Question: How and why should I sharpen my lawn mower's blade?
Sharpening lawn mower blades is a simple yet important aspect of mower maintenance....
Answer: Every month or two, you should sharpen the lawn mower's blade. The reason for sharpening lawn mower blades is that dull blades have a tendency to rip grass blades instead of cutting cleanly, leaving grass susceptible to diseases. Here's how to sharpen a lawn mower blade:
- First remove the spark plug wire to ensure the machine doesn't start up accidentally, resulting in injury.
- With a wrench, remove the nut that holds the lawn mower blade up against the deck, then remove the blade.
- Use a file to do the sharpening. Follow the angle of the cutting edge that's already there (the angle will be roughly 45 degrees).
- Donne, a reader of this site, noted that it's important to "pass the file the same number of times on each side," to keep the blade in balance.
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