock /stump that's good enough.

Actually being so thin I am amazed they haven't rusted away on some of the old roadside rescued mowers in my collection