Getting a new mower is a wonderful experience, especially if you made the purchase when your old mower struggled to get through your lawn.
A new mower is a fresh start with new blades, an engine, and a fresh handlebar (for push mowers.)
However, you can get into such a habit of sharpening your mower blades that you can be thrown off by having a fresh mowing blade.
Don’t know what to do? That’s okay, we will discuss what you need to know about sharpening blades and what to do with a fresh blade.
Do New Mower Blades Need to be Sharpened?
When you get a new mower, everything in its machinery is fresh and new. There isn’t any tune-up, repairs, or adjustments that you need to do right off the bat. With that said, new mower blades don’t need to be sharpened.
A new mower will come with blades that have been pre-sharpened, so they are ready to go as soon as you receive your new mower.
If you buy blade replacements, they will also be readily sharpened so all you have to do is install them into your mower.
Getting a new blade is a very little work, just install it into your mower and you are good to go.
When Do I Need to Sharpen My Mower Blades?
After you have had your new mower blades for a while and have been consistently using them, you will need to sharpen them regularly.
Over time, mower blades will dull and you won’t be able to cut grass as well with them. You’ll skip spots, bend the grass, or even damage your mower further by improper cutting.
How often you will need to sharpen your mower blades will depend on how big your yard is.
The more you mow, the more often you will need to sharpen the blade. If your yard is average-sized, you’ll need to sharpen your blade at the start of every season.
If your yard is large and you do a lot of mowing, be prepared to sharpen your blade at least twice per season.
When you are mowing, if you notice that the grass is simply not cutting as well anymore, that’s a good sign that your blade needs to be sharpened.
The video above does a pretty good job at demonstrating the signs that your lawn gives when you need to sharpen your mower blade.
You also get a demonstration of making your mower fresh and clean like it is a new mower.
Will I Ever Need to Replace My Mower Blades?
While it isn’t a common need, there will come a time when you will have to replace your mower blades.
If you are someone who gets a new mower every few years, you probably won’t come across the need to get new blades.
A good mower will last you many years. This can mean that your blades will go before the rest of your mower does.
If that happens, there is no need to worry. Many hardware stores or specialty shops will sell new mower blades that you can install into your mower.
You should replace your blade every few years, especially every 3-4 years. Of course, the more you have to sharpen your blade the more frequently you’ll have to replace them.
No matter what, listen to what your mower is telling you. If it needs new blades, you are sure to know.
How Do I Sharpen a New Lawn Mower Blade?
Sharpening a lawn mower blade isn’t as difficult as some people might worry.
Removing the blade from the mower (which is always a good idea to practice blade safety) can be difficult when doing it for the first time, but it will come naturally over the years.
Your first step to sharpening the blade is to make sure that the mower is off and away from any power source. Remove the battery or the sparkplug, whichever your mower has.
Move the mower onto the side and remove the paneling that covers most of the blade.
To keep yourself safe, place a wooden block or some other material on the surface of the machine to prevent the blade from spinning.
Remove the nut that the blade is connecting to and carefully take out the blade. At this point, it is a good idea to clean out all the grass, dirt, and other debris from the inside of your mower.
Once the mower is cleaned, take a cloth and wipe down the debris from the blade. Again, be careful!.
To sharpen your blade, you’ll need a blade sharpener. You can find a list of good sharpeners on Amazon.
Bolt your mower blade into the sharpener (different sharpeners will have different instructions) and follow your sharpeners instructions for using it. Some are manual, which will have you turn the blade a few times, whereas others are automatic.
Once your blade is sharpened, balance it by making sure that the metal on each side is the same amount.
Do this through balancing methods to check for any wobbling. If there is no wobbling, bolt it to your mower and make sure that all nuts and screws are super tight.
For a more detailed how-to, watch this video which will also give you tool recommendations.
What Happens If My Blade Isn’t Tight or Unbalanced?
If you don’t refasten your mower blade properly, including making sure that it is balanced, you won’t be able to cut grass very well.
An unbalanced blade will wobble, being unable to cut straight lines and could cause damage to the interior of the mower.
Blades that aren’t fastened tight enough could dethatch and that can both be very dangerous to you and cause a lot of damage to your lawn mower.
Making sure that the blade is on correctly will protect you, your lawn, and your mower from any harm.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it Better to Sharpen or Replace the Mower Blade?
Whether it’s time to sharpen or replace a blade depends on how long you’ve had the blade and what damage the blade has sustained. For a few seasons, you should be fine to just sharpen the blade.
When you notice that your mower blade isn’t cutting grass right no matter how many times you sharpen it or if there is any visible damage to the blade, then it’s time to replace it.
Mower blades are made to last. Don’t be so quick to spend your money and replace them with every small problem. Give your blade a chance through proper care and regular sharpening. Your mower blade should last you a decent amount of time.
Do New Mower Blades Need Balancing?
When you get a new mower blade, it should be already balanced and ready to go. However, it is never a bad idea to give the blade a quick balancing test just to make sure.
With the damage that can come from having an unbalanced blade, testing should be done just in case.
Is It Better to Mow Dry or Wet Grass?
When you want to keep your mowing blade in the best condition for the longest amount of time, knowing the proper mowing conditions is important.
To keep your blade lasting a long time, mow the grass when it’s dry.
Mowing wet grass can cause clumps of it to get stuck in the interior of your lawn mower or stuck between the blades. You will have to clean your mower out a lot more often as a dirty mower gives a clunkier and worse response.
Also, wet grass is harder to cut. It’s slippery and likes to bend. These challenges can make the blade on your mower dull a lot faster, making you have to go through more blades over time.
Keep your blade in top condition by making sure the grass is dry before you cut it.
Should Mulching Blades be Sharp?
Mulching blades are known for going through tougher materials than just grass, such as leaves, twigs, and other small materials.
Any mowing blade should be sharp before use, but mulching blades should be especially sharp so they can mow through all the debris.
If your mulching blade is dull, it will end up ripping apart your lawn before it won’t effectively be able to slice through the grass.
Final Thoughts
When you mow your lawn, it is always important to have a sharp blade. New blades don’t need to be sharpened because they arrive readily sharp. However, as time goes on, you will eventually have to sharpen your blade to keep it working properly.
Mowing with a dull blade will prevent you from being able to correctly cut your grass. This will make your lawn look patchy and will cause the grass to become yellow from stress.
Keep your lawn looking great and your mower working well by keeping the blade sharp. If you have any tips for keeping your mower in top condition, feel free to leave them in the comments.
