How to Change a Lawn Mower Blade

 by wilbur34
After a certain amount of time of using a lawn mower, the blades will need to be changed.  Due to the cutting and of the grass and mowing over the occasional rock, the blades will begin to dull and to chip.  This leads to blades that do not cut grass well anymore and the only way to fix this is to switch the blades with some sharp ones.  A person will know when the blades are dull when either the engine sounds like it is working harder than usual to mow the grass. A person can also tell if blades are dull if there are patches or lines of grass in areas that have just been mowed. 

Changing lawn mower blades is a simple procedure that will take less than half an hour if the right tools are already owned.  

The tools needed are in the second picture.
From left to right: 
Sharp blades (see note), work gloves, ratchet and socket or a wrench (see note)

Notes:
Sharp blades are not needed.  If there is no spare sharp set of blades the time to change the blades will increase significantly because time will need to be added in order to sharpen the dull blades once they are taken off. 

The ratchet and socket will be easier to work with than a wrench, but a wrench will work in the absence of a ratchet and socket.




 
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Step 1: Finding a Place to Change the Blades

Finding a proper place to change the blades can make the process easier.  For example, in the mower pictured in the first picture, the deck raises from the front.  In order to give more space the mower was driven to the top of a raised piece of ground to give even more room while working. 

Depending on the type of mower being used, different places will be better than others.  For example, a small push mower can just be flipped on its side on top of a cement pad after the oil and gas has been drained. 

For a mower parked on top of a raised piece of ground it is mandatory to use the parking break. 

1.  Find a place to park. 

2.  Switch the parking brake to the "On" position as seen in the second picture.

3.  Turn the engine off and let the mower cool if it is hot.   

4.  Place a block in front of and behind a tire as seen in the third picture. 
    
WARNING: If steps 2 and 3 are not followed the mower could roll down hill and cause injury.



 
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