How Do I Sharpen My Lawn Mower Blade

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• Remove the spark plug
• Pull the spark plug wire from the spark plug to prevent the motor from accidentally starting. Tape or tie it back so it doesn’t flop back into contact with the plug.
• Pro Tip:We recommend always removing the spark plug when you’re working on the blade. If the piston happens to be at the top of the compression stroke, a little bump to the blade might force the piston over the hump and into the power stroke. If that happens, the blade will lurch around and could break your hand!

Is It Necessary To Sharpen The Blades Of The Lawnmower

Sharpening the lawnmower blades will help it work more efficiently and effectively. Depending on the type of grass and environment, the lawnmower blades become damp and dull over time. Sharpening them will prevent damage to the engine and damage the grass because the dull blades destroy the grass more than they mow it.

Clean The Blades Using A File:

To sharpen the blades, clamp them on the bench vise. Remember that there is a flat and a chiseled side of each blade. Using the flat file, you have to sharpen only the chiseled side. Following the actual blades contours, sharpen the edges with the file , keeping the attack angle around 45°. Sharpen the blades top edge with regular forward strokes as a flat-file only cuts in the forward stroke. Give regular thrusts to the file and make sure that the original contour is made. When you see metal chipping off from the top surface and notice a silverfish shine at the edge of the blades, it means that the blade is getting sharper.

After starting from the initial medium angle of attack, lower the angle so that the file and blade almost parallel. This helps to ensure a sharp exposed edge of the blades. Also, take care of any curves that the blade might have by rotating the file and adjusting to them. In doing all this, ensure that you have your safety gloves on. This will help to secure your hands from any injury. Moreover, it is recommended to sharpen the lawnmowers blades at the start of the mowing season. In case that the lawnmower is used very frequently, then sharpen the blades twice a season of mowing grass.

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Take Safety Precautions Before Changing Your Kubota Blades

Always remove the spark plug boots and the ignition key from your Kubota lawn mower. This prevents the mower from starting with you under the mower deck. Stay safe by following this safety tip along with wearing safety glasses and using work gloves to protect your hands from the sharp edges on your blades.

How Do You Sharpen An Old School Lawn Mower

Here are the basic steps:

Also question is, how do you sharpen an old lawn mower?

Before I get to the steps for sharpening, here’s a look at the blades before. Brush the sharpening compound on the edges of all the mower blades.

Secondly, are reel mowers worth it? Not great for excessively bumpy and overgrown yards.Also, push reel mowers work best on yards that are already well-maintained. They don’t cut really long grass too well, so if you always let your grass get pretty long before you cut it, you’re better off using a power mower.

Also question is, what is Backlapping?

BACKLAPPING. The relief on the reel blades provides an area for the compound to adhere to, transferring more material between the two parts and making the process more effective

How do I sharpen my Earthwise reel mower?

To sharpen your tool with a lapping kit, attach the handle to the driving gear of your reel mower and use a paint brush to apply the sharpening compound to all of the blades. Then you just need to crank the reel backwards so that the blades scrape each other down, restoring their sharp edge.

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Getting To The Bottom Of Your Lawn Mower

Regardless of whether you have a push mower, a self-propelled lawn mower or a robot lawnmower, they all have one thing in common: a blade underneath. Without it, they wouldnt be able to cut the grass.

A good blade leaves a good cut

The first step to sharpening your lawn mower blade is to get access to the underside of your mower. To do this, unplug the spark plugs and power source of your mower before turning it on its side. The idea is to prevent the motor from accidentally turning on and causing a severe injury. Safety first!

How To Balance Your Kubota Mower Blades

It is essential to balance your mower blades before placing them on your Kubota mower. Failing to do so can damage your spindle bearings and cause a severe vibration. A balanced blade is a blade that has equal weight on each side of the blade. Use a blade balancer to check for equal weight. Shave metal off the heavy side of the blade until you reach an equal weight.

Another option to use, if you dont have a blade balancer, is a nail in the wall. Place a nail in the wall with the nail head about 3/4 to 1 away from the wall. Place the center hole of the blade over the nail. Your blade is balanced when the blade is parallel to the ground. Shave metal off the heavier end until both side of the blade sit at the same level on the nail.

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Chips & Gouges In Your Kubota Blade Edge

Operating your Kubota lawn mower in areas with rocks and other solid objects can cause chips and gouges in the edge of your mower blade. If the chips are small, you can usually fix them by sharpening your blade edge. When they are larger gouges, and cannot be repaired by sharpening, you must replace your mower blade.

How To Sharpen Your Lawnmower Blade

Learn different ways you can sharpen the blade on your lawnmower.

Emily Fazio

A flat file is an easy tool that’ll sharpen a dull blade Apply pressure to the file, and run it perpendicular to the edge of the blade to grind down imperfections in the metal and hone the shape of the existing edge. Once youve done one side, reposition the blade in the vice to do the other side. The process is slower than using a hand file, but it works!

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S To Sharpen Mower Blades

The following steps are easy to complete for anybody, no matter how much experience you have. There are a few tools that you will need to complete the steps, but links will be provided so that you know exactly what to get. These steps are also universal across conventional mowers from the leading brands, and any nuances of your particular model will be easy to identify.

Use A Sharpening Stone:

The next step is very similar in function to the previous step. Take a sharpening stone. These are commonly available in the market and mostly used to sharpen knives. The only difference between a files and a sharpening stones operation is the stones direction. A sharpening stone can be used in both forward and reverse strokes. It does some sharpening but is more effective in smoothening and polishing the blade surface. It gives the chipped off metal and cuts a fine finish so that the cutting edge geometry remains significantly homogenous.

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Items That Can Prematurely Wear & Damage Your Kubota Mower Blade

It is good practice to walk your yard prior to mowing to remove any items that can cause damage to your mower deck and blades. There are several items that can prematurely wear or damage your Kubota blades:

Sticks, Rocks and Toys: These items can be accidentally run over causing the blade to become bent or gouged. An impact can cause damage to your spindle bearing which will send a vibration through your mower when your deck is engaged.

Sand and Debris: There isnt too much you can do about this besides growing a nice thick lawn. This can take years and isnt a quick fix. Regularly check, sharpen or replace your Kubota mower blades as needed.

Lawn Chemicals: Some homeowners choose to use chemicals on their lawns to assist with the growing process and lawn health. Some of these chemicals can be corrosive to your Kubota mower. This corrosion can cause your mower blades to fuse to the mower so they dont come off your mower easily.Regularly remove your blades and reinstall to prevent them from fusing to the mower and increasing the likelihood of damage when you attempt to remove them after an extended period of time.

John Deere Blade Is Cracked

A blade that has a crack in it must be replaced right away. You risk metal breaking off and flying out of your John Deere at high speeds.

Items that Can Damage Your John Deere Mower Blade

You can prevent some damage to your blades by removing items from your yard, but you cant prevent all damage. Here are a few items that can damage a mower blade:

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Environmental Benefit Of Sharp Mower Blades

Theres another reason to sharpen lawn mower blades, Hentschel pointed out: the environment.

Gas-powered lawn mowers especially older ones can pollute more per hour than several of todays gas-powered cars, he said. Sharp mower blades make the job easier for the engine. It pollutes less when it doesnt have to run as long or strain as hard. Hentschel also recommended owners perform other routine mower maintenance at the same time. Changing the air filter, cleaning the inside of the mower deck and oiling moving parts also lower pollution by making the mower run more smoothly and efficiently.

How To Adjust The Blade Alignment Of My Reel Mower

Properly adjusted blade alignment ensures a clean and efficient cut without any training. However, it wont damage any grassroots and helps to maintain the green lawn.

Now we know how to sharpen the blades. Adjust the blades alignment is the major part of this definitive guide. Follow these 4 steps and adjust the blade alignment.

Step 1: Lay down the mower handlebar on the workbench for easy access to the reel and chock the two wheels with small wood blocks to prevent them from moving and turning the cutting cylinder.

Step 2: Spin the reel with your hand several times to determine the type of adjustment required. If you do not hear any kind of metal scraping sound, everything is fine. But if you hear metal scraping sounds, find the position and adjust the blades aways from the horizontal cutting bar. Now, If the blades spin freely, move it closer to the reel cylinder.

Step 3: If you think they are not in the right position, take a screwdriver and tighten the blades and make it right positioned. Also, if you need to bring the blades closer, simply tighten the screws.

Step 4: Spin the blades again to determine if any further adjustments are needed. Check and turn the adjustment screw a little at a time until you achieve the proper position.

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Balance Both Sides Of The Blades And Fix Them Back:

The final step and the most important one is to check the balance of both blades. Check that both the long blades edges are equally chipped off, showing a similarly exposed polish surface. Sometimes, depending on the nature of grass, it may stick to the blade edge. After you have removed this debris and grass, note that the blade should be balanced weight wise and that both sides have been polished.

After this, the blade has to be fixed back in the original orientation and location to work smoothly as per the initial plan. Tighten all the nuts and join all the connections. Before cutting any grass, you turn on the mower, let it run freely to notice any noise or imbalance that previously didnt exist. In case of any issues, tighten the screws.

Best Tips For Sharpening Your Lawn Mower Blades

The best way to determine if its time to sharpen your lawn mower blades is to monitor them for dullness. If youre not quite sure that the eye test will work, then check out the signs listed in the first step of this Home Depot article. After 25 hours of usage, you should sharpen your blades. Depending on the size of your lawn, that works out to usually two sharpening sessions during lawnmowing season.

When it is time to sharpen your blades, there are a few methods you can use. Theres always the option of taking them to a professional service, but learning how to sharpen lawn mower blades is actually a fairly easy process. The first step is deciding what method to use.

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How Can You Sharpen Your Manual Mower Using A File

Instead of spending a lot of money purchasing a sharpening kit, one way you can save money and still get your sharpening done is by using a file. Apart from saving money, files are easy to use and offer enough precision to get your blades razor-sharp.

Kick start the sharpening process by cleaning your reel and blades using rough sandpaper or a firm wire brush. When youre done clearing away dried grass clippings and other debris from the mower and its blades, place your lawn trimmer on top a workbench. Any tabletop will also work. Then, use a stick of wood to block the wheels from moving.

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Next, you will want to secure your blades. Do this by putting one broom handle at a vertical position through the blades of your reel mower. By doing this, youll be stopping the blades from turning while you work on them. Now, proceed to stamp the toothed tip of a rough metal file onto the bevel end of the foremost blade located on one side of the mower.

Position your file such that it falls on the same level as the bevelled tip of your blade. At this point, drag your file upwards and downwards along the bevel end of your blade. Do this between 3 and 6 times.

Why Its Important To Sharpen Your Lawn Mower Blades

A dull lawn mower blade rips and pulls the grass blades, leaving ragged tears that both weaken the plant and promote fungal growth and other grass diseases. A sharp blade, on the other hand, cuts cleanly, allowing the plant to heal and recover quickly. A lawn mower blade sharpening also lets you complete your lawn-cutting chore faster and with less stress on the mower.

These steps will work for just about any walk-behind mower. Riding mowers require different blade removal techniques, which we dont show here. If youre having trouble with your lawnmower find out why your lawnmower wont start.

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Gather The Tools You Will Need

• Power the drill with the blade sharpener attached.
• Place the flat guide of the sharpener along the flat portion of the blade with the cutting edge slot into the bevel.
• Move the sharpener up and down the length of the blade edge.
• Once one side is sharpened without any rough spots or nicks, flip the blade over, secure in the vice, and sharpen using the same procedure.

or bench grinder

• Hold angle grinder perpendicular to the edge of the blade. Run the grinder along the length of the blade to level out any rough spots or nicks. Keep the grinder moving so it removes a little metal at a time and produces an even result.
• Once one side is sharpened without any rough spots or nicks, flop the blade over, secure in the vice, and sharpen using the same procedure.

How Often Should Mower Blades Be Sharpened

A commonly-asked question is how often, Should I sharpen my mower blades? The answer is it depends. Factors such as the type of mower you use, the age of that mower and the condition of your mower can impact the frequency. Your sharpening frequency will also be impacted by how often you mow and how large the space you are mowing is.

A good rule of thumb would be to sharpen if you notice the grass is not cleanly cut or is uneven. Another good frame of reference is to sharpen your mower after every 20 to 25 hours of use. This could be once a year for small, personal mowers or once a quarter for those who mow large areas more frequently.

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