How to Change and Sharpen Your Husqvarna Lawn Mower Blades

It’s that time of the season when you might not be getting the nice cut you’re used to because your blades are starting to wear. I’m going to share everything you should know about changing and sharpening your mower blades.

I have included tips for identifying mower blade problems and knowing when it’s time to replace them. Keep reading and I’ll try to help answer all of your Husqvarna blade questions.

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Follow all safety instructions provided in your equipment operator’s manual before diagnosing, repairing, or operating. Consult a professional if you don’t have the skills, or knowledge or are not in the condition to perform the repair safely.

How Often Should You Change Your Husqvarna Mower Blades? 

Husqvarna lawn mower blades must be changed at least once a year. Blades that are exposed to sand, gravel, and rocks can prematurely dull and ding your blades requiring sharpening more frequently.

Because the mowing conditions can vary from one yard to another, it is important to periodically check your mower blades for wear and damage.

A thinly grass-covered lawn will cause more wear on your blades than a thick blanket of grass because more dirt will be collected under the deck.

How Often Should You Sharpen Your Husqvarna Mower Blades? 

Your Husqvarna lawn mower blades should be sharpened every 25 hours. This is about two times a year for the average homeowner. Check your mower blades periodically to check their condition.

It’s best to keep your blades sharp. Your lawn may turn brown a couple of days after mowing if you are using dull blades.

Do New Husqvarna Mower Blades Need to be Sharpened?

New Husqvarna mower blades do not need to be sharpened because they are sharpened during the manufacturing process. New blades are ready to be mounted and put to work on your Husqvarna mower.

Inspect Husqvarna Mower Blades for Damage 

Damaged lawn mower blades can cause your Husqvarna to have a bad or uneven cut. Read more about items that can cause a bad cut in, “12 Reasons Your Husqvarna Mower Cuts Uneven“.

When looking at your Husqvarna mower blades, you should be looking for these conditions so you can replace your mower blade with a new blade:

Wearing on the Husqvarna Blade Sail

The wear you see on the top of the sail may look thinner at the ends than it does toward the center of the blade. This is considered normal wear and tear caused by sand and dirt that the blade sucks up during regular mowing.

Chips & Dings in the Husqvarna Blade Edge

If you find chips and dings in the blade, this is usually the result of hitting items in the yard. Most of the time these chips and dings can be removed by sharpening the mower blades. When large gouges exist in the blades, I recommend replacing them to maintain a good clean cut. 

Husqvarna Blade is Bent

Inspect blades for any bends in the blade. If you are unsure whether a blade is bent, compare the old blade to a new blade. Blades need to be replaced if they are in this condition. 

Never attempt to straighten them as this weakens the metal and can develop cracks that can break off.

If you prefer not to remove the blade to check it, you can measure each end of the blade from the ground to the end of the blade. When you do this, make sure your mower is parked on a flat-level surface.

Start by measuring from the ground to one end of the blade. Record the measurement.

Next, rotate the blade 180 degrees and measure the other side of the blade from the ground to the end. If your measurements are greater than a 1/8″ difference, you need to replace your mower blade.

When you hit something hard, you can cause damage to the spindle and housing. Check this by grabbing a hold of both sides of the blade and rocking the blade up and down.

Make sure you’re wearing a good pair of gloves before grabbing the blade. You’ll need to take your spindle assembly apart and inspect for damage if you feel any movement or hear a knocking sound.

Husqvarna Blade is Cracked

Replace the Husqvarna blade if you find a crack. Using a blade that is cracked can be extremely dangerous.

A cracked lawn mower blade has the potential to break off while mowing which can send flying metal through the air. This could injure a person or cause damage to the siding of a home. 

Items that Can Damage Your Husqvarna Mower Blade 

Before each mowing, you should walk around your yard and remove any items that can damage your mower and blades. There are many items that can prematurely wear or damage your mower blade:

Sticks, Rocks, and Toys 

Items that are run over by your mower, including sticks, rocks, and toys, can cause damage to your blade. The speed of the blade hitting a solid object can cause your blade to bend or become gouged.

If the impact is significant, you can also damage the spindle and cause vibration in the mower.

Sand & Nature’s Debris 

When your lawn has a lot of sand in it because a thick covering of grass has not grown in yet, your blades will wear and the edge will become dull.

You can’t do too much to avoid this besides trying to grow a nice thick yard which can take years. Just be aware that you will have to check your blades more frequently because the sand will wear out your blades quickly.

Lawn Chemicals 

There are some chemicals used to treat lawns that can be corrosive to your Husqvarna blades. If you use chemicals on your lawn, it is a good idea to remove your mower blades occasionally so they don’t fuse themselves to your deck from corrosion.

Removing your blades will make sure they don’t form a tight seal so you aren’t able to remove them at a later time.

How to Remove Husqvarna Mower Blades 

Here are the steps to remove your Husqvarna Blades:

Gather tools to remove blades 

• Ratchet 
• Work Gloves 
• Safety Glasses 
• Torque Wrench
• Cordless Impact Gun (Optional) 

Remove Husqvarna Spark Plug Boot 

Always remove the spark plug boots and the ignition key from your Husqvarna mower. You do not want the mower to start with you under the mower deck.

Stay safe by following this these safety items along with wearing safety glasses and using work gloves to protect your hands from the sharp edges on your blades.

Remove Husqvarna Mower Blades 

Remove your mower blades using a socket and ratchets. If they don’t come off easily, you may want to use a cordless impact gun.

You can also attempt to remove stubborn bolts by placing a block of wood over the head of the bolt. Hit the block with a hammer to loosen the bolt so you can turn it.

Remove the bolt, blade, and any washers your blade may use. Reinstall your blades and parts in the opposite order you took them off. If you are reusing your blades, make sure they are balanced before reinstalling.

How to Safely Sharpen Husqvarna Lawn Mower Blades DIY 

You can save some time and money by sharpening your own Husqvarna mower blades. There are several different tools that can be used to sharpen your blades including a metal file, drill-powered blade sharpener, or a disc grinder. Follow these steps to sharpen your blades:

Gather the tools you will need 

• 10″ flat metal file, drill-powered blade sharpener, or disc grinder 
• A vice to hold the blade in place 
• Blade balancer or nail on the wall 
• Rags 
• Wire Brush 
• Safety glasses 
• Work gloves 

Put on Safety Glasses and Gloves 

Clean Husqvarna Blades

Use a rag to clean the dirt off your mower blades. A wire brush can be used for stubborn areas of buildup.

Secure Your Husqvarna Blade

Securely place your blade in a vice to keep it from shifting during sharpening. After sharpening one side, you will flip the blade and secure it in the vice while you sharpen the other side.

File or grind blade to sharpen the edge 

Sharpen with a metal file 

• Using a file, push the file at an angle in one direction along the blade. 
• Do not use a sawing motion when filing. 
• Once all the rough spots and uneven edges are removed, flip the blade over, secure it in the vice, and sharpen the other side. 

Sharpen with a drill-powered blade sharpener. 

• Power the drill with the blade sharpener attached. 
• Place the flat guide of the sharpener along the flat portion of the blade with the cutting edge slot into the bevel. 
• Move the sharpener up and down the length of the blade edge. 
• Once one side is sharpened without any rough spots or nicks, flip the blade over, secure it in the vice, and sharpen using the same procedure. 

Sharpen with an angle grinder or bench grinder 

• Hold the angle grinder perpendicular to the edge of the blade. Run the grinder along the length of the blade to level out any rough spots or nicks. Keep the grinder moving so it removes a little metal at a time and produces an even result. 
• Once one side is sharpened without any rough spots or nicks, flop the blade over, secure it in the vice, and sharpen using the same procedure. 

Balance Your Husqvarna Mower Blades

Newly purchased Husqvarna blades are balanced and ready to be installed on your mower. If you have just sharpened your blades, you must make sure the blades are balanced.

Using a blade balancer to check for equal weight on each side of your blade. Shave more metal off the heavy side of the blade until the weight of the blade is equal on both sides.

Another option to check the balance of your blade is using a nail on the wall where the nail head sits about an inch away from the wall.

Place the center hole of the blade over the nail and watch to see if the blade hangs lower on the right or left-hand side of the blade. You will want to remove more metal off the side that hangs lower until the blade sits level on the nail.

When You Should Seek a Professional Sharpening Service for Your Husqvarna

I can sharpen my mower blades myself and I even have the tools to do so, but I still choose to have my local lawn mower dealership sharpen my blades.

The dealer does a much better job than I do and it’s convenient. I drop them off at the dealership and pick them up a couple of days later.

The timeline works for me because I always have a second set of sharpened blades on hand so the wait doesn’t bother me. You may choose to have a professional sharpen your blades because:

• It is a safer option to sharpen the blade yourself 
• Sharpening a blade is often less expensive than purchasing a blade 
• A professional can grind down mower blades to get rid of large nicks and gouges in the steel 
• The blade is properly balanced. This will reduce vibration and damage to your mower deck.