Now Is a Good Time to Sharpen Your Mower Blades

With long-term usage, the spinning blades beneath your mower become ow dull. This can cause them to tear the grass, rather than to cut it smoothly. This gives your lawn a raggedy look as well as making it more vulnerable to disease. Unless your blade is very damaged, to sharpen your mower blade necessitates some elbow grease and a few fundamental tools.

Sharpening Your Blades Preparation

1. Disconnect the power source and spark plugs.

A mower can cause serious harm if it starts while you are working on it. Always cut off the power before taking apart your mower.

The spark plug can be disconnected by detaching a prominent wire on the front or side of the lawnmower engine from its metal mounting. Once separated, the engine shouldn’t be able to cut on. For safety reasons, it's recommended you wear eye protection and heavy gloves during this job even if you're sure the spark plug is disconnected and cut the power off.

2. Put the mower on its side with its carburetor facing upward.

To get to the mower blades, it has to be on its side. Though, due to the location of the mower engine, flipping the mower over could make the engine oil run into the air filter and carburetor So this doesn’t happen, make sure you turn the mower so that these are facing upward instead of downward.

The air filter and carburetor on most contemporary mowers are typically located in a boxy plastic case on the engine’s side. If you’re not sure where these parts are on your mower, check your owner's manual, call your manufacturer, or get in touch with a tree care company.

As more protection against spilling, you can pour the oil into another container or operate the mower until it's out of gas. This task is also an excellent time to check your oil and change it if needed. It's suggested you change your oil every year.

3. Mark the side of the blade that is facing downward.

A common mistake made when sharpening a mower blade is to put it back in upside-down. If this happens, the blade will not cut the grass, regardless of how sharp it is. To get out of the extra effort used in removing and installing the blade again, make a clear marking on the bottom side of the blade before taking it out to sharpen.