Lawnmower Maintenance

If you are a homeowner looking for ways to save money, one of the best ways to do this, is to keep appliances and tools in good working repair, not only will they last longer, but they will be less likely to break down, this is especially true of your lawnmower. Maintenance is the key to keeping your lawn mower in tip-top shape. You can pay someone to maintain your machine or you can do it yourself. These eight tips below should keep it in good working order for years to come.

Tips to extend you mowers life:

1. Do an oil change at the beginning of every season, twice a season as your lawn mower gets older or if you live in a region with a longer growing season.

2. Clean and gap spark plug. Do this by removing sparkplug, clean and ensure the gap setting is correct. You can find this information in your manual, or simply by calling the mower manufacturer.

3. Change the air filter yearly.

4. Clean and apply oil on the underside of the deck to prevent rust.

5. Have the blade sharpened by a professional or do it yourself by removing blade and sharpening with a grinding wheel make sure that its balanced by removing same amount from each side.

6. Lubricate all oil cables and moving mechanisms.

7. Replace the gas at the beginning of the season.

8. First mow of the year, add a cap of carbonate cleaner to gas tank.

Despite all your best efforts, sometimes the lawnmower just will not work. Below are some common mower issues and solutions to try.

Troubleshooting

1. Trouble starting:

-Try a full choke. Remove air filter and clog the hole with a rag and pull cord 2 to 3 times. This will start even the most difficult lawnmower. Remove rag right away. The reason this is occurs is usually that the mower is dirty, try using some carbonate cleaner or replacing air filter.
-Make sure spark plug is functional. Remove from motor, make sure plug end is still on, set spark plug down on metal part of mower, turn out garage lights, so it is dark, and pull the lawnmower cord. You should see a blue-arc. DO NOT hold spark plug or cable while performing this test.

2. Sputtering out while mowing:

-Check gas, tank may be empty, or check the fuel line filter (not present on all mowers).
-Ensure throttle is working properly by moving lever back and forth to make sure it is engaging, if not repair or replace cable.

3. Smoking:

-Spark plug may be dirty remove and clean.
-Gas be contaminated, try draining and replacing.

You can save a ton of money by doing things yourself. Every year hundreds of lawnmowers are thrown out because of a simple problem that is easily fixed. Be sure to use proper safety equipment and use common sense when fixing your mower and it will last you a lifetime.

For more information and free how to video's on lawn mower maintenance and troubleshooting, check out Expert Village.