When to Replace Lawn Mower Blades?

There are about a hundred little details and nuances to lawn mowing, each of which affects the final appearance of your lawn. But the most important wisdom concerns the blades. They are the key element that makes contact with your lawn and gives it that unique look.

You can choose the most convenient way to care for the blades. You can sharpen them at home or at a service center, or perhaps you simply want to replace them with new spares. One thing is certain—all these procedures should be regular. And you better know perfectly well how often to change mower blades.

Why Timely Lawn Mower Blade Replacement Matters

Timely replacement is important for maintaining the healthy look and condition of your lawn. One question that often comes up is how often to replace mower blades, and it’s a crucial one. While the equipment itself may be working as it should, badly broken blades can cause damage that can be very difficult for your lawn to recover from, which in turn will cost you a lot of money to repair. Replacing or cleaning blades is not expensive and should certainly not be skipped on.

How Often Should You Change Your Lawn Mower Blades?

You can set a simple rule for yourself—swap out the blades once a year. Wear and tear on these parts is influenced by a whole mix of factors, not just how often you use your mower or what type it is. Tiny nicks and uneven edges aren’t always easy to spot, but they can have a big impact. Sticking to an annual replacement schedule can save you a lot of hassle in the long run.

That said, if you're up for a more precise approach, there's a widely accepted guideline: replace them after every 25 hours of clean cutting time. If you're tracking mower usage that closely, this method gives you a crystal-clear answer to the question of when to replace mower blades.

When It's Definitely Time for a Change: Key Indicators

There can be many such indicators, and they can relate to more than just the overall appearance of the lawn:

tattered brown grass tips
high gasoline consumption
mowing started taking a lot longer than it used to
frankly poor visual condition of the blades themselves

But the lawn is still the main indicator. Even a cursory glance at the cover and the characteristic brown color of the grass can give an accurate clue that something is wrong with the blades. What is wrong with them is that they no longer cut the grass but pull it. Hence, the damage and specific brown patches on the lawn, for which a special term has even been coined—brooming.

Take the grass cuttings after mowing and examine the edges carefully. Are they sharp and smooth or frayed and jagged? This simple procedure alone will give you the ultimate clarity on how often should you change your lawn mower blade.

However, we have now looked at the case of very neglected blades. There are some not-so-obvious signs when it comes to how often lawn mower blades are changed. Uneven mowing height is one of them. There may not be as obvious brown marks on the cover, but certain areas may simply have a different appearance. Some are as if untouched, others are mowed but somehow to the end, and some are mowed as they should be. Such a picture tells us either that the blades may have fallen into disrepair or are unbalanced at best.

Another serious sign that it's time to think about how often you should change lawn mower blades is increased mowing time. If it has doubled from before, or if you have to go over the area twice, you should change the blades for new ones.

Extending the Life of Your Mower Blades

One of the basic rules is to mow grass only. This may seem obvious, but in reality, there are plenty of rocks, pebbles, sticks, plastic debris, and much more on our plots. Before mowing, take a quick look around the site to avoid getting into a bad situation. Also, avoid getting too close to tree trunks unless you want to think about how often to replace lawn mower blades more often than necessary. The blades may well hit them in an unfortunate situation.

If you have the right equipment at home, cleaning and sharpening your blades can greatly increase their life. As for sharpening, inspection for its necessity is recommended twice a year:

At the beginning of the season
Midseason

For this procedure, you will need:

Hand File or Power Drill
Leather Gloves
Safety Glasses

In the case of a hand file it is enough to make about 50 confident movements on the blade and you are ready. In the case of a power drill, about 5 passes are enough. Watch the angle of the blade carefully and go over it in a slanted manner. You can also refer to the manual—it will show you the recommended angle. If you see that the blade is chipped or you have ground off 1/16" off the edge, immediately replace it with a new one.

Once these procedures are done, be sure to check the blade balance. This parameter affects the blades' life and the performance of the entire mower, as well as gasoline consumption and the look of your lawn. You can use a screwdriver through the hole to check for level and balance, but you can also use a nail in a wall or buy a blade balancer. Any lawn mower service center provides a complete set of such procedures.

If you do decide to sharpen the blade yourself, make sure that it is not too sharp. Excessive sharpening can make the blade brittle and consequently unusable very quickly.

It is also ideal to always have a spare blade on hand. Then you can make a quick replacement without complicating the situation and repair the damaged blade in peace. How often replace lawn mower blade–can be a hard question, so you better have a plan B.

Find the Perfect Blades for Your Mower with UDC Parts

But what is the best and fastest way to order new blades? UDC Parts offers a format where you can place your order on our website in just a few minutes, and then it will be delivered to your doorstep within a few days. These terms and conditions apply throughout the United States.

You can use the site as a search by brand, then put the necessary filter on the desired type of blades:

high lift
low lift
medium lift
mulching

You can also type in the model name of your lawnmower or even the serial number of the part itself. The site will quickly retrieve this information and provide you with results.

The truth is that we provide dozens and hundreds of aftermarket parts for all the key and rare brands of lawn care equipment. They are no different in quality from the original, but you get the already mentioned instant delivery and the most favorable promotional offers. If you have already bought two items, you will get a serious discount of 7%.

If you are the owner of a large or small business or just want to make a large order for one reason or another, we welcome you to our business portal. Even more options, personal ones included, as well as discounts of up to 35% for orders of just 7 items. Registration will not take long. We have not made the process any more complicated for our business partners.

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FAQ

Can I sharpen blades instead of replacing them?

Yes, of course. You can actually do a sharpening, which, if done correctly, will result in the same efficiency as buying a new blade. The restored blade will cut the grass just as efficiently as when it was first installed. But it should be kept in mind that any blade is just a consumable. Sharpening can and should be done, but no more than a couple of times per blade. Eventually, the question of how often should mower blades be replaced will come into play.

Is it better to replace blades every season?

Let’s put it this way. It’s a well-established rule that most homeowners with a lawn of at least a somewhat decent size actively use. Let’s face it, that’s saying something. Still, it often leads to the question: How long do mower blades last? The truth is, it varies. However, if at the end of the season you’ve inspected the blade and found no damage, and your lawn still looks healthy and well-cut, then really, why change anything? Wait for the first clear signs that a replacement is needed, which we’ve discussed above, and make your decision then. That kind of approach is just plain rational.

What happens if I don’t replace dull blades?

Speaking briefly, you will lose valuable time. At the very least, completely redo the mowing of the lawn. If the blade is ruined, damage to the lawn can also occur. Here we are talking about restoration work, and to the loss of time, you can freely add the loss of money. Excessive gasoline consumption can also be recorded as an additional financial cost. If you deliberately try to save $20 by not replacing the blade, believe us, it does not make any sense or logic. Decide for yourself how often you should replace mower blades, but just remember that time is the most valuable thing in our era.