As a kid, we had about 5 acres of grass. It was my job to cut it once a week. We had an older John Deer riding mower and it usually took around 5 hours in total to cut it all. I had to change the oil every other cut. That mower stayed in the family at least 40 years, the only thing we had to replace on it were the normal wear items, (tires, belts, etc). I have no idea how old it was when we got it.
I have a push mower now and a LOT less land to cut, so I change the oil at the end of every season. The mower is about 10 years old and runs like a champ.
I change the oil in my rider once a year. Blades, I change about the same frequency.
For two summers, I mowed yards full time. The first summer, we changed the oil and sharpened the blades weekly. Yes, the oil was dirty and the blades were dull. The other summer, we changed the oil each time we ran the things, since they were old-school two-cycle Lawn Boys.
Actually lawnmower blades can be TOO sharp, that’s a sign of a rookie. But, they need to be sharp. They don’t come that way. Yeah, it surprised me too. But it’s true.
Blade balance, too, is just as important as sharpness.
My old roommate was fanatical about the mower, and would service it every spring (oil, sharpen blade), mess with it in the summer, and winterize it in the fall.
It’s been 6 years, and all I’ve added was gas.
I am pretty sure that it’ll rust through before it dies though.
That’s because rather than just brute-force whacking through the grass, it’s actually cutting it.
You can definitely see a difference if you cut the yard with a dull blade (the ends of the blades are uneven and often there are splits that lead downward into the blade.
Sharp blades cut it off pretty much evenly with few splits. Better for the grass, and probably just as importantly for a mulching mower, it mulches a LOT better, and can handle thicker/longer grass than a dull-bladed mower.
I wondered about that. I’ve only bought a replacement blade once (mower died and bought a new one, new one hasn’t needed a new blade yet), but it was painted and didn’t seem at all sharp, so I took my Dremel to it and took the paint off on the edge, down to sharp metal. Then balanced it, because taking paint off threw off the balance.
So, you can just put a painted blade on as is and it’ll wear to sharp? Neat.
Sort of. New blades are often found out of balance, or even track (bent) That’s the other reason a lot of guys will sharpen a new blade. A dull, out of balance or bent blade is just a bad deal for the mower, lawnmower itself, and the lawn. If you’re mulching especially, or like many tend to let the grass grow long at times, a sharp balanced blade works WAY better. I’m as lazy as the next guy, that’s why I keep up on this shit. Defective mower is like shaving with a dull blade. No fun!
Another thing to keep in mind, blades get old and wear out or metal fatigued. I had half a dozen collected over the years and my lawnmower shop rejected all but one of them. Chunks on defective blades can break off in use and are dangerous.
Every other month, because i have a lot to mow, and it is very dusty/sandy.
Sharpen blades every other mow, due to sand, it really takes the edge off.
Blades cut like crap when dull, actually they dont cut, they just rip when dull.
Wash air filter after every mowing, again dust/sand
easier to wash it each time, than to try unclogging it after 2 months.
Adjust valves twice a year, or not enough compression release and pain to start
