In a previous post, we reviewed how important it is for you to have a sharp lawn mower blade. The benefits are many. You keep your grass from getting damaged or infected, and you get a cleaner cut when your grass is sharp. Basically, there is no overstating the value of having a sharp blade. One of the most valuable lawn mower maintenance procedures is sharpening your blade, and in this post we review the process.
Clean the blade first
First of all, assuming regular use you should sharpen your blade about once a month. When sharpening it, be sure that you are wearing protective eyewear and gloves. Remove the sparkplug so that you can be sure that the mower won’t start inadvertently. Remove any grass that might be caught—this is actually a lawn mower maintenance procedure that should be completed after every mowing. Using a steel brush, remove any rust that may have accumulated since the last time the blade was sharpened.
Sharpening the blade
Using a wrench, remove the blade bolts. Then, grind the blade using a grinder or a file. If you don’t have either of these tools, you may have to take the blade in to a mower shop to get it sharpened. Be mindful of the fact that some mowers come with sharpening kits, so check to see whether this applies to you. It is crucial to remember that you only want to grind the engine side, which has a bevel. Sharpen the blade until there is a smooth edge. After it is sharp, make sure that it is balanced. If it isn’t keep sharpening it until it is balanced; this is very important as an unbalanced blade will result in an uneven cut.
Mower Blade
Sharpening your mower blade is one of the easiest do-it-yourself lawn mower maintenance tasks in existence. Even if you are new to lawn mower maintenance, there is no reason why you can’t sharpen it successfully.
