How to Keep Your Lawn Mower in the Best Condition

Just like your car and other machines need regular maintenance, your lawn mower requires occasional maintenance to keep it in its best working condition. Unfortunately, many people ignore certain red flags on the lawn mower until the engine fails to start or the blades become too dull and other mechanical issues.

The key to ensuring your lawn mower serves you for many years includes DIY basic maintenance. Here are tips to help keep your lawn mower in the best condition and avoid incurring costs on repairs.

Basic Lawn Mower Cleaning

Some people assume that machines such as lawn mowers don’t require cleaning. That is a big mistake.

It would help if you clean your lawn mower every time you mowed. When mowing, it is easy for grass and other materials to get caked under the deck. If these materials are left to rot on the machine, they can lead to rust and increase the rate of wear and tear. 

Hose under the deck while tipping the mower with the air filter facing upwards to prevent liquid spills. Next, brush or rags remove the grass caked under the deck. Then, clean the mower rigorously with water, a wire brush, and soap. 

You should do a deeper cleaning of the gas tank and all other deck parts occasionally. 

Read and Follow the Mower’s Manual

The manual provides the guidelines for using and maintaining your lawn mower. The manual ensures you use and maintain your mower appropriately.

It’s important to consult your specific manual as different brands require different maintenance techniques.

If you don’t understand the jargon used in the manual, don’t worry. There are multiple blogs and tutorials on using and maintaining your lawn mower. 

Check and Change the Oil

Just as you regularly check and change your car oil, you need to check your mower’s oil level after some time. If you are used to checking your car oil, doing the same on the lawn mower shouldn’t be a problem. 

Nonetheless, if it is still challenging for you to check oil levels, follow these steps:

• Twist the oil cap to open
• Pull the dipstick out
• Wipe the dipstick of all oil traces
• Put the dipstick back all the way straight down
• Pull it and check the oil level and color

If the oil level is below mid-level of the dipstick, add it. In addition, the oil color should be golden-brown and without sediments or particles. If the oil appears black and thick, change it immediately.

Locate the oil drain plug on your mower model to drain the used oil. If you can’t locate the oil drain plug, again, the manual can guide you through.

Check the Tires

Your car can only run efficiently with fully inflated tires, the same as your lawn mower. When you ride on a deflated mower, you stress the engine forcing the machine to consume a lot of gas. 

Ensuring the tires are well inflated before you ride your mower can increase efficiency.

Sharpening the Blades

Depending on how much you use your lawn mower, you might need to sharpen the blades halfway or after the mowing season. For example, if the machine has been used in hard vegetation or hired by your neighbors, you might need to sharpen the blade halfway through the season.

Keep Your Lawn Mower in Optimum Condition

Your lawn mower is as essential as other machines at home. Maintaining its best conditions allows it to serve you for many years and save regular professional repair and maintenance costs.

If you cannot do regular lawn mower maintenance or want to replace a worn-out part, our Ellicott City and Columbia power tool experts can help. Our 175 years of experience in dealing with simple and heavy machinery allow our experts to provide the best maintenance service to our customers. 

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