The lawn may still be in its almost-brown, lifeless winter state, but the day will soon come when it gets its first flush of vibrant spring green. And right on the heels of that gorgeous development comes the start of yet another lawn-mowing season.
Now is the ideal time to tune up your power lawn mower and prep it for spring. Now, in the transitional period between winter chores and summer chores, give your self a headstart on spring by spending an hour or so getting the mower ready for its big season.
Tuning up the lawn mower is not a job that only the finicky take on. It’s also part of protecting your own peace of mind and boosting your household’s contribution to environmental protection.
“There are two good reasons to do a good spring checkup on your mower,” says Michael Keblusek, the manager of Dehne Lawn and Leisure, a Northbrook lawnmower sales and repair shop. “You don’t have to worry about a mid-season breakdown, which is always an aggravation because the grass keeps growing while you’re waiting for a repair. And a properly maintained machine always runs cleaner and uses less fuel.”
To get your power mower ready to run cleanly and efficiently throughout the coming lawn-care season, follow these steps:
– Think back. After the last fall mowing, did you drain the last of the gas and oil out of the mower? If not, there’s a good chance the mower’s engine won’t start this year, says Angelo DiCristofano, the owner of Tony’s Lawn Mower and Tool Service in Elmwood Park. “During those several months it sat in the engine, it might have gummed up the carburetor,” he explains. If the engine won’t start, take it to a repair shop and expect to pay $50 to $75 to have the carburetor taken apart, then reassembled with new gaskets and rings.
Some mower users pour a gas stabilizer into the tank for winter in order to preserve the carburetor, but DiCristofano notes that a stabilizer added to gas at the end of the fall may not do its job adequately. “You have to put it in when the gas first goes in for it to do the job,” he says.
– Add–or change-the oil. If you drained it all out at the end of fall, replace it. If you didn’t, replace it. Old oil holds sediments and debris that collect during the engine’s normal operation. Replacing it helps the engine run more smoothly.
Some mowers have an easy-to-reach drain on the bottom, but, John Wellman says, many are difficult. The owner of Wellman’s Equipment in La Grange, he says it’s often easier to drain the oil simply by tipping the mower up so oil comes out the oil-fill tube. He adds that the tilt method gives you more control over the outflow of oil than you have when you screw off an oil cover and oil starts gushing out.
Before changing the oil, run the engine for at least 10 minutes to warm up the oil and suspend any metal particles or other debris in it rather than leave them behind in the engine when the oil is drained out, DiCristofano advises.
Keblusek advocates changing a mower’s oil after each 30 hours of operating the engine, not only at the beginning of the season. Two-cycle machines, the kind where you pour in a gas and oil mixed instead of separately, clearly does not need an oil change; it gets fresh oil each time it’s refueled.
– Check the air filter and spark plug. If you can’t find either of these on your own, refer to the owner’s manual. You can tell if the air filter is dirty just by looking at it. If it’s not clean white, it should be cleaned with soap and water or replaced, depending on which one your owner’s manual recommends, says Wellman. A clean air filter allows the engine to operate effectively. The spark plug is unlikely to be dirty, Wellman says, because mowers manufactured since 1983 have electronic ignitions, which soil the spark plug less than the old kind.
“But if the mower is more than five to seven years old and is using more oil than it used to, it might need a new spark plug,” he says.
– Have your mower blade sharpened. A sharp blade cuts grass cleanly; a dull blade rips it, potentially damaging the plant and giving you a less lush turf. While do-it-yourself sharpening kits are available in hardware stores, taking the blade to a repair shop may be the best way to go.
“The important thing about a blade is that it has to be balanced for it has to weigh the same on both sides or it can wobble, which puts stress on the engine,” Keblusek says. Professional sharpeners use a bench grinder and can measure the blade precisely.
– Do a thorough safety inspection. Start by checking over the whole deck, the shield that covers the blades. If there are any cracks or holes, consider replacing the mower unless you bought a top-of-the-line machine and prefer to pay for repairs. The whirling blades of a mower can throw small rocks out through cracks or holes in the deck at high speeds.
“You never know if it’s going to throw something at the neighbor’s window or somebody’s eye, and those are the kinds of things where you don’t get a second chance,” Wellman says. Though it can be costly, replacing the mower is the safest move. Also check all the grips, levers and handles on the machine to be sure they operate smoothly, without jerks or other distractions. This is particularly important if a teenager is likely to do the mowing, Keblusek notes.
