What is the most important part of a lawn mower?  It’s all pretty important really, because all the parts work in conjunction to ensure the whole thing cuts the grass just as you want it to.  But if those blades weren’t in place – or worse, they weren’t sharp enough to do the job – you’d be disappointed in the results.

As a landscaper you need to ensure your blades are sharp at all times.  You want to provide the best results for your clients and regular sharpening is required to ensure the constant mowing does not dull the blades.

So how do you do it?

Well firstly you have to remember that safety always comes first.  As a professional you will of course be aware of this.  But it is very easy to become complacent if you aren’t too careful.  Bear that in mind as we find out how to sharpen those all important blades.

First you need to make sure the lawn mower has no chance of starting up just when you are trying to remove the blades.  To make sure this doesn’t happen simply remove the spark plug.  This should just take a second or two and you can easily replace it once you are done.

You’ll see that the blades are held in place by a chunky nut, so you’ll need to unscrew that by using a wrench.  The idea is never to try and take a short cut and sharpen them while they are still on the mower.

Once the blade is off you can grab your file and start sharpening it.  You need to ensure the blade is kept perfectly in balance though otherwise you will get an uneven cut when you start to mow the lawns again.

So what you need to do to prevent it from becoming uneven is to count how many times you use the file on each side of the blade.  I usually do five swipes at a time on each side, as they’re easy to keep track of.  You should be able to see whether the blade has been sharpened adequately – and don’t fall for the temptation of running your thumb along it to find out!

You then just have to reverse the process to get your sharpened blade back on the mower again.  Handle it carefully to ensure you don’t cut yourself; I sometimes wear thick gardening gloves to handle it more easily.  It makes it a little tricky to get the nut and bolt back in place as you re-attach it to the mower, but it’s safer than trying to do it without them.

Finally remember to re-attach the spark plug and you’re ready to go.  Keep an eye on how the grass is cutting and you’ll soon get to know when the blades need sharpening again.  Remember your lawn mower is one of your most essential tools as a landscaper, so you need to make sure it is in tip top condition at all times.

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