In Brief: How to Sharpen Lawn Mower Blades without Removing
It’s easy to learn how to sharpen lawn mower blades without removing them. You can do it in a few simple steps. Start by disconnecting the battery or spark plugs and tilting the mower up. Then, when you can easily reach the blade, sharpen it with an angle grinder or drill-powered sharpening attachment. Finish by grinding away any uneven spots.
Lawn mowers are fairly low maintenance. While they don’t need a lot of attention, some routine maintenance is helpful. Sharpening the mower blade keeps the machine operating at peak efficiency throughout the whole mowing season.
You can tell your mower blade needs to be sharpened because of the way the grass is cut. If your grass has flat, clean lines where it’s cut, the blade is fine. If the cut lines are jagged, it’s time to look into taking a moment to sharpen your mower blade.
How to Sharpen Lawn Mower Blades without Removing: Detailed Answer
Sharpening the blade on a mower is simple. Normally, it requires removing the blade, but you can also do a quick method without removing the blade from the mower. Follow along with this simple guide to learn how to sharpen lawn mower blades without removing them from the mower.
- Step 1: Secure the Mower and Blade
Whether you’re working on an electric or gasoline mower, safety comes first. If it’s a gas mower, disconnect the spark plug cable, which is usually located towards the front of the mower. For an electric mower or a mower with an electric automatic starter, disconnect the battery.
Before you can work on the mower blade itself, you need to secure it in place in a way where the blade is easily accessible. For a push mower, this means laying it on its side or tilting it back onto its handle and keeping it in place with something heavy.
The goal is to have an unobstructed view of the lawn mower blade. For gas powered mowers, you may wat to also either drain the gas tank or put plastic wrap under the lid. - Step 2: Sharpen the Blade
Now that you have access to the mower blade, it’s time to identify which side to sharpen. Look for an existing edge that appears more angled than the other side. This is known as the leading edge of the blade.
Angle grinders work well to sharpen mower blades. If you don’t have an angle grinder, you can use a sharpening attachment for a power drill. Without removing the blade, it will be difficult to use a hand file to sharpen the blade because of limited access.
Whichever tool you use, make sure you’re only sharpening the blade along the leading edge. Once you’re done sharpening the blade, grind away any uneven spots on the long side of the blade as well.
See how to use an angle grinder to sharpen an attached mower blade:
Should You Do It?
Although it’s possible to sharpen a mower blade while it’s still attached to the mower, it’s not something you should do every time. The problem with sharpening a mower blade without removing it is that you don’t get a chance to balance the blade.
Balancing is an important step that you’re supposed to do after sharpening a lawn mower blade. Sharpening involves shaving off a thin layer of metal from the blade. Even if you think you’ve removed an even amount from both sides, you may not have.
Both sides of the blade should have the same weight. If one side is heavier, it may lead to damage when the blade oscillates inside the mower. The more pronounced the weight difference is, the worse damage can occur.
If you’re doing a touch-up sharpening job or routine maintenance, this method might be okay. However, it’s not something you should do every time because of the risk of ruining your lawn mower in the long run.
Summary
It’s good to know how to sharpen lawn mower blades without removing them, even if you won’t be doing it very often. These types of simple, routine maintenance can help you get the best out of your mower every time you use it. In this case, it’s as easy as tilting, securing, and sharpening.
Do you have any questions about the process of sharpening mower blades? Let us know down below!