You want to have a beautiful, well-manicured lawn, but that doesn’t happen all on its own. To make that happen, you need a reliable and powerful lawnmower. Of course, lawnmowers aren’t cheap. You don’t want to have to replace your mower every year or so. But that’s exactly what will happen if you don’t practice proper lawnmower maintenance. If you take good care of your mower, it will take good care of your lawn for many years to come. Understanding proper lawn mower care and maintenance will not only ensure long life for your mower—it will help you keep your yard looking its best.
Here are some tips you should follow for proper lawnmower care.
Tip #1 – Hose it Down
After each time you use the lawnmower to cut the grass, you should bring out your hose and spray it down thoroughly. The water will remove a lot of the grass and dirt that accumulated on the machine during the mow. You don’t want to let these things sit on your mower, especially if the grass is damp. It could lead to faster rusting. Of course, it also helps to avoid mowing the grass when it is wet or even damp.
Tip #2: Clean the Under Carriage
If you think the casing of the mower is going to be covered in grass and debris, you can just imagine what the under carriage is going to be like. And most people don’t regularly clean this out. But you should. The best tool for the job is a putty knife that can gently pull the grass and other materials free. You’ve got to be careful when doing this because you don’t want gas to leak out nor do you want to move the blade.
Keeping the under carriage free of debris is important because if too much builds up it will no longer be able to cut the grass efficiently. Some newer mowers are coming with hose attachments that automatically distribute jets of water throughout the bottom of the cutting area. While these systems work pretty well, you want to remember to check each time to ensure that the system gets rid of all stray grass.
Tip #3: Keep the Oil Changed Regularly
Many people who would never think of driving their automobile without staying on top of their oil changes will go an entire spring and summer – or sometimes years of springs and summers – without changing the oil in their lawn mower. Part of good lawnmower maintenance is changing the oil after the machine has been used for approximately 25 hours. That might be hard to keep track of so estimate how many hours it takes you to mow your lawn and calculate how frequently the oil needs to be changed. For many people, it works out to about 1 to 2 times per season, for others it will be more frequent. Remember to always use clean oil and follow the manufacturer’s recommendations on the proper weight.
Tip #4: Prepare for Proper Storage
After you’ve mowed your lawn for the last time before the cold weather sets in, you’ll need to do some proper lawnmower care to prepare the machine for storage. This is especially important for those in colder climates. First, you’ll want to make sure there is less than a half tank of gas left in the mower. Run it a little if you need to drain it some more. We recommend you spray all the metal with WD-40 or other lubricant that has the added bonus of protecting the machine from rust. If your off-season is on the longish side, consider adding a fuel stabilizer to the gas tank. Then make sure to store the lawnmower indoors, if at all possible, so that it won’t be damaged by the harsh weather during the next few months. In the spring, gas it up with fresh fuel and your lawnmower will be ready to go!
Tip #5: Take Proper Care of Your Lawn
The flip side to cutting your grass is to help it grow. Aside from not doing proper lawnmower maintenance, many folks don’t take proper care of their lawns. There are proper ways to water your grass and apply fertilizer. Over at One Project Closer they did a great article on how to take care of your lawn.
