Lawnmowers are equipment that keeps your lawn and yard looking neat and tidy. The essential components are the lawnmower blades. Lawnmower blades feature a unique design that ensures equal cutting of the grass. They spin at a high rate, which improves the cutting action even more.
You might be wondering how sharp the lawnmower blades should be in the midst of all of this. They should be sharp enough to cut through rough, tall, and dry grass effortlessly.
They should be able to shear small bushes and twigs to improve the garden’s appearance. The sharpness of their edges and the speed at which they rotate are inextricably linked.
The efficiency of lawnmowers is crucial to the best functioning. We’ll discuss the importance of sharp blades of lawnmowers and many other related things. So, let’s get started:
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The Importance Of Sharp Blades
The grass blades are ripped and pulled by a dull lawnmower blade, causing ragged tears that damage the plant and promote fungal growth and other grass diseases.
On the other hand, a sharp blade cuts cleanly, allowing the plant to mend and recover quickly. Sharpening the blades on your lawnmower allows you to complete your lawn-cutting task faster and with less stress on the mower.
Depending on how much you use your lawnmower, you should sharpen the blades once per mowing season. This extends the blade life and protects the mower from various potential hazards. The blades should be extremely sharp for a clean and smooth cut.
The sharpness of the lawnmower blades will determine their performance in the end. Moreover, it will ultimately determine all of the outputs, such as the task’s smoothness, time efficiency, and evenness.
When Do You Need To Sharp The Lawnmower Blades?
When blades are excessively sharp, they soon become blunt. Sharpening the blades to a shallow angle is ideal if you plan on mowing a yard full of weeds and soft grass. When working on a woodsy or rugged lawn, keep your blades a touch duller. In this way, you can use the lawnmower for a long span with minimal maintenance.
Sharp blades make a significant difference. Only sharper blades will provide a terrific cut with less pressure on your lawnmower when grass grows quickly and efficiently in the spring. With sharp mowing blades, you can cut faster as well. That’s why lawnmower blade sharpness is essential.
The Disadvantages Of Dull Lawnmower Blades
Lawnmower blades that are nicked or dull will merely smash the grass on the cut edges. It means that your lawn will have ripped grass instead of smooth straight cuts. You don’t want an unattractive rocky lawn. The torn grass will become yellow on the edges after a few days of cutting with the dull blade lawnmower.
No doubt, torn grass is more prone to diseases and fungal infections in your lawn. Now, it’s up to you either maintain the sharpness of the blade or get ready yourself to deal with the damaged lawn.
How To Sharpen The Lawnmower’s Blades?
Learn to sharp the lawnmower’s blades yourself by following the discussed below step-by-step guidelines and instructions. No doubt, you can also hire the professional for this purpose. But it would be great and budget-friendly to sharp the blades yourself. So, let’s get started:
1) Remove The Plugs And Blades
Make sure your lawnmower’s spark plugs are disconnected. Its purpose is to prevent the machine from starting up on its own. This task will require rags, a vice and a ratchet set. It’s also a good idea to have a sock for the spark plug. Moreover, a safety kit, gloves and WD-40 are also essential tools if you want to sharpen the blades yourself.
2) Choose A Right File For Grinding
It is always a good idea to read through the lawnmower’s owner’s manual. Don’t worry if your lawnmower doesn’t come with a user manual. We are here to explain the sharpening method with step-by-step details. Sharpen the blades with a good grinder.
However, it’s great to choose the file for the nicked blades. It can be more challenging to sharpen insulating blades. Top dress blades may have longer or curved cutting edges, and sharpening them may require various files.
3) Balance The Blades
Hang the blade on a nail to check the balance before reinstalling it. If one side of the blade dips, file a little more off that side until the blade is level. Now, you are all set to reinstall the blades again after completing the sharpening process.
Replace the blade and tighten the bolt. Slice the 2×4 block back in place with your socket and breaker bar and tighten the bolt tightly.
Final Verdict
The lawnmower blades can be sharpened to make it work more efficiently. Dull blades put additional strain on your lawnmower motor, harm the grass and consume more gasoline. When sharpening the blades, keep in mind that overly sharp, thin blades are more likely to break.
You can adjust the sharpness of the blades according to the type of grass and your requirements. The blades should be razor-sharp to prevent the engine from being overworked.
Hopefully, this article will help to determine and set the proper sharpness level for your blade. Now, you can efficiently deal with the dull blades yourself effortlessly and efficiently.
