when to sharpen blades

[caddy0291]

I now 20-25 residential lawns a week how often should I sharpen my blades, been mowing for 5 weeks now and just changed blades for first time the old ones I took off were very dull!!!

[Sprinkler Buddy]

Lawn care business tips

Originally Posted by caddy0291 I now 20-25 residential lawns a week how often should I sharpen my blades, been mowing for 5 weeks now and just changed blades for first time the old ones I took off were very dull!!! Blades last so much longer with regular sharpening. If your getting a dull curve in your blade before changing them, your not getting the life out of your blades as you should. Dull blades also makes your mower work a lot harder than it has too, shortening the life of it as well. A clean cut on a grass blade is also better for the grass your cutting, not to mention it looks better too!

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[Steve]

Here are a couple of articles from my blog that might help.

Keep your lawn mower blades sharp.

Sharper lawn mower blades allow for faster mowing!

Blades last so much longer with regular sharpening.

How often do you sharpen yours?

[Hedgemaster]

I'm curious too.

I was mowing one day and stopped to chat with a fellow who stated that he used to have his own lawn care business. He asked how often I sharpen my blade. At that point, the mower (Toro Super Recycler 21" push) was about a month old, and I had not yet sharpened it.

He told me he always carried a file with him, and would sharpen the blade before each job. "Before each job" seems like overkill and I have to wonder how quickly you lose the edge from taking off so much metal over time.

I've been using a file, and doing it maybe every 2 or three days, or when I see a nick in the edge.

If there is a better way, I'd appreciate some input.

[MountainViewGreenskeeper]

Well I hate the sharpening stone on a drill so we stopped doing that in about week. Now we have 2 sets that we switch about every month to month and a half and sharpen them with a bench grinder. Be care full if you use a bench grinder can be dangerous.

We don't really know how else to do it. The more clients you have the more often you switch the blades out.

[shadrach]

Doing about 40 lawns a week. I change blades on my main mower on a daily basis- have several sets that I sharpen weekly then change out as needed.
Grass will grow more evenly with sharper blades - it will look "freshly cut" longer. It is also much better for the grass when the weather gets dry - it will stay green a little bit longer (i.e. get more cuts). With duller blades the tips of the grass will turn and it will start to look dead/dormant.


http://www.colemanequip.com/parts/Pa...upplies/71986/
what I use to sharpen blades - its for use on metal but it is not as abrasive as grinding wheels. Only works because we use blades for a day & not taking very much metal off at a time. Will occasionally have to use a more aggressive wheel to get angle back to where it should be but that is only once every 6 or 7 times - blades last longer than just using a grinding wheel.

[Johnny_boy02]

If I am doing dry, uneven, trashy foreclosed yards I change my blades at the end of that rotation so It could be 15, 25, 50 yards.

With my customers I change out the blades for sharp ones every couple days.

[Ducke]

I change out or re-sharpen about every 30-40 hours.