You really don't go by hours.
If your yard is sand then you sharpen more often.
Best thing to do is look at the blades.
If after you cut the grass has brown tips then sharpen the blades.
#3
Bob E
I sharpen mine about once a month, I guess that is about every 4-8 hours. Sometimes I sharpen twice a month in the spring and fall, sometimes once every two months in mid summer if its dry.
Mulching dulls blades quicker too, and the quality of your blade steel will also play a roll in how often they need sharpened.
I keep 2 sets and run about 2 weeks (sandy ground) then swap them that way I keep a set ready to go.
I have found that by sharpening blades they will last longer, I don't grind much off just enough to get a sharp edge.
I must admit that I get lazy when it comes to sharp blades!! I do have an Oregon blade sharpener but it is a time consuming job to sharpen blades with it. I generally buy a dozen blades at start of the season and go thru all of them by end of season. All of the lawns that I do are nasty castoffs from full time lawn care guys. The hills, rocks, roots, stumps, pine needles, and other stuff are nasty to blades. I generally mow 3.5" or higher so I can go over most of the nasty spots and not bang up blades. The rocks, stones and roots just keep on growing out of the ground!!!
When I finally do get motivated to sharpen and balance blades, I usually end up with six that are salvageable and sharpened and toss the rest.
Thanks all. That's more often then I thought. I don't have sandy soil and try to pick up twigs and sticks before I mow. Very few rocks in the soil and I mow at 3".
#8
jekjr
We run two Tiger Cats. We swap blades every morning before we go to work and a lot of days we swap again mid day many days.
