Resharpen or Replace

[Hughman]

Same here... This thread is a prime example of how "we are many, and varied". To each his own!
I occasionally cut some wild patterns in my lawn which gives the neighbors something to talk about.View attachment 3497301

When we bought our current place, I mowed a giant peace sign in one of the uncut pastures (about 1 ac in size). Kept it mowed that way long enough for Google satellite to snap a good picture.

 

[Oaktree]

I occasionally cut some wild patterns in my lawn which gives the neighbors something to talk about.

Looks like you have way more free time than I do.

 

[RayIN]

I sharpen my lawn mower (ZTR) blades with my 4" angle grinder; don't balance them but once a season.
The original 2002 blades lasted until 2023 cutting 1.5A. I don't mow rocks or sticks so the blade ends stay relatively square. Sharpening istructions say to sharpen the tip if it get rounded, as the rounded edge cuts too.
One of the hardest things on a nice lawn is to mow with dull blades. Instead of a clean cut, dull blades rip grass, which stunts the plants; stunting allows weed growth to out-pace grass growth, as does cutting grass to less than 4" high.

 

[RjCorazza]

I sharpen my lawn mower (ZTR) blades with my 4" angle grinder; don't balance them but once a season.
The original 2002 blades lasted until 2023 cutting 1.5A. I don't mow rocks or sticks so the blade ends stay relatively square. Sharpening istructions say to sharpen the tip if it get rounded, as the rounded edge cuts too.
One of the hardest things on a nice lawn is to mow with dull blades. Instead of a clean cut, dull blades rip grass, which stunts the plants; stunting allows weed growth to out-pace grass growth, as does cutting grass to less than 4" high.

The problem from a landscaper's perspective is that most clients want their grass cut (scalped) very short, thinking it looks better and will require fewer cuts during the season. For tall fescue lawns prevalent in the northeast, I compromise and cut the "scalpers" at 3.75", and a few others at 4-4.25" that have nice lawns. Customers that insist on scalped lawns below 3.75" just get dropped... I have a waiting list of customers that are tired of substandard service.

 

[Duds13]

Mow high, mow often

 

[JJT]

I mow three acres once a week for about 26 weeks. No sand here and no stones to hit.

I sharpen and balance the blades every fall with a 4" angle grinder during the annual maintenance.

A set of blades last me 3 - 4 years.

 

[careyo63]

Sounds the same here but more Wks. 32 on average. Using just 1 blade and a big one I can understand. Yrs. using 3 blades and They all seem to wear pretty much the same. The lift bend is what wears and I use a bench grinder and get a perfect cut sharpening them. Couple passes unless I chipped it. Not much to checking it so I may do that come the end of the Yr.. Fall and the end of leaf season here!

 

[dodge man]

I sharpened mine today, a 60” mid mount on a JD 2025r. I have it set up for mulching and the left side sticks out past the wheels more than the right. The left side blade is noticeably more worn than the right side. I’m not sure if that’s because when I mow along the edge of the trees I do it with the left side and hit stuff? I also noticed the tips are rounded, just the last half inch or less. I probably need new ones but I’ll make them last longer.

 

[careyo63]

Mid mount on a craftsman GT. Garden Tractor, which had 3 blades also, The last blade which is the last side discharge and always was worn more than the other. The two furthest had the least and the last caught all the clippings from the others plus it was cutting also. and then out the side. Plus Cut rows on high grass. I gave up on repairs in a few Yrs.. The Aluminum deck plain worn out so it was parked and replaced. Unless it was a subdivision house etc.. that would be understandable. 1/4 acre on average if that

 

[hube2]

On my old lawn tractor I used to just replace them every year, at the time I could get a complete set of blades for under $40 and one set a year was enough, I was probably using them long after they really needed to be sharpened.

A set of blades for my MMM on my tractor run $140 now and will likely go up. I can't just throw away that kind of money every time the blades get dull and they really need to be sharpened more than once a year because of what I mow. The MMM on my tractor is more like a bush hog than a mower, I cut through stuff that I would never have thought of doing with my old mower. I have 3 sets of blades that I rotate and I change out the blades multiple times a season. The oldest set is 5 years old and still doing fine.