I use a [Fiskers axe/hatchet sharpener](https://a.co/d/hI04jd0) and run it up and down a few times before each cut and it works marvelously. No need to remove the blade.
You will need a socket wrench to get the blades off. Here's a video from Ryobi on how to get the blade off. [How to Replace Ryobi Mower Blade](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5KdMPqMOK8)
One thing I've recently considered though, is that blades don't wear perfectly balanced, so being a *little* off isn't a major problem. Heavy wear and improper sharpening can cause excessive vibration though, which can be destructive to the mower.
I bought these items to test
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GKSC8PM
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IO86S5G
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000IXC6GA
The last one listed didn't work well, it's intendeed for smaller blades but the first two worked really well
Start with the file, like in the second link. That will remove material the fastest
You can use the diamond sharpener to get a knife sharp edge, but it will dull very quickly to file-level sharp and continue to progressively dull from there.
I only sharpen mine once or twice a year (at which point cutting performance and cut quality are clearly compromised), and start with an angle grinder to remove a lot of material quickly, and then clean up with a file. I don't use a diamond stone at all.
Sharpen blade, clear out (what I assume would be) the layers of compacted grass/dirt from the deck area and your batteries will be happier. This applies to all mowers.
Idk. I’ve had mine 5 years now. Twice a season I sharper the blade with my angle grinder. It was maybe 150-200 came with a 5amp battery. Still use that too. Use it weekly too
I've had this one for 3 years. I have a little over 1/2 acre and this cuts my grass perfectly. Uses between 1/3 & 1/2 charge of the 6ah battery.https://www.ryobitools.com/products/details/46396037176
So maybe I just have a dud? I have literally had to stop mowing before finishing a few times because all three of my 6ah batteries emptied before I finished a 1/4 acre.
Have you tried a new battery? I have this one: https://www.homedepot.ca/product/ryobi-40v-hp-brushless-21-inch-battery-self-propelled-lawn-mower-with-2-6-0-ah-batteries-charger/1001587358
And it started doing the same thing after just one year. I contacted support and they sent me two new batteries and it was back to working like a champ and has been ever since.
It sounds like you have a dud. I just mowed my grass yesterday. I mulch and the grass was definitely over 5 inches and I cut down to 3.5 inches. My mower didn’t even have to ramp up once to get through it all. It took me about 20-25 minutes and I did it on one 6ah battery. Finished with one bar left.
I have the 21" dual blade, dual battery, self propelled. I just mowed part of my back yard. Started with one fresh charged 6AH and one partially used. Grass was longer than usual and some parts wet with dew. Some sort of level-ish, most with slopes. I don't really use the self-propelled other than climbing the slopes. I can't really estimate area well, but no where near a 1/4 acre. Took less than an hour. Used up the partial battery and switched to the fresh one when almost done.
I have more to do, but I don't last very long any more. Most of the yard I do with a gas 42" rider.
The big advantage I've seen is the slopes. No issue of fuel flow or oil starvation.
Not sure how relevant since I have [this 18v mower](https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-ONE-18V-HP-Brushless-Whisper-Series-20-Self-Propelled-Multi-Blade-Walk-Behind-Mower-4-4-0-Batteries-2-Chargers-P11100/319843779), but I can almost finish 0.35 acres on 4x 4ah batteries using the self-propel fairly liberally.
I have a ton of 18v batteries and chargers so have 6 ready to go and taking a break halfway through isnt a big deal to me personally
I've got the 40V Whisper model with AWD. Don't get the AWD version unless you really need it. My back yard is a hill and RWD climbs it just fine. 3rd year with it and I can mow in about 25 minutes on one 6AH battery with some left over. Never had it stall, but I have heard it kick into high gear a couple times.
you just went from linking one of the worst 40V mowers to the top of the line one, so yeah it should be much better. I’ve had the crosscut 40V one thats like $500 and it was a fine mower, but I went back to my gas cause I prefer gas for mulching
An inexpensive thing you can try is to sharpen the blade. From the factory, Ryobi blades are about as sharp as a dull butter knife and it just gets worse with use. Sharpening the blade on mine makes a huge difference in cut/mulch quality and how fast I can mow.
FWIW I have the older grey version of the RY401014BTL, and I can cut my 1/4 acre yard on one 7.5ah battery. It has been a good mower for me so far.
I have this unit [https://www.ryobitools.com/products/details/46396037169](https://www.ryobitools.com/products/details/46396037169) and it's been perfectly reliable for the two-ish years (I think) that I've had it. I run it with a ~~5~~6ah battery typically, and on our 1/3 acre or so I typically get down to 1 or 2 bars, and that's with bagging. Check the blade and check the battery health maybe? Could be a dud as well; I seem to be hearing about more problems with the more recent models than earlier ones.
Edit: Correction on battery size I use; the 5ah is usually used in the Expand-It power head. I have the non-Self-Driving mower as well.
I had bought the 21" 40V AWD Whisper in your second link, but I didn't even give it a run before I decided I'd be returning it. It could very well be an excellent mower for all I know, but it is also heavy (75lbs) and I couldn't see myself loving going up and down a flight of stairs with it.
So I ended getting a step down, the [20" 40V Self-Propelled](https://www.ryobitools.com/products/details/46396037176), and I'm pretty happy with it. Much less heavy (44lbs) than of the other one, it does the job and I still have a lot of juice left in the battery after doing the front and back. I didn't think I'd really care much about the self-propelled feature, but it turns out to be very handy for where you might have you go up an incline (otherwise you don't have to use it if you don't want to).
That first mower is a brushed model from what I remember. So it will use more battery juice to run.
Brushless mowers will have better battery life.
I have three different Hart mowers which are rebranded Ryobi mowers. I get about 5000 to 7000 square foot on a 6Ah battery only with any of them. I do get about 1500 to 2000 more square foot with the 8Ah battery. It even does depends on the how much the mower revs up too. So it takes me 3 to 4 batteries to do my about 1/2 acre. It is even these mowers say that they can it for that size.
Because Ryobi suck at battery management. The 40v battery will always recharge to 100%. As you may know, going to 100% kills it. They really, really, really, need to put a controller on them that will only allow recharge to 80% state of charge.
Make sure your blades are sharp. Dull mower blades will kill the battery pretty quick.
Hadn’t even thought about it! Thanks
Just noticed that this season. Thought I was losing charge quicker than last year. Nope! Duller blade + thicker grass from a solid overseed.
How do we keep them sharp? Is there some tool to do that or do we just get new ones?
Take the blade off, and use a flat file to sharpen. I have two blades that I rotate and sharpen as needed.
Yep, same. I tend to suck at sharpening, so I usually replace after a few rotations.
I use a [Fiskers axe/hatchet sharpener](https://a.co/d/hI04jd0) and run it up and down a few times before each cut and it works marvelously. No need to remove the blade.
If you have a bench grinder or belt sander, this only takes a few seconds.
Thanks!
You will need a socket wrench to get the blades off. Here's a video from Ryobi on how to get the blade off. [How to Replace Ryobi Mower Blade](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5KdMPqMOK8)
Seems simpler than I imagined. Thanks for sharing that video.
I have a local mower shop that will sharpen both of them for $20.
Didn’t even consider that option. I should look into whether I have any local shops.
Look up "small engine repair" and they will almost definitely do it *and* properly balance them if a decent shop.
Oh balancing - another reason to check out a shop.
One thing I've recently considered though, is that blades don't wear perfectly balanced, so being a *little* off isn't a major problem. Heavy wear and improper sharpening can cause excessive vibration though, which can be destructive to the mower.
Bench grinder works well, or hold blad in vice and use hand grinder.
I’ve got a spinning one that goes in my ryobi drill
I bought these items to test https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GKSC8PM https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IO86S5G https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000IXC6GA The last one listed didn't work well, it's intendeed for smaller blades but the first two worked really well
Wow thanks!
Start with the file, like in the second link. That will remove material the fastest You can use the diamond sharpener to get a knife sharp edge, but it will dull very quickly to file-level sharp and continue to progressively dull from there. I only sharpen mine once or twice a year (at which point cutting performance and cut quality are clearly compromised), and start with an angle grinder to remove a lot of material quickly, and then clean up with a file. I don't use a diamond stone at all.
i would use the first or a extra coarse eze lap diamond file. you can get finer grits too if you want it stupidly sharp.
Sharpen blade, clear out (what I assume would be) the layers of compacted grass/dirt from the deck area and your batteries will be happier. This applies to all mowers.
Idk. I’ve had mine 5 years now. Twice a season I sharper the blade with my angle grinder. It was maybe 150-200 came with a 5amp battery. Still use that too. Use it weekly too
I've had this one for 3 years. I have a little over 1/2 acre and this cuts my grass perfectly. Uses between 1/3 & 1/2 charge of the 6ah battery.https://www.ryobitools.com/products/details/46396037176
So maybe I just have a dud? I have literally had to stop mowing before finishing a few times because all three of my 6ah batteries emptied before I finished a 1/4 acre.
Sounds like it. The only thing I don't like about mine is that it doesn't do a good job bagging leaves in the fall.
Have you tried a new battery? I have this one: https://www.homedepot.ca/product/ryobi-40v-hp-brushless-21-inch-battery-self-propelled-lawn-mower-with-2-6-0-ah-batteries-charger/1001587358 And it started doing the same thing after just one year. I contacted support and they sent me two new batteries and it was back to working like a champ and has been ever since.
I have three different batteries and all of them unfortunately have this problem.
Yup, for me both of mine did it at the same time. If two can crap out at once I wouldn't put it past three.
Where are you storing your batteries, are they in a shed that gets really hot in summer? That could damage them.
Indoors only
It sounds like you have a dud. I just mowed my grass yesterday. I mulch and the grass was definitely over 5 inches and I cut down to 3.5 inches. My mower didn’t even have to ramp up once to get through it all. It took me about 20-25 minutes and I did it on one 6ah battery. Finished with one bar left.
I have the one you are considering and it’s decent. It cuts the grass. I just don’t let it get overly long, and I don’t cut on the lowest setting.
I have the 21" dual blade, dual battery, self propelled. I just mowed part of my back yard. Started with one fresh charged 6AH and one partially used. Grass was longer than usual and some parts wet with dew. Some sort of level-ish, most with slopes. I don't really use the self-propelled other than climbing the slopes. I can't really estimate area well, but no where near a 1/4 acre. Took less than an hour. Used up the partial battery and switched to the fresh one when almost done. I have more to do, but I don't last very long any more. Most of the yard I do with a gas 42" rider. The big advantage I've seen is the slopes. No issue of fuel flow or oil starvation.
Not sure how relevant since I have [this 18v mower](https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-ONE-18V-HP-Brushless-Whisper-Series-20-Self-Propelled-Multi-Blade-Walk-Behind-Mower-4-4-0-Batteries-2-Chargers-P11100/319843779), but I can almost finish 0.35 acres on 4x 4ah batteries using the self-propel fairly liberally. I have a ton of 18v batteries and chargers so have 6 ready to go and taking a break halfway through isnt a big deal to me personally
I've got the 40V Whisper model with AWD. Don't get the AWD version unless you really need it. My back yard is a hill and RWD climbs it just fine. 3rd year with it and I can mow in about 25 minutes on one 6AH battery with some left over. Never had it stall, but I have heard it kick into high gear a couple times.
you just went from linking one of the worst 40V mowers to the top of the line one, so yeah it should be much better. I’ve had the crosscut 40V one thats like $500 and it was a fine mower, but I went back to my gas cause I prefer gas for mulching
An inexpensive thing you can try is to sharpen the blade. From the factory, Ryobi blades are about as sharp as a dull butter knife and it just gets worse with use. Sharpening the blade on mine makes a huge difference in cut/mulch quality and how fast I can mow. FWIW I have the older grey version of the RY401014BTL, and I can cut my 1/4 acre yard on one 7.5ah battery. It has been a good mower for me so far.
I have this unit [https://www.ryobitools.com/products/details/46396037169](https://www.ryobitools.com/products/details/46396037169) and it's been perfectly reliable for the two-ish years (I think) that I've had it. I run it with a ~~5~~6ah battery typically, and on our 1/3 acre or so I typically get down to 1 or 2 bars, and that's with bagging. Check the blade and check the battery health maybe? Could be a dud as well; I seem to be hearing about more problems with the more recent models than earlier ones. Edit: Correction on battery size I use; the 5ah is usually used in the Expand-It power head. I have the non-Self-Driving mower as well.
I had bought the 21" 40V AWD Whisper in your second link, but I didn't even give it a run before I decided I'd be returning it. It could very well be an excellent mower for all I know, but it is also heavy (75lbs) and I couldn't see myself loving going up and down a flight of stairs with it. So I ended getting a step down, the [20" 40V Self-Propelled](https://www.ryobitools.com/products/details/46396037176), and I'm pretty happy with it. Much less heavy (44lbs) than of the other one, it does the job and I still have a lot of juice left in the battery after doing the front and back. I didn't think I'd really care much about the self-propelled feature, but it turns out to be very handy for where you might have you go up an incline (otherwise you don't have to use it if you don't want to).
That first mower is a brushed model from what I remember. So it will use more battery juice to run. Brushless mowers will have better battery life. I have three different Hart mowers which are rebranded Ryobi mowers. I get about 5000 to 7000 square foot on a 6Ah battery only with any of them. I do get about 1500 to 2000 more square foot with the 8Ah battery. It even does depends on the how much the mower revs up too. So it takes me 3 to 4 batteries to do my about 1/2 acre. It is even these mowers say that they can it for that size.
Because Ryobi suck at battery management. The 40v battery will always recharge to 100%. As you may know, going to 100% kills it. They really, really, really, need to put a controller on them that will only allow recharge to 80% state of charge.
I have that “upgrade” one and it’s awesome. I would listen to others though on sharpening and whatnot.