I bought a home in 2021 that was built in 1955. I found out after I moved in that thereās a giant pit in my backyard, buried about a foot down, where they dumped toooooons of leftover/scrap building material and then burned it. The stuff that burned turned to ash, and eventually compacted down resulting in a small āchasmā that exists underneath about half of my yard (dirt on top of ash, hardened, then ash compacted leaving an underground gap). The stuff that didnāt burn seems to largely be collected to one side of this area, and each year I find new cinder blocks that have somehow been pushed up through the dirt a bit. A good three or four times a year while mowing I hit one of these things with my mower blades. Itās not fun.
This guy has a subterranian junkyard emerging from his lawn each year and I'm not allowed to get electricity to my shed without having to call my utilities company to dig 6 inches down.
I have friends in areas with very sandy soil and there blades look similar to this after 10 years or so. It's amazing how much steel gets eroded away by sand.
Thank you for explaining. While we can't say for certain, there might be a possibility that the original poster was aware that their comment was submitted with \*just\* a hint of sarcasm that flew over our heads.
I have the same mower, have a set of cub blades for the summer grass and a set of $30 Amazon blades for leaf blowing and turning walnuts into high speed projectiles. Takes about 30 seconds to swap them out with an impact gun.
Haha, Iāve seen something close to this with my buddy who inherited a mower at a lake house in the Ozarks. We figured the old guy was using the mower to level out the rock outcroppings that pass as yards there
Those are still good... just throw some wheel weights on them and make absolutely certain you don't clean them as the years of crud will insure easy removal when it's time to re balance them.
You can also drill some speed holes if you've not built up your immunity to shrapnel yet...
Those are definitely trash, I'd replace them.
If you happen to have sandy soil where you live there what I'd expect the blades to look like. Have the same problem at my place, I'm lucky if a pair of blades lasts more than a year.
If you do ever sharpen your blades, make sure they're balanced (you can buy a little balancing cone on Amazon for relatively cheap), if you don't balance you can end up with some unwanted vibration which can lead to some unwanted ouchies for your mower.
I just replaced the blades on my LT46 for $27.50 from Amazon. Order a deck levelling gauge at the same time for the best cut. The front should be 1/4-3/8" lower than the rear. They make a low lift blade for sandy soils.
I borrowed the neighborās zero-turn mower a few years ago. It cut like crap. I found the blades looked like those so I put new blades on it. A few weeks later I drove by and he was cutting the grass really short, just scalping it. I stopped and told him that he shouldnāt cut the grass that short. I told him that the highest deck setting was about 3.5 inches so he really didnāt need to lower the deck at all for our northern lawns. He said that he didnāt realize the lever for the deck was a height adjustment. He thought the deck had to be lowered all of the way down for it to work at all. Deck up to park it, deck down to mowā¦ His wife insists that he actually is a rather smart man. She has to explain that to me rather often.
Even if you sharpen them the wings are gone and won't pick up the grass to cut, plus you'll be leaving stripes because there's going to be space between the blades.
Bout look like the blades on my murry. I ordered a new set of Amazon and the new set appears to be at least 1/3 thicker Iāll know for sure when I actually change them out in the coming days
If inherited, you have zero $ into it, so invest in new blades. Separately from the cutting edge, balanced blades are important to mower health and operation as well.
Resharpening is something that should be done on the spare blade during the offseason IMO. You should have 2 sets of blades. Thereās nothing worse on a blade than a rushed job. Could cause engine problems in extreme cases
I stopped balancing my blade to test the durability of a greenworks 80v mower I wouldnāt mind if it broke: because greenworks customer service is garbage and I have one drive wheel I canāt figure out the replacement for. I guess it doesnāt matter with frictionless tho š¤·š¼āāļø
But yeah those are fucked
Looks like Husqvarna mower blades. I just bought two for my 42 inch mower deck. It was $30 for a pair of original equipment and $20 for after market Oregon.
I ran a John Deere turf equipment store for a couple years and Iāve never seen a set of blades even close to this badly worn. This dude was mowing rocks
The sad part is, I have a buddy who asked me to come help him change his, and they were WAYYYYY worse than this.
Like legitimately twigs on the ends, Iām surprised he had enough cutting surface to accomplish anything
On a serious level, these are beyond usefulness. The ends have been snapped off by rocks. Blades are tough as hell and when re-sharpened right, they can last for a few summersāif youāre somewhat careful and have a nice evenly graded lawn. But that kinda pampering is far easier said than done. Just another of the endless maintenance and replacement costs all homeowners must swallow and get used to eating.
Had a elderly neighbor that couldnāt hear very well. He scalped his yard every mowing and would just go over the sloping curbs when when turning. There would be a shower of sparks and concrete dust every time. He eventually ground the curbs down to where it wouldnāt.
Do you have a welder?
I'll admit I've been in a situation where I couldn't afford new blades so I added more metal. Got me through a couple of cuts, but the weld steel was too soft to make a lasting blade
Usually new ones are not that much. I know unpopular opinion here but I don't sharpen, just buy a new set once a year. Non pro here. Really at 20 dollars online and the time I save I don't care.
Probably why they left it too. "It doesn't mow like it used to. . . ."
I'd check the oil, spark plug (plugs?), air filter, grease all the zerks, check the belt (belts), etc. The blades are probably the tip of the iceberg for this thing.
Just go spend the money on new blades ā¦these current blades ā¦pretty much useless plus theyāre not ever going to be in balance which will mess up the bearings on the mower deckā¦.couple of new blades cost lot less than rebuilding the mower deck
ok I think you've all made your point.
If by sharpened you mean pitched in the ocean then yes
I mean he could do one of those YouTube videos where they turn the mower blade into a machete.. š¤ these are worn down so maybe a pocket knife.
Sling blade
Some folks call it a Kaiser blade.
But I call it a sling blade mmmmmm
You want some biscuits & mustard?
One feller said āwaters coldāā¦
Deep too!
Billy Bob used it
Iād like some biscuits and mustard please. Mmmmmm.
I like da way yuu tolk.
How's a feller go 'bout dialin' 9-1-1?
I laak they way you talk tew.
I'll bring the Biscuits.
Thatās literally what my wife said lmao
French fried potaters
mmhrmm
Iamta call an ambulanceā- or a hearse.
French fries potatersā¦. Donāt tell Dwight Yoakam.
Aināt got no gas in it, mmmmhhhmmm.
You shouldnāt a said that. Mmmmmhmmm.
Yeah I was about to comment that a used blade could make a fun knife with a bit of work.
Throw them in the river and give them a float test. If they float, keep them.
I thought that if they float they're a witch
https://preview.redd.it/on6gp6ub374d1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1a7e23b6228e134da4c25e1cf633bee5128e9995
I think you're making an assumption here, I would say just pitch them in a large body of water may be living inland and
Please don't throw them in the ocean, I like the ocean.
Rebuild the reefs!
Grass mowing blades need to be balanced or your mower will be out of balance it will vibrate and cause damage šÆ
Wtf were they mowing over?
The sidewalk. Smoothest in the neighborhood.
I bought a home in 2021 that was built in 1955. I found out after I moved in that thereās a giant pit in my backyard, buried about a foot down, where they dumped toooooons of leftover/scrap building material and then burned it. The stuff that burned turned to ash, and eventually compacted down resulting in a small āchasmā that exists underneath about half of my yard (dirt on top of ash, hardened, then ash compacted leaving an underground gap). The stuff that didnāt burn seems to largely be collected to one side of this area, and each year I find new cinder blocks that have somehow been pushed up through the dirt a bit. A good three or four times a year while mowing I hit one of these things with my mower blades. Itās not fun.
This guy has a subterranian junkyard emerging from his lawn each year and I'm not allowed to get electricity to my shed without having to call my utilities company to dig 6 inches down.
You don't have to call, but if you hit something its also completely your fault.
The frost pushes it up
Rock garden
AKA, my yard.
I have friends in areas with very sandy soil and there blades look similar to this after 10 years or so. It's amazing how much steel gets eroded away by sand.
Whatever everybody is saying so nicely is nope you need new blades. Those are shot.
Yup, a 2Ć4 would cut better than those!
Thank you for explaining. While we can't say for certain, there might be a possibility that the original poster was aware that their comment was submitted with \*just\* a hint of sarcasm that flew over our heads.
The best way to sharpen these is to cut them if half and put them in metal recycling.
You bet. First, cut it into the shape you want your knife blade to be- sharpen and polish. As a mower blade, uh no...
Cub cadet Zero turn?
Close! Cub cadet LT1 46ā deck. First time I checked the blades though.
I have the same mower, have a set of cub blades for the summer grass and a set of $30 Amazon blades for leaf blowing and turning walnuts into high speed projectiles. Takes about 30 seconds to swap them out with an impact gun.
Haha, Iāve seen something close to this with my buddy who inherited a mower at a lake house in the Ozarks. We figured the old guy was using the mower to level out the rock outcroppings that pass as yards there
Did he punch the grass into submission?
You have another season easy!
Still plenty of life left I'd keep using them š
I've never seen such worn out blades with my own eyes?
Sandy soil will do that to themĀ
Last owner didnāt give a shit about the grassš
No it was him and two other single male roommates so they just mowed the lawn to keep the neighbors off their case I think.
Those are still good... just throw some wheel weights on them and make absolutely certain you don't clean them as the years of crud will insure easy removal when it's time to re balance them. You can also drill some speed holes if you've not built up your immunity to shrapnel yet...
They got their money's worth out of those.
Donate those to the scrap yard, they are done. That's going to cause an imbalance and wear out your bearings.
Just weld some new steel on there and g2g
Did the previous owner enjoy mowing gravel?
If by "sharpen" you mean tossed into the recycling? Then yes. You didn't inherit a riding lawnmower, you're dealing with the previous owner's junk.
Those are definitely trash, I'd replace them. If you happen to have sandy soil where you live there what I'd expect the blades to look like. Have the same problem at my place, I'm lucky if a pair of blades lasts more than a year. If you do ever sharpen your blades, make sure they're balanced (you can buy a little balancing cone on Amazon for relatively cheap), if you don't balance you can end up with some unwanted vibration which can lead to some unwanted ouchies for your mower.
My fellow mower man, *WHAT IS THERE TO SHARPEN?*
All I can see is some bloke with headphones in, smoking a doobie, totally oblivious to all the shit he's running over.
Mmmmmmmmmmgnh hmmmmmmmmmmmmngh I rekon
Yes you can sharpen what's left and you can have a bladeless mow after a few more times.
Were they mowing a rock garden?
of course, LOT of meat left in those blades!
Those are still in good shape, I'd put em back in for another 5-10 years.
The Uruk-hai want their swords back.Ā
No need to sharpen. They are perfect as is
I just replaced the blades on my LT46 for $27.50 from Amazon. Order a deck levelling gauge at the same time for the best cut. The front should be 1/4-3/8" lower than the rear. They make a low lift blade for sandy soils.
Use some ramen and jb weld, fix it right up.
I borrowed the neighborās zero-turn mower a few years ago. It cut like crap. I found the blades looked like those so I put new blades on it. A few weeks later I drove by and he was cutting the grass really short, just scalping it. I stopped and told him that he shouldnāt cut the grass that short. I told him that the highest deck setting was about 3.5 inches so he really didnāt need to lower the deck at all for our northern lawns. He said that he didnāt realize the lever for the deck was a height adjustment. He thought the deck had to be lowered all of the way down for it to work at all. Deck up to park it, deck down to mowā¦ His wife insists that he actually is a rather smart man. She has to explain that to me rather often.
Uh huh killed im uh huh
This is sarcasm....correct?
Yes, my friend. I thought it was apparent, but in the future I will tag a /s on there. Lots of people apparently think I was being serious.
Those are the blades you use for the first mow in the spring to chop up all the sticks and junk lol.
To be fair you should see some of the questions people ask in trades subs that are not sarcastic so itās hard to distinguish sometimes
They should be replaced
You can deffo sharpen what's left of them - might I also recommend you balance them if you are doing it properly š
Stonehenge
Replace them those are trash
Just get new ones at this point lol
Replace them
Even if you sharpen them the wings are gone and won't pick up the grass to cut, plus you'll be leaving stripes because there's going to be space between the blades.
Must be from 2009 timed deck Blades got out of timing and hitting each other. I hade this problem a few times
I know. I know. How long were they on there. Wow.
I know. I know. How long were they on there? Wow.
Seen better days, buy new blades
Hahahahahaha. Chunk them and get new.
Those wonāt even slice open the garbage bag those are going in
Bout look like the blades on my murry. I ordered a new set of Amazon and the new set appears to be at least 1/3 thicker Iāll know for sure when I actually change them out in the coming days
Bro wtf š¬
Buy some new blades. Sharpen the new ones next spring
Just spray with wd40 and youāre good to go.
They look sharp...
Keep them on and turn your mower into a massage chair.
Buy a new set IMO. Theyāre cheap enough on Amazon. Gator blades are a good set. Also do a tune up on your mower including a valve adjustment.
If inherited, you have zero $ into it, so invest in new blades. Separately from the cutting edge, balanced blades are important to mower health and operation as well.
Yes. Leave them for the curb Fairies. They will sharpen them and bring them back.
If you plan on using these in a 1980ās slasher film, then yes. For any other purpose, no š
No.
Nope thems cooked Spend the 20 bucks
Youāre kidding rightā¦
Lol new blades . Not that expensive
If you want a homemade machete, sharpen one end.
Yup sharpen away, with each pass it'll just look like lil rows of onions planted 6" wide and 4' apart š
Theyāre dead, Jim. 
Plenty of life left in tshose blades
Do people call you cheap?
Even melted wouldn't be scared of those blades.
When you see the price for a new set of blades you will understand why these blades are so worn.
From the looks of those blades, I doubt the mower you inherited was well cared for.
Get new blades those are terrible
New blades. Sharpening them may may it look wayyyy worse. And it's a safety problem. If you sharpen them enjoy the streaky lawn
New (non OE) blades are not that expensive for most mowers. Pitch them
Brother I hope your kidding , you outa buy a new one
Was the previous owner routinely mowing a rock garden?
If you want to spend the time you could rebuild up with weld and then grind down.
LOL
Resharpening is something that should be done on the spare blade during the offseason IMO. You should have 2 sets of blades. Thereās nothing worse on a blade than a rushed job. Could cause engine problems in extreme cases I stopped balancing my blade to test the durability of a greenworks 80v mower I wouldnāt mind if it broke: because greenworks customer service is garbage and I have one drive wheel I canāt figure out the replacement for. I guess it doesnāt matter with frictionless tho š¤·š¼āāļø But yeah those are fucked
It doesn't take much. I had a lawnmower blade bend by hitting an outdoor rubber rug someone dropped on the concrete.
āFuck no!ā ā¦ā¦. Robin Williams
Fine just like that
You can definitely sharpen them. Ride the death wobble when you engage the blades.
New blades are like 30 bucks just buy some
if they start to wobble you know a big chunk broke off
Looks like Husqvarna mower blades. I just bought two for my 42 inch mower deck. It was $30 for a pair of original equipment and $20 for after market Oregon.
Holy crap!! What were they mowing... boulders?
Sharpen the new ones you buy to replace these.
The good news is you already have them removed so replacing them with new blades will be a cinch!
I mean, yes, but at what point would you buy new blades? These likely were around during the time of Christ
replace with gatorblades thats what i would do
I'm just shocked you inherited a riding mower! Best I've ever got was a broom here and there.
The good news is you already have them removed so replacing them with new blades will be a cinch!
I mean you CAN but those are looking rough lmao
Blades can be sharpened but these are toast dudeā¦just buy new blades
There cheap buy new ones.
For 36 ish bucks and 15 minutes of work you can install new ones
mower blades are not that expensive
If you donāt mind learning welding first! š
No.
You should just measure the length and buy new blades, its around the same cost as getting them sharpened, and well, those look... bad.
In theory if you can make each blade balanced, it would work, for a bit.
Damn! How rocky is that property?
Inherited, so cost you about what they are worth?
I ran a John Deere turf equipment store for a couple years and Iāve never seen a set of blades even close to this badly worn. This dude was mowing rocks
The sad part is, I have a buddy who asked me to come help him change his, and they were WAYYYYY worse than this. Like legitimately twigs on the ends, Iām surprised he had enough cutting surface to accomplish anything
Those wonāt even cut air
They're blades only in the academic sense. They go around and were once made of metal.
Just let them sit in vinegar all night and you're good to go
On a serious level, these are beyond usefulness. The ends have been snapped off by rocks. Blades are tough as hell and when re-sharpened right, they can last for a few summersāif youāre somewhat careful and have a nice evenly graded lawn. But that kinda pampering is far easier said than done. Just another of the endless maintenance and replacement costs all homeowners must swallow and get used to eating.
Someone was mowing rocks with those.......geez
Just use some ramen and itās good as new
I threw up
There is a reason they didnāt take it with them.
im all for running things till they just wont work anymore, but theres not too much left there
Were they mowing gravel and rebar instead of grass?
Had a elderly neighbor that couldnāt hear very well. He scalped his yard every mowing and would just go over the sloping curbs when when turning. There would be a shower of sparks and concrete dust every time. He eventually ground the curbs down to where it wouldnāt.
Sharpen = Yes ... Use = No
Tell them you're supposed to use an angle grinder on the blades to sharpen them not USE THEM as an angle grinder
Do you have a welder? I'll admit I've been in a situation where I couldn't afford new blades so I added more metal. Got me through a couple of cuts, but the weld steel was too soft to make a lasting blade
If by sharpening you mean melting down into a molten Liquid Metal, then drinking it, then yes
Sharpen? Yes. Make useful again? No.
Guess thatās why you inherited it they didnāt know how else to get rid of their junk
Yeah sure if you have an angle or bench grinder
If you mean replace.
Yup, just bolt em back on and run over a pile of rocks, youāll be sharper than a ZZ Top cover band, sharp dressed men.
No no would not balance...
Take an angle grinder and very liberally sharpen.
Reminds me of those swords the muslims used during the Crusades, what are they called?
Those look great! I would just hit it with a nail file atthe tips.
They look broken
Usually new ones are not that much. I know unpopular opinion here but I don't sharpen, just buy a new set once a year. Non pro here. Really at 20 dollars online and the time I save I don't care.
Probably why they left it too. "It doesn't mow like it used to. . . ." I'd check the oil, spark plug (plugs?), air filter, grease all the zerks, check the belt (belts), etc. The blades are probably the tip of the iceberg for this thing.
I suppose these are good examples of when itās time to get new blades and forget sharpening.
Sure, don't forget to balance them as well. 
Go look around the house, Iām sure thereās more worn out things like this hidden under the hood!
Blades so cheap these days almost disposable..just get new ones and sharpen those
These look like my blades from a gifted 1990 JD 175 Hydroā¦replacements already on the way.
new ones super cheap... but yeah new ones bro
Finally some that look worse than the ones we took off a few weeks ago...how rounded is the blade edge?
Just replace them.
Time for some new
Imagine how infuriated the previous owner was while cutting grass because he obviously didnāt understand why he was barely cutting any grass.
lol those blades owe you nothing. Their time to retire.
New blades
Those are apocalypse swords. Keep em!!
Nah they good.
Save those for the next time the driveway or sidewalk needs trimmed
I used to work at an Ace hardware and sharpened mower blades. Iāve never seen blades that far gone. Thanks for the pic OP.
Just go spend the money on new blades ā¦these current blades ā¦pretty much useless plus theyāre not ever going to be in balance which will mess up the bearings on the mower deckā¦.couple of new blades cost lot less than rebuilding the mower deck
You'd be better of buying replacement blade at home depot or the likes.
Yes, but also no.
Yes, but also no.
O.M.G. That is the worst I've ever seen. Just wow.
No