A couple of factors determine the frequency for the need to sharpen.

The first is how much is mowed and you are covering a fair sized area not to mention doing so very often. This alone may be enough.

Second is the mowing conditions. Dusty, gritty conditions will dull blades much faster. Considering your frequency of mowing I seriously doubt you have many bare spots, more likely you have a near golf green condition. However if you have frequent wind blowing in dust and sand, this grit sticks to some of the blades of grass and acts like sand paper on the mower blades. I have a friend who lives in western Ok. and they have had near flooding rain a good part of the summer so air borne grit may not be a factor for you.

There are other factors of course but I still am thinking you have a near golf green and wouldn't have these things affecting your mower. Things like rocks, dog bones, coat hangers and any other hard objects that if caught between the reel blades and bed knife would jam and tweak them to the point of no longer allowing for a scissor action.

Nevada is right. In addition to what he said...There are two procedures for "sharpening" a reel mower. Back lapping and reel grinding with bed knife sharpening. Back lapping is a procedure where the reel is turned backwards with a grinding compound applied between the reel and the bed knife. This "sharpening" technique is really more of a maintenance technique. It keeps the cutting edge in top shape. The other technique is reel grinding. This is where a machine similar to a lathe is used to spin-grind the reel surface to like new and add a relief grind as well. The bed knife is also sharpened at this time. These procedures are done by a professional shop. If all your shop is doing is back lapping don't expect much. As far as what you can do?? You can back lap at home and you can adjust the reel to bedknife clearance. That may be all you need to get you through the year. Check the link below for all you ever wanted to know about reel mowers.

Here is a link that might be useful: Reel mower fundamentals.

Just cut lawn for first tim in 2009. AND I just ordered the front roller. $179.95 including shipping. I'm eager to see the difference.

I got the roller,put it on and just used it:Lawn looks s[ectacular....My wife notices no difference. I can't wait to tell her what I really think of her meatloaf !

Congrats on adding the roller! Glad you are happy with the results.

After a couple seasons using Scotts and Tru-Cut , I've learned the following :
Both cut about the same ; They are useless cutting wet grass; DO NOT let grass get too long and expect a nice even result using a reel mower .

"After a couple seasons using Scotts and Tru-Cut , I've learned the following : Both cut about the same"

rockinandreelin,

I recently asked this same question in a different thread.

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/lmower/msg0516543731598.html?6

Do you think it's more important to have sharp blades & bedknife as opposed to power? And have you sharpened the Scotts in the couple of seasons you've use it? Thanks.

Power may be irrelevent : I had the Scotts back-lapped and that was a small improvement . I've read that to really (no pun intended) sharpen these mowers you must grind blades and bedknife...but not that often , unless you have hit a lot of debris that should have been picked up prior to cutting.

My Tru-Cut reel mower "bogs down" when in thick grass. I understand the clutch is adjustable, but have no idea how to adjust. Any help?

Help with adjusting clutch on Tru-Cut reel mower. There is a clutch adjustment that is pretty simple if you have a couple of wrenches and socket set. I can scan and e-mail you the manual that I was able to get from the manufacturer. Shoot me an e-mail and I will send over.

well adjusting the clutch sounds simple :) but one needs a couple if 1" wrenches and one which must be a thin one. Too much adjustment on the travel disk and the mower will travel when the cutter is engaged.It's kind of a balanceing act to get it just right.

I bought the cheapest 1" wrench I could find and ground it down so it would work. I'm a clumsy mechanic but adjusting the clutch is an easy thing to do.

If the blade is stopping, the clutch is probably slipping. Let it go too long (like I did) and you get to buy a new clutch.

I have a 25" Tru-Cut with a main chain that needs to be adjusted. How is this done?

Am I correct in assuming you are talking about slack in the chain from the engine sprocket to the clutch pack sprocket?

If so, you can take out some of the slack by loosening the engine mounting bolts and sliding the engine back, away from the clutch. The mounting holes in the mower base are slotted, permitting some fore and aft movement.

If you have even more chain and sprocket wear to take up, you'll need to get a "half link" or "offset link". ANSI roller chain has a pair of rollers joined by a set of links, so if you remove one pair, you lose two links. An "offset" or "half link" allows you to make the chain shorter by a single link. If you're lucky, there is already a "half link" in the chain. Then you simply remove the "half link" and take up the remaining slack using the slotted holes.

The "half link" is installed with a cotter pin, which is easy, but you'll need a chain breaker to remove a full link. Chain breaker should be available from a motorcycle shop or a Harbor Freight. Should cost about $20. Your 25" Tru-Cut should use ANSI #40 which is 1/2" pitch. Smaller Tru-Cut such as 21" use #41 which is also 1/2" pitch, but slightly lighter construction.

is there a web site or can someone e-mail me a parts and operation manual for a trucut 20" 4.0 hp honda unit?

Thanks

I am in northern Wisconsin. Wondering how the power reel mowers (like Tru Cut, Maclane, etc) work on grasses here, mostly fescue/ky blue blend?

They do not work well on Fescue or Blue grass unless you keep the blades short( 2" or less) and mow very, very frequently. My Tru-cut reel will not cut my winter rye without making a mess of it. A rotary is what you need. Tru-cut makes a nice rotory--it is the old Snapper design, very heavy duty and very sturdy.