Are you worn out? What about your blade?
Many people do not notice the slow drop in performance that a blade that is gradually becoming blunt makes.
Now, however, they are struggling with a mower that sounds like it is fine, but it just is not fun to use, or now mowing the lawn is much harder work.
Maybe the grass cuttings keep clumping or getting stuck before they properly get into the grass bag. Or if you are not collecting your grass, now, instead of being a, dust of fine grass clippings left on your lawn, there are clumps of grass that are unsightly and make the lawn look unpleasant.
It could be that you are cutting grass that is too long for your mower or maybe too damp, but it might be that your blade is dull and you just have not noticed.
Worn blades
In the image at the top of this post, you can see just how much the blade is worn down. The new blade would have been in line with the ruler. If the blade was still above the blue line, we could have sharpened the blade. But for this customer, we needed to fit a new blade.
Stones on the lawn.
The mower blade above has struck things on the lawn, probably stones, but it could be children’s toys or tent pegs etc. It is normal to have some slight stone damage that can be ground out during sharpening on your annual service. But when it is as bad as this, you need a new blade.
A mower blade’s tip might travel at 19,000 feet per minute, approximately 216 MPH (miles per hour). At this speed, if you hit a stone, it can fly out almost like a bullet. If a part comes off the blade, it too could fly out from under the deck and do some real damage. It is important to have a deck that has not got rust holes in it. That will help to prevent damage to people from flying stones etc.
This blade is very badly worn but is also damaged on the end.
This blade is not only worn rather badly but is also damaged on the end. In this case, we think it has become worn thin due to sandy soil on the lawn effectively sandblasting the blade’s edge. In any case, it is time for a new blade.
Annual Service.
One of the advantages of having an annual service on your mower is that we will sharpen your mower’s blade and keep it keen and cutting efficiently. But more, we will check the condition of your blade, and if we feel that is too worn or if it is damaged, we will recommend replacing it.
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