Unlike rotary mower blades, a reel mower can’t simply be touched up with a file. The spiral reel blades and bedknife must be ground precisely and adjusted to meet each other perfectly along the entire cutting edge. That takes the proper equipment and experience — which is exactly why so many push reel and greens mower owners bring theirs to us.
We sharpen manual push reel mowers as well as powered reel mowers, and we handle bedknife service and adjustments while the mower is here. Every reel leaves the bench cutting paper — that’s the test, and we don’t skip it.
The brands we know best
We specialize in sharpening McLane, California Trimmer, and Tru-Cut reel mowers — the machines you’ll find behind most of the best-looking lawns in Bakersfield. If you own one of these, you’re in the right place.
The sharpening process
- 1. Relief grinding — We grind a relief angle behind the cutting edge of each reel blade, restoring a sharp, true edge along the full reel.
- 2. Backlapping — The reel is spun backward against the bedknife with lapping compound so the two edges mate perfectly.
- 3. Adjusting — We set the reel-to-bedknife contact so the mower cuts with a light, even scissor action across the entire width.
- 4. Test cutting — Every reel has to cut paper cleanly along the whole bedknife before it leaves the bench.
Signs your mower is due for a sharpening
- Grass tips look torn or frayed instead of cleanly cut
- The lawn has a whitish or brownish cast a day after mowing
- The mower pushes grass over instead of cutting it
- The reel binds or is hard to turn instead of spinning freely
- It’s been more than a season since the last sharpening
If any of those sound familiar, drop your mower off at the shop during business hours — no appointment needed — or send us a message and we’ll let you know the current turnaround time. You can also call us at (661) 327-0855.