Lawn mower maintenance involves an extensive list of jobs that need to be performed at specific times of the year to ensure you get the most out of your mower. The last thing you want is to pull out your lawn mower in spring only to find it rusted and unable to start. So, doing regular servicing, including your spring start-up service, is key to achieving a smooth running mower and keeping it out of the scrapyard.
Why Skipping Lawn Mower Maintenance is a Bad Idea
Like any mechanical device, lawn mowers need regular servicing to keep them in good working order and achieve the expected lifespan. Therefore, skipping servicing on your mower will lead to several avoidable problems and potentially costly repairs. Here are some of the problems you could face if you neglect your routine servicing.
Spark Plugs
After continued use, spark plugs begin to degrade and burn out. This means that there is a reduction in performance, fuel efficiency, and misfiring. In addition, old or damaged spark plugs can cause extensive damage inside the combustion chamber and may leave the lawn mower’s engine damaged beyond repair.
Air Filter
Once an air filter is used, it slowly becomes clogged with debris collected from around the yard and oils and fuel from the engine. This results in a reduction of airflow into the carburetor. If you continue to use your lawn mower with a clogged air filter, your mower will show symptoms like poor performance, unusual engine noise, black smoke, and reduced gas efficiency. In addition, if the filter is very clogged, then you’ll encounter problems when starting the mower, and the engine will stall.
Fuel Filter
A fuel filter’s primary purpose is to clean the fuel as it passes through the fuel system. Over time, the filter clogs and starves the mower’s engine of fuel. If you do not change out an old fuel filter, it will cause irregular fuel flow, and it can lead to problems starting, stalling, misfiring, difficulty idling, and damage to other fuel system components.
Engine Oil
The oil is the lawn mower’s protective measure to keep all of the engine’s moving parts moving smoothly at desired temperatures. Once the oil is used, it begins to degrade and loses its viscosity, leading to a reduction in lubrication and heat absorption. The issue with using old oil is that the internal metal components will overexpand with heat and wear against each other. The final outcome of using old oil is engine failure and extensive damage.
Oil Filter
Not everybody is going to have an oil filter on their lawn mower, but if yours does, you’ll need to include it within your lawn mower maintenance checklist. The oil filter is designed to filter out any impurities and debris from within the engine oil as it is used. If you skip changing the filter, it will become clogged and prevent the oil from flowing around the engine. As a result, the oil will not be able to do its job as designed, and your engine will suffer additional wear and overheating.
Grease Fittings
Some lawn mowers, mainly riding mowers, tractor mowers, and zero-turns, have grease fitting/ zerk fitting. These are adaptors that allow you to add grease to various components, such as deck pulleys and wheel yokes. Failing to service the grease fittings will wear down the metal parts until they seize or even fall apart.
Belts
All different types of lawn mowers use a combination of belts for both drive and to power the cutting deck. Lack of servicing and belt maintenance can lead to problems with the mower’s ability to drive. A worn-out belt can also prevent the blades from receiving sufficient power to spin at the desired speed. Damaged belts will also add additional stress to the pulleys and tension springs and can lead to further damage to other components, such as the driveshaft and transmissions.
Battery Terminal
Some lawn mowers rely on a battery to power various systems. This can include things like electric clutches, starter motors, and lights. Over the course of a mowing season, terminals will corrode, reducing the contact between the terminals and the connected power leads. Forgetting to service your terminal can lessen the power able to travel from the battery to the electrical system. If this happens, you will experience problems like when starting the lawn mower, clutches malfunctioning, and dim lights. Additionally, the lawn mower recharges the battery during operation, and faulty terminals can reduce the electric flow and prevent charging.
Tire Pressure
Low tire pressure isn’t going to cause any damaging effects to your lawn mower, but you will notice it when you cut your lawn. Uneven tire pressure will lead to an uneven cut, which, if the pressure is significant enough, could result in the scalping of your lawn.
Level the Cutting Deck
Leveling of the deck is a key part of mower servicing. We all want to achieve a nice even lawn. Over time, with the banging around of the lawn mower, the deck can become unleveled and requires adjustment. The result of an unlevel deck is the same as having incorrect tire pressure; you’ll end up with an uneven cut and possibly scalp your grass.
Blades
Routinely sharpening blades can be a pain, but we all smile when cutting with a fresh set. We all know that blades become dull and sometimes damaged while we’re out cutting the lawn. Not only does a dull set of blades damage the grass, but they also add additional stress to the mower. This can include stress to the engine, pulleys, and belts. Continuing to mow with dull blades can lead to some expensive repairs that can be easily avoided.
Rust Prevention
Rust can appear nearly on every part of the mower, from the blades, cutting deck, the frame, and even the well-protected components such as the engine covers and handlebars. In addition, the iron in the metal oxidizes and leaves behind the all-familiar brown rust. So, any chips, dings, and bare metal are a target for rust. Failing to carry out rust pre-prevention within your servicing routine can lead to a whole host of issues like holes in the deck, seized levers, rusted-out fixings, and mounts, plus a less than attractive lawn mower. If rust is left to run rampant, then it can totally destroy a mower.
Spring Lawn Mower Maintenance – What I Do At the Start of the Season
Servicing your lawn mower can vary depending on where you live. If you live in a cooler state, then your grass is completely dormant during winter, and you should properly winterize your lawn mower before it sits unused for several months. But, if you live in the southern states, your mower never needs to be winterized since you are able to cut all year round, just with less frequency during winter. So, my lawn mower maintenance checklist is really an annual checklist that needs to be part of your winterizing or yearly service, depending on your location. Here’s what you should be covering in your main service.
- Replace the Spark Plug
- Replace the Air Filter
- Replace the Fuel Filter
- Changing the Engine Oil
- Replace the Oil Filter
- Grease Fittings
- Inspect All Belts & Pulleys
- Check & Clean Battery Terminal
- Check Tire Pressure
- Check & Level the Cutting Deck
- Sharpen/Balance/Replace Blades
- Rust Prevention
Replace the Spark Plug
Replacing the spark plug on your lawn mower is a quick and easy process that only takes a minute or two. By pulling out the old one and popping in a new one with the help of a spark plug wrench, you’ll prevent any performance-related issues and avoid any misfiring caused by the old plug. If your plug isn’t that old, it’s a good idea to gap the sparkplug to compensate for a reduction in the electrode.
Replace the Air Filter
Another quick job is changing the air filter. Take off the air filter cover and swap out the old one for a new one. Just check first to see if you need a pre-filter before you head off to the store. If you have inspected your filter, you might find that it’s not that bad, so a quick clean could work. Just remember that there is a right way to clean an air filter and a wrong way. With a clean air filter, you’ll end up with a mower that performs much better as it will achieve the air-to-fuel mix required.
Replace the Fuel Filter
Fuel filters are also easy to swap out. All you need to do is remove the spring clips holding the fuel lines to the filter. Then slide the line off and install your new filter. While you have the lines removed, it’s a good idea to check the condition of the fuel lines. Replacing the fuel lines isn’t a regular part of servicing, but this would be a good opportunity to inspect them. Swapping out the filter will also improve the air-to-fuel mixture and the mower’s performance. A clean fuel filter will also reduce the risk of damaging mower parts such as the fuel pump.
Changing the Engine Oil & Filter
Changing the engine oil and filter is actually a lot easier than it sounds. For some smaller mowers, you will be able to tip the oil out, while for bigger mowers, you can remove the drain plug and allow the oil to drain into an oil pan. To finish the job, replace the filter, reinstall the drain plug, and fill it with oil. Just remember to dispose of the old oil properly and pick the correct oil to fill the mower.
Grease Fittings
One item on the lawn mower maintenance checklist that seems to get neglected is greasing the fittings. I think this is because not everybody knows what they are, so they don’t know what to look for. If your mower has grease fittings, then I’d suggest popping down to the hardware store and picking up a grease gun and grease. Your pulleys will be grateful. You’ll save yourself from annoying squeaking and avoidable pulley replacements.
Inspect All Belts & Pulleys
If you have a big lawn mower, it’s sometimes easier to remove the belts and pulleys to inspect them. All you need to do is inspect the belt for damage and check to see if the pulleys are in good working order. If you have been using a belt dressing throughout the years, then your belt has probably avoided a lot of wear and tear. Similarly, they likely won’t need additional attention if you have also been greasing your pulleys throughout the year.
Check & Clean Battery Terminal
Depending on your battery, it could face some oxidized corrosion that looks green or yellow. This is a chemical process of the battery that forms on the terminal. Also, you could find it has developed some rust. A quick scrub with a wire brush and some dielectric grease will prevent this and restore your connection— no more wondering what is draining your mower’s batteries.
Check Tire Pressure
Riding mowers usually have different size tires, so you’ll need to know the correct tire pressure for each type of tire. This is very obvious with a zero-turn as the rear tires are much larger than the front. So, knowing the correct pressure for your zero-turn tires is vital. All you need is an inflator and gauge, and you’ll be able to pump up your tire in no time to the correct pressure.
Level the Cutting Deck
If you have a tape measure, socket wrench set, and a level surface, you’ll be able to level your deck. Leveling the cutting deck can take some time and be a little fiddly because you need to be pretty precise, within a ¼ inch of level. But, once you know how to level your mower deck, you’ll be thankful you added it into your servicing. That uneven cut you have been putting up with will be a thing of the past.
Sharpen/Balance/Replace Blades
Now we move on to blade sharpening, everybody’s favorite job. This is one of the obvious jobs that everybody knows they have to do on a regular basis, especially at the start of the cutting season. But you want to make sure you sharpen your blades to the correct angle and definitely balance your blade correctly. So, make sure you know how to sharpen your mower blades, and your lawn and mower will be very thankful.
Rust Prevention
Preventing rust on your lawn mower can be as simple as having a can of WD-40 on hand or some other silicone lubricant. A quick spray on your mower’s exposed metal parts could save you from having to pull out tools to make fixes, such as a repair to a rusted lawn mower deck. So, you most definitely need to add rust prevention to your lawn mower maintenance checklist.
Other Annual Lawn Mower Maintenance Items + When to Do Them
Now that you have your lawn mower maintenance checklist, you have a pretty good idea of what you’ll need to include within your annual lawn mower maintenance and your spring lawn mower tune-up. But there are still a few items that also need to be looked at and kept an eye on. So here are some extra maintenance items that you need to remember.
Valve Adjustment
You should be adjusting the valves on your mower every 200-300 hours. The valves control the fuel vapor entering the engine and exhaust gas exiting. Once the valves are faulty or dirty, they reduce fuel efficiency and cause a loss in power and performance.
Hydraulic Oil & Filter
In some cases, lawn mowers that use hydrostatic drives, mainly zero-turn and new tractors, need their hydraulic fluid and filters changed. This is usually done every 500 hours. However, not all hydrostatic drives can be serviced. So it’s worth checking ahead of time to see if your hydro lawn mower is serviceable or non-serviceable.
Water Cooling Systems
Many lawn mowers use the flywheel and its fan blades to cool the engine, but bigger mowers have turned to using water cooling systems. This means you need to keep an eye on the fluids and the hoses. You want to make sure that you flush and change the fluids every 500 hours. This number can vary greatly, so I recommend you check your manual in case yours needs to be done more often.
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