Tips For Mower Blade Sharpening
Mower blades get worn down over time. They will lose their cutting effectiveness and can damage the grass. The solution? Sharpen the blades to return them to their former glory.
Keep reading for a step-by-step guide to mower blade sharpening. If you have questions or want to shop lawn mowers for sale, visit Abell & Son. Our dealership is based in Lake Charles and Welsh, Louisiana. We also serve those in Lafayette, Louisiana, and Beaumont, Texas.
Make Sure The Lawn Mower Is Off
Start by ensuring that the lawn mower engine is off. Then, double check. You can even remove the spark plug as an extra safety measure. The lawn mower engine won't be able to start with it.
Mark The Lawn Mower Blade
Find the bottom of the blade. Mark it with a piece of tape or a bit of paint. This helps you distinguish the sides and make putting the blade back easier.
Remove The Lawn Mower Blade
Place the lawn mower on its side. The carburetor should be facing up. Place a 2X4 between the blade and the lawn mower deck's skirt. Use a long handle wrench or breaker bar to loosen the bolt, then take the blade off.
Inspect The Blade
Before you go through the effort of sharpening the blade, make sure it is still in good condition. There's no point in sharpening a lawn mower blade that you need to replace anyways.
The cutting edge should be straight, the trailing edge should be thick, and the cutting edge should be free of dents. Otherwise, the lawn mower blade should be replaced.
Sharpen The Blade
Grab a file that is ideally at least ten inches long. Start at the top side of the cutting edge, then push downwards in smooth movements. It usually takes about twenty to thirty strokes to sharpen the lawn mower blade.
It's important to avoid over-sharpening the blade. When this happens, the blade's balance gets off and it can be rendered worthless. You can grab a replacement blade and use that as a comparison.
Balance The Lawn Mower Blade
The final step is making sure that the lawn mower blade is balanced, which helps prevent vibrations and strains on the shaft.
To balance a lawn mower blade:
- Put a nail in the board.
- Use the blade's bolt hole to set it on the nail.
- If the blade tips to one side, file that side down a small amount.
- Check the blade's balance and repeat as necessary.
Want more lawn mower blade sharpening tips? Want to shop lawn mowers for sale? Whatever you need, the experts at Abell & Son are here to help. Contact us or stop by our dealerships in Lake Charles and Welsh, Louisiana. We also proudly serve those in Beaumont, Texas, and Lafayette, Louisiana.