Cub Cadet Blades

Keeping your Cub Cadet blades in top performance by doing regular maintenance on them will not only help your blades last longer, but will be better for your lawn in the long run. It's a good idea to sharpen and clean your blades every couple of months. I would suggest once in the spring, and once midway through the summer growing season. If your blades are sharp, they will make cleaner cuts through the blades of your lawn. Dull blades will tear your grass blades, and increase the likelihood, that your lawn will become diseased.

Sharpening your blades shouldn't take long, and is a fairly simple process. First of all, for safety sake, disengage your engines spark plug and disconnect the battery, so that it can't start accidentally. Remove the mowing deck before attempting to remove the blades. Turning your mower on it's side to access the blades is not advisable, and may result in permanent damage to your mower. Loosen the blade locking nut with a wrench. I may be very tight or seized, particularly if the blades haven't been removed in a long time. Again, regular maintenance will make this step easier each time.

Clean all dirt and debris from the blade before beginning. Secondly, you should inspect the blades for any excessive wear, gouging, or pitting. If there is excessive damage to the blade it would be better to replace it. There are a number of replacement blades for sale on this page. If the blade is in relatively good repair, than a simple sharpening should be sufficient. Blades can be sharpened with a hand file. Make sure your hand file is the type meant for working with metal. If you have a grinding wheel, that can be used to sharpen your blade as well. A grinding wheel will make the job go faster, but make sure not to take too much of the blade material off. The blade edge will be on about a 45 degree sharpness, and you should endeavor to maintain this angle through your sharpening. Making equal passes on both sides of the blade will help to maintain it's original angle.

While you have the blades off, it may be a good time to check them for balance. Blades can fall out of balance, due to more sharpening on one side than on the other. An improperly installed, or off balance blade can adversely affect other parts of the Cub Cadet, including the engine. Tools for checking blade balance are available at most local hardware stores, and are generally inexpensive. Vertical and horizontal balance testing of the blade is important. If one side of the blade appears heavier, simply sharpen that side a little more until good balance is restored.

Once your finished sharpening, and your blades are in balance, it's time to put them back on your mower. Make sure you get the blade right side up. Most blades have a top and bottom side. Take note of any locking or adapter and bolts that were holding the blades in place. They should be replaced in the same order as they were originally. Be careful not to over tighten bolts.