Most people complain that their lawn mower blades get dull after a short period. Maintaining a lawn mower is not an easy task, but when you do it properly then it will give you more reliability in the longer run. How do you sharpen a lawn mower blade in lesser time?
This is the question that you need to know while doing regular maintenance of your mower. Keep in mind that sharpening your lawn mower blades twice each season will give you more durability for a healthy and green lawn.
With the sharp lawn mower blades, it will not only provide sharp cuts on grass but also will help to reduce your overall mowing time. Let’s get into the further details!
Contents
How Do You Know If Your Lawn Mower Blades Needs To Be Sharpened?
With the below-listed information, you will get a better understanding that when you should need to sharpen your lawn mower blades:
- It’s been a year since you sharpened the lawn mower blades.
- The blades give you a rough and ragged finish during the mowing task.
- The mowing task outcome is not according to your needs.
- The grass of your lawn looks torn rather than a clean cut.
- A day after the mowing task is complete, your lawn grass has brown tips.
6 Best And Easiest Way To Sharpen Your Lawn Mower Blades
Are you worried that How do you sharpen a lawn mower blade? With these steps, you can balance the blades in no time.
1. Remove Spark Plug
It is mandatory for you to remove the spark plug from your desired lawn mower to prevent any damage. Keep in mind that it is recommended to remove the lawn mower spark plug while you are doing maintenance tasks. This step ensures that the gas and oil of the lawn mower are dripping into the air filter.
Moreover, now you need to mark the blade and spray paint before removing it. After spraying paint, you can get that which way you need to reinstall it.
2. Remove The Lawn Mower Blade
Loosen all the bolts on the lawn mower blade and wedge a short 2×4 between the deck to the clamp and blade. Keep in mind that the 2×4 method is really safe and quick to remove the lawn mower blade. Furthermore, when blades are removed properly then you need to stand your lawn mower on its wheels.
3. Sharpen The Lawn Mower Blade With A File
This method is popular to sharpen your lawn mower blades. All you need to do just clamp the blade in a vise and make sure to sharpen the cutting with just a mill file. Keep in mind that you need to file until the lawn mower blade is butter-knife sharp.
Also, when you remove the blade then in this stage, you can examine whether you need to replace the lawn mower blade or just need to sharpen it. How to sharpen lawn mower blade with angle grinder?
keep in mind that grinders can also work great, but the real problem with grinders is they are hard to control. Moreover, the grinders method might ruin the blade and overheat.
4. Check Proper Angle
When you do this step, then make sure to sharpen the blade from the top side of the cutting edge. While doing this technique, will give you the longest-lasting edge control on your lawn mower blade.
Keep in mind file cuts only in a single direction and when you don’t feel the bite cutting action, then it probably means that you are not pressing down hard enough or the file is dull.
5. Check The Balance Of Lawn Mower Blade
When you are done with the proper angle to sharpen the lawn mower, now it’s time to balance the blade. Make sure before reinstalling the lawn mower, you must need it hang on a nail to check the proper balance of the blade.
You need to make the blade in a straight horizontal position. If you feel that one side is dipping, then file a bit more off. Moreover, if you don’t work on the unbalanced blade then it will surely cause vibration and also it can damage the bearings of the shaft.
6. Its Time To Reinstall The Blade
When you successfully sharpen and balance the lawn mower blade, now it’s time to reinstall it on the lawn mower. Make sure to tighten the bolts while reinstalling the blade. You need to wedge the 2×4 back in and check whether the bolts are firmly tight or not.
Moreover, you need to insert 2×4 only in the backward direction, so it will firmly tighten the bolts. If the bolts are not tightened well, then it will throw off the engine timing and sometimes it will be hard to start the lawn mower.
Conclusion
With the above 6 best steps, now it’s easy to sharpen your lawn mower blades in no time. Keep in mind that after sharpening and balancing the lawn mower blade, you just need to firmly tighten the bolts otherwise, it can cause a problem for your lawn mower.
Moreover, the proper angle to sharpen lawn mower blades is also necessary for you because it provides a firm grip on the blades. Always try to sharpen the lawn mower blade with angle grinder, because it is the safest and quick technique for sharpening the blade.