Winter is a great time to service your lawn mower as your lawn needs less looking after during these months.
How to service your lawn mower?
Servicing your lawn mower is an important task for two reasons, firstly it will ensure your lawn is kept looking beautiful and healthy as it will be cut better, but it will also extend the lifespan of your machine. Ensuring your mower has sharp blades and is working correctly will give a cleaner more efficient cut which is better for both the appearance and health of the lawn. This information relates to rotary lawnmower, the kind with a single rotating blade underneath the machine. It’s best to review your manual about your specific model and for safety remove the spark plug before you do anything, this means the machine will not be able to start.
What are the key things that need to be checked?
The key things to check on your lawn mower are; spark plug, blades, oil, air filter and cables.
Step 1
Check the spark plug is not too dirty. Light dirt can be brushed off, but if it’s very dirty it will need to be replaced. But these are not too expensive most costing less than £5.
Step 2
Examine the blades. Sharp blades will give a crisp and clean cut to the grass, but blunt blades will tear and at the grass, weaken it and damage the overall health of the lawn. Rotary blades can be sharpened using an angle or bench grinder. Please ensure you have appropriate safety protection before attempting this. It’s important to grind at the blade’s original angle. It’s probably a good idea to watch some You Tube videos before trying this.
Step 3
Checking the oil level is the next thing to do. Just like on a car oil keeps the lawnmover lubricated and like car engines there’s a dipstick to monitor the oil level. Consult your manual for guidance and top up if required.
Step 4
Top up the fuel level
Step 5
Check the air filter and replace if it is dirty
Step 6
Check and adjust the cutting height. It’s best to start the season at a higher level and reduce throughout the season. It’s best not to remove more than a third of the blade length at once. This can cause the grass to put all of its energy into re-growing blades and halt root growth.
Step 7
Check the cable connecting the control lever to the engine and clean with oil or WD40.
Step 8
Finally wipe the machine down with oil or spray over with WD40.
