Stone Damage on Lawn Mowers

More than 100,000 people are injured each year by lawnmowers.

More than 100,000 people are injured each year by lawnmowers.

Owning a lawn mower means accepting the responsibility of using it safely. This means familiarizing yourself with your lawn mower, performing simple maintenance and keeping an eye out for possible damage, such as blade damage caused by hitting a stone, rock or other object. A damaged lawn mower cannot cut your grass efficiently, and poses a danger if severely compromised.

Types of Damage

Your lawn mower lets you know when you’ve hit a stone or other object because it makes a loud, unhealthy sound. This sound is caused by the stone ricocheting off the blades as they spin. A blunt object, such as a rock or stone, has the power to chip, dent, nick, bend or break your mower blades, depending on its size and how it hits the mower. Once in motion with the force of the blades, the stone or rock also has the ability to shoot upwards, damaging other parts of your mower; or worse, shoot outwards into the air. Mower-propelled rocks and stones pose a danger to you or anyone else nearby, as well as cars, windows and buildings.

Damage to Your Lawn

As stones and rocks come in contact with your lawn mower blades while they spin, they damage the blades and dull them. This, in turn, harms your lawn. To keep your lawn healthy, the blades need to be sharp and without imperfections. Instead of cutting, dull mower blades rip or tear the blades of grass, weakening your lawn and causing it to lose moisture and vigor. As with any plant, a loss of vigor and health makes your turf grass is more susceptible to invasion by both pests and diseases.

Necessary Precautions

To avoid blade or mechanical damage to your lawn mower, and also to avoid objects flying through the air as you mow, walk around your lawn and check for stones, rocks and fallen branches before mowing. As you mow, keep a keen eye and look for anything you may have missed in your initial walk-through. If stone beds, paths or walkways are a part of your yard, keep your mower away from them. Cut the grass leading up to these areas with a weed trimmer instead of a mower and consider changing the landscaping to make it safer. Never run your lawn mower over gravel, stone pavers, river rock or any other hard surface that could damage the blades.

Assessing and Repairing Damage

Do not do try to repair your mower while the blades are in motion, or with the engine running. Read all safety precautions in the owner’s manual before performing any maintenance, as each model differs. If you feel comfortable doing the work, slight imperfections and nicks are easily buffed out using a metal file. To remove the blades, disconnect the spark plug wires or unplug an electric mower and remove the bolts that hold the blades in place. Hold the blades snugly in a vise and run a metal file along the factory bevel edge to buff out nicks and increase sharpness. Always wear gloves and protective eyewear as you work. Use a level to make sure the blades are balanced and aligned before bolting them back in place. Also, make sure all protective guards and shields are back in place and all wires are re-attached before turning the mower on. If you are uncomfortable performing this type of maintenance, or if the blades are bent, broken or severely damaged, take your mower to the nearest lawn mower service shop.

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