Tips on Lawn Mower Maintenance

It's spring and time to start thinking about keeping the lawn and yard equipment in good operating condition.

Before you fire up the old lawn mower it would be a good idea to give it some preventative maintenance. This will correct any problems and also insure the mower will perform to it's best ability throughout the mowing season.

Position the mower in a safe place that will allow you to tip it up so you can work underneath it because there are two things you want to do. Drain the engine oil and remove the blade for sharpening. The oil drain plug is usually just a square plug and you can use a crescent wrench to loosen the bolt and remove it. Catch the oil in a pan so you can dispose of it properly. Used oil is a for real no joke contaminant of ground water and you don't want it getting away from you. Once the oil is drained and the plug replaced go ahead and remove the bolt holding the blade onto the engine shaft as well.

You can use a file to sharpen a mower blade but this is a very slow way to do things. I use either a hand held grinder or a bench grinder. The blade does not have to be cut paper sharp. What you want to do mainly is remove the nicks and gouges on the cutting edge and try to even up both sides of the blade. As to how sharp the edge should be, consider that the blade is moving at such a speed that even flat blunt..it would still cut grass. Just bring the cutting edges to a reasonable sharpness and let it go. First time you hit a rock or a high spot and send sparks flying through the ejection chute, any fine cutting edge you may have put on the blade is going to be gone anyway. And while you are under there scrape out any debris from last years cutting too.

Back on top you want to top off the oil. Use a straight thirty weight detergent oil. You don't need any fancy synthetic oils for a lawn mower. Next bring out your spray can of lubricant like wd-40 or a similar product. Give the throttle cables a squirt and the linkages down at the carb. And operate the throttle to work the lube into all the moving parts. Fish out the air cleaner too. You can soak this filter is gasoline if it the sponge type and then wring it out and allow to air dry. The gasoline will dissolve old oil and help wash away dirt and grass debris. If the filter is a paper type and usually not re-usable then discard it and get a new one. It is not a good idea to run a mower without a filter. That mower is right down there on the ground kicking up dust,pollen,dead grass and all kinds of grit and other stuff that can get sucked right into your engine and do a load of harm to it.

Is this a self propelled mower? Check the belts and replace them if they show signs of damage or slipping. Is your mower the type that uses a gear cog that engages slots on the wheels? Check that out too. If the wheels slots are worn replace the wheels.

Is you mower the riding type? Go over the owners manual for maintenance. You will want to check the tires for wear and tear. The air pressure in those tires. The battery. Check if it needs water and look to the cleanliness of the battery terminals. Use spray lubricants on moving parts around the controls and linkages. use the proper grease for steering components. Give special attention to belts. Most riding mowers use one or more belts to drive the cutting blades. A belt that is slipping may be in need of replacing. And belt that has cracks or damage of any kind show be replaced. And the blades need to be looked at as well. Are the in need of sharpening? Are they tight?

What about the ignition system? Aside from the battery on riding mowers, which push mowers don't have, all mowers use a spark plug. Remove it and replace it if it looks worn or if deposits are building up around the center electrode. Check the spark gap is correct too. And if the mower uses the points and condenser set up, then check the gap on the points and replace the points if they are pitted or burned.

Drag out that string trimmer too. See if it needs to be loaded up with new string so it will be ready when you need it. You may want to mix up a batch of gas/oil fuel while you are at it. The correct mixture is usually a 40 to 1 or 50 to 1 ratio of gasoline and oil. But look at your trimmers fuel cap to make sure. The information is usually made right into the plastic that comprises the lid. I will even fudge a bit on this mixture. I will put in just a touch more oil than is required. This makes for a slightly smokier running engine, but this way I am certain that the two cycle engine is getting enough oil.

Well don't stop now. Get those hedge trimmers and hand operated clippers out and see that they are lubed up and sharp as well. You will start the mowing season out with no worries of breakdowns and having to stop in the middle of a job to do something you could have done weeks ago.