While it is not always visible, the primary feature of a lawnmower is the blade. This is used to slice through the grass on your lawn and trim it to an identical length. Sharpening lawn mower blades on either a self propelled or human powered lawn mower is a vital part of seasonal maintenance. Should the lawn mower blades become too blunt, the machine will not be able to slice the grass correctly. This may cause the grass to get ragged or ripped, and become more prone to harm from disease and sunlight. This is how to sharpen lawn mower blades in six easy steps:
Step one – Ensure the safety of the mower. Prior to starting work on the mower’s underside, check that the engine can not start. You do this by disconnecting the spark plug. This is a good way to prevent the mower from unintentionally starting up.
Step two – Next, take the blade out. When trying to loosen the nut of the blade, it may help to utilize a c clamp to secure the blade. Alternatively, you could place a suitably sized chunk of wood in between the deck and mower blade. Both of these techniques will keep the blade still, whilst you are trying to remove it. If the nut fails to turn, loosen it with penetrating fluid and employ a good sized wrench to assist with rotating the bolt.
Step Three – Once it is free, fasten the blade into a clamp (or vice) to keep it steady and safe whilst you work on it. Using a file, begin to sharpen the edges of every blade by filing in an upward motion. Also, make sure you file along the mower blade’s angle, rather than against the angle. Try to give every blade the identical quantity of filing strokes. Use the same angle too, because this will maintain the balance of the blades. Do not use a rapid up and down sawing motion. Furthermore, it can be beneficial to get rid of any jagged edges (or ‘burrs’) that have appeared on the blade’s flat side.
Step Four – Once the lawn mower blades are sharp, check for signs of chips or nicks. A couple of chips along the edge of the blade should not be an issue, because the combined blades will cut correctly. Nonetheless, if several chips become noticeable after sharpening, it may be prudent to think about substituting the blade of the mower for a new blade.
Step Five – Prior to refitting the blade, it may be sensible to test the balance. Blades that are noticeably off balance may cause self propelled mowers to vibrate. Over time, this will lead to machine damage and operator fatigue. Blade balancers are fairly inexpensive to buy at a standard hardware shop.
Step six – Lastly, take the time to scrape away any built up grass or debris on the underside of the machine. Moreover, because the blade ought to be sharp now, it is a good idea to wear some leather gardening gloves while you are working on the blade remounting. After the lawn mower blades are fixed, do not forget to attach the spark plug back into the position it previously occupied.
It is essential to observe some important guidelines whenever you mow your lawn. These guidelines include making sure that your grass is clear of any foreign materials (such as sticks, rocks, toys, etc). This is because your lawn mower blades may become harmed and need to be replaced. Also, after use, you should clean the bottom of your mower to maintain optimum blade condition.
