In article . com,
"Ether Jones" wrote:

Jen wrote:
"JaxDawg" wrote in message
oups.com...
This seems like a silly question... but here goes...
I've just purchased new blades for my Craftsman 42" mower. The blades
are not at all what I'd call "sharp" - which surprised me. Should new
mower blades be sharpened before they are used? or is this angled edge
(but again, not "sharp") proper for a mower?
If it makes a difference, these are mulching blades.


I was told to never sharpen blades on a lawnmower because it can unbalance
it, which would cause other problems.

Who told you that? The guy who sells you the new blades?

I bought an extra set of blades for my 42" dual-blade riding mower when
I bought it six years ago. I keep the extra set sharpened and ready to
go. During mowing season, I swap the blades every month. Takes about
5 minutes. The difference is quite noticeable with freshly sharpened
blades.

My lawn is 2.5 acres. The mower has over 180 hours on it. That's 90
hours per set of blades. If I'd bought new blades every time I wanted
them sharp, I'd have spent over half the price of the mower already on
blades.

Balance? Never had a problem. If the blades are out of balance,
you'll hear and feel it. My mower has heavy-duty spindles, and I keep
them properly greased.

I agree with Jen.
I have a five year old 48" Xmark with about 320 hours on it from mowing
5 acres. I also swap blades on it and use a dremil tool for sharpening
the blades. Balancing has never been a problem. It takes me longer to
take the blades off than it does to sharpen them.

I have purchased news blades in the past, some come with a thick coating
on the blades to keep them from rusting or from cutting yourself. The
first time you more your grass that coating comes off real fast and you
should find those blades very sharp.

This is just my opinion and I am no expert on lawn mowers

Dan ...........

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Email "dan lehr at comcast dot net". Text only or goes to trash automatically.