Simple Steps For How to Sharpen a Lawn Mower Blade

Simple Steps for How to Sharpen a

Lawn Mower Blade

You take a great deal of pride in your lawn, and keeping it looking healthy and beautiful is important to you. To give your lawn a nice clean edge and to prevent the grass from being damaged or falling prey to disease you need to ensure your lawn mower blade is kept sharp. There are some simple steps for how to sharpen your lawn mower blade, that you can do yourself.

These are the following items that you will need to sharpen your lawn mower blade:

* Safety glasses, a sturdy set of gloves, WD-40, a grinder (also a vice grip if you are using a file or angle grinder instead of a bench grinder), a ratchet and socket set, a spark plug wrench, a scraper, a vice grip or C-clamp to hold the blade while the bolts are taken off.

The first thing you want to do is to take out your lawn mower's spark plug to ensure your engine doesn't accidentally start while you're taking off the blade. Since you're going to be tipping your lawn mower, you should also take off the air filter and remove the fuel cap. With the fuel cap off, place a plastic lining over the fuel hole, then replace the cap and make sure it's tight. This way your fuel won't leak out of the tank. Don't forget to get rid of the plastic when you're finished.
The next step in how to sharpen a lawn mower blade is to turn your lawn mower over. Make sure you don't turn the lawn mower upside down or even more than 90¡. That will keep oil from getting into your cylinder. Next, you'll be removing the lawn mower blade bolts. The number and placement of your bolts will vary based on the type of lot more you have. The bolts are likely stuck in there pretty good, so use a little WD-40 to make them easier to remove. Like any type of maintenance job, always pay careful attention to how things were initially placed, so that you can put them back the same way.

Before sharpening your lawn mower blade, give it a bit of a clean first. This not only helps with the sharpening, but it will prolong the life of your blade by helping to prevent rust from forming.
Now you're ready to start sharpening. By far, the best and safest way to sharpen your lawn mower blade is to use a grinder that is bench mounted. If you don't have one of those, you can easily make do by placing the blade in a clamp or vise on a table to stabilize it. Then you can use a file, the grinding attachment for a drill motor, or an angle grinder. It is extremely important that you only grind the engine side of your lawn mower blade. You must not sharpen the other side - the grass side - of the blade. You can tell the difference between the two because the engine side of the blade has a bevel - that's the portion of your lawn mower blade that you will be sharpening.

By following these simple steps for how to sharpen a lawn mower blade, you can easily and safely perform this task yourself. This will help to keep your lawn healthy and beautiful.

About the Author:
Blake Bahrns is a lawn mower parts and small engine parts expert with over 20 years of experience working on lawn and garden equipment. For additional lawn mower tips, lawn care tips, and more free lawn mower articles visit http://www.lawneq.com/.

Fall Lawn Mower Tune Up Steps

Fall Lawn Mower Tune Up Steps

Your lawn mower has been working hard for you all summer long, so come the fall, it is a good idea to give it a tune up. You wouldn't let your car be used for an extended period of time, without checking its basics, so your lawn mower shouldn't be any different. Lawn mowers have many moving parts that need to be maintained for a long working life and effective performance.
Before you get started on performing your lawn mower's fall tune up, ensure you are familiar with the manufacturer's recommendations, and follow those guidelines accordingly. Doing that ensures your safety and the lawn mower's useful life.

Step #1
Check the spark plug. With frequent use, your lawn mower's sparkplug may become dirty or wet. If the spark plug is dirty, you may be able to clean it. If it's wet, it will need to be replaced. In addition, keep the spark plug out as you are checking all the other parts, so that the engine doesn't fire accidentally.

Step #2
With the spark plug out, give your lawn mower a good clean with a scraper and an air gun. Lawn mowers are great at accumulating dirt and debris both on their underside and in any holes or ducts.

Step #3
Remove the lawn mower blade, and sharpen it. This will go a long way to improving your lawn mower's performance. Use either a bench mounted grinder or an angle grinder or file. Make sure you only sharpen the engine side of the blade, the side that is beveled.

Step #4
Apply WD-40 to your lawn mower's various moving parts to keep them from sticking.

Step #5
If you're going to be putting your lawn mower away for the season and you still have a half a tank of gas remaining, added fuel stabilizer to it. That will allow you to still use the gas next season. If you don't do this, the gas will need to be replaced.

Step #6
Change your lawn mower's engine oil. The oil is there to lubricate the engine, to prevent damage and to ensure efficiency in its performance. Therefore you want to make sure the oil is clean.

Step #7
Inspect your lawn mower's engine belts. Any belts that appear frayed or loose should be replaced.

Step #8
The end of the lawn mowing season is a good time to replace your air filter. Throughout the season, it is okay to just shake your air filter out, removing dirt and debris. However, after a period of heavy use, it is more beneficial to replace a dirty air filter.

These steps should be followed after every lawn mowing season. Doing so will keep your lawn mower functioning at peak efficiency, and will prevent damage and costly repairs down the road. As always, you should ensure your lawn mower is kept in a dry, covered place. Following these steps, along with the recommendations from your owner's manual, will ensure a good fall tune up, and have your lawn mower ready in great working condition for the next season.

About the Author:

Blake Bahrns is a lawn mower parts and small engine parts expert with over 20 years of experience working on lawn and garden equipment. For additional lawn mower tips, lawn care tips, and more free lawn mower articles visit http://www.lawneq.com/.