Keeping up on lawn mower maintenance can be a hassle, but there are a few things that you need to do if you want it to stay in good working order. Those with gas mowers need to regularly replace spark plugs, change the oil, and add fuel stabilizer at the end of the season. Electric mowers are easier since you generally just need to keep them clean and their batteries charged, but there's one maintenance task that you need to do for every kind of mower: ensure that the blade is sharp. You don't need to spend
a lot of money to do it either. You can get a nice sharp edge using simple tools purchased at Harbor Freight.
Maintaining a sharp mower blade is important for a number of reasons, the biggest of which is that it ensures a cleaner cut of the grass and prevents tearing. This improves the overall health of your grass and helps to reduce the occurrence of patchy spots, disease, and uneven growth. Another reason is that it allows your mower to cut more efficiently, reducing the number of times you need to go over a given area, improving energy efficiency, and reducing strain on the mower's motor.
New mower blades come pre-sharpened if you'd like a replacement, but you can also opt to sharpen the blade that you already have. There are a few methods for safely sharpening your lawn mower blades using affordable tools purchased at Harbor Freight. You can either use a powered rotary tool, such as one of the outlet's angle grinders, or you can opt to sharpen the blade by hand using one of its file sets.
Read more: 12 Harbor Freight Finds That Are No-Brainers At Their Price
Harbor Freight's Grinders Make Quick And Easy Work Of A Mower Blade
The easiest method for sharpening a mower blade is to use a grinder, and there are a couple of different kinds that Harbor Freight offers. The (generally) more affordable option is to pick up an angle grinder. Harbor Freight sells 12 standard models from three different brands. The Warrior 4.3 Amp 4 ½-inch Angle Grinder is going to be an adequate entry-level option, as well as the cheapest at just $14.99. Those who want something more powerful can choose something from the middle-weight brand, Bauer, or Harbor Freight's premier power hand tool brand, Hercules. Bauer has corded options in 7 Amp, 8 Amp, and 15 Amp sizes, while Hercules offers 11 Amp, 13 Amp, and 15 Amp corded angle grinders. Each brand also offers two cordless variations apiece, which are powered by their respective 20V battery systems. All of them use 4 ½-inch attachments except for the two 15 Amp options, which use 7-inch. These range in price from $29.99-$99.99. The tool alone won't be enough, however. You'll also need a grinding attachment to put on it, such as the Warrior 4 ½-inch 24-grit Metal Grinding Wheels.
The other option is a benchtop grinder. These are typically going to make for a larger and more expensive alternative, but they also offer the benefit of stability and make it easier for you to sharpen a more precise edge. There are currently six of these available in the store. The more affordable Central Machinery model goes for $47.99, while the four Bauer models offer more of a range in size and features, costing between $54.99-179.99. Finally, the premium Hercules model is the most expensive and goes for $199.99.
Harbor Freight's Metal Files Can Be Cheaper, Safer, And Offer More Control
You don't need to use power tools to sharpen your lawn mower blades, though. There are plenty of alternatives for those who want an easy and affordable hand tool. You could, for example, pick up the Gordon Combination Sharpening Stone, which Harbor Freight sells for just $2.99. This has medium and fine grit surfaces that can give any blade a keen edge. The only downside to this is that it isn't very easy to slide a mower blade along its surface.
That said, your mower blades don't require that fine of an edge in order to be effective. You don't need to shave with them; you just want them to be able to cut grass efficiently. A metal file makes for a much more practical and ergonomic solution. You can get the Pittsburgh 8-inch Flat File at Harbor Freight for just $3.99. You can also pick up a full 12-piece set of Pittsburgh Files and Rasps for $13.99, if you want more sizing, grit, and angle options. Using a file might take a bit longer than a power tool, but it should still be able to make easy work of sharpening your mower blade, and it can do it at a fraction of the cost.
But whichever method you choose, you should be careful to correctly balance your lawn mower blades after sharpening them and then reinstall them exactly as they were before you took them off. Removing too much material from one side of the blade can throw off the weight, making it wobble when it's in use.
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Read the original article on SlashGear.
