I have a Ginge lawnmower. The blades are going round when I push it, but it is not cutting the grass. I have lowered the blades etc but it is not making any difference. I think the blades need sharpening. How do I go about doing that? I have tried brushing the blades with a wire brush.

Susan Hurlock, April 2009

Mowers with a cutting cylinder have two adjustments.

The bottom blade may be lowered or raised to determine the cutting height.

The rotating cylinder may be moved against the bottom blade so that they are close together and act in a scissor like fashion - each part of the curved rotating blades bearing as close as possible to the fixed bottom blade.

Stones and use over time may blunt the blades slightly but the most common cause of poor cutting is the adjustment of the cylinder against the bottom blade - if there's a gap, the grass will just get bent as you pass over it.

Look for adjusters each side that move the rotating blade up and down. Turn one and watch the cylinder move in relation to the lower blade. Reduce the gap to zero on both sides and back off slightly to allow the cylinder to rotate - you should be able to cut a piece of paper when the adjustment is correct. WATCH YOUR FINGERS.

Sharpening, if your mower really does need sharpening, usually requires disassembly and workshop facilities - Youtube has vids on it...

Good luck...

Peccavi, April 2009