Is Your Lawn Mower Ready for Spring?

All pieces of machinery require some routine maintenance in order to operate efficiently. Similar to your car which requires periodic maintenance and tune ups, your lawn mower also require certain care on a yearly basis. As spring is now here and soon you grass will need its first cutting, now is the time to make sure that your lawn mower is in good working order and to attend to the yearly maintenance that is required for your lawn mower.

Though every lawn mower is slightly different, they all require the same basic maintenance each and every year. This article will walk you through the maintenance required for your lawn mower and will discuss how to do each task. The steps are simple and the process is an easy do it yourself job. By doing it yourself, you will save a significant amount of money versus taking your lawn mower in for maintenance. So follow along to find out what maintenance your lawn mower needs and how to do it yourself.

First, we will start by cleaning the lawn mower. This involves cleaning the top side and more importantly, the bottom side. To clean the lawn mower, begin by flipping it over so you can see the cutting side or underside. There will likely be large amount of grass stuck to the underside. This needs to be removed to prevent rust, mold and other moisture problems. To remove the stuck grass, get a large screwdriver or flat chisel and scrap of as much grass as possible. Once you have removed the majority of the grass, you can hose down the rest of the underside. You are not looking for a shiny new clean, just remove as much as is easily possible.

Next we will put fresh oil in the lawn mower. The drain plug is usually located on the underside of the mover or sometimes on the side of the engine. Refer to your owner's manual for the location of your drain plug. Remove the drain plug and drain the oil into a catch pan. Allow all of the oil to drain and then replace the drain plug. Tighten the plug, but do not over tighten it. Now you can flip the lawn mower upright. Remove the oil dipstick and put fresh oil into the dipstick tube. You may need a funnel for this. Refer to your owner's manual for the capacity of oil required by your engine. Check the dipstick after filling to make sure the oil level is adequate.

Check the condition of the air filter on your lawn mower. If it is dirty, tap it against a solid surface to dislodge any particles and then put it back into place.

Finally, you will need to replace the spark plug. Refer to your owner's manual to locate the spark plug. Remove the spark plug, make note of any numbers on it or take it with you to the hardware or automotive store in your area and ask for an identical spark plug. With the new plug in hand, reinstall it and tighten it down. Replace the spark plug wire and you are done.

Blade sharpening is the final step of the process. This task is more difficult and I recommend that you take it to the professionals for blade sharpening. This should be done yearly, and the blade should be replaced every few years. Sharpening the blade will cost around $20 and blade replacement should be around $40. The entire tune up or maintenance listed above would cost around $75, but by doing the work yourself, you have saved around $50 and only need to take it in for the blade to be sharpened.

Yearly maintenance on most appliances and equipment around the home is an easy do it yourself job and in doing so, you can save a significant amount of money. So this spring, don't forget the yearly maintenance of your lawn mower.