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How Much To Sharpen Lawn Mower Blades

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How Much Does A Lawn Mower Blade Cost

How to â? Sharpen a Lawn Mower Blade â? short and sweet !

It varies depending on the type, but standard blades can often run around $12 $30, while Zero turn mower blades might run $12 $31, and riding mower blades are approximately $10 to $40. You can shop around quite a bit at your local hardware store or online and get a good set of blades for very little money it just takes a little patience.

Prepping For The Process

Preparing is the best way to ensure a seamless session with your lawnmower sharpening checklist. Dont delay home care, or you might find yourself paying to fix more damage. Peruse this checklist before the process. It can significantly help you tackle blind spots.

  • Double-check your warranty. Like most appliances, your lawnmower has a warranty. If you are lucky to still fall within that period, congratulations. But if your mowers past its due, you need to pay for necessary repairs. Depending on your specialists recommendation, you might have to replace your entire machine.
  • Find the nearest lawnmower sharpening specialist in your area. Doing this can spare you from delivery fees, especially if your specialist comes from a distant place.
  • Identify the parts needing repairs. Is it the motor or blades? Perhaps its the handle. Do this so that your specialist can bring the necessary tools. It also spares you from panicking because of the lack of equipment.

Overall, mowing your lawn is an essential part of household upkeep. Not only will your yard look brighter, but you will also enjoy the benefits of freshly cut grass. If you let your grass grow, it might become susceptible to weeds. When your lawn starts to look dry, lifeless, or damaged, you can ask a lawn repair specialist to restore it to good health.

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How Much Does A Lawn Mower Blade Sharpening Cost

Sharpening the lawn mower blade is an integral part of keeping your lawn mower in good shape. First, if the lawn mowers blade is dull, it will pull on the grass rather than cutting through it smoothly. This, eventually, can damage the grass rather than helping it grow. Another reason that you should have your lawn mower blade sharpened is that the lawn mower itself will run more smoothly, prolonging the life of the mower. Finally, sharp mower blades will shorten the amount of time you spend working on your lawn since your mower will cut the grass flawlessly and quickly.

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Clean Mower Deck And Blade

Use this opportunity to scrape off every bit of debris on the underside of your mower that you can. Its best practice to regularly clean your mowers deck and blade, but like flossing teeth, lets be honest and acknowledge that a lot of us dont do it enough.

You can use a wire brush or whatever blunt object you have on hand to scrape all of the dried dirt and grass off the deck and blade. For stubborn patches of gunk, using a little bit of water can help a lot. I usually tackle the deck first and then move on to cleaning the blade. This can be tricky with the blade fastened in place, but do the best you can to get it clean.

Secure And Sharpen The Mower Blade

How To Sharpen Your Lawn Mower Blade Safely

Once the blade is removed, you can begin sharpening it. Clamp the blade in a vice with the cutting edge pointing up. Next, use a 10+ inch file to sharpen the cutting edge. Use downward strokes and follow the existing angle until the edge is as sharp as a butter knife and free of nicks. Downward strokes will help the blade retain an edge for much longer.

If youre sharpening for routine maintenance, you probably wont require more than 50 strokes. However, this depends on your specific mowing conditions and the extent of the dulling.

Once youre done filing, and youre satisfied with the sharpness, you can reinstall the blade. Dont forget to reference your marks or photographs so you install the blade correctly.

Grinders are another way you can sharpen your mower blade however, using a file is the easiest and safest approach. Handheld and bench grinders are certainly faster than files, but you have a very tiny margin of error with these tools as you can just as easily over-sharpen the blade and cause it to lose balance.

Using a grinder also requires you to don safety gear like goggles and gloves.

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The Physical Condition Of Your Lawnmower

If youve been frequently using your lawnmower, theres a tendency that a lot of dirt has accumulated in the blade part, which includes rocks, debris, and other solid objects. These things can reduce the efficiency as well as the sharpness of the blade. And so, you have to sharpen your blade every time the mowing period is about to start.

The purpose of cleaning and checking the blade of your mower is not just to remove dirt and rust, but also to see if you have a dull blade. to it that the blade didnt become dull from thumping on rock-hard objects.

To know if the lawnmower blade is always in perfect condition or if the blade needs to be sharpened, make it a habit to examine it every after use.

How Long Do Mower Blades Last

Standard and mulching blades will typically last in the neighborhood of 100 200 hours of work use before you will need to replace them. This is provided that you are cleaning them between sessions and sharpening them every 20 to 25 hours to keep your blades nice and sharp. Some blades incorporate metal alloys and can last even longer, up to 400 hours in some cases!

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Know The Balance Of Blade

When you are sharpening the blade, you are actually rubbing the metal off, which will decrease the weight from the side where you are sharpening it.

So, if you have sharpened the lawnmower blade from only one side, the other side will have a weight difference, and eventually, you will lose the balance of the blade, and it will wobble on the mower once you mount it.

So, keep the weight balance of the blade on both sides well to avoid wear and tear of your mowers engine.

Here, another question comes to mind:

How do you balance a lawnmower blade after sharpening it?

You can use plastic balance also called blade balancer to know the balance of the lawnmower blade after sharpening

To know the balance, you can put a nail on a wall and hang your blade on the nail. If your lawnmower blade keeps its balance on both sides after hanging, you are good to go.

Watch For Excess Vibration

How to Sharpen a Lawn Mower Blade | This Old House

Once youve got your blade sharpened, and youre out cutting grass again, be aware of how your mower is running. If there is more vibration to the mower than you remember, you might have shaved your blade a bit out of balance.

When you run your mower with an unbalanced blade, you could end up with poor cut quality and even cause structural damage to the mower. If you suspect your blade is out of balance, you may want to take it off the mower and check. Balancing lawn mower blades is a pretty easy process and could save you some trouble in the long run.

About Tom Greene

I’ve always had a keen interest in lawn care as long as I can remember. Friends used to call me the “lawn mower guru” , but I’m anything but. I just enjoy cutting my lawn and spending time outdoors. I also love the well-deserved doughnuts and coffee afterward!

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Do Brand New Lawn Mower Blades Need Sharpening

When changing the blades, you might wonder if they need sharpening because they often dont look that sharp at a glance. However, you will be glad to learn that you dont need to sharpen a new blade.

Most replacement blades have a powder-coated paint finish making them look thick at the cutting edge and less sharp to the touch. But they leave the manufacturing facility ready to start cutting. They apply the powder coat paint to the edge for the following reasons:

  • It helps protect the blades edges from mechanical damage. The paint shields the angled side when it comes into contact with a hard surface before use or during installation.
  • It makes sure you are protected from injuries, as the paint finish protects you from cuts when installing the blade. Even if you dont have protective gear, you are less likely to nick your fingers when replacing the blades.
  • To prevent the blade from rusting as a long period usually passes between manufacturing and when you install it for use. Protecting it from moisture is paramount in preserving its integrity, and also, nobody wants to put a rusty part on their shiny mower.

You should also note that the powder-coated paint around the cutting edge starts to disappear after a few minutes or so of mowing.

Where To Sharpen Lawnmower Blade

You have two options when it comes to mower blade sharpening. You can do it yourself, or you can take it into a business, generally some mechanic’s shop or repairman. While there aren’t any big, name-brand businesses that generally sharpen the blades on lawnmowers, we can help you know how to find one for yourself locally.

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At The End Of The Day

Finding a place to sharpen your lawnmower blade is more than possible. Still, if, for some reason, you’re unable to find a location near you, you now have the knowledge and resources you need to either buy a replacement or locate the necessary tools to sharpen it on your own.

Regardless of how you do it, your grass will thank you, and you will end up with a beautiful lawn, worthy of all the effort put into its upkeep. Maintain a healthy lawn by avoiding a dull lawnmower blade!

Know more about your lawn! Read below –

Infrequent And Irregular Sharpening:

How to Sharpen a Lawn Mower Blade

While you should sharpen blades all the time, leaving them unsharpened amounts to infrequent sharpening. You will find the task harder next time, say after six months, if you dont sharpen frequently. Now, when it comes to sharpening blades irregularly, it means unevenness of edge bevelling/angling. Thus, irregular sharpening often makes blades go dull faster than you would expect.

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Benefits Of Sharp Blades Of A Lawnmower

The sharpened lawn mower blades cut the lawn grass quickly and easily. It gives smooth and even top grass to the yard. On the other side, using dull blades on the grassplot ruins the grass and damages the area. Using a sharp-bladed lawnmower furnishes the greener and lusher look of the garden, and it is less prone to diseases and pests.

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How To Sharpen A Mower Blade

Is your mower not cutting like it used to? Torn grass? Lawn issues? A rattling deck? If so, then it could be time to sharpen your mower blades. Ive learned over the years that you can get back that new blade cut by spending just a few minutes with a couple of tools and techniques. Im going to share my favorite methods on how to sharpen a mower blade. Ive compiled my best tips and tricks and created a step-by-step guide that you can follow to get your lawn mower blade cutting like new again.

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Check The Blade Balance

Mowers run smoothest when the blade is balanced. However, sharpening sometimes removes more metal from one edge than another. This makes the blade unbalanced.

Its important to fix a blade that was imbalanced during sharpening. If it wobbles now, it will wobble on your mower too. An unbalanced blade may damage your mower. The vibrations alone are annoying, but the bearings or blade shaft might actually get destroyed.

Follow these steps to check the balance on your sharpened lawn mower blade:

  • Support the blade under its center, like a scale. A screwdriver is an easy tool to use. Insert the screwdriver tip through the hole in the blade. The blade should balance on the tip or drop to balance on the handle.
  • Hold the blade horizontal, then let go. It should remain level.
  • If the blade drops in either direction, it means that the blade is unbalanced.
  • The side that dipped down is heavier. Take a few strokes off that end to remove some metal, then retest.

For more precision in judging blade balance, purchase a blade balancer. Its a good addition to your mower maintenance tool kit. Its a cone-shaped tool that has a spindle for the blade.

Is It Better To Sharpen Or Replace Mower Blade

How To Sharpen A Lawn Mower Blade – Ace Hardware

Lawn mower blades are built for durability and can usually be salvaged with regular sharpening. However, if you notice large dents and chips on the edge that aren’t smoothed out with a blade sharpener, it’s time to invest in new blades. … If your blades are worn thin, replace them immediately to avoid breakage.

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Dont Sharpen Your Mower Blades Too Often

Blades that are sharpened too often will actually do more harm than good, and they wont last as long either. It can make them dull faster which makes for poor-quality cuts that could damage your lawn.

Sharpening blades too often can also cause excess wear on the engine since mower engines need to work harder to pull duller blades through the grass.

How Much Does It Cost To Have Lawn Mower Blades Sharpened

Depending on the type of mower you own, you can expect to pay between 20 and 60 dollars. If its a reel lawn mower, you dont need to take the blades off the mower and sharpen them, but if youre looking for something that can handle more power, youll probably want to invest in something that can handle more power.

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Does Yellow Grass Mean You Need To Sharpen Your Lawnmower Blades

According to lawn expert Alan Hayne, a yellow tint to your lawn can signal dull mower blades. A properly sharpened blade will slice a grass stem cleanly, leaving its end neat and its entire length bright green. But a dull blade will hack through the grass, leaving its ends frayed. Those ends will quickly yellow.

Ragged, frayed stem ends make for sickly grass plants. When grass is hacked up like this, it is susceptible to picking up diseases and even dying. Take a look at the ends of your grass blades: if they are frayed or even yellowing, it is past time to sharpen your lawnmower blades.

How Often Should Mower Blades Be Sharpened

How to Sharpen Lawn Mower Blades?

Lawnmowers will all get different amounts of use. During the summer, the average homeowner’s mower probably gets used once a week. Still, if you mow lawns for your profession, there’s a good chance that you’re mowing multiple lawns a day, which means your mower gets much higher mileage than your suburban neighbors’ lawnmowers do.

This means we need to come up with a standard that accounts for the time mowed, not time that has passed in general. For example, “every couple months” wouldn’t work, because everyone mows for different amounts of time. This means that we have to come up with an average that accounts for that. Milage would work, but nobody wants to figure out how much ground they cover when they mow.

Instead, let’s use total time spent mowing! Everyone generally has at least an average idea of how much time it takes them to mow the lawn, and how often the lawn is mowed, making it decently simple to track.Generally speaking, the blades on your mower should be sharpened for every 25 hours spent mowing. So figure out how long it takes you to mow your yard and go from there!

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Knowing When It Is Time To Sharpen Your Mower Blades

Look at the cut your lawn mower blade makes and the blade edge. These two very simple methods will tell you if its time to sharpen your blade.

If the grass is not being cut cleanly, its likely the blade is not sharp. And if the mower blade feels dull or has dents, its not sharp either. It wont take you long to make this diagnosis.

So now that you have identified that your blade is dull, lets dig a little deeper into how to sharpen a mower blade and what the process is. There are a few ways you can do it.

Sharpen Mower Blades All By Yourself

This is not a complex job if you know how its done!

In maintaining a healthy and lush lawn, having a sharp mower blade is one of the most important contributing factors. As much as possible, sharpen the blade 2 times per season.

Here is a comprehensive step-by-step guide to lawn mower blade sharpening:

Tools and materials needed:

STEP 1: Detach the Spark Plug

First thing to do is to detach the spark plug as well as the power source. This is to prevent the motor of the mower from starting inadvertently and also to prevent yourself from getting injured.

To disconnect the spark plug, simply remove the protruded wire found either at the side or in front of the mowers engine. Once done, theres no way the engine will be able to start.

For your safety, you must wear thick gloves and also safety glasses while doing your project.

STEP 2: Tilt the Lawnmower

Tilt the lawnmower on its side with the carburetor fronting up in order to get into the blades. Make sure youre doing it on a flat surface because if you turn the mower in an uneven manner, it might cause the oil to spill right through the air filter and carburetor.

To prevent this from happening, the mower should be tilted facing up, not down. You can even empty the gas chamber if you really dont want any spillage.

STEP 3: Mark the Mower Blade

STEP 4: Take Out the Blades

STEP 5: Clean the lawnmower blade

STEP 6: Fasten the Blade

STEP 7: File the Blade

STEP 8: Mind the Angle of the Blade

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