You’ll have to turn your rotary mower onto its side to access the blade. While this won’t be an issue in an electric model, in petrol models you will have to be a bit more careful. Before tipping your mower, determine the location of the fuel tank (or gas tank for Americans), tipping the lawn mower at such an angle that the fuel tank faces up. This will reduce the risk of fuel spilling onto the rest of the mower. Reinstall the blade within your lawn mower. Use WD-40 on the bolt to avoid it rusting over time. Make sure you install the blade the correct way round. If the bolt is slightly stripped, or if you can’t find a pipe for leverage, the vice grip option may be the best for you.

There are different schools of thought on how often you should be sharpening lawn mowers blades, but a good rule of thumb is to sharpen them roughly every 25 hours of use. If you are merely maintaining a small lawn every few weeks, then this would mean you won’t need to sharpen your blades very often at all, but those working with larger gardens, or looking to have the perfect lawn may hit that number far more regularly. How Many Times Can You Sharpen Your Lawn Mower Blades? Along with any of the above options, you can also use a blow torch to heat up the bolt, which will help a great deal to get it to loosen up. Remove the blade. You’ll need to use a long-handled wrench or a spanner to loosen the blade. Depending on the model of your lawn mower, the method may be slightly different. It can be a good idea to leave a mark on the underside of the blade, using tape or a permanent marker, to ensure you re-install it the correct way round. The lawnmower blade is connected to the engine via a drive shaft which means that when you turn the blade manually, you are also turning over the engine. However, turn it hard enough and you can actually create enough compression and spark to start the engine, costing you a hand.

If the blade bolt is too stripped and refuses to budge with the chisel, your last option is to weld an additional bolt onto it. This bolt will give you a non-stripped head where you can get a grip. Before you even get to the actual task at hand, there are two essential steps you need to take to protect yourself as well as your lawnmower from unintentional damage.The final step will just make the process a little easier. 1. Disconnect The Spark Plug Next, you will need leverage to get that bolt off, and the standard length of a wrench handle is unlikely to cut. Your lawnmower will likely have a picture on it or stipulate safe ways to tilt it in the manual. However, if you are unsure, just drain the fuel and oil.

For example, my lawnmower doesn’t like being tilted on its side because it allows for fuel to flow freely through the system and mix with the oil. Once the fuel has mixed with the oil, you run the risk of running the engine permanently. This is an optional step, depending on which way you will tilt your mower to gain access to the blade bold. Dull lawn mower blades can cause both aesthetic and health issues with your lawn. A dulled blade can leave turf with a brown or ragged look, leaving your garden visually unappealing. It can also put your grass in more serious ailments. This is because a sharpened lawn mower blade will cleanly cut through grass blades, whereas a dulled one will pull and tear at it, promoting fungal growth and lawn diseases. This can obviously have long term consequences for your lawn, which can be difficult and time consuming to remedy. As explained in our yearlong guide to lawn care, regular effective mowing is vital for a healthy, beautiful lawn. When Should You Sharpen Lawn Mower Blades? A dulled lawn mower blade can cause a range of issues in your garden, even putting your grass at risk of disease. It’s essential then to ensure the consistent upkeep of your lawn mower, sharpening its blade regularly. In this guide from Sims Garden Machinery, we’ll take a look through the reasons you need to sharpen a lawn mower, the frequency with which you should look to sharpen, and the techniques for sharpening the blades of various lawn mower designs. This can help you to maintain an effective lawn mower, and a clean, healthy garden. Why Do You Need to Sharpen Your Lawn Mower Blades? To sharpen by hand, first clean your blade, removing all dirt and cut grass debris. Clamp the blade within a vice. You should use a flat hand file to sharpen it, moving from the inside of the sharp edge to the outside. Maintain the current angle of the blade, which is likely to be around 45°. You should be looking to have a shiny, clean edge to your blade. It does not need to be especially sharp, with a butter knife representing a suitable level. Once you have done the first side, flip the blade over and sharpen the other. When both sides are sharpened, balance the blade over its centre, ensuring that it is evenly balanced. If not, you’ll need to sharpen further on one side to restore the balanceIf you own an impact wrench of just about any type, your fight will likely be a short one. Provided that the bolt is not stripped, that is. Simply slap on the right-sized adapter, and you’re good to go. Hold the chisel in place and tap it with the hammer to dig into the bolt and, if successful, loosen it. Option 6: Weld An Additional Bolt There are several different types of lawn mower blades, with rotary being the most common. Other options will be for various types of cylindrical mowers, like reel mowers and manual lawn mowers. There will be a slightly different method to sharpen both of these. Always Remove the Spark Plug Finally, with your spark plug disconnected and liquids drained, you can go ahead and tilt the mower.

The final thing you want to do before fighting with the bolt is to take a steel-wire brush and get that bolt as clean as possible. Firstly, lubricate the bolt with WD40 before tightening it (I suggest regular lubrication after that). With the preparation out the way, you are ready to work through the list of options to get the bolt free. Option 1: Use An Impact Wrench Almost all lawnmowers will come with specifications on how tight a blade bolt must be.That being said, most blade bolts are over-tightened. Draining the fuel and oil before fighting with the bolt frees you to position the mower in the most comfortable and efficient position. 3. Clean The BoltIf even the vice grip option fails, and you have a pretty severely stripped bolt head on your hands, you can try using a hammer and a chisel. Mower Express| Spares and accessories for gardening machinery Cobra Spares And Accessories Cobra Lawnmowers Spare Blades