Dull lawn mower blades are no good for your yard. Instead of cutting grass cleanly, blades that are nicked or pitted rip grass blades which can lead to disease. Sharpening your mower blades every few months will ensure they treat your lawn right.
Dull lawn mower blades are no good for your yard. Instead of cutting grass cleanly, blades that are nicked or pitted rip grass blades which can lead to disease. Sharpening your mower blades every few months will ensure they treat your lawn right.
Sharpening mower blades is much like sharpening knives, and you can do it by hand without fancy tools. You can use a metal file for mower blades that just need regular maintenance, but really dinged up or bent blades should be sharped with a power grinder or replaced.
Start by removing the blade from the mower. First, disconnect the spark plugs so there’s no change of the motor engaging while you’re working on the machine. Use a wood block to keep the blade from spinning as you use a socket wrench to loosen the bolt in the center of the blade and take the blade off the mower.
Use a putty knife to scrape away dried on grass and debris before clamping the blade in a vice. Use a file to file out nicks. Follow the original bevel of the blade and use the same number of strokes on each end of the blade. Use a nail or balancing tool to ensure that the blade is even. If one side is heavier than the other, it will cause the mower to vibrate when operated. Once both sides of the blade is sharp and even, reattach the blade the same way you took it off.
Depending on how often you mow your lawn and how large your yard is, you may need to sharpen the mower blade as often as every few weeks. If your blade is in need of more sharpening attention than you can provide, a home improvement store can generally sharpen it for you using a blade grinder.
How to sharpen a mower blade:
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