John Deere Lawn Mower Blades

John Deere Lawn Mower Blades
Replacement Tips

John Deere is a very popular brand in heavy utility vehicles around the world.

They are one of the top makers of the lawn mowers. They have wide range of mowers from walk behind to riding mowers and even zero turn ones.

Each of these is sturdy and durable with excellent features and functionality. While the mower may be durable, the blades do wear out after sometime. Hence eventually you may have to replace them. It is important that you understand more about the John Deere Lawn Mower Blades.

Installing Blades on John Deere Mower

There are some basic things that you need to know about replacing the lawn mower blades for any mower and especially John Deere mowers, if you own one.

The first point is always the safety. The blades are so sharp that just by spinning fast they are able to cut grass, that itself should indicate to you their sharpness. Whenever you are replacing blades handle them with care. The old worn out blades also require careful handling. They may have worn out to cut the grass, but may still be sharp enough to cut your finger. It is best to wear a pair of gloves.

Second, most important thing is the blade features. The lawn mower blades come with a center hole - which determines the effective functioning and long life of the blade - that goes into the spindle.

The size of the central hole has to be perfect alignment with the spindle hole otherwise the blades do not function optimally.

This is extremely important because misaligned holes could cause excessive contact between adjacent blades and thus lead to lot of unwanted vibration and noise and increased wear and tear of the blade.

So, you need to purchase a blade that fits the spindle perfect, if the size of the center hole and spindle diameter do not match, you’ll get a lot of vibrations when you operate the mower.

These vibrations are not just annoying, but may also affect the life of the mower in general. Ensure that you maintain the original alignment between blades for best results and mower longevity.

Third point is the position of the center hole, it has to be exactly in the center of the blade to avoid blade to blade contact which can be disastrous.

And lastly, the blades should be such that when tightened, they stay perfectly straight and do not wobble. If they do, the mower will not function properly.

When you actually get to loosen the blades the first question you may ask is which way I go: chances are that the screw is tight in both directions.

But a rule of the thumb is that all John Deere screws are lefty loosey, righty tighty. So you turn them counterclockwise (facing the blades) to loosen them. When you screw in the new blades tighten in clockwise direction. Typically, this should be pretty good tip to replacing the blades.

Why you should choose John Deere Lawn Mower Blades

One important thing is that you choose the right blades for the mowers. Visit the John Deere site to see the drawbacks of using some non-John Deere recognized blade in your mower.

Some of us may find that the branded blades are more expensive and you may be tempted to purchase a cheaper alternative. Is this a good thing to do? Absolutely not, unless you are certain what you are doing.

It may be less expensive but it may do more damage than help when you try fitting it to the mower.

Besides the physical dimensions, there is also the case of quality of material used in making the blade. The John Deere lawn mower blades undergo severe tests to ensure that they are perfect match for the mowers. They are tempered to operate at the temperature and speeds that John Deere motors operate at.

Other blades may not be of the same quality and it would affect the final results when you mow your lawn.

The biggest challenge with rotating blades is that while cutting the grass, they may encounter some obstacles. John Deere blades are designed to withstand the shocks at the John Deere motor speeds.

The alternate brands make generic blades and the steel may not have enough carbon content to withstand hitting obstacles, in that case you could end up with a broken blade much earlier than you expected.

Summary

In conclusion, John Deere Lawn Mower blades are important parts of the mower.

With use, they tend to wear out and you must know how to replace them – it would save you a lot of money at the service center. You can follow above steps and read the manual, you should not have problems replacing blades. However, if you are not that confident, it doesn’t hurt taking your mower to a service center.

Always put safety before bravado while working with blades and use gloves.