Can I Sharpen My Own Lawn Mower Blade
Many homeowners and landscapers sharpen their own lawnmower blades, and you can too. The most time-consuming part of the task can be removing the blades from your mower, and the most dangerous aspect can be using a blade sharpener or other cutting tool to remove metal from the edge of your blades until theyre sharp.
RELATED: The Segway Autonomous Lawn Mower Uses GPS to Mow Your Lawn
I actually enjoy sharpening my mower blades. But I find the most mundane part of the process to be removing the blades from the mower. If you have a push mower, you will want to drain its gas, turn it on its side, secure the blade from spinning, and use a socket and ratchet to remove the nut holding your mower blade in place.
If you have a riding mower, you will need to jack it up to access the bottom of your mower deck and remove your blades. The Home Depot recommends you fix your blade in place by wedging a 2×4 between your blade and deck, then clamping the board to the deck.
I have seen some mower mechanics slip a length of wide-diameter pipe over the end of the mower blade, then hold the pipe in place with one hand while using the other hand to spin the ratchet loosening the nut holding the blade in one place. But I feel that clamping each blade in place is safer mower maintenance for an amateur like me.
Finally, you may need some penetrating oil and even a breaker bar to remove your blades if they have been rusted in place for a while.
Attach The Star Hole Blade Balancer Adapter:
To attach the star hole lawn mower blade balancer adapter, first find the right side of the blade. This is typically the edge with the sharpest point. Then, line up the holes on the adapter with the holes on the lawn mower blade.
Once the mower blade holes are aligned to the adapter holes, insert the adapter through the holes to secure the adapter to the blade. After the adapter is attached, your mower blade is now ready to be balanced.
Lawn Mower Blade Sharpening And Balancing
Using a dull lawnmower blade causes the tips of your grass blades to be shredded and turn brown, leaving your lawn less healthy and more vulnerable. A dull mower blade also will result in an uneven cutting of your lawn
How Often Should I Sharpen and Balance My Lawn Mower Blades?
Your lawn mower blades start to dull with the first cutting and the more you mow , the more often you should sharpen your blades.
You certainly want to sharpen your lawn mower blades after youve hit a stump, root, rock or other solid object. When we sharpen lawn mower blades, we inspect the blade for wear, denting or other issues which can make the lawnmower blade dangerous to use.
At a minimum you should have the lawn mower blades sharpened at the beginning of the season and again in the middle of the season . This is to match up with the two growing cycles of your lawn. Your lawn grows well in the spring and fall but is typically slower growing or dormant during the hot weather of July or August.
Why Does a Sharp Lawnmower Blade Matter?
You want to make sure you are cutting the blades of grass cleanly with a sharp lawn mower blade as opposed to hacking at them with a dull mower blade.
Using a dull blade rips or shreds the grass, leave the tips burnt or brown, cause uneven cutting and make your lawn more vulnerable to disease, bugs and mold. Using a sharp lawn mower blade will also leave your lawn looking much better than a dull mower blade.
Why Does Balancing the Blade Matter?
Read Also: How To Kill Yarrow In My Lawn
Importance Of Balancing Lawn Mower Blades
An unbalanced blade is somewhat of a silent killernot so much in the sense that it will not make a sound because you will most likely feel the vibration it causes, but more that it might be the last thing you think about checking when you believe something might be wrong with your lawn mower.
Balancing the blade of your lawn mower is just as crucial as not beating it with a hammer on the daily. This may sound ridiculous, but both scenarios can have similar results on your lawn mower. Balancing the blade is a matter of maintenance and keeping your lawn mower as efficient as possible.
If you do not balance your blade, you put your lawn mower at risk of being damaged and losing certain parts such as the shaft or even the engine. At this point, it will become costly to repair your lawn mower, and it might also be best to purchase a brand new machine.
However, the most practical option that will save you headache and money is balancing your blade regularly, to begin with.
Replacing A Lawn Mower Blade
Examine the blade of your lawnmower, if you think it is damaged and overused to an extent that it cant be utilized anymore, replace it.
If you are unsure of the blade condition, you can always take it to a home center or a hardware store and have it examined.
Make sure you replace your lawnmower blade with a blade recommended in your manufacturers manual or an exact replacement product.
Do not try to convert a regular mower with a straight-blade to a fancier mulching mower simply by upgrading its blade.
Chances are that your lawn mowers performance wont change, or it might not even work at all. The design of the mower is as important as its blade.
Don’t Miss: Does Mahindra Make Lawn Mowers
Remove And Clean The Blade
Once youve determined that you need to sharpen the blade, its time to remove the blade from the lawn mower.
Before you begin, disconnect the power source from an electric mower, whether battery or corded. Disconnect the spark plug wire from a gas mower. This protects you from any surprise hiccups of power. Follow these steps to remove the lawn mower blade.
- Put on work gloves and protective eyewear for safety.
- Drain the gas tank to avoid fuel spills.
- Carefully turn the mower on its side. Be sure that the air filter and the carburetor are facing up.
- Find the nut that holds the mower blade to the drive shaft. Use a ratchet and socket or a wrench to loosen the nut until the mower blade releases.
- If its tough to grip the nut, get more leverage. Brace the blade with a piece of scrap wood and clamp the blade still. You should be able to remove the nut now.
- If the nut and threaded shaft are rusted or stuck together, apply penetrating oil and allow to sit for a few hours.
- Clean the blade with a dry rag or microfiber cloth before sharpening it.
- Sometimes the blade is unusually dirty or caked with grass clippings. When thats the case, spray it with some penetrating oil. Let it sit as directed, then scrub the debris away with a stiff brush.
Check The Blade Balance
The next step is to check the blade balance. When you do this, you essentially need to figure out which side is the heaviest.
If you notice that one side appears to dip then this tells you that it needs to be altered which will balance the blade. In some cases, you might notice that the blade doesnt dip to either side which tells you that its already balanced.
Recommended Reading: When Are You Supposed To Fertilize Your Lawn
Keep The Track Of Heavy Blade
Remove the blade from the nail and secure it to a workbench or a sturdy surface after establishing which blade piece is heavy. Make sure you keep track of the significant part of the blade. File the edges of the heavier section of the blade with a smooth file. As you file, try to keep the blade edge at a regular angle.
Why You Should Balance Lawn Mower Blades
Why You Should Balance Lawn Mower Blades: Balancing your lawnmower blade can help it operate more smoothly. Although sharpening your own lawnmower blade is an imperative task, balancing them regularly is also a very important job. However, it may take some practice to learn the technique. If youre serious about ensuring your mower operates properly, learning how to balance blades can be done in no time.
To balance your blade, first turn it upside down. Hold the blade in the up position with the sharpened end pointed up. If youre using a larger, step on each corner of the bagger, making sure that the teeth are touching the ground. If youre using a riding mower, step on both sides of the rear wheels, making sure the teeth are parallel to the ground. This step may seem redundant, but it can save you time and frustration if you can ensure your blades are perfectly balanced before you start sharpening.
The second step in how to balance lawn mower blades is to hold the tool vertically. Check your mower to see how far it swings back before you start pulling the string tight. If you find yourself pulling on the string too hard, you should ease off the force. Otherwise, youll damage the mower.
The final step involves the use of a blade holder. If youve been keeping your mower for a while, you probably have a single blade holder thats located on the heavier side of the engine. If not, you should try replacing the blade holder with a new one.
Also Read:
Don’t Miss: Will Scotts Green Max Burn My Lawn
Why You Should Balance Your Lawn Mower
A mower blade is one of the essential parts of a lawnmower. Hence, it is necessary to have a good and sharp blade that is well balanced as well as adequately positioned in the lawnmower as this ensures grasses are cut efficiently without having to mow the area over and over again. A good blade gives you a cleaner and more even cut therefore, it is important to take care of your mower blade.
When you properly take care of your mower blade, it will not only be functional all the time but will also last longer as well. You will also get to save money, time, and energy. One of the ways of caring for your mower blade is by sharpening, and experts suggests that sharpening should be done every two months to keep the metal pieces in the best condition.
It is best to sharpen your mower blade before having to store it away after use this could be once in a few weeks or at any other time you prefer. To discover how to balance lawn mower blades, the following steps should be taken.
Ways To Make Your House Look More Attractive To Buyers
General Tips for Sharpening
Make sure you go with the same angle that was on the blade before being sharpened. The factory bevel is the ideal angle at which will cut the nicest. Once the edge is nice and smooth without any pitting, then it is ready to be balanced and put back on the mower.
If you do not feel confident or do not have the tools, you can bring the blade to a mower shop where they can sharpen it on a grinder. Some may choose to bring the whole mower. Unfortunately, a mower shop may take longer get to get to it if you do not remove it beforehand. By taking it off prior, they often will sharpen it while you are still in the store.
Recommended Reading: How To Get Rid Of Spiders In My Lawn
Know When A Blade Replacement Is Necessary
There is a difference between dull, slightly chipped blades that need sharpening and ones that need to be replaced. Every time you go to sharpen your blades, you need to assess your blades to see if they are ready to be trashed.
- Large Nicks: A nick here and there is okay, as long as it can be easily smoothed out during the sharpening process. On the other hand, once there is a nick or dent large enough that regular sharpening will not smooth away, the blade is damaged and should be replaced. With a nick or dent, this can cause the blade to become imbalanced. As stated earlier, an imbalanced blade can ruin your lawnmower. Also, nicks that cannot be smoothed out can increase in size as you mow.
- Worn Blades: Once a blade has become so worn that you no longer can get a sharp edge with a grinder or file, the blade has become too old and needs to be replaced, which may not be recognized with mere looking at the blade, but may become evident as you try to sharpen it.
Making sure your mower blades are in excellent condition is crucial to having a great-looking lawn. By doing this annually, your lawn will be greener, and your lawnmower will last many more seasons as a result!
This article is accurate and true to the best of the authorâs knowledge. Content is for informational or entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for personal counsel or professional advice in business, financial, legal, or technical matters.
© 2012 Angela Michelle Schultz
Is There Any Way To Avoid An Unbalanced Blade
Sadly, there is no real way to avoid having an unbalanced blade. As you keep using your lawn mower, your blade will slowly wear out, and the edge will become dull. Chances are, it will not dull evenly, so an unbalanced blade is somewhat of an inherent problem that comes with owning and maintaining a lawn mower.
However, balancing and sharpening your blade from time to time is definitely a way to avoid severe damage being done to your lawn mower. It will also significantly extend the product life of your mower.
Balancing and sharpening your lawn mower is not necessarily a cumbersome ordeal that you have to do every week. You can do it about once a month or whenever you notice that your mower is vibrating or that it is not cutting grass as efficiently as it used to.
However, keep in mind that the longer that you go without sharpening your blade, the more work it will require when it comes time to do it.
Recommended Reading: When Can I Overseed My Lawn
Different Types Of Lawn Mower Blades
There is not just one type of blade for a lawn mower and its useful to understand the differences as each type is better suited to certain jobs. When you use the right kind of blade for your lawn mower, you will notice that the mowing results are much more favorable. Moreover, using an incorrect blade could result in damage to the mower which is not something that we want!
The features of a blade such as the thickness, material and size will vary between manufacturers but youll normally find that you have a good choice of blades. Generally, blades are designed for discharging, mulching or bagging. Some are designed to do all of these things whereas others are designed specifically for one or the other.
Make sure that, when choosing a blade for your lawn mower, you check that it is compatible. Most of the time this will mean looking at the correct size and where the attachment holes are situated.
How Do You Sharpen The Heavy Side
You can use an angle grinder to sharpen the heavy side of your blade. According to Norton Abrasives, angle grinders are the most versatile tool you can own. Sharpen the blade by moving the grinder side to side on the same angle as the blade.
The reason you sharpen the heavy side is because sharpening it takes off pieces of the blade, making it lighter. You want it to weigh the same amount as the other half of the blade.
Once youve sharpened the blade, hang it back up. You might have taken off too much, or not enough. Repeat the process until it hangs evenly.
You May Like: How To Fix Bald Spots In Lawn
Guide On How To Balance Lawn Mower Blades
Last update on 2022-09-16 at 03:45 PST – Details
Now that you are done sharpening the blade, the next thing is to discover how to balance mower blades. Note that the blades should be balanced after it has been sharpened to ensure optimal performance of the blade, if you balance the blade before sharpening, then it would have been a futile effort as the two processes are connected.
Another consequence of balancing the blade before sharpening is that the blade will gain more weight on one side as compared to the other side. This, in turn, will lead to underperformance of the lawnmower. That is not all it could also cause additional damage to both the blade and the motor. Therefore, it is vital to balance the blade properly and also do so after sharpening the blade.
To balance the blade properly, the following steps should be taken:
How To Balance Lawnmower Blades: The Easy Way
Using a dull lawn mower blade to mow rips and pulls your grass blades and also leaves ragged tears this promotes the growth of fungi and other plant diseases and affects the overall health of your lawn. On the other hand, a sharp blade cuts the grass neatly and allows them to heal very quickly. This is why your blades must be sharpened from time to time. While sharpening your lawn mower blades is essential, balancing them is equally important.
Sharpening and balancing lawn mower blades is pretty easy, even for beginners. However, it is important to make sure that both ends of the blade are balanced after sharpening. An unbalanced mower blade can cause excessive wobbling, and this can cause damage to the motor. Theres good news to this though you can easily determine if your blade is well balanced or not. Simply slip the center hole of the blade over a nail attached to a wall. Then hold the blade in the horizontal position and let it go. If it is not well balanced, it will tilt to one side. Use a file to make a few passes over the tipping side and try to balance it again.
You May Like: How Much Fertilizer Per Acre Lawn
