New mower blades or just sharpen them?

[Rob 80]

Here's one of mine this one has 3 summers worth of grass cutting. I don't have a wheel grinder and i'm not sure how hard it would be to get them balanced. They are $15 each new and a cheap wheel grinder is around $50 so buying 3 blades would cover a wheel grinder plus a balance tool.

 

[/pine]

IMO...from the picture...they should not be difficult to sharpen with just a good file...no need for a knife edge 1/32" blunt edge is recommended for most grasses...

 

[newbury]

A wheel grinder is a handy tool to have. I sharpen my lawn mower blades about once or twice a year, my machetes occasionally, and sometimes use the brush side for paint removal.
But then my wheel grinder was passed down from my Grandfather, so it has sentimental value.

 

[BubbaJr]

I just use a big file on mine, then check the balance. If you take an equal number of strokes on each side, most likely you will not alter the balance. Been doing that since 2001, works every time, and dosen't cost anything.

 

[jaxs]

The blade pictured does not need sharpening. With all the sticks and rocks I hit,I sharpen at first of season most years and get 5 years use unless I hit the curb or water meter:muttering: and bend the blade. I use the 4.5" angle grinder.

 

[newbury]

I've been sharpening mower blades since about 1970, sometimes a blade will have a significant nick where it hit a stone. When I'm done getting it sharp I'll set it on a pencil to check balance and occasionally have had to take a little extra off the other side.

 

[dashline]

I always sharpen and I have always used a file only until this year. I watched a show on PBS where they were done both ways and the grinder took about 5 minutes with finishing with a file. I really liked that over my 20 to 25 minutes of file time. Then again maybe I don't sharpen often enough.

 

[Blondie70]

Angle grinders are dirt cheap. Go to a pawn shop and look. The Chinese ones will last a few weeks !!! if lucky...ha ha. Drive a nail in a post and put blade thru blade hole on nail...easy to check balance....grind the heavy one down until balance is good. No knife edge needed on blades...sharpen at 45* angle.
Good Luck !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
PS...I sharpen my rotary mower blades on the mower every few months. I like'em sharp.

 

[4570Man]

A HF grinder is like $15. They probably suck but if you spend 10 minuets grinding blades every 3 years it’ll probably last a lifetime.

 

[chim]

As mentioned, that blade doesn't look too bad. I do keep mine sharpened, and have at least two sets for each deck. That way there's always a sharp set ready to install if I'm in a hurry.

My favorite method is with a flap disc on an angle grinder. Of course, the wheel rotation should be so the abrasive travels toward the sharp edge. Otherwise the sharp edge can make short work of the disc. The flap disc makes it easy to get a nice smooth surface without the gouges a hard wheel can produce. A final very light touch to remove burrs and check for balance. I use one of those cheap stepped cone tools.

 

[zoltanthegypsy]

I can't believe the OP is passing up a chance to buy a new tool :laughing:

I went with a modestly-priced bench grinder with a stand - so I can use it outside and not get all the metal dross on the garage floor. Serves me well, and my GR blades go many seasons if sharpened once per.

 

[justoldjoe]

I have a grinder I used if the blades get a nick from our abundant rocks, then finish it off with a file. Several years ago my belt sander just happen to be on the work table and I have not gone back to using anything else since then. I have two Kubota mmm decks, two push mowers and a 42" bush hog. The belt sander is perfect for everything. It does a perfect job and certainly saves time.

 

[4570Man]

Blades don’t need to be razor sharp. A grinder is plenty good enough. A file touch up isn’t needed.

 

[tjkubota93]

I have a grinder I used if the blades get a nick from our abundant rocks, then finish it off with a file. Several years ago my belt sander just happen to be on the work table and I have not gone back to using anything else since then. I have two Kubota mmm decks, two push mowers and a 42" bush hog. The belt sander is perfect for everything. It does a perfect job and certainly saves time.

Same situation, have bench grinder. Belt sander was out. Belt sander is really good for sharpening mower blades. Check out the horrible fright belt/disc sander. I have an old crapsman (same thing). You will wonder what you did without it!

 

[Fuddy1952]

What works for me best is I put blade in vice upside down first. I use a 9" grinder , 80 grit paper to lightly sand backside flat.
Flip over, lightly sharpen cutting edge.
I use an inexpensive balancer like this.
The grinder takes off very little material so it can be sharpened a lot.

 

[denchen]

Like others I use a 4 1/2 inch angle grinder, but I don`t bother to balance them or take them off the machine, I just guess at taking the same off them all. As for the blade in the picture, I would leave it, it looks OK.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Here's one of mine this one has 3 summers worth of grass cutting. I don't have a wheel grinder and i'm not sure how hard it would be to get them balanced. They are $15 each new and a cheap wheel grinder is around $50 so buying 3 blades would cover a wheel grinder plus a balance tool.

View attachment 571988

Your yard must be about 10 square feet if you got 3 seasons on that blade. Mine will look like that after one mowing due to all the rocks and crawfish/ant mounds that I have to mow over plus I mow over 6 acres so that is a lot of grass to cut .
I wouldn't sharpen it yet if I were you unless you already have it off the mower, then just a little touch up on the last couple of inches should do it.

I do have some files, but they aren't used to sharpen anything. I cant believe anyone with a mower doesn't have a 4.5" grinder. They are such a handy tool. With cutoff wheels, they can be used for cutting off steel or with abrasive wheels, sharpening/shaping etc. A harbor freight 4.5" grinder can be had for under $30 for the top of the line model with paddle switch. For lawnmower blades, I like to use the sandpaper grit wheels (some folks call them "tiger paws") rather than a hard abrasive wheel. It gives a smoother surface and doesn't gouge like a hard wheel can but sharpens very fast. I would use a hard abrasive wheel if I was working on a bush hog blade since you would need to remove a lot of metal.

 

[Rob 80]

Your yard must be about 10 square feet if you got 3 seasons on that blade. Mine will look like that after one mowing due to all the rocks and crawfish/ant mounds that I have to mow over plus I mow over 6 acres so that is a lot of grass to cut .
I wouldn't sharpen it yet if I were you unless you already have it off the mower, then just a little touch up on the last couple of inches should do it.

I do have some files, but they aren't used to sharpen anything. I cant believe anyone with a mower doesn't have a 4.5" grinder. They are such a handy tool. With cutoff wheels, they can be used for cutting off steel or with abrasive wheels, sharpening/shaping etc. A harbor freight 4.5" grinder can be had for under $30 for the top of the line model with paddle switch. For lawnmower blades, I like to use the sandpaper grit wheels (some folks call them "tiger paws") rather than a hard abrasive wheel. It gives a smoother surface and doesn't gouge like a hard wheel can but sharpens very fast. I would use a hard abrasive wheel if I was working on a bush hog blade since you would need to remove a lot of metal.

actually it's 3 acres, i have a HF near buy so i can just buy a grinder will any HF metal wheel do the job?

I know nothing about blades so i have no idea how it should look if you sharpen it. Do i need to get rid of all the little nicks? Does it need to be a nice straight edge?

That is just the end blade i think the center blade will look worse i'm always mowing dirt since it likes to scalp the yard.

It has not been cutting so good so maybe the deck is just clogged up.

 

[SDT]

Here's one of mine this one has 3 summers worth of grass cutting. I don't have a wheel grinder and i'm not sure how hard it would be to get them balanced. They are $15 each new and a cheap wheel grinder is around $50 so buying 3 blades would cover a wheel grinder plus a balance tool.

View attachment 571988

I bought my B1750HSDT and 60" mower new in the spring of 1993. I'm currently on my second set of blades but the original ones are still OK. I changed to high vacuum blades several years ago.

For over 20 years I sharpened the blades with a file. I still sharpen the walk behind trimming mower blade with a file.

I would usually go through a file each season sharpening the 4 blades and good files have become expensive and hard to find so last year I let my dealer sharpen/balance the 3 Kubota blades for me. He charged me $20. A decent 12" mill file costs around $15.

The pictured blade should be sharpened but need not be replaced.

I've been mowing for over 60 years with various equipment and have never balanced a blade in my life.

SDT

 

[MitchellB]

The way I do it on our riding mower now, is when I think it is time to sharpen the blades, I replace the old blades with new blades. And quickly get the mower back in service. Then, later I resharpen the old blades in my spare time. When the new ones I installed are ready to be sharpened, I simply swap out the dull blades with the old sharpened blades I kept as backup. Once again I sharpen the ones I just remove later so they are ready to do a quick change when needed. This way I always have a set of sharp blades ready to install when needed. If the dull blades I just removed are beyond there usefulness, I just order a new blade or blades over the internet (usually cheaper than buying local), but my mower has got a fresh set of sharp blades on it while I wait on new ones to arrive or sharpen the old ones. Granted, it does not take long to sharpen blades, but once I'm under the mower, I can change out the blades pretty quickly and be off mowing instead of taking the extra time to sharpen blades or worse, be forced to run to the store to buy a replacement blade I did not realize was damaged or worn beyond repair until took it off.