Lawn Mower Care: Your Best Prevention from Expensive Lawn Mower Repairs

Proper lawn mower care is so important because you rely on your lawn care equipment to get the job done. It can be costly and a hassle to replace your lawn mower because you didn't perform the proper lawn mower maintenance.

Your lawn mower can be your best friend or your worst enemy.  There is no reason to wear yourself out yanking on the pull cord 20 times before you have even begun cutting grass.   The same goes for your weed wacker, lawn edger and lawn blower if they also have 2 or 4 cycle small engine.

Your lawn mower should last you many, many years. It is not something you should be replacing every few years.

If it is working properly, your lawn mower should start on the 1st or 2nd try every time.

If you take care of your lawn care equipment

• the quality of work will increase 
•  it will extend the life of the machine
• it will make the job a lot easier.  

If you try to take short cuts and do not include proper lawn mower maintenance in your regiment, you may be sorry later.

You should always use common sense whenever working with machinery.  Never service the machine while the lawn mower's motor is running and always unplug the spark plug wire from the spark plug.

Important Lawn Mower Care Safety Tips

• The lawn mower must be completely shut off and disengaged.  That means for an electric mower that the lawn mower is unplugged or the battery is removed, for a gas powered mower that the spark plug is disconnected and for a riding lawnmower the key is removed.
• When working with the lawn mower blade always wear gloves so you don't slice your hand or finger.
• Never tip the lawn mower over without removing the gas.  You don't want the gas spilling on your pavement or even worse your grass.
• If you have to store gas, be sure it is a proper, approved container.
• Never use the lawn mower when it is vibrating.  This is a serious problem that must be corrected before you continue to use the machine.

Your Guide to Proper Lawn Mower Care

This is your step by step guide to the lawn mower maintenance that is required to keep your lawn care equipment in proper working order. It is a good idea to use this lawn mower care checklist in the Spring and refer back to it throughout the growing season.

Change the Oil in the Lawn Mower

Your lawn mower care checklist begins with changing the oil at the beginning of each mowing season.  If you have a longer mowing season, change the oil after the 30th week.  

This is important because the old oil thins out and doesn't protect the motor the way fresh oil does.  This breaks down the viscosity in the motor oil.

Be sure to follow the manufacturer's directions when changing the oil. Always use the oil recommended by the manufacturer.

The oil for the lawn mower can be purchased at your local home improvement store or lawn and garden center.  

Sharpen Lawn Mower Blades 

Proper lawn mower care includes making sure your lawn mower blades are sharp.

You should sharpen lawn mower blades at the beginning of the lawn mowing season.

When you use  a sharp lawn mower blade:

• The grass cuts evenly instead of ripping it. Ripped grass can attract lawn diseases.
• You use 20% to 30% less gas.

If the tips of the grass blades are turning brown mid-summer, you probably need to sharpen lawn mower blades again.

Learn how to sharpen the lawn mower blade.

Make sure the blade is balanced when you reattach it to the lawn mower. An imbalanced lawn mower blade can damage your engine or the underside of the lawn mower's deck.

If you don't feel comfortable sharpening the blade yourself you can take it to the lawnmower repair shop and have a professional sharpen the blade for you.

Safety Tip: Be sure to always wear gloves when working directly with the lawn mower blade and that the lawn mower's gas tank is empty before you tip the machine over.

Return from lawn mower care to lawn maintenance

Inspect the Lawn Mower Blade

Check for nicks on the lawn mower blade.  If the nicks are too big you will need to replace the lawn mower blade.

Nicks on the lawn mower blade will cause a ragged looking cut. This can leave your grass plant open to lawn diseases.  Keeping your lawn mower blade sharp is your first defense against lawn diseases.

Before you inspect the lawn mower blade, clean the blade with a wire brush.

Consider treating the metal blade with a rust remover.  This will remove any oxidation that has formed and will help prevent rust from returning.

Make sure the blade is balanced when you reattach it to the lawn mower. An imbalanced lawn mower blade can damage your engine or the underside of the lawn mower's deck.

Safety Tip: Be sure to always wear gloves when working directly with the lawn mower blade and that the lawn mower's gas tank is empty before you tip the machine over.

Check the Spark Plug

You should replace the spark plug annually.  This is a good practice even if your owner's manual doesn't recommend it.

The spark plug for the lawn mower can be purchased at your local home improvement store or lawn and garden center.  

Be sure the gap on the new spark plug is set correctly according to your owner's manual.  If the gap isn't set correctly, your lawn mower will not start.

Replace or Clean the Air Filter

Most lawn mowers with a gasoline engine have an air filter that is attached to a small carburetor.  Proper lawn mower care requires either replacing or cleaning the air filter.  

At a minimum the air filter should be replaced every two years.  Be sure to read the owner's manual because some manufacturers indicate the air filter be changed more frequently.

The air filter can be purchased at your local home improvement store or lawn and garden center.  

In between replacements, the air filter needs to be washed with water and mild soap. You should do this as part of your spring lawn maintenance regiment and several additional times during the growing season.  

After the air filter has dried, apply a couple of drops of motor oil. Make sure the oil is dispersed evenly on the filter like a wet sponge.  This lubricates the air filter and helps it collect more dust.

The lawn mower has an air cooled engine and the filter acts as a breathing element so the air filter must remain unclogged.  

Make Sure the Gas is Fresh

Never use gas that has been sitting around for months.  Be sure to put fresh gas in your lawn mower. You should never use gas in your lawn mower that is more than a month old.

Old gas gathers impurities which reduces the octane levels.

This can make your lawn mower run poorly or even worse it can damage the engine of the lawn mower.

Safety Tip: Store gas in a proper, approved container. You can add leftover gas to your car's gas tank to prevent it from going stale.

Clean the Lawn Clippings from the Lawn Mower

It is a good idea to periodically clean the lawn clippings from under the deck of the lawn mower.

Proper lawn mower care ensures your lawn more runs efficiently.

Safety Tip: Be sure the lawn mower's gas tank is empty before you tip the machine over to remove lawn clippings.

Check the Drive Belt

With riding lawnmowers be sure to periodically check the drive belt to make sure it isn't worn out.

Replace the drive belt as necessary.

The drive belt can be purchased at your local home improvement store or lawn and garden center.  There are also many places to go on-line and purchase it.

Have an Electric Mower

If you have an electric mower, not much lawn mower maintenance is required. Other than sharpening and inspecting the blades......

• Make sure the battery on a cordless electric mower is charged.
• On corded electric mowers, be sure that the cord doesn't have any nicks on it. If it does, replace it.

A battery can only be recharged so many times.  You will need to have the battery tested periodically to see if it needs to be replaced. You can do this yourself with an ohmmeter or take it to your local car service station.

End of the Season Storage

Lawn mower care doesn't end when the growing season ends. When you are storing the lawn mower away for the winter be sure to......

• Empty the gas tank before you store it.
• Empty the oil from the machine.  You can recycle the used oil at your local gas station.
• Be sure the lawn mower is stored in a dry, well ventilated area.

As basic as these steps may seem, you can be confident that they will help ensure your lawn mower starts every time on the first or second try. With proper lawn mower care in the Spring and throughout the growing season, you can save yourself a lot of aggravation and money.