Home Depot offers lawn mower repair services at various locations across the country, but not all stores provide the same onsite repair capabilities. To maintain a riding lawn mower, follow these steps:
- Keep belts in good shape.
- Raise the mower deck at the beginning of the season and every month or so afterward to prevent damage.
- Discover common symptoms and causes, learn maintenance tips, and get answers to repair FAQs.
- Use DIY troubleshooting and videos to fix your lawn mower.
- Get the parts you need fast.
- Use their skilled technicians to handle various brands and models, including push mowers, self-propelled mowers, riding mowers, and zero mowers.
- The Home Depot offers a 90-day service guarantee on the work its technicians performed, and they will even help file warranty claims.
- The cost per year for the mower and service contract averaged out to about $500/year, but it sometimes took up to two months to complete.
- Most maintenance tasks for riding lawn mowers take less than one hour to complete and can make a noticeable difference.
- If you’re looking to do maintenance and upkeep on your lawn mower, Home Depot has the necessary parts and tools to keep it in top shape for years.
📹 Don’t sharpen your lawn mower blades! Do this instead!
The video explores the cost-effectiveness of replacing a dull lawnmower blade instead of sharpening it. The creator argues that replacing the blade is cheaper and easier than sharpening, especially for blades that are heavily chipped or damaged. The video also provides tips on how to properly install a new blade and the importance of using a torque wrench.
How to return mower to Home Depot?
The Home Depot offers free returns for most merchandise, even online purchases. To return, bring a copy of your receipt, shipping confirmation email, credit card, and valid ID. Returns are accepted within 90 days, unless the product is damaged by the customer or to prevent fraud or abuse. If the purchase was made with a Home Depot Consumer Credit Card, Pro Xtra Credit Card (Commercial Revolving Charge), or Commercial Account, you have 365 days to receive a full refund. Perennials, trees, roses, and shrubs have a 1-year guarantee and can be returned for store credit.
Can I return something to Home Depot after 2 years?
Home Depot offers a 90-day return policy for new items, with proof of purchase required. For purchases made with a Home Depot Consumer Credit Card, Home Depot Pro Xtra Credit Card, or Home Depot Commercial Account, the policy extends to 365 days. This policy allows customers to return items due to defects or buyer’s remorse. The policy also covers the duration of the return period, what qualifies and doesn’t, and the options for returning items. Home Depot also offers Labor Day Ryobi Tool Deals, with discounts of up to 65 percent on over 100 items, including batteries, combo kits, and individual tools.
The Ryobi One + HP 18V Brushless Cordless Compact 1/2″ Drill and Impact Driver Kit is available for $129 with a $50 savings. Bag free shipping is available on orders of $35 or in-store pickup is available.
What riding mowers have the least problems?
Kubota has been ranked as the only brand to receive top scores in Consumer Reports’ new riding-mower predicted reliability and owner satisfaction ratings for 2024. The brand excels in these attributes for both its gas lawn tractors and zero-turn-radius mowers. Kubota, a newcomer to CR’s surveys, replaces longtime leader John Deere in lawn-tractor reliability. Martin Lachter, the research program leader at Consumer Reports, says Kubota sets the new bar in lawn-tractor reliability.
What is the average cost to tune-up a lawn mower?
The typical cost range for lawn mower service includes cleaning air filters, oil changes, blade sharpening, and cleaning cooling fins. For a reel mower, the cost is $10 to $50, while gas push mowers range from $25 to $70. Self-propelled mowers cost between $30 to $97, and riding mowers range from $92 to $223. Regular tune-ups and repairs are crucial for optimal performance and longevity of your lawn mower. Understanding the services needed and their typical costs is essential for addressing issues like dull blades, damaged spark plugs, and engine and carburetor issues.
Can I return a riding mower to Lowes?
The company offers a 30-day return policy for various items, including TVs, electronics, outdoor power equipment, water heaters, air conditioners, liquid paint, and holiday items. These items must be returned within 30 days of receiving the product and must be unused and in original, unopened, undamaged, factory-sealed packaging. Holiday items must be returned on or before the holiday day, and nonrefundable items include labor and installation charges, delivery and/or Lowes.
Com shipping charges, in-store credits, refund cards, and gift cards. Safety masks or facial coverings are no longer accepted for return or exchange. Highway trailers and as-is merchandise are also excluded from the return policy.
What items cannot be returned to Home Depot?
Home Depot offers a return policy for various items, including gift cards, store credit, whole house generators, utility trailers, cut flowers, product samples, and custom products. The policy allows customers to return items due to defects or buyer’s remorse. The policy outlines the duration of the return period, what qualifies and doesn’t qualify, and the considerations to make. Home Depot also offers Labor Day Ryobi Tool Deals, with over 100 options discounted, including batteries, combo kits, and individual tools.
The Ryobi One + HP 18V Brushless Cordless Compact 1/2″ Drill and Impact Driver Kit is available for $129 with a $50 savings. Bag free shipping is available on orders of $35 or in-store pickup is available to avoid the shipping fee.
Is it worth repairing a lawn mower?
The cost of repairing a lawn mower can vary depending on the specific issue. Small repairs like batteries, spark plugs, or belts can be worth the cost, while larger repairs like engine or hydraulics can be costly. A lawn mower’s expected lifespan is around 450-500 hours, and if a large issue occurs, it’s more important to consider replacing it. To extend the lawn mower’s lifespan, routine service and maintenance are essential.
Key steps include changing the oil, cleaning the air filter, using the mower consistently, keeping blades sharpened, maintaining belts, checking and replacing spark plugs, and properly maintaining the battery. By following these guidelines, you can extend the lifespan of your lawn mower and ensure its continued use.
What is the average lifespan of a riding lawn mower?
The average lifespan of a well-maintained riding lawn mower is 10 to 15 years. Factors influencing this lifespan include frequency of use, maintenance practices, storage conditions, and the quality of the mower. Regular service and smooth terrain are more likely to last longer. However, individual experiences may vary, and factors like extreme weather conditions, rough terrain usage, and the overall build quality can also impact the mower’s lifespan. Overall, the longevity of a riding lawn mower depends on its proper maintenance and storage conditions.
What brand of lawn mower is the most reliable?
A survey by Consumer Reports found that Murray and Troy-Bilt push mowers are more reliable than Toros, while gas-powered self-propelled mowers are suitable for bigger jobs. Husqvarna and Snapper are considered the least reliable self-propelled brands. Honda is a reliable brand, and choosing from a more dependable brand increases the chances of a long-lasting mower, according to Consumer Reports’ Peter Sawchuk.
What is included in a riding mower tune-up?
The Briggs and Stratton Fresh Start fuel stabilizer is a crucial component in the engine tune-up process for riding mowers. The process, which typically takes 30 minutes, can improve the engine’s start, run better, and reduce emissions by up to 50%. The do-it-yourself kit from Briggs and Stratton simplifies the process, making it easier for the user to perform the tune-up, which is typically performed once a year.
📹 WHICH GAS LAWN MOWERS TO BUY AT HOME DEPOT IN 2024 (And Ones To AVOID)
This video reviews five gas-powered lawn mowers available at Home Depot, including models from Murray, Honda, and Toro. The reviewer discusses the pros and cons of each mower, highlighting features like engine size, cutting width, and ease of use. They also offer tips for choosing a mower and maintaining it for optimal performance.
I use a 12″ mill file to sharpen my blade. It takes about 10 strokes to sharpen each side of the blade. A decent file is under $10, and mine came with a lifetime exchange warranty. If you end up having a few rock chips in the blade a grinder might be a bit better, but using a flap disk is recommended over a hard grinding wheel. You can damage a blade VERY quickly with a standard wheel. I can have the blade off, sharpened, and back on before I could make it to a hardware store to buy a blade. My current blade is about 5 years old, and I sharpen it about twice per year. No matter how you end up with a sharp blade on your mower, your lawn, and your lawnmower will love you for it.
Key thing to remember when grinding your blade to sharpen it, is do both sides evenly and balance the blade. This is easy to detect too. Put the blade down with a round pencil or something (a round dowel or pipe will do too) dead center of the blade and make sure it doesn’t fall to one side and kind of floats on the pencil, while resting on a flat surface, like a table, the floor etc. If it falls on one side, grind a little more on that heavy side. Only do a few strokes at a time if unbalanced and recheck, because sometimes you only need to remove a little material to get it back balanced . And you don’t want to overdo it and send the blade unbalanced the opposite way. This will help your motor bearings in the long run, because an unbalanced blade spinning at high speed like that will vibrate the mower and ruin the bearings.
Agreed, replacing is a good solution versus sending out to be sharpened. Got an Ego mower from someone used and the blade was totally rock chipped. Bought a $20 grinder at Walmart and the thing now cuts through light brush like butter. I will buy a new blade soon but they were special order and $35 – $45 so this was a good option. Wear gloves when you remove the blade!
I hand sharpen with a flat file 3-4 times a year. No chance of overheating the edge and ruining the heat treating of the blade. Seems to hold an edge longer, and less steel is removed with each sharpening. I get it much sharper than new with a file. It is easier to do it on my old Toro’s straight blade than my Honda’s HRX’s blades that have some curves in them. Flat files don’t work very well on a curved blade. A round file may be needed
I buy a new blade every season. In zone 6 we mow maybe 24 times a season. New blade cuts as well as a sharpened blade. Does your new mower blade seem dull? When buying a new mower blade, the immediate thought is that it needs to be sharp. Yet this isn’t the case. Brand new lawn mower blades should actually be used as they are. They aren’t dull – instead they cut slower and last longer. The edge is sharp enough to roughly last for 25 hours of mowing and is dull enough so that the blade won’t get easily damaged by roots and rocks. If a mower blade has a super sharp edge, it would bend over in the first 5 minutes of mowing! If a rock is hit with a hyper-sharp blade, it will bend the edge which makes it much less effective. Once used for a minimum of 25 hours, then it’s advised to check the blade. If it’s still mowing well and there are no damages, keep mowing beyond this. If it does have some nicks and damages, sharpen the blade.
New blades are usually not very sharp out of the box, if you sharpen it with a grinder and a 120 grit flap disc you can grind out the chips unless they are really bad. Put a nail in the wall to use as a rudimentary balancer so you can check how much material you have removed from each side and you should be fine. Or take it to your local garden machinery shop, we charge £13 to sharpen and balance a blade. We torque them up to 45nm when refitting them to the machine ✌️
I would recommend DIY sharpening if your blade is in relative good condition, I paid like 20 bucks for a chorded black and decker angle grinder, 8 bucks for the oregon balancer, and thats it. Take the blades off, sharpen, back on. BUT my blades are in relative good condition, only a few small dings. If your blade looks like brahs, replace that shit fr
It’s impossible to buy new blades all the time if you own a decent lawn business. I’d have to pay $350 every two weeks to replace the blades on my 3 mowers. Now if this is just for a home owner it might make more since. Plus if you know how to sharpen blades properly you’ll get most the nicks out. But, as always, to each their own. Good article.
For anyone who just likes to sharpen and extend the use of the blade, If you have Dewalt tools, I just purchased their electric die grinder; the small roloc discs are perfect size for sharpening mower blades. I use 120 grit discs. I also use the die grinder to sharpen blades of my rotary scissors and bought a couple of carbide tips to put in the die grinder to sharpen my chain saw….Just a thought for those who just like getting a little more out of the blades on their equipment.
lmao…I appreciate the smile this vid gave me. I was waiting for some new revolutionary method and my man says…buy a new one lol. I happen to have a bench grinder in the shop so it’s what I use but for those who don’t have a grinder of any kind, it’s great advice to keep from spending the same money on someone sharpening a used blade.
Brand new (unless boxed or wrapped) blades are DULL hanging there on the hook at the store for liability reasons. Beginners just buy the $15 HF angle grinder, then ditch the wheel it comes with for a $7.75 (my city) Rapidgrind* ceramic hybrid grinding disc. In almost 40 years, the best disc I’d ever ran across for doing mower blades. Literally cuts grinding time probably 60+% quicker and runs cool. Then buy an inexpensive $8 ‘cone’ type balancer, and for slightly more then the price of one brand new ‘dull’ blade from the store, your set up to sharpen. Skip the torque wrench cost for doing the blade bolt, unless your doing an engine overhaul too, and just muscle the blade tight like you would lug nuts on steel wheels. Or spend your torque wrench money on a corded 1/2″ impact at HF when they’re sale for $39.99. Now you just spent your torque wrench money for a tool with much usability. But merely giving newbie advice for the upstart wanting to do some DYI. Cheers…..
Nicely put. That blade was spent. As far as your grinder review, I’ll add this lesson (from Dad, of course). Buy a 2nd blade to swap them out and swap them out regularly. Just sharpen the dull blade using a metal file (Yup, a file. 40+ years later, I still have the file he gave me that day). Check the balance of the blade (mower will shake if blade is unbalanced. Been there. Done that.) using either a nail in the wall with a level line marked on the wall OR just use the $1 level tool. Lawnmower blades are not rocket science! Also, I replaced the block of wood with an Arnold blade tool. Very easy, inexpensive and works great!
Living in NW Arkansas I have been plagued with an armadillo problem. They sneak onto the property and in a search for food dig up fist size rocks, I guess in a effort to help the lawnmower service companies and box stores sales. I can’t mow my lawn without dinging up my blade every mowing. After the initial cost of a grinder and disk for it the resharpening of the blade is quick and easy. A blade balance checker is a cheap investment also, however a nail or screw driven into the edge of your workbench can also be used to balance your blade for round holed blades. Of the dozens of times I have awakened to pop an armadillo after dark, I have only been sucessful one time even seeing one. Fortunately I was able to get back to sleep after the adrenalin rush after a few hours. Happy mowing.
Hey yardbrah, i am a millwright by trade and in terms of torqueing bolts you dont want to “over torque” to be safe. I know its only a couple extra ft-lbs but its still over torqued. also you only want to click the wrench one time, every click after the first has a potential to over torque. This matters more when im torqueing robots down to 1500 ftlbs but just good practice.
It’s best to use a bench grinder 55 bucks at Harbor Freight (and if useful for many DIY projects) because you should balance the blade after sharpening a 3/4 inch diameter 4 inch long piece of dowel rod works well for that! However when you do it for a business it’s another write off on your taxes to replace them!
I have 2 angle plug in 10,000 rpm grinders…first one i bought from hdepot a makita for $85 40 years ago…still works amazing, the second one i bought 8 years ago from hf for $15 or 20…amazing also…i have grinding and metal and concrete cut cutting blades…i can’t tell you all the jobs and projects i have used these tools on…
You can dang near buy a new blade for that price. If you have a file, just dress up the edge every few cuts or so. What I HATE are those plastic wheels. They wear out quickly, wobble, drag, etc. Just buy a CORDED grinder. home depot has ryobi corded grinder for $50. If you go through all that trouble, you might as well wash and wax the mower deck, underneath and on top. Some mowers do not have an oil drain plug. You might want to tip the mower and drain the old oil then refill.
Not all blades come from the store sharp enough to mow with and still need to be sharpened. Harbor freight has an angle grinder for $15 and flap disks for like $5.00. I also have two blades. One on the mower and one sharp and ready to replace the full one then I sharpen later. I change out the blade no less than 3 times a year.
My yard bro. 1st of all if you go under your mower deck clean it for the love of every thing holy. Second even new blades aint very sharp. I got this nifty tool called the all american sharpener and it does a fantastic job getting them blades sharp its not that hard but its easier to just replace. Do the math if its worth to you just replacing them every year go for it
What, you go to Harbor Freight and get yourself a grinder for $20.00 (if you have a coupon, you can get one for $10). That chip is not that bad. Throwing away good blades that need sharpened isn’t very environmental or resourceful. Also it’s always a rule of thumb is check your hard for large sticks and rocks before you mow. Come on bro. But then again, I don’t drive a new BMW with brown leather. I am poor boy that owns a 2002 self-propelled Lawnboy. 😀😀😀
7:03 Heyyyyyyy tell me you’ve been to Germany one way or another. You must have been ! Nobody’s says “Gut, gut, gut” like that without having visited Germany ! I’m currently in Germany after leaving the US, but I’ve been here before. I’m a dual citizen of Spain and USA. Much love my friend, you deserve so many more subscribers ♥️ 🇩🇪 🇪🇸 🇺🇸
I sharpen the blade of my mower entirely differently. First, I peen the edge of the blade on an anvil with a peening hammer to thin the blade and cold work the steel. Then I use two grits of whetstone to hone the blade. The last step is to strop the blade with an aluminum rod. You might be scratching your head, but when I tell you that my mower is a scythe and the blade is honed to be as sharp as a razor it may make some sense. Honestly, my Austrian style scythe from Scythe Supply in Maine made me enjoy cutting the lawn again.
I have nine blades for my mower; and I’ve been sharpening them since 2020. There in very rough shape now. I just bought six more blades for thirteen dollars each at Outdoor Power Equipment. So these three blades on the sixty-one inch deck will need sharpening in three weeks. Sharpen them with Mill Bastard files until they’re too far gone. And yes; then just replace them.
Yeah…if you are a single mom or like throwing money away!!..unless your blade is severely bent you can sharpen a mower blade 10+ times. Most people can spend $25 on a cheap or used grinder and save enough money on blades to buy another cheap ass mower. My Honda push mower has 2 blades my Cub Cadet zero turn has 3 blades…buying new blades would be crazy. Sharpening/balancing a residential lawnmower blade isn’t rocket science….its not like back lapping, grinding, or setting/adjusting bed knife to reel clearance on a greens mower. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THAT LAWN MOWER BLADE CARL?”
Unless you have a landscape company or a need for stationary grinders, angle grinders are $50-$100, way more versatile but stationary mounted grinders are what actual shops use. Also, a huge tip is even though that edge loons like a quarter of an inch in width, you only need to grind and sharpen the very edge. This will make one blade last a lifetime. Remember to straight grind the top too. 😊
Using an angle grinder has always seemed intimidating to me, so I got grinding stone attachments for a dremel I already owned. New dremels are comparably priced to the cheaper angle grinders. I sharpen my blade every week replacing it each season, and using the dremel (i have a corded 4000 with the pen wand attachment) makes this really easy, and is pretty affordable (especially if you can afford an angle grinder). Not to mention the additional versatility that the dremel offers in tons of other projects for which an angle grinder would be pretty inaccessible. I strongly recommend. I made a jig that allows me to sharpen the same angle, making this process highly sustainable and repeatable for me. It takes me more than a year to go through a single grinding stone attachment, though when I was still getting the hang of it, I went through them a little faster- approximately 1 per year. Once you know how to sharpen your blade, you can determine if something like an angle grinder (which for me would be an expensive single-purpose tool, only for sharpening the lawnmower blade) would be suitable for your tool collection.
The first angle grinder I bought was a cheap HF grinder. It got a lot of use over a couple of years. We run Dewalt angle grinders now that we do a lot of metal work. I only replace blades when they get bent and hardly ever sharpen them.. When ever I install a sharp blade, I wrap one end of the blade with a heavy shop rag and hold on to it and stay away from the other sharp end of the blade. That way you have positive control of the blade and don’t have to worry about the block falling out and the blade flipping around due to the compression of the engine.
First of all, a company cannot charge you tax on labor, any job that consists of labor only, with no parts, they cannot charge tax, tax is only for products, not labor. Secondary, I always wondered how much longer the blade would last if you heat up the cutting edge, and dump it in oil, to harden the cutting edge, if it would last much longer, and stay sharper between lawn cuts? 😎👍
Was just about to write you about the Harbor Freight Grinders when u Started the HF Pitch! Yep…with a Cord as Batteries are a Climate Change/Chinese Scam…I don’t like sending them $200 when most of the tools I use can be just a easily used as Corded. I do have Cordless Drills, but no Skill Saws, ect…Good article.
Sounds reasonable. I bought a used self propelled Honda Commercial Micro-Cut Mulching Mower with two blades on it. Called around town to see who sharpens them. None can as they cannot balance these blades. They do not have a central hub, but have two bolt holes that attach to the clutch assembly. And no place here carries these mulching blades. As for mower maintenance, none will touch an older mower. Oh, and none here will work on any Sears equipment either. It still runs great.
I would think that if you are the type of lawn owner who watches articles from this and similar website, mowing the lawn will be a frequent activity you engage in and with that, your mower blade will get dulled pretty quickly; especially so during spring for cool season grasses as they tend to develop seed heads that are very stalky and dulls your blade quickly. So buying a new blade everything it is dulled or chipped will not be very economical in the long run. IMO you’re much better off to get a angle grinder, a flap disc and finally a blade balancer. They are very cheap, if you go with a corded grinder they can be had for les than $20 at harbor freight. For blade replacement, I use a impact driver. Its a lawn mower, not a collectible race car, you don’t have to baby it. This is also where an electric mower has an advantage, they’re lighter and easy to deal with; simply eject the battery, flip the mower on its side, some like the EGO also has an area for you insert a screw driver to prevent the blade from spinning, then just use the impact to remove/attach the blade.
This is the first time that I have visited you on YouTube. Your lawn is beautiful. Your suggestion of getting a new blade when the old blade is chipped and dull is excellent and helpful for those who do not have the tools to properly resharpen the blade. I am thankful that I will be able to visit your web site often, Thanks for the suggestion.
Yeah, I bought the $15 HF Angle Grinder, which crapped out after a few sharpings. I then purchased a corded PORTER-CABLE Angle Grinder at Lowes for $40. I use this mainly for a 52″ zero turn and sharpen my it’s 3 blades a few times a year. This is also used infrequently for shovels, etc. BTW I’m using a flap disk on the angle grinder.
To each their own man. I DO agree, swapping out the old blades for new blades beats the task of taking them to a shop to be sharpened, waiting a week or two (I’ve never waited more than 20 minutes) and get charged $20 for a $20 blade brand new. So if you fall into that category – yeah… just replace them. For ME… I picked up a $60 grinder and practiced on old blades (like another viewer stated) until I got the feel of it, and could mimic the angle of the factory angles to the best of my ability. Just make sure you have a way to check your blades balance – as putting an unbalanced blade on your mower can cause havoc down the road. $60 grinder and you can extend your $20 blade 8 to 10x ($150 – $200) Or spend the money on new ones. Again, it’s up to the owners discretion.. but it seems counter productive to toss out blades or deem them worthless after 20 – 30 hours of cutting.
Hey great article was having a hard time mowing my yard & I double check my blade it still good but wow I had my adjustments set to lowest height 🙁 I raise it up a notch wow it was smooth sailing I forgot to reset it when I did a winter mulch mow 🙂 FYI a good flat file touch up it not bad for a quick sharping & not nearly as expensive as a grinder. FYI on craiglists I seen grinders used go for about 30 bucks
Still way cheaper buying a harbor freight tools grinder and a couple of grinding wheels especially when they have a sale. As a commercial lawn care guy I mostly sharpen the blades if know how to do it right. I’ll buy new blades at the point where if I have bad enough chip in it . Blades are way more expensive now after last few years.
You had me 😂at your expressions. I have four 41/2″ angle grinders one is cordless. When I was a kid my Grandpa taught me how to sharpen lawnmower blades with a file, back then angle grinders weren’t invented yet. You use a torque wrench to torque down the blade, I’ve never use one, I do it by feel & no worry about coming off. P.S. I would’ve been embarrassed to show how dirty the underside of the mower like that. Back to the file, I use it to keep the blade touched up. I know that you helped some people
AWWW come on ! Unless the viewer has no friends, neighbors, relatives …or ARMS, there ought to be someone to help sharpen that original blade. If they don’t have tools to sharpen, then they probably don’t have sockets, wrenches, or a ratchet either. Hire a yard keeper or get educated and save money in the long run. Give a man a fish….he will be fed for a day. TEACH a man to fish ….and he will be fed for life.
If you do sharpen, it only needs to be as sharp as a butter knife. Any sharper and yard debris (sticks, pine cones, tree seedpods and even large weeds will dull or curl the business edge of the blade pretty quickly. It’s just not durable enough for the average home owner. A the speed it’s traveling, it doesn’t need to be fillet knife sharp.
Well when it comes to a pushmower you never sharpen a blade and put it back on a pushmower. The reason is you get it out of balance and that vibration is directly connected to the crankshaft . Itll wear the top of your block and if it has points itll break your points gap and dhut tbe engine off. Always put the oil back in the foam air cleaner. Dlwys a new blade. O have a murry pushmower thats twenty years old and doesnt use a drop of oil . The air cleaner having the oil in the filter is the biggest reason it still runs great
Go to a pawn shop and buy a 5″ electric grinder for maybe 25 or 30 dollars a flapper wheel maybe 2 or 3 dollars and if you let the grinder do the work and it should last at least two to three blade sharpening? Next take a round screwdriver put it thru the blade hole and hold the screwdriver blade level and see which end of the tip that goes up you know the other end needs to have a little more blade removed do this a number of times and soon the blade will be horizontal and balanced check the blade several times to make sure.
Thanks for taking the time to post your info. I used to sharpen my own blades, but this spring, another lawn care specialist like your self, GCI Turf, started an online blade sharpening service. I bought 2 sets of blades for my toro timemaster off of Amazon, shipped them to him, he sharpened them, and shipped them back. My plan is to use one set for a few months and then switch them out for the other sharpened blades. I then will send the used set in to him to be sharpened. These blades come back razor sharp. Just a thought. Good job!
If you got the tools and skills, you can make a single blade last an incredible amount of time. But if you don’t have it, it’s more cost-effective to get the new one that comes balanced already, no guesswork involved. As for the old blade, it should be fine to toss in your recycle container, though scrap collectors can make decent money off them too. You could even donate the blade to someone with a forge, since it’s already good steel they don’t have to search the junkyard for, similar to what they do on the Forged in Fire show.
Totally agree. The sharpener should be used every month to ninety days just to get you through the season but you should change your blade every season by the amount of seasons that you mow: Living in Fl I expect my rotary mower to burn through at least three if not four blades per year only using my rotary as my part time mower to vacuum up with before reel mowing at a lower setting.
I think resharpening blades was like 5 bucks at my local ace hardware. They grabbed it sharpened it and i was out 10 mins. Finally ended up going with the turf titan fertilizers. Man that root booster is one of the most worst smelling things. Well until I ended having to spray my lawn with liquid fence to keep rabbits from eating my lawn. That luquid fence stuff is just horrid and almost lost my suoper I just ate.
Yard Brah, is that what you are wearing? I bought a bench grinder at Harbor Freight for 20 bucks. 15 years ago It has paid for itself 40 times over. 2 passes each side, Don’t even use the wire brush, mowing will de-burr the blade just fine thanks. And hose that thing down after you mow.. Dirt is death on mowers.
Just get an angle grinder, even a bad sharpen will cut better than most new blades, because believe it or not, new blades aren’t all that sharp. Just try to hold the factory angle and grind away until the rock chips are gone. Why spend money on new blade if you can sharpen the one you have several times. Also, 20 bucks to sharpen a blade is a ripoff, takes them like 3 minutes.
And now for the final chapter Yes I use a DUI 30° angle set up on my bench grinder Yes I do the same thing with the garage bench because my spine says don’t go back and forth from the garage to the house anymore than you have to So I set up in the garage and use the bench grinder out there or if I’m in a hurry I open the little door or turn the little more upside down and grind it on the mower that’s wrong because it’s not balanced but if you’ve got your impact wrench ready and go perfect boing boing You on your way or what Boeing grind boing You on your way Now since it’s a mulching blade I don’t beg and I don’t blow my grass clippings weed seeds clover creeping Charlie etc onto my neighbor’s lawn and then turn around and blow it on the other neighbor’s lawn I’d prefer they not do that to mine and I don’t want to do it to theirs so what I try to do is kill all the weeds creeping Charlie etc dispatch then to be honest I’m much what’s left into my own lawn because I can’t rake don’t want to buy a rake or electric battery etc You might have guessed from reading my comments I don’t like batteries I’ve got a battery weed wacker that might be able to cut some of the fuzz off of peach Maybe even a very thin haired old persons head if they lay on the ground but grants weeds etc no When it came with a saw blade I don’t know I do know why it came with 288 volt rechargeable batteries because it goes through them like a rubber band powered balsa airplane so I do that to impress the neighbors somehow wave and go hum hum Then when they put away their 800 to $1,500 battery operated lawn mower and they’re not looking I take out my gas weed wacker hook it to my harness makes the oil and the gas together and some fuel stabilizer and a few other things that aren’t too toxic and trim the weeds and the grass and the edges etc etc.
But in any case that sounds like a lot of gibberish and it probably is When I push out my 21-in Sears Craftsman ( RIP) bushworm and give it a yank and starts up and I cut my grass The neighbors watch- My 1980 beauty-(I’m considering selling tickets) But when my train wreck of a spine and the door hinge knees have got and the windup doll shoulders I’ve got are bad I get on my 2000 riding lawn mower from the same people and started up and drive it around with a modified mulching blade I got from a strange country of” Oregon” ? The 21-in turns my grass clippings into parsley The riding lawn mower turns it into more round green pepper? because I pull the de Thatcher through and hit it again! Now the folks at Briggs in the Stratton unfortunately cannot import on authentic engine for your old XYZ or ABC brand more and more to replace it because it’s against the law to import it It’s smuggling and a felony So they are making adapters to take your motor off put the adapter on and then put the motor on the adapter and then it’ll run fine on 80 octane or better and you can still get parts directly from Germany Austria and parts east if you concentrate Plus they have a bonus for me since I had a new replacement and a shoulder total replacement It’s rough for me to pull on the string so they knew that and they went to battery backups for the recoil starter Will you put the rechargeable battery on start the motor Do your job take it off and recharge it The difference is it’s not a lithium ion battery You know the ones that are explosive are very flammable and also they’re so toxic they’ve got about the same half life as plutonium The ones from Germany are sodium ion two benefits one they can charge and discharge up to 10,000 times They are actually rechargeable They don’t explode or burn violently but it’s easy as 1 2 3: One you can’t buy the motor It’s illegal!
So many things are cheaper to replace these days. I have two blades on my riding mower. I have four total. Freshly sharpened blade installed and resharpen the blades I removed. Repeat this process depending on how much mowing you do and how many branches, rocks and wood chips I hit. During summer I have to now every two weeks or it’s too out of hand. In Virginia that is also the time of afternoon rainstorms. My worst enemy is wet grass. It bogs down the mower and creates an inch thick coating of grass that I can hear the blade slapping against. Sharp blades are so satisfying.
My Dad taught me how to use a rotary push mower in 1946! I was 11 years old.🤣 I like my Troy Bilt 2017 riding mower much better. I’m surprised no one mentioned how not only sharp blades are essential but also removing the years of packed up rust creating, solid grass cuttings under the bell housing would also help make the mower work much better.🙃
I can see the benefits if your idea, for a Man who has a walk behind mower with one blade. I don’t really know anyone that has a walk behind mower, but when I do I’ll be sure to send them this very informative and time saving modern idea of a disposable mindset. We live in such a fast paced society and as technology continues to evolve at such a rapid rate, so to does the use by date on everything from material items, our careers, relationships, food, money and values. Western culture encourages a disposable mindset in every aspect of our lives. If it’s not new it’s old. Combine that attitude with the need for instant gratification and we have a lethal concoction that is poisoning our mental health, and having a good understanding of our relationships to community and even our environment..
I have a riding mower with a 46″ cut. Uses 2 blades and I keep it razor sharp with a dremel tool. It only takes about 10 minutes per blade. While I have the blades off, I clean the mower deck under side and put a couple coats of paint on it to keep it free from rust because wet grass on a bare metal surface can rust through in just a few cutting seasons. Also when sharpening the blades, make sure the blade is balanced so that it doesn’t cause excessive vibrations which will result in damage and possibly having the blades vibrating loose and causing damage or injury.
You can use a bench grinder as well as an angle grinder. The blade should be ground at 30 degrees. I use a six-inch extension from a socket wrench set. You can also find less expensive mower blades online and have them on hand if you prefer to just replace them. If you notice under this guy’s mower there is a build up of grass, and it has started to mold. This is what grass does when it begins to decompose. It is caused by mowing wet grass. This can cause a mower deck to rust apart, just like a car. Always try to mow when the grass is dry. Harbor Freight has brands of tools that are good, better, best in quality. The “good” tools in my experience are not really good. If you buy the “good” I recommend getting the extended warranty. These are what I would imagine Walmart power tools quality are. At least get the better. If you are like me that doesn’t use some tools a lot, I recommend getting the corded tools. Batteries for tools that go uncharged go bad after a few months of sitting in the garage not being charged. Harbor Freight has good tools, you just have to find them.
There are several advantages to what you are saying about just replace and do not sharpen. No need for a tool or storage. No worries about sharpening or balancing. If you have bring the blade to a shop to sharpen you will have to make 2 trips, 1 to drop off anthoer to pick up. If you do not have a dual blade lawnmower or angle grinder, and have a lawn 1/4 of an acre or less buy a blade once a year. I have a dual blade tractor, angle grinder, hoist. I sharpen my blades every 4th mow. It just makes more sense for me. To others, depending on their situation, blade replacement may prove to be a more viable option.
When I got my Zero Turn mower I purchased an extra blade. I already had the HF grinder and when the original blade gets dull I replace it with the new one I bought. I then am ready to mow as soon as the blade is replaced. When I get done mowing I sharpen the dull blade and it’s ready for the next switch. Been doing it for a few years. After a few seasons of sharpening I replace the original blade with a new one. Throw the original away and I’m good to go.
I have the tools as a former machinist I cringe when people just throw a grinding wheel at things. I have a Riding mower (John Deere) and the trusty 21″ push mower I use most often. (I like the look and the stripes.) I have been buying replacement blades for years and now I have a bunch I have sharpened and balanced. I have enough blades to last the rest of my lawn mower’s life, though it is old I’ll keep it running. Nothing like a fresh blade to make the lawn look great!
Indeed that blade looks like a nuke hit it. But you can just buy a sharpening tool (hand held) and sharpen the blade yourself in under 5 minutes. I do this after 2-3 lawn cutts and it is just perfect (in time, you get used with the sharpening and your blade will easily cut paper when testing it). Indeed if my blade looked like yours i would use an angle grinder for the time beeing and search for a new blade. I dont like tonuse a dull blade, that is why i sharoen my blade that often.
As long as I’m here at 2:00 a.m. Central standard Time and I’m not saying I live in that time zone I could live in a time zone somewhere in Yugoslavia Russia or on the dark side of the Moon but to say this! I do not recommend that you separate the pump gasoline of water unknown layer of whatever and then use the actual gasoline at home! If the gas is really bad contaminated etc etc etc take it to your local hazmat and have them take care of it They’re really good people over there and they’ll safely dispose of it according to THE LAWS OF MAN AND HOPEFULLY THE LAWS OF GOD!? NOW WHEN YOU GET YOUR FUEL HOWEVER YOU GET IT I RECOMMEND YOU PUT THE STABILIZER IN IT WHEN YOU GET IT AFTER YOU SEE YOUR DOCTOR WHY BECAUSE HE MIGHT DECIDE TO REBUILD YOUR KNEE YOUR HIP YOUR SHOULDER YOUR BACK WHATEVER AND YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO USE THE MACHINE SO JUST GET ENOUGH TO GET YOU TO THE OPERATION?&&&& RECOVERY!!! 😂 AND FINALLY PERHAPS THE MOST IMPORTANT IF YOU CANNOT FIND ANTIQUE MUSEUM GRADE PARTS SPARK PLUGS CARBURETOR JETS GASKETS ANYTHING IN THE FUEL SYSTEM ENGINE ETC!!! I PERSONALLY SAY AND I’VE ONLY GOT MAYBE 100 MILLION PEOPLE THAT WOULD AGREE WITH ME DON’T BELIEVE THE STUFF ABOUT NEVER HAVE TO :”CHANGE OIL JUST ADD” ☠️😠😡🤬 WHY GO TO BRIGGS & STRATTON AND THEY’LL TELL YOU WHAT TO DO WITH THEIR ENGINES OR A FOREIGN COIN CLONE COPY ETC DON’T TAKE THE BOTTLE OF OIL THAT COMES WITH IT IT’S HIGHLY DETERGENT AND A STICK AS THREE AND ONE OIL PUT SOME REAL OIL IN THERE GOOD 10W-30 WHATEVER RUN YOUR NEW MACHINE FOR ENOUGH TIME TO GET IT WARM 10:15 MINUTES NOT REALLY LOUD AND THEN DUMP THE OIL IF YOU PULL THE PAN OUTSIDE IN THE SUNLIGHT AND LOOK AT IT YOU’LL BE ABLE TO SEE THE MILKY WAY GALAXY AND ANDROMEDA BECAUSE ALL THOSE LITTLE SHINY THINGS ARE PARTS OF THE ENGINE YOU JUST BOUGHT AND THE WHOLE IDEA OF ADDING OIL IS TO KEEP THOSE BITS AND PIECES IN THERE TO EAT YOUR ENGINE WHILE YOU’RE SLEEPING!
Good tip on using a torque wrench. I replaced my blade last year, and at first just used a socket wrench to put the new blade on “tight”. The blade fell off shortly after I started the mower, and luckily it just dropped to the ground. Looked up the manual for my mower online and found the torque spec for the blade, and torqued it down, no problems since.
Please! When y’all are making these articles please talk a little LOUD! How do y’all expect us to hear what y’all are saying! Y’all want us to learn but MY GOD! how can we if we can’t hear y’all?🤷♀️Please! I don’t believe that you was talking to someone on your 📱 phone because how the person sound but OH! Well🤷♀️AND that make sense to replace your blade if you can afford it but everyone can’t afford it so then what do you have to say? Can we call you for the $$$ money?But thank you! For letting us know that you can go to the hardware store to buy a new one cause I never knew that! Oh! By the way I am a female and my age is 74yrs.not ashame to tell my age cause I am very proud of my age and what GOD ALLOWE ME TO DO!I do give you two ✌ thumbs up 👆!
If you do it blairway! And if you can somehow get a blueprint that shows a low point you can access drill temp and fixture a drain safely outside the lawn mower so all you have to do is shove the turkey pan or official drain plan that you got to buy next to the engine when it’s warm and drain it throw a cord in on it 5 hours run a 10 hours throw another quart in save up the bad stuff yes I know Take it to hazmat They will recycle it 100 years ago when I was younger the court of oil used to cost $0.20 but for 10 or 15 cents you could get re-refined oil which they took drain oil filtered it and you put it back in your engine be an old kind of burned oil You fill the oil tank and check the gasoline then all the oil change places came up and would take your oil for free hoping that you would change oil they don’t do that anymore Auto parts stores used to do it too They don’t do that anymore So take it to hazmat! Or you can be conservative and do what Joey Robin had Biden Jr and Hunter LLC organization and their mermaidons want you to do please let me know if you’re going to follow their instructions and just keep adding oil I will leave you alone but if you decide to pick up your lawn mower turn it upside down and shake it over your head to get the hot oil to come out of the fill tube and try to hit the pan not only will I come over to watch I’ll bring presents charcoal steaks beverages etc I personally am not going to do that but remember if you’re going to turn the lawn mower on its side you probably know this Make sure the carburetor points at God and the exhaust points at another reasons so you don’t get a hydraulic lock If you have to turn it backwards forward sidewards whatever just don’t turn it over where the carburetor is down and if you really want to be cool take the plug out It’s not going to bother anybody drain your own put the plug back in while it’s dribbling and clean the plug gap it change it whatever you want to do put the fresh oil in there pull a string or if you don’t have shoulders knees hips press the button or pull the trigger start it up it’ll hum like a sewing machine like a blender that’s empty It might even sound like one of those battery operated weed whackers that you can use to aerate your lawn can’t cut it but anyway do not take me literally turn the thing upside down take a big drill and a pipe tap and punch a hole anywhere you want to You may want to look at somebody’s 1980 lawn mower and you may find one or more low point drains They might still be on the new one that you get from XYZ company that says don’t change the oil Briggs and stresses do it anyway and I know and you know a court oil cost money but if money is not important to you and you’ve got lots of it I suggest a synthetic but remember once a synthetic always is synthetic They told me to use a synthetic blend I don’t do that It’s either synthetic or petroleum that’s it Now it’s not that I’m an expert but if I was on a jury the judge and both lawyers might determine call me an expert cuz I would tell him what happens when it 60 miles an hour your piston stops moving because you’re too stroke engine just met the barrier between petroleum and synthetic or once upon a time I had a British bike you may have to Google that because all British bikes are now made in the country of India and if it was a BSA triumph Norton Royal Enfield this may not apply but when they used to have an oil tank total loss system and and a 500cc or less engine you’d carry two three quarts of oil if you put an oil cooler on maybe more great system It was about 98% gravity fed but there was an oil pump in there and if it met synthetic and petroleum it had a tendency to cavitate When that happened nothing went in nothing went out and your engine seized I got the bonus plan engine and transmission that’s why I don’t do it If you want to do it that’s up to you If tomorrow they say it’s okay fine never change the oil just keep adding and burning it but don’t blame me if 😫🆘🛐🪢🙄🪦