A Step by Step Guide on How to Sharpen Your Lawn Mower Blade
Lawn mower is important equipment when you have a beautiful lawn in your landscape. A lawn looks great when the grass is cut fine and sharp. If you observe that your lawn grass has torn or ragged look after mowing, then you can be sure that the blades of the lawn mower needs sharpening. Here is a guide on how to sharpen your lawn mower blades.
Step-by-step Guide
Before you start sharpening your lawn mower blade, you should go through the user manual that might have come with the mower when you first bought it. Here are the steps that you need to follow:
1. Gather the equipment you will require for the job:
- Safety goggles
- Wrench
- Steel brush
- Metal file
- Bench grinder
- Blade balancer
- Ear plugs, in case you use a grinding machine.
2. Tilt the mower on its side after disconnecting the power cord.
3. Make the blade static by the use of some wedging block.
4. With the help of the wrench remove the bolt from the center of the blade in order to remove the blade from the assembly.
5. With the help of the steel brush get rid of the debris and rust from the blade. After the dirt has been removed you will be able to determine whether the blades need replacement.
6. If the blade does not need replacement, you start to sharpen the blade by using either a file or a grinder, depending upon the condition of the blade. When you are sharpening the blade do so along the original angle of the cutting edge; file in one direction only towards the edge and maintain a uniform filing.
7. After you have sharpened the edge of the blade, check if the blade is properly balanced or not. If you find that the blade is balanced more on one side then file or grind that side a little more to get the balance. While fine tuning the balance of the blade do not file on the newly sharpened cutting edge.
8. Install the blade back to the lawn mower after balancing the blade. The installation should be correctly done.
Sharpen or Replace
How will you know when to sharpen your lawn mower blade or replace it? A look at the blade will tell you if your blade needs sharpening or replacement. You will see the blade bent or cracked at placed or if the mower is having unwanted vibration. If you are not sure about the condition of the blade, you can show the blade at any engine repair shop, who will tell you what to do.
How Often to Sharpen the Blade
It is suggested that for best results the lawn mower blade should be sharpened after every couple of weeks, if not possible, at least once in a month. Otherwise when you mow the lawn keep an eye on the grass after cutting. If the grass looks ragged or torn after the cutting, you can be sure that your lawn mower blade needs a sharpening.
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