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So you wish to have a health green lawn? All you need is a lawn mower with its blades in good condition. The efficiency of any lawn mover is determined by the sharpness & condition of its blade. The ones made from tool steel are the best as it retains the sharpness of the blade for a longer time; but it is an expensive one and generally cannot be sharpened at DIY workshop. But it doesn’t require frequent sharpening. While on the other hand the ones made from carbon steel or mild steel are quite inexpensive and easy to maintain but they require frequent sharpening.
How to sharpen your lawnmower blades the DIY way:
The blades of your lawn mower have become blunt one more time and you don’t know what exactly to do. Well here is a stepwise easy method that doesn’t take too much time. This technique can be applied to any and every kind of lawnmower.
But before beginning here is a word of caution to follow. Make sure to disconnect all the power sources before going ahead. If your mower is a battery operated one then take out the battery. Also check properly that all the power controls are off to avoid any accidental engine start up.
The first step is to remove the blades from the mower for which you need to go through the operational manual of your lawnmower. You can do this with the help of a few spanners. Once the blades are out, number them so that you can fit them in order later on.
Next you need to fix the blade in a stable holding or preferably a vice to work at ease.
Now begins the second step which is sharpening of the blade for which you will need a file or a grinder. Just go along with the blade’s contour and sharpen it as much required.
In the end you need to refit the blades and also see if its needs balancing.
The last step is to check blade balancing for which you need a balancer.
If the mower vibrates after you refitted the blades it means the blades are either not properly fixed or balanced. If it happens so you should make whatever amendment is required.
When you had enough of sharpening them- essential pointers when changing Lawnmower blades
You have sharpened the lawn mower blades for nth time and finally its time to change them. As they are either blunt or bent or chipped and wont work no matter how much you persuade them.
Old and damaged blades should be sent to retirement as they are hazardous and won’t deliver anything more than a bad cut along with vibrations that will rob you off the fun of lawn mowing. Here are a few pointers before you begin the job.
A blade runs at approximately 280 km/hr and a loosely fitted one can be dangerous so get all the tools you will require to tighten the blades properly.
Don’t forget to disconnect the spark plug lead before you fit the new blades on.
Don’t try to save money on that one blade. Always change all the blades so that you don’t get the annoying vibrations of mismatched blades. Right balance is essential for a mower to perform efficiently.
Go through the manual of your new pack of blades. Most of them have properly demonstrated fitting instructions.
With a 2 stroke engine, you need to place the mower on its front wheels while supporting the handles on a bench. You may require to turn the blade so that its faces the rear of the chute opening to detach the blade.
With a 4 stroke lawn mower, you need to tilt the mower so that the spark plug is facing up if not so you may end up with the oil draining into the cylinder head and you wont be able to start the mower in the end.
If you don’t drift away from the dos and don’ts you will surely have a nice experience with your lawnmower in the workshop. And remember practice makes a man perfect!!!
© UK Lawn Mowers.com 2008
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