0T never sharpen a lawnmower blade am I the only one

[Edwin Dirnbeck]

I have lived on three beautiful acres for 40 years. I cut my own grass .I have never sharpened a lawn mower blade .every six or seven years when I service my spindles I might put a new set of blades on .I Honestly can't tell the difference between the new blades and the used ones .Am I the only one.?


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[alanganes]

I don't know about sharpening blades, but wasn't that lawnmower used in a couple of Mad Max movies?

[Dan Dubeau]

I sharpen mine after the first couple of cuts every spring. Just to make sure I've got all the branches, and rocks I DO notice a difference, not in quality, but in speed. I can go faster in longer grass with sharper blades. 20hp46" cut rider, and a 20hp66" tow behind.

[vpt]

I notice a difference in the speed I can move along at with sharp blades.

[Edwin Dirnbeck]

Imported from Bulgaria

I don't know about sharpening blades, but wasn't that lawnmower used in a couple of Mad Max movies?

This is a 2016 model Wartburg Easycut from Bulgaria.

[alanganes]

This is a 2016 model Wartburg Easycut from Bulgaria.

That was an (obviously feeble) attempt at humor on my part. That is a serious and quite intimidating looking machine.
I like it.

[Arcane]

........ That is a serious and quite intimidating looking machine.
I like it.

I'll say! My first though was "What a beast!" and I'm very envious of Edwin.

As far as sharpening blades go, last year I had to replace the blade on my push mower, a 34 yo model. I sharpened it every 3 or 4 years but I noticed the bent up part on the back of the blade had become almost non existent. All the small grains of sand and dirt that were sucked up from the ground had slowly worn it away to the point that it wouldn't eject clippings when I was in heavier growths of grass. I bought a new blade for it on sale (cheap!!) but had to modify it slightly in order for it to fit (surprisingly it was very hard from one end to the other) and it took a carbide bit and a carbide boring bar to make a couple of 1/2" holes. It made a day and night difference in ability to cut heavier growth so it's not just how sharp the blade is that matters. That little upturned part on the backside of the blade is also very important.

[JRouche]

Am I the only one.?

No you are not. I just sharpened mine for far less substantial mower last week. I do it with a nice sharp file. This time there was some buildup of what looked like rust and dried grass juice about 116" thick that I knocked down with an air angle grinder and 80 grit disc. Not to sharpen but to get to metal.

I like the file because it gives great results. JR

[YukonHam]

That looks to be a twin for some old Yazoo golf course mowers I ran when I was working my way through college.

Very effective, but scary dangerous if they popped out of gear while going down a steep grade. One threw me over in front of itself that way once - still not quite sure how I avoided getting run over / badly hurt.

DAM

[firbikrhd1]

I sharpen mine every year with the rest of the annual service. Yes, I can tell the difference in the way the grass looks with a sharp blade and the ease at which the mower powers through. Frequency of mowing, once a week during summer months every two weeks during winter, St. Augustine grass.

[elf]

I let the moss take over. It's green year around and never needs mowing.

[754]

The main difference between lawnmower tooling, and lathe tooling......is......
The grass wont turn color when cutting with a dull tool..

[Cuttings]

We have a rechargeable electric mower. Believe it or not it does a pretty good job of cutting a small patch of grass. I sharpen the blade every once in while when giving the mower a good cleanup. Another thing I think is almost as important is to balance the blade after sharpening it. I bought this little plastic gizmo a lot of years ago that has a series of different steps to fit into the center hole then balances on a pointed edge protruding up from the base. You just grind a little more off the side that hangs down or grind a couple of notches in the backside of the low end of the blade. Surprising how much smoother a mower runs with a balanced blade.

[wierdscience]

I ended the madness and hire it done.

[Puckdropper]

The main difference between lawnmower tooling, and lathe tooling......is......
The grass wont turn color when cutting with a dull tool..

Actually... That's exactly what happens. You'll start to see the grass turn brown near the tips as you're bludgeoning the blades off rather than cutting. Grass doesn't take a very sharp blade (take a look at a string trimmer) but it does take some bevel angle. The whole yard will start to yellow eventually.

I usually wind up bending a blade before that happens. Our yard is a mix of top soil and rocks.