Lawn Mower Sharpening and Repair: The Easy Way

Lawn mowers are very useful in keeping your lawn in a good and attractive looking. Like every machine you need to take some care of it from time to time. It is important for you to do your lawn mower sharpening and repair after a particular span of time. For this first of all, you need to do proper planning. Repairing your equipment can be a time consuming process. You need to devote proper time to this task.

The most important thing in every lawn mower is its blades. So, it is important for you to take special care of the blades of your machine. Basically, blades are made up of either carbon steel or tool steel. Tool steel blades are bit expensive than carbon steel and you cannot sharpen them by yourself. However, these are meant to remain sharp for longer periods of time. On the other hand, carbon steel blades are very easy to take care of and can be sharpened with few simple tools.

Sharpening the blades is quite an easy job. By following few simple steps you can get sharpened blades in no time:

• First of all, remove the source of power in order to avoid any serious injury. If your lawn mower is electric then unplug it, and remove the spark plug if it is a gas powered engine.

• After that, remove the blades with the help of spanner. Make sure that you are in a position that avoids the risk of spanner slipping that could result a vicious cut.

• Make sure that you are aware with the number of blade you are removing as you have to put them back in a correct position after you are done. Always keep in mind that if the balancing weights are directly attached to the blades then never disassemble. This saves your time of putting it all back in a right proportion.

• It is also important that you should deal with every blade individually.

• Take the help of either a file or a grinder to sharpen the blade. Be very careful at the time of checking the sharpness of the blades as it can damage your fingers. Hold these sharpened blades with the help of any cloth or any holder.

• Put the sharpened blades back in their places along with the weights if you did remove them too.

• If you want to sharpen the blades without removing them from the machine then you will need an angle grinder with a flexible shaft. This is much faster option of sharpen the blades as compare to removing them.

• After the completion of the process, it is important for you to ensure that the blades are properly balanced. This can be done with the help of blade balancer to avoid any unnecessary vibrations at the time of using them.

All these steps were used for sharpening the blades of your lawn mower. Now it is time to repair it. This can also be done with keeping some simple things in your mind:

• Cleaning Spark Plugs: Many times simply cleaning the spark plugs will solve many problems. To clean the spark plug, first disconnect the wire that is attached to the end of the spark plug. After this, remove the spark plug with the help of ratchet or wrench. If you found that your spark plugs is wet or black then immediately clean them with the help of fine grit sandpaper. Use sand paper only on the black or wet areas of the spark plug. Also ensure that there should be the proper gap between the electrode and the metal tab. If you required any information about the gap between metal tab and electrode, you can take help of the user manual comes with the machine. Finally, make sure that the spark plug should be free from dust and remain dry.

• Check Oil: Oil is the basic ingredient that is responsible for the smooth working of your lawn mower. Always maintain the proper level of oil in the machine to ensure the better results.

• Fuel Check: Make sure that there is an appropriate fuel in the tank. If you have a gas engine mower, never leave the gas in it for long periods of time. If you are using it after a long time then it is necessary for you to replace the gas before using it.

• Clean Air Filter: Air filters are one of the most important components of the lawn mower. Always keep the air filter clean. If you find it dirty or oily then replace it. If the air filter is just dirty, shake it and tap out the dust. But still it is advisable to replace it as it is not expensive equipment at all.

So, in these simple ways you can do lawn mower sharpening and repairing easily. But if you have any difficulty, remember that the experts are just a phone call away.

Simon is a gardening enthusiast and has written many lawn care related articles to aid gardeners get the perfect lawn and avoid costly mistakes.

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