How Often Should You Sharpen Your Mower Blades?

To keep your mower blades in excellent condition, it’s essential to regularly inspect your lawn mower after use to make sure they’re still sharp and, most importantly, damage-free. If you notice your mower blades are damaged or looking dull, it may be time to sharpen them or think about replacing them entirely. Not sure if your blades need sharpening or replacing? Bushranger is here to help! 

How Often Should Lawn Mower Blades Be Replaced?

This depends greatly on a number of factors, such as what type of lawn mower you have, how often you use it and how regularly you maintain it. As a general rule of thumb, you should typically replace mower blades at least once per year. However, if your blades are damaged from hitting a hard object or worn out from frequent use, you should replace them as soon as possible. 

Mower blades can be easily dented, chipped or damaged from hitting objects such as small rocks or other debris so you should inspect your lawn mower blades regularly. Remember to wear proper safety equipment while inspecting, sharpening or replacing your mower blades!  

Signs You Need To Sharpen Or Replace Your Blades

Uneven Length Of Grass

If you look back at your lawn after a long mowing session and notice uneven patches or missed spots, you may need to sharpen your blades. Using dull blades and repeatedly going over areas of lawn requires much more effort and is time-consuming. Sharp blades help give your lawn an even look and require much less back and forth. 

Quality Of Mowing

After cutting, if your grass looks torn up rather than cleanly cut, this is a sign of dull blades. Cutting with worn blades not only wastes time but can also damage your grass’s health. It can affect the lushness, colour and feel of your lawn and potentially expose your grass to diseases. 

Blade Condition

Once you’re done mowing, you should get in the habit of checking your blades. During your session, you may have hit small rocks or debris that could chip or damage your blades. Also, keep an eye on the thickness of your blades since they can slowly erode over time, getting thinner and weaker. Finally, it’s important to check your blades as you don’t want them to break during use, which can be extremely dangerous for you and anyone around you.

Common Mistakes

• Sharpening too often: This can damage your blades and wear them down faster, so only sharpen them when needed. 
• Replacing instead of sharpening: Most blades can be sharpened 2-3 times before they’re too worn down to be used again 
• Fixing the blade in the wrong direction: Make sure to check you have the blade in the correct way before use 
• Not using safety equipment: It is essential to use safety equipment when dealing with power tools and mowers. The blades can be sharp and may injure you if not installed correctly. 

The Bottom Line

Keep checking your blades regularly and inspect the condition of your grass after mowing. This way, you’ll be able to spot any issues and get your mower fixed before any more damage occurs. Contact our friendly Bushranger staff today if you have more questions or want to know how to sharpen your mower blades. Happy mowing!