jagged blades after cut with NEW blade

18 years ago

Hello everyone,

I have cut my lawn for the second time this year now and am pretty discouraged. I have a 6hp Murray mower (Briggs & Stratton engine), and just put a NEW Gatorblade mulching blade on.

I mowed and bagged my clippings due to the crab grass seed sprouts I didn't want to reintroduce back into the soil, but I don't think that's the issue. When I mow I go over each spot forward and backwards to get a nice even cut that when bagging picks up stray grass that would just lay on the ground, or when mulching makes sure all the grass is mulched well. Again I don't think this is a reason.

But basically when I look up close the grass looks pretty torn. I don't expect a perfect cut like a reel mower, but would have expected something a bit cleaner than what I'm seeing with a totally new blade.

I've heard before that a mower with a slower blade than optimal will tear blades. My mower is only 3-4 years old and I take good care of it in terms of oil changes, gas, etc. Is there a throttle control screw or something I could temporarily turn the rpms up to test if this is the problem? I looked quickly over the mower after the last cut and couldn't find anything obvious.

Thanks in advance

Featured Answer

dchall_san_antonio

18 years ago

Here is a sharpening tool you can get that is very easy to use.

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It is not as big as your fist and has a V notch in it. Only one side of the V is a sharpening edge, so you have to get that right. Then you simply stroke the sharpener down the blade a couple times and you'll see a shiny edge appear. Keep going until it is sharp. That should be about 5 strokes. So in less than 15 seconds you can have a sharpened blade. The tool is made by Accusharp. I've seen them around at Ace Hardware and other hardware stores.

I sharpen mine while the blade is still on the mower, but then again, I'm a dare devil.

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Comments (6)

thejonstewart
18 years ago
Enigma, ironically, I was thinking about the same thing this morning. I added a new Gator blade on two weeks ago and am getting the same results you are which is not making me happy. However, when I was using my old blade I was getting a nice clean cut (which makes me think its the Gator blade and not the mower). The new Gator blade seemed pretty dull to me when I bought it and I plan on sharpening it before my next use. If that doesn't work, I'm gonna pitch the blade. I'll let you know if sharpening the Gator blade helps.
billhill
18 years ago
New gator blades are not that sharp. I sharpened mine before installing. Works great. Bill Hill
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skoot_cat
18 years ago
Before giving up try sharpening the blade. IF that doesent work take it to a mower shop and have them check/adjust the rpm for you. It should fix your problem.

Last year I noticed my grass being torn, so I sharpened the blade. Even after I sharpened the blade my grass was still being torn. I took my mower into the shop and they informed me that the blade was fine, but the RPM's were low. They adjusted the RPM's on the spot and 8 dollars later it was cutting perfectly. At that time my mower was not even a year old. They suggested to have the RPM's checked yearly.
bpgreen
18 years ago
I had a lot of tearing once and discovered that I had installed the blade upside down. I had installed it the same way the mower repair shop installed the prior blade, but that was upside down, too. Putting it on the right way did wonders.
soccer_dad
18 years ago
You may be a bit underpowered for Gators. I suspect they are heavier and thicker than your OE blades. The wings also provide some drag. Try reducing the amount you cut at a time. If you have a shop tune your mower the important point will be to set the RPM at the factory setting. Normally, that would be peak torque or very close. Excessive RPM would probably return even worse performance. Did your OE blades cut well?