One of the joys of owning a home is taking care of the yard. For a well manicured and pretty yard, a lawn mower blade sharpener must be part of the yard tools owned. Maintaining your mower’s engine will keep it going well, but it won’t give a great cut on your lawn if the blades are in poor condition.
Each spring, all homeowners pack away the snow spades and snow blowers in trade for rakes and lawn mowers as the newly grown grass begins to emerge. Before getting on to the task of basically cropping grass, the mower must be inspected and maintained after being stowed away for the previous 6 months. A good cleaning, fresh oil and gas and a close investigation of the blades should take place at this time. If the blade show chips, dents or unusual bending, it should get replaced. Using the mower will naturally, over time, dull the blade and spring time maintenance should include getting those blades in tip top shape.
Using the lawn mower blade sharpener of your choosing, you can easily get the blade back in as new condition. First, the spark plug wire must be removed from the mower. The engine will basically start if the blade is revolved by hand while the spark plug is still connected. Place the mower on its side, being careful to keep the side housing the carburetor and the air filter facing upward to avoid any contamination of fuel or oil in the air filter. Loosening the center bolt will allow you to get rid of the blade.
Once the blade is removed, it should be marked in a manner that the owner will know the way to properly reload the blade. After a good investigation of the blade to guarantee it is in reasonable condition, you are prepared to sharpen the blade. There are some kinds of sharpeners that may be used, depending on personal preference. A combination grinder / sharpener may make the job easier, but is a fairly dear investment. An easy hand file is more than acceptable to do the job at a much lower cost. Begin at the top side of the leading edge of the blade, using the push stroke to chop into the steel. It should take only about 50 strokes total to complete the job.
Keeping your yard clean cut is healthy and pretty ; made feasible with the investment of just a little time using the lawn mower blade sharpener to get that blade in cutting order.