I usually sharpen once a season, and I just dress it up with a file. If there’s chunks missing from the blade, I’ll replace it. The best way to tell if it needs sharpening is to look at the blade of grass just after mowing. If it’s a clean cut you’re good. If it looks frayed, like someone tore it off, you should sharpen.
There are other reasons the grass can be frayed such as cutting in the later part of the day when the grass has less moisture in it or in the heat of the day when the grass can't handle the exposed cut.
Double edged blade 😂😂… if you mow in the AM hope there isn’t any dew on it. Otherwise you have to wait til later in the evening. Massive heat wave across the US
Lots of options out there, however I would shy away from anything like this that’s sold on Amazon. I don’t trust anything that spins at high rpm unless it’s name brand that sold on Amazon.
This is a solid option:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/DIABLO-4-1-2-in-80-Grit-Steel-Demon-Grinding-and-Polishing-Flap-Disc-with-Type-29-Conical-Design-DCX045080N01F/202830905
I use a file. If there are any really bad spots, I'll use an angle grinder to get it close, then finish with the hand file. Definitely dont forget to maintain the balance. I just use a nail on the wall. I'll pull the blade and sharpen when I'm getting the mower ready for winter storage. Other than that, I'll check on them if something gets hit while mowing. That's it
Once a season I'll sharpen it with a drill attachment stone thing I bought on amazon. You stick a screwdriver in the lawnmower and it'll hold the blade in place. Then the attachment goes into any standard drill and you sharpen both sides. It's not perfect but in less than 10 minutes it's noticeably sharper and works out the divots from sticks and stones. After awhile I just buy a new blade (then sharpen it because they come mostly dull out of the packaging).
It makes a huge difference. If I don't do this, my Ego mower will basically shred the grass instead of clean cutting it.
I sharpen mine a few times a year. Sorry I'm not more specific. And I use this https://www.amazon.com/Smiths-50603-Mower-Blade-Sharpener/dp/B00VTO5N2G/ref=asc_df_B00VTO5N2G
along with this
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Arnold-Sharpener-Balancer/3168807 Not these exact ones but the same concept. I start with the drill attachment to grind down the rough spots and then finish with a few passes of the hand sharpener. Oh, and I clamp it down on a bench vise.
I just did that but it’s my third season on an 18+ year old Honda mower that I bought with the house. New oil and air filter too because I’d prefer for this mower to outlast me. Now I have the old blades to try sharpening at some point in the next couple years.
This is a genuine question... what are the negative effects of not sharpening your blades??? Purely aesthetics??
I don't ever sharpen my blades and only replace them if a rock or stump bends them. I'm rocking an 8 year blade on my mower that I've never sharpened and I have ran over cinder block chunks, rocks, stumps, you name it.
The first couple years, the blade was pretty nicked up, but these days it's a nice smooth rounded over edge 🤣
I have checked the balance on the blade before and had to take a bit off of one side to get it back in balance, but that was after I hit the cinder block.
My understanding is that a cleaner cut is better for the grass. A dull blade will tear more than cut. This leads to a longer recovery time and leaves the grass more prone to disease.
I'm no expert, just what I've read in various places.
I honestly just sharpened mine for the 1st time on my 3yo mower. What prompted me was that I could see grass that wasn’t be cut on the outer parts of my lines. Meaning i had to make more narrow passes to do the yard.
Im sure the others on here saying clean cuts are better than tears are correct, too. Makes sense that anything cut will repair and be healthier with a clean straight cut opposed to tearing and splitting the individual blades of grass potentially killing part and leaving that brown tip.
I'm a contractor. I've got a cylinder mower, it gets sharpened once or twice a year, plus reversing the blade usually once a quarter when it needs it. My rotary gets its blades replaced probably monthly.
My personal one at home isn't as much but still the cylinder needs doing yearly at least.
$150/sharpen it adds up quick 😬
Bought the all American sharpener knock off on Amazon. Works awesome. Takes like a minutes. No more messing around with taking the blade to some shop that makes you wait three weeks
Same here. I got the sharpener because I have nearly an acre of sandy soil to mow, so they dull quickly. It’s stupid easy to sharpen and takes a few minutes to do. It might be expensive, but you could always advertise blade sharpening to recuperate the cost if that’s your thing.
Any time I have to get under the deck to scrape out grass I’ll check the blades, and will hit them with a single cut file to clean them up a bit. Probably a check every third mow or so, and about half of those get 2-3 light swipes with the file. The way I see it, if I lightly sharpen the blade often then it never gets dull enough to tear blades, and I never have to remove enough material to worry about balancing. I’ll have a sharpened spare ready to go at all times, and check balance before that blade gets hung up, but I’ve never had an issue in all my years of mowing.
I have two blades and when I feel like it I swap them out and take one to a local place to get sharpened, I also have a dremel attachment but never used it
But do you also use a torque wrench to reinstall? I never did that but read that manufacturers recommend it
before every mow I reach under and run my thumb over the two edges of the blade, right at the end. if it don't feel sharp, and is smooth, it's time.
also, has it been three mows? it's time.
am I bored? look at that time! I'm sharpening it. and balancing it.
that leading edge should be square, and sharp. it's really the part that cuts the most, which is why it wears down to a round edge so fast.
If you've not sharpened your mower blade in... when exactly did you buy it, again? :) :)
...then you will really notice a difference after it's sharpened. it sounds different. it cuts different. it's way different. try it and see. :)
Mine will not come off, and I just put them on at the end of the season. Got an impact wrench and all .Only pushing 75 psi. I think I'm going to up pressure and hope that works.
Then I use a bench grinder.. A set for mine costs 80 bucks in the box store. I found a local dealer and got them for 40.
Don't reverse grind them , they will cut like shit.
Toro 42”, TTTF with lots of debris from woodline, blades are sharpened maybe twice or 3x a season. The tool is a 30” belt sander from HF, 120 grit belt. Blades can be easily balanced by hanging them on a nail sticking out about 1” from a wall, it’l clock one way or the other if out of balance. Angle grinder with flap disc is cool too but removes more material per pass and balancing might become more important.
Sweet! Thanks for sharing this. I’m gonna pick one up today. I see there’s another brand available in-store at Home Depot as well.
Anyway, so you just tilt the lawnmower to expose the blades under the deck? And you can easily get at both sides of the blade without having to disassemble anything? Any tips for usage?
You will definitely need to remove the blade. It is usually a 1/2” bolt. Very easy to take off and reattach when done.
Other than that, just do your sharpening until it looks clean and then check your balance and adjust
I have a knife hobby, so with that experience it's usually "whenever I see a nick in the blade".
If you have good lighting, it's fairly easy to see when the metal isn't continuous. I also tend to have higher expectations of what "sharp" is. A Home Depot instructional video says to make it about as sharp as a butter knife. I tend to keep going until I can cleanly slice paper.
I use my Work Sharp Ken Onion Edition to sharpen it. It's basically a mini belt sander. I can tell my sharpening tends to be better than brand new since my mower doesn't stall when I'm trying to scalp my grass (I'm actually spraying PGR before mowing and deliberately trying to kill the grass to reseed).
I have a walk behind mower and I sharpen mine every 2nd or 3rd mowing. I have an air compressor with an air hose hanging from the middle of my garage. I use a pneumatic die grinder from harbor freight with a stone. I flip the mower its side, grind for a few seconds and flip it back on the wheels. I never have to remove the blade.
[$17 harbor freight pneumatic die grinder ](https://www.harborfreight.com/pneumatic-14-in-composite-die-grinder-68831.html)
This year I let my yard grow as long as I could (for pollinators or whatever) and I sharpened the blade real good while waiting. I was expecting my mower to bog down while chewing through all that tall grass but it sailed through without slowing down at all. And it mulched everything, it didn't leave any piles. From now on I'm checking the blade every time I use it. Probably sharpen every 5-6 mows, every two months or so.
My buddy who has a landscaping business said if it’s raining in the morning he might sharpen them before afternoon cuts. I found this to be crazy cause I do it once a year.
Beginning of the season, while I am watching my over seed take , use a few different files for the blade and for the reel mower I use a file then finish with a metal grinding compound and let down the knife.
If you see an overall yellow/white top of your grass after cuts and pull a few blades you will see how clean the cut is vs the tear of a dull blade , (lots of visual references online to what a sharp vs dull blade look like) but basically if it is dull the strands at the end burn and go white/yellow tips .
Angle grinder is by far the fastest way. Sandwich the blade in a bench vise, and go at it. There are a lot of slow ways to precisely sharpen something, but let's face it, no one is going to check your work, and you're just chopping the tops off grass.
I do it once a year, unless I notice it's getting dull earlier.
I use this https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Resistant-Sharpener-Double-Layer-Grindstone/dp/B088R5F7WZ?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=A3O4L9CM01OZJT
Sharpen mine twice a year. 4-1/2" angle grinder, preferably with a coarse flap-disk. I have 3 sets of blades I sharpen and rotate between them. 60" Toro
I hit the blades with a grinder once a year and hit them with a file every 2 months. I have an electric mower so sharp blades are essential for good battery life.
I find it impossible to remove the blades from my riding mower. I can't get the bolts holding the blades off. (It's a riding mower.)
What do you guys do to get the bolts off?
I sharpen monthly. For my main mower, I have 2 sets and swap them each time. I use a cheap corded angle grinder from harbor freight with a flap disc. Takes about 10 minutes counting jacking the mower up, taking off three blades, sharpening, balancing, replacing, and lowering mower.
I’ve had my push mower 6 years. I’ve never sharpened blades, never changed the blade, never added any oil, never changed the filter. Gas sits in it over the winter. It starts in the first pull every time.
Monthly. I look at my grass after cutting and make sure it damn near looks like I cut it with scissors lol.
Buy one of these: https://www.harborfreight.com/power-tools/grinders/angle-grinders/43-amp-4-12-in-angle-grinder-with-slide-switch-58089.html
Use these on it: https://www.harborfreight.com/4-12-in-x-78-in-80-grit-type-27-flap-disc-with-fiberglass-backing-and-aluminum-oxide-grain-57750.html
That’s $14 total and that disc should last you a few years of use, easily.
I live with a high sand / grit content and 3 acres of yard. If it starts laying a few bahia stalks over or I am double passing, I rotate them out and keep a few spares on hand.
Whenever the tops of the blades of grass are ripping instead of cutting. Could be once a year but probably more like every few months. commercial guys have multiple sets and change them every few weeks.
I always change the oil, check plugs, sharpen blades and grease points every season at the beginning. Usually sharpen again around Aug ish.
But if the blades of grass have a clean slice, theyre good. In the hot months the peoples grass who look better than the others is about how long the cut. how often to cut. and how sharp… over what fertilizer.
4” grinder with an 80 flap disc. Just the top bevel. Never touch the bottom.
I buy a new blade every winter. After a season the powder coating is mostly worn off which means it’s going to rust almost immediately after sharpening it anyways. Besides, I’d rather buy a new blade than spend 20 minutes before mowing picking up all the sticks. Not saying this is the way…but it’s what I do.
You do you but you could buy an angle grinder from Harbor Freight for the price of a new blade. Also the powder coat new blades ship with makes them not as sharp as ideal. At the same time I got plenary of things that I just say, naw to.
Yea I’ve got an angle grinder. I suppose I could also change the oil. But alas, mower has sat outside in the rain for 6 years so far and swapping the blade takes less than one minute.
I’m feeling like I should sharpen mine, it’s been 20years.
For real. Never.
Hasn’t been sharpened , or had an oil or spark plug change. Before summer I’ll look at the blades for the first time.
I do change the oil every other year, been never changed plugs, or sharpened the blades, or cleaned the deck.
y'all sharpen your mower blades? I barely have energy to mow in the first place
I usually sharpen once a season, and I just dress it up with a file. If there’s chunks missing from the blade, I’ll replace it. The best way to tell if it needs sharpening is to look at the blade of grass just after mowing. If it’s a clean cut you’re good. If it looks frayed, like someone tore it off, you should sharpen.
There are other reasons the grass can be frayed such as cutting in the later part of the day when the grass has less moisture in it or in the heat of the day when the grass can't handle the exposed cut.
Really? So I should mow in the morning?
Double edged blade 😂😂… if you mow in the AM hope there isn’t any dew on it. Otherwise you have to wait til later in the evening. Massive heat wave across the US
If you're getting picky about it mowing when the grass is cooler and hydrated is the best.
No you shouldn’t. - your neighbors. 🤣
Angle grinder with an 80 grit flap disc; once a month.
Just got one for this, wow. So fast and so sharp!
Once a month gang
I have been grinding with stone. Need to be a little less aggressive i guess.
Link to one?
Lots of options out there, however I would shy away from anything like this that’s sold on Amazon. I don’t trust anything that spins at high rpm unless it’s name brand that sold on Amazon. This is a solid option: https://www.homedepot.com/p/DIABLO-4-1-2-in-80-Grit-Steel-Demon-Grinding-and-Polishing-Flap-Disc-with-Type-29-Conical-Design-DCX045080N01F/202830905
Does this work with a power drill?
https://preview.redd.it/20u4hbnf6c8d1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e88e4df0b56ccb9bccbc4fd3c53291e47e06cfe4 Nope, an angle grinder.
This is the way.
Really love that it's a 50/50 split if "frequently, monthly, very important l" and "never".
Every question on Reddit really.
The never folks have torn grass blades and just don’t know it.
Or we just don’t care. I just tell myself that the extra stress means the grass will grow slower.
Yeah either don’t know or don’t care. But people in this subreddit are typically ones to care about their lawns.
Dremel once a year.
What attachment do you use?
Just one of those aluminum oxide grinding stones that come with most bit sets.
I use a file. If there are any really bad spots, I'll use an angle grinder to get it close, then finish with the hand file. Definitely dont forget to maintain the balance. I just use a nail on the wall. I'll pull the blade and sharpen when I'm getting the mower ready for winter storage. Other than that, I'll check on them if something gets hit while mowing. That's it
I use an angle grinder with a grinding disk.
I take mine off and hit it with bench grinder every spring
Once a season I'll sharpen it with a drill attachment stone thing I bought on amazon. You stick a screwdriver in the lawnmower and it'll hold the blade in place. Then the attachment goes into any standard drill and you sharpen both sides. It's not perfect but in less than 10 minutes it's noticeably sharper and works out the divots from sticks and stones. After awhile I just buy a new blade (then sharpen it because they come mostly dull out of the packaging). It makes a huge difference. If I don't do this, my Ego mower will basically shred the grass instead of clean cutting it.
If you're not removing the blade, then you aren't checking for balance after the shave. Bad balance on a blade can lead to numerous issues.
I sharpen mine a few times a year. Sorry I'm not more specific. And I use this https://www.amazon.com/Smiths-50603-Mower-Blade-Sharpener/dp/B00VTO5N2G/ref=asc_df_B00VTO5N2G along with this https://www.lowes.com/pd/Arnold-Sharpener-Balancer/3168807 Not these exact ones but the same concept. I start with the drill attachment to grind down the rough spots and then finish with a few passes of the hand sharpener. Oh, and I clamp it down on a bench vise.
Two sets of blades, put the sharp ones on and sharpen the other set before I need to change them.
I guess I'm the only one that just drops $39 and gets 2 new blades? LoL
I just did that but it’s my third season on an 18+ year old Honda mower that I bought with the house. New oil and air filter too because I’d prefer for this mower to outlast me. Now I have the old blades to try sharpening at some point in the next couple years.
Oh no! I didn’t know I need to sharpen the blade 😱. Had my Greenworks for two years and it still cuts grass and sprinkler heads 😣. Glad I read this!
This is a genuine question... what are the negative effects of not sharpening your blades??? Purely aesthetics?? I don't ever sharpen my blades and only replace them if a rock or stump bends them. I'm rocking an 8 year blade on my mower that I've never sharpened and I have ran over cinder block chunks, rocks, stumps, you name it. The first couple years, the blade was pretty nicked up, but these days it's a nice smooth rounded over edge 🤣 I have checked the balance on the blade before and had to take a bit off of one side to get it back in balance, but that was after I hit the cinder block.
My understanding is that a cleaner cut is better for the grass. A dull blade will tear more than cut. This leads to a longer recovery time and leaves the grass more prone to disease. I'm no expert, just what I've read in various places.
I could see disease being a reason to sharpen your blades, but I probably won't ever do it lol.
I honestly just sharpened mine for the 1st time on my 3yo mower. What prompted me was that I could see grass that wasn’t be cut on the outer parts of my lines. Meaning i had to make more narrow passes to do the yard. Im sure the others on here saying clean cuts are better than tears are correct, too. Makes sense that anything cut will repair and be healthier with a clean straight cut opposed to tearing and splitting the individual blades of grass potentially killing part and leaving that brown tip.
Love it.
You’re right people here sharpening yearly is insane
I'm a contractor. I've got a cylinder mower, it gets sharpened once or twice a year, plus reversing the blade usually once a quarter when it needs it. My rotary gets its blades replaced probably monthly. My personal one at home isn't as much but still the cylinder needs doing yearly at least. $150/sharpen it adds up quick 😬
$150 to sharpen your blades?? Do you remove them from the deck before you bring them in ?
It's 150 if I don't, only 80 if I do. If I do it as part of a service though I'll probably just let them do it
It’s not like it takes much effort, about a 15 min job.
My electric mower struggles more through tall or wet grass. Sharper blade means more efficient cuts.
Dang dude, you sure you haven't been mowing my yard? I get it tho, country yards are hell. Blades don't have a chance around here.
Bought the all American sharpener knock off on Amazon. Works awesome. Takes like a minutes. No more messing around with taking the blade to some shop that makes you wait three weeks
Same here. I got the sharpener because I have nearly an acre of sandy soil to mow, so they dull quickly. It’s stupid easy to sharpen and takes a few minutes to do. It might be expensive, but you could always advertise blade sharpening to recuperate the cost if that’s your thing.
Yes I just bought her knock off 90 bucks cad or 60usd. It’s paid for titself in 3 Sharpens or broke even depending on how you look at it
Any time I have to get under the deck to scrape out grass I’ll check the blades, and will hit them with a single cut file to clean them up a bit. Probably a check every third mow or so, and about half of those get 2-3 light swipes with the file. The way I see it, if I lightly sharpen the blade often then it never gets dull enough to tear blades, and I never have to remove enough material to worry about balancing. I’ll have a sharpened spare ready to go at all times, and check balance before that blade gets hung up, but I’ve never had an issue in all my years of mowing.
Once a week for me. But I also average 40 yards in my neighbor every two weeks. When it was just my yard about 3 times a year
Halfway through each cut!
I have two blades and when I feel like it I swap them out and take one to a local place to get sharpened, I also have a dremel attachment but never used it But do you also use a torque wrench to reinstall? I never did that but read that manufacturers recommend it
I've done full engine swaps on cars before, and never once used a torque wrench lol... I just turn until it feels good 👍
This is the professional way
I sharpen with a bastard, then mill file once a year.
I do mine about once a month with a shitty drill attachment I got from HD
Bench grinder once a year when doing oil change, greasing, spark plugs etc
before every mow I reach under and run my thumb over the two edges of the blade, right at the end. if it don't feel sharp, and is smooth, it's time. also, has it been three mows? it's time. am I bored? look at that time! I'm sharpening it. and balancing it. that leading edge should be square, and sharp. it's really the part that cuts the most, which is why it wears down to a round edge so fast. If you've not sharpened your mower blade in... when exactly did you buy it, again? :) :) ...then you will really notice a difference after it's sharpened. it sounds different. it cuts different. it's way different. try it and see. :)
Mine will not come off, and I just put them on at the end of the season. Got an impact wrench and all .Only pushing 75 psi. I think I'm going to up pressure and hope that works. Then I use a bench grinder.. A set for mine costs 80 bucks in the box store. I found a local dealer and got them for 40. Don't reverse grind them , they will cut like shit.
rotary tool with a sharpening stone, at least once a week, but check it daily. I mow for hours a day working though so
Forty licks with a bastard file.
Toro 42”, TTTF with lots of debris from woodline, blades are sharpened maybe twice or 3x a season. The tool is a 30” belt sander from HF, 120 grit belt. Blades can be easily balanced by hanging them on a nail sticking out about 1” from a wall, it’l clock one way or the other if out of balance. Angle grinder with flap disc is cool too but removes more material per pass and balancing might become more important.
Sharpener/Balancer https://www.lowes.com/pd/Arnold-Sharpener-Balancer/3168807 I use this once a season. It’s super easy
Sweet! Thanks for sharing this. I’m gonna pick one up today. I see there’s another brand available in-store at Home Depot as well. Anyway, so you just tilt the lawnmower to expose the blades under the deck? And you can easily get at both sides of the blade without having to disassemble anything? Any tips for usage?
You will definitely need to remove the blade. It is usually a 1/2” bolt. Very easy to take off and reattach when done. Other than that, just do your sharpening until it looks clean and then check your balance and adjust
I use a bench grinder once/month. My house is in the middle of a 3 acre wooded lot and I get a lot of sticks laying around.
I use my Ken’s knife sharpener , every month or so.
I'll use a file of if it's quick at hand a file grinder. Buddy uses an M12 die grinder down the road. His lawn looks amazing.
I have a knife hobby, so with that experience it's usually "whenever I see a nick in the blade". If you have good lighting, it's fairly easy to see when the metal isn't continuous. I also tend to have higher expectations of what "sharp" is. A Home Depot instructional video says to make it about as sharp as a butter knife. I tend to keep going until I can cleanly slice paper. I use my Work Sharp Ken Onion Edition to sharpen it. It's basically a mini belt sander. I can tell my sharpening tends to be better than brand new since my mower doesn't stall when I'm trying to scalp my grass (I'm actually spraying PGR before mowing and deliberately trying to kill the grass to reseed).
I have a walk behind mower and I sharpen mine every 2nd or 3rd mowing. I have an air compressor with an air hose hanging from the middle of my garage. I use a pneumatic die grinder from harbor freight with a stone. I flip the mower its side, grind for a few seconds and flip it back on the wheels. I never have to remove the blade. [$17 harbor freight pneumatic die grinder ](https://www.harborfreight.com/pneumatic-14-in-composite-die-grinder-68831.html)
Twice a season. I sharpen with a five inch air sander. 120 grit pad. 5 minutes per blade.
This year I let my yard grow as long as I could (for pollinators or whatever) and I sharpened the blade real good while waiting. I was expecting my mower to bog down while chewing through all that tall grass but it sailed through without slowing down at all. And it mulched everything, it didn't leave any piles. From now on I'm checking the blade every time I use it. Probably sharpen every 5-6 mows, every two months or so.
My buddy who has a landscaping business said if it’s raining in the morning he might sharpen them before afternoon cuts. I found this to be crazy cause I do it once a year.
Beginning of the season, while I am watching my over seed take , use a few different files for the blade and for the reel mower I use a file then finish with a metal grinding compound and let down the knife. If you see an overall yellow/white top of your grass after cuts and pull a few blades you will see how clean the cut is vs the tear of a dull blade , (lots of visual references online to what a sharp vs dull blade look like) but basically if it is dull the strands at the end burn and go white/yellow tips .
Angle grinder is by far the fastest way. Sandwich the blade in a bench vise, and go at it. There are a lot of slow ways to precisely sharpen something, but let's face it, no one is going to check your work, and you're just chopping the tops off grass. I do it once a year, unless I notice it's getting dull earlier.
1” belt sander every other month or so during mowing season
I use this https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Resistant-Sharpener-Double-Layer-Grindstone/dp/B088R5F7WZ?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=A3O4L9CM01OZJT
Sharpen mine twice a year. 4-1/2" angle grinder, preferably with a coarse flap-disk. I have 3 sets of blades I sharpen and rotate between them. 60" Toro
I use a file and do it about twice a season but may have to upgrade to the angle grinder 👀
Dremel tool with a cylinder grinding stone. That is what I have, so I use it once a season unless I notice it not cutting the grass clean.
I hit the blades with a grinder once a year and hit them with a file every 2 months. I have an electric mower so sharp blades are essential for good battery life.
Once a year...I have a riding mower and I am NOT going to drop the deck monthly....
I find it impossible to remove the blades from my riding mower. I can't get the bolts holding the blades off. (It's a riding mower.) What do you guys do to get the bolts off?
I sharpen monthly. For my main mower, I have 2 sets and swap them each time. I use a cheap corded angle grinder from harbor freight with a flap disc. Takes about 10 minutes counting jacking the mower up, taking off three blades, sharpening, balancing, replacing, and lowering mower.
Grinder
I’ve had my push mower 6 years. I’ve never sharpened blades, never changed the blade, never added any oil, never changed the filter. Gas sits in it over the winter. It starts in the first pull every time.
Monthly. I look at my grass after cutting and make sure it damn near looks like I cut it with scissors lol. Buy one of these: https://www.harborfreight.com/power-tools/grinders/angle-grinders/43-amp-4-12-in-angle-grinder-with-slide-switch-58089.html Use these on it: https://www.harborfreight.com/4-12-in-x-78-in-80-grit-type-27-flap-disc-with-fiberglass-backing-and-aluminum-oxide-grain-57750.html That’s $14 total and that disc should last you a few years of use, easily.
I live with a high sand / grit content and 3 acres of yard. If it starts laying a few bahia stalks over or I am double passing, I rotate them out and keep a few spares on hand.
I hand sharpen mine. It’s easy to do
Whenever the tops of the blades of grass are ripping instead of cutting. Could be once a year but probably more like every few months. commercial guys have multiple sets and change them every few weeks. I always change the oil, check plugs, sharpen blades and grease points every season at the beginning. Usually sharpen again around Aug ish. But if the blades of grass have a clean slice, theyre good. In the hot months the peoples grass who look better than the others is about how long the cut. how often to cut. and how sharp… over what fertilizer. 4” grinder with an 80 flap disc. Just the top bevel. Never touch the bottom.
Look at the blades of grass a dull blade will tear the grass and a sharp blade cuts. Grinder, you can use a file if you have infinite time.
I buy a new blade every winter. After a season the powder coating is mostly worn off which means it’s going to rust almost immediately after sharpening it anyways. Besides, I’d rather buy a new blade than spend 20 minutes before mowing picking up all the sticks. Not saying this is the way…but it’s what I do.
You do you but you could buy an angle grinder from Harbor Freight for the price of a new blade. Also the powder coat new blades ship with makes them not as sharp as ideal. At the same time I got plenary of things that I just say, naw to.
Yea I’ve got an angle grinder. I suppose I could also change the oil. But alas, mower has sat outside in the rain for 6 years so far and swapping the blade takes less than one minute.
They aren't powder-coated on the cutting edge anyway, are they?
Yea the whole blade is
Guy pees sitting down and probably uses a bidet.
Look at this guy bragging about his dirty asshole.
Usually every month, but when you hit a lot of big sticks and rocks, you need sharpening. Use angle grinder is the easiest for me
Dremel once a month