My best recollection of the last time I changed a lawn mower spark plug was about 10 years ago.
I’ve got excuses, though. For a lot of that time I lived in an apartment and didn’t have a lawn mower, and for the past few years I’ve used an electric.
Most people who own gas-powered lawn mowers, however, don’t do the maintenance they’re supposed to, and they don’t have any excuses.
According to Briggs & Stratton Corp., the world’s largest manufacturer of lawn equipment gasoline engines, 60 percent of the families owning lawn mowers (that’s about 40 million households) don’t perform any lawn mower maintenance.
People think lawn mowers and other lawn equipment don’t create significant pollution because the engines are small. Actually, environmentalists estimate a lawn mower motor generates as much air pollution minute per minute as 30 to 50 new cars.
Briggs & Stratton and the National Wildlife Federation have teamed up to designate March as National Mower Tune-up Month, and now is a good time to get your mower in shape before your lawn starts growing and needs to be cut.
Briggs & Stratton estimates that tuning up a typical lawn mower cuts the air pollution the machine puts out by about 30 percent. Tuning an older lawn mower that has been maintained badly can cut its pollution by 50 percent.
Your owner’s manual is the best source for hints on maintaining your lawn mower. If you don’t have an owner’s manual, you should be able to get one from your mower’s manufacturer.
Look on the mower for a model number and visit the manufacturer’s Web site. In most cases, you should be able to download an owner’s manual for free or you can order one that will be mailed to your home.
You’re supposed to clean your lawn mower thoroughly after the last mowing of the year in the fall. But if you didn’t, you should clean it now.
First remove the spark plug so the lawn mower doesn’t start accidently while you’re working on it. You need to replace the spark plug every year, but don’t toss out the old spark plug until you’ve bought a replacement. Saving the old spark plug can help you buy the right replacement plug.
You’ll have to clean the underside of the mower housing, but check your owner’s manual before tipping the lawn mower over. Some mowers can be damaged by tipping.
A paint scraper is good for clearing big clumps of grass residue stuck to the insides of the mower deck. After knocking off the big pieces, use a wire brush to clean the rest.
If you’re cleaning a rechargeable electric lawn mower, you may be better off using wooden or plastic scrapers instead of metal.
If you have the type of air filter that can be cleaned, clean it. If the filter already has been cleaned and put back for a few years or if you have the kind of filter that can’t be cleaned, replace it. You can find most standard air filters at lawn equipment specialty stores, or you can order them directly from lawn mower manufacturer Web sites.
Change the oil. Again check the owner’s manual for oil changing procedures and to buy the right grade of oil.
Clean the outside of the mower body the same way you would clean a car. Use a mild detergent and rinse the surface without soaking the engine with water.
Sand rusty spots and refinish with a paint designed for metals. A fresh coat of paint will help prevent further rusting and will extend the life of the lawn mower.
While cleaning, examine and tighten all the screws and bolts and make sure all the switches, levers, pulleys and other control devices are moving properly.
Finally, sharpen the blade. Remove the nut holding the blade in place and slip the blade off the shaft. Take careful note of which side of the blade is up and the order and position of any washers attached to the shaft. You must reassemble the blade in exactly the same way it was before you removed it.
You can sharpen the blade with a hand file or rotary tool. Take off as little metal as possible and maintain the original cutting angle of the blade.
If you take off a little metal at one end of the blade, take off an equal amount at the other end. The blade should be balanced with equal weight on both sides or it will cause the mower to shake.
Sharpening a blade is fairly easy, but if you’re unsure about doing it yourself, lawn equipment shops, hardware stores and home improvement stores will do it for you for about $5 if you bring the blade to them.
Replacement mower blades cost about $10 to $30 depending on the model.
Through the year, keep an eye on the grass to determine if the blade needs to be sharpened again. Bent grass with ragged edges indicates a dull blade.
