Maintenance Tips to Get Your Mower Ready for Spring
Spring is almost upon us. It is starting to slowly get warmer which means that grass will start growing. Soon enough you will be getting your mower out for inspection before mowing. Here are some key maintenance checks and tips before the mowing season starts.
How to Perform a Seasonal Lawn Mower Maintenance Routine
Make these maintenance tasks part of your regular seasonal garden maintenance routine to ensure you don’t overlook them.
Replace the Spark Plug
Before you begin any lawn mower maintenance, remove the spark plug. This ensures your safety as the lawn mower cannot accidentally start.
Lawn mower spark plugs degrade rapidly. They are vital to the engine’s functioning, but thankfully they’re inexpensive, too. They’re also easy to change. Simply grab the wrench, remove the old spark plug, and replace it with a new one. Just remember not to overtighten it to avoid any problems with starting the mower.
Change the Oil
While you don’t necessarily need to change the oil in your mower unless it’s showing signs of being contaminated or too old and viscous, it’s a good habit to develop. At the end of each season and before you put the mower up for the winter, remove the drain plug beneath the oil tank on the mower and allow the oil inside to drain.
Some lawn mowers don’t have drain plugs, in which case you’ll need to turn the lawn mower on its side and allow it to drain the oil via the fill hole.
Once the oil tank is empty, sit the lawn mower the right way up or replace the drain plug. You can then refill the tank with the correct type of oil. Check your owner’s manual if you’re unsure of which time the oil is suitable for your machine.
Drain the Fuel Tank
If your lawn mower won’t start, the culprit could be old gas. Leaving gas in the tank can also damage, and eventually corrode, the fuel tank. Therefore, at the end of each season, you’ll need to either use up or drain all of the remaining fuel in the tank. If you choose to drain and dispose of old gas, remember that you are dealing with an extremely volatile and flammable substance, so take all sensible precautions. Leave the fuel tank empty over the winter, and add new gas in the spring.
Clean the Mowing Deck
You should get in the habit of cleaning the mowing deck each time you finish cutting the lawn. Cut grass, dirt, and debris get caked onto the area above the blades, known as the mowing deck. Once it dries, it becomes incredibly hard and difficult to remove. It also traps heat, which can eventually cause your lawn mower’s engine to overheat. Plus, it can potentially block the discharge chute.
After you finish mowing, disconnect the spark plug, turn the lawn mower on its side, and use a wire brush to remove all of the grass clippings and debris that accumulated during the mowing session. Doing this after each cut makes it far easier, as the clippings are still wet and easy to remove.
At the end of the growing season, you should do a more thorough cleaning of your mowing deck. Remove the spark plug and flip the mower over onto its side (carburetor-side up). Remove all accumulated debris from the mowing deck, then give it a thorough clean with a stiff brush and some hot soapy water. Allow the mowing deck to dry while you’re doing the other end-of-season lawn mower maintenance tasks, then give the deck and blades a lubricating coating to prevent rust. Then you can put the mower away for the winter.
Replace the Air Filter
Like spark plugs, air filters are inexpensive but crucial to the performance and efficiency of your mower. At the end of each season, it’s a Smart idea to change your air filter if you have a removable one, or thoroughly clean the filter if you have a permanent one. A new or clean air filter significantly improves the efficiency of your lawn mower and decreases the demand placed on the engine. You’ll need to check your owner’s manual to see how to change the air filter on your specific mower model.
Check the Carburetor
The carburetor needs cleaning approximately every two years. A dirty or underperforming carburetor results in a noticeable drop in performance, and eventually stops the lawn mower working altogether. Dust, dirt, and debris can clog the internal and external parts of the carburetor, which slowly decreases performance.
While cleaning the carburetor isn’t particularly difficult, it’s best to let a pro handle this part for you if you’re not comfortable or don’t know your way around an engine.
Sharpen and Balance the Blades
Having sharp, well-balanced blades ensures your lawn mower performs well and your grass stays healthy. Even if you have no nicks in the blade, and your lawn is relatively free of sticks, stones, and other debris, the blades do wear down and get blunt. Damaged or blunt blades tear the grass rather than cutting it cleanly, causing extensive damage, and leaving your grass at greater risk of disease and poor health. Sharpening your mower blades is one of the easiest ways to keep your lawn lush and green.
With a little know-how and experience, you can sharpen your own blades with a vice and a metal file or rotary tool, or a specific blade-sharpening tool. However, if you don’t know what you’re doing, you can cause further damage to the blades and, therefore, your grass. So, it may be a good idea to take the mower to a repair shop or hire a mobile mower servicing company.
Fog the Engine
Fogging a lawn mower engine involves removing the outer plastic shell or engine housing and spraying fogging oil into the carburetor and inside the spark plug. This provides a waxy, protective coating that limits the risk of moisture getting inside the engine and causing issues.
Check the Tires
Before and after each use of your mower, it’s good practice to check the tires. Whether you have a ride-on mower with inflatable tires or a self-propelled mower with hard tires, it’s important to check that they remain in good condition. Even with molded wheels, if they’re chipped or significantly damaged, they can impair the performance and balance of your mower.
Don’t let cutting grass cut your spirit—if you’ve got a broken mower, there may be an easy fix
Additional Tips for Taking Care of Your Lawn Mower
Taking care of your lawn mower will not only extend its life but also help ensure it cuts your grass well, keeping it green and healthy.
Here are a few additional maintenance tips to add to your routine:
DIY vs. Hiring a Pro
While you can take care of most of the day-to-day maintenance yourself for annual servicing and repair tasks, you may prefer to hire a lawn mower repair service.
The servicing is relatively inexpensive and helps to reduce repair costs and maximize the lifespan of your mower seed and have to replace it as often. You can hire a local lawn mower repair service to perform a yearly service and tuneup.
“Scheduling this annually with a professional is a great way to make sure it gets done every year too, as it can sometimes be an easy task to forget until things go wrong,” says Tara Dudley, Angi Expert Review Board member and owner of Plant Life Designs. “Preventative maintenance is key!”
FAQs About Lawn Mower Maintenance
Do I need to lubricate my mower blades?
It’s a good idea to lubricate your mower blades and mowing deck with something protective like WD40 that prevents rust and helps stop grass and dirt from sticking to the blades and deck.
Can you tip a lawn mower on its side?
Yes, you can tip a lawn mower on its side as long as you turn it with the carburetor side upwards. This prevents oil from leaking into the carburetor and reducing performance. You can also tip the mower backward as long as it’s stable while you’re working on the deck or blades for safety.
How sharp should lawn mower blades be?
Lawn mower blades should be sharp enough that you can feel the sharpened edge, but not sharp enough to cut you when you touch them. Over-sharpening blades to a fine, razor-edge poses a safety risk and decreases the blade’s life because it causes extra wear; the thinner edge is sharper but weaker and will require more frequent sharpening.
Our Services and Rates
No need to load your mower up and bring it into a shop! We come to you! You can contact us for a one-time service / repair or you can sign up for our service agreement plan, which covers preventative maintenance services, labor for breakdowns, and free products from us to keep you mower in tip-top condition.
Inspect All Pulleys And Linkages Inspect Replace Fuel Filter If Needed Inspect Clean Air Filter Check Compression Clean Carburetor Twin cylinder engines require an additional fee Inspect Sharpen Blades Lube All Grease Fittings Change Oil Oil Filter If Applicable Adjust Gov. Linkage, Choke Throttle Clean Regap Or Replace Spark Plugs Inspect All Belts Clean Battery Terminals Air Tires Up Do A Safety Check Clean Machine
Parts and supplies (oil, gas, carburetor cleaner, grease) are not included. Also, if we have to make an extra trip for necessary parts, you will be billed accordingly for the additional trip. You will be provided a quote for all parts and repairs before we purchase them on your behalf or install them.
Any parts orders exceeding 200 are subject to pre-payment, at our discretion. Any parts returned or not accepted after purchase are subject to a 20% re-stocking fee plus shipping costs. Electrical parts are non-returnable.
If you cannot be at home while your service is being performed, you may elect to have the machine out where we can access it and we will service or repair your machine. Simply purchase on our site the appropriate service for your needs. The parts, supplies and tax will be billed and you can mail in the balance.
OUR RATES
Plus Parts, Supplies, and Applicable Sales Tax
Repairs: If you only need a repair, and aren’t requesting service, the charge listed here is the minimum charge to come out and assess and provide a quote to repair your mower.If you need repairs and a service, please see the service option and we will assess your mower, provide a quote, make any necessary and authorized repairs, and then service your mower.
Walk-Behind Mower: Full Service: 15 Point Checklist (listed at the top of this page)
Walk-Behind Mower: 3 Year Service Agreement Included: Full Service Each Year, All Labor Covered for Repairs, 72 Hour Guaranteed Response Time for Breakdowns, Fuel Additive
Riding Mower: Full Service 15 Point Checklist (listed at the top of this page)
Riding Mower: 3 Year Service Agreement (Residential Size Mowers) Included: Full Service Each Year, All Labor Covered for Repairs, 72 Hour Guaranteed Response Time for Breakdowns, Battery Charger Fuel Additive (Deduct 10 if you already own a battery charger).
Zero Turn Mower (Home Owner): Full Service Includes 15 Point Checklist above
Zero Turn Mower (Commercial): Full Service Includes 15 Point Checklist above
Zero-Turn Riding Mower- (Home Owner Style) : 3 Year Service Agreement Included: Full Service Each Year, All Labor Covered for Repairs, 72 Hour Guaranteed Response Time for Breakdowns, Battery Charger Fuel Additive (Deduct 10 if you already own a battery charger).
Zero-Turn Riding Mower- (Commercial) : 3 Year Service Agreement Included: Full Service Each Year, All Labor Covered for Repairs, 72 Hour Guaranteed Response Time for Breakdowns, Battery Charger Fuel Additive (Deduct 10 if you already own a battery charger).
Riding Mower: 3 Year Service Agreement (Commercial Size Mowers) Included: Full Service Each Year, All Labor Covered for Repairs, 72 Hour Guaranteed Response Time for Breakdowns, Battery Charger Fuel Additive (Deduct 10 if you already own a battery charger).
2 Mower Combo Contract – Add a Walk behind mower to any 3 year service agreement contract for only 100 more!
Riding lawn mower maintenance
Your Husqvarna riding mower might be your biggest investment into your yard. Just like with other investments, it is important to make sure you keep up with the recommended annual maintenance to help keep it running and operating properly. Here is a maintenance schedule to assist you in keeping your Husqvarna riding mower in tip top shape.
General Cleaning
Using your Husqvarna zero-turn mower on a regular basis can cause it to get dirty. Clean your lawn mower by spraying water under the mower deck and remove all the debris which can help you get a cleaner cut. Before spring season get your mower ready by lifting the mower’s engine hood and check any exposed items. During the winter mice and other animals can make their home in your mower. Clean the steering plate and battery after every 25-hours of the mower’s operation in addition to before and after the mowing season. It is recommended to perform a more thorough cleaning before storing your Husqvarna mower for the winter.
Once Per Season
No matter if you decide to do it at the beginning of the season or at the end of the season, once a year you should replace your spark plug and fuel filter. If you decide to change it when winterizing your mower, add a small amount of engine oil to the spark plug hole prior to installing the new spark plug. Then crank the engine a few times to work the oil into the cylinders.
Winterizing is typically done before your store your Husqvarna riding mower for the winter season and when the mower will be stored for longer than a month. Husqvarna recommends checking the riding mower for loose fasteners, cleaning the battery and battery terminals, lubricating all points indicated on the lubrication chart in the mower’s operator’s manual and changing the engine oil and oil filter if it applies to your mower in addition to removing the gas from the fuel tank. Refer to your mower’s operator’s manual for a complete list of instructions and items.
General Maintenance
General scheduled maintenance should be done in intervals, not only annually. Husqvarna recommends checking the mower cutting blades, fluid levels, cleaning and changing the oil. It is also recommended after every 50-hours of mowing to check the levelness of the mowing deck, change the oil if applicable, and inspect the muffler for any signs of debris or damage.
Husqvarna’s riding mower annual maintenance can be found in the operator’s manual for those who are a DIY consumer. If you are unsure about performing these tasks yourself, contact Boiling Springs Small Engine, your Husqvarna Spartanburg dealer today via email or at 864.578.1692. We can schedule a time for you to have your Husqvarna riding mower maintenance performed.
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It’s Convenient!
No
- wasting your time and gas!
- loading your “walking” mower into your car!
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- paying a premium for this service!
- find a trailer to tow your riding or zero turn!
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“Thank you!” to all of our customers for your loyal support.
We are grateful and excited to offer this very convenient “mobile” service to our wonderful customers, some who have been with us since 1994! Our customized trailer comes to “your home” and maintains, sharpens or repairs your residential walking or riding lawn mowers, snow blower, and small engine equipment in front of your home.
Testimonials
What Our Clients Day
“I was very happy with the service and friendly staff. I loved the Convenience of not having to figure out a way to get my riding lawnmower to the shop, as the shop came to us! Good value too! Thanks! Will definitely use again and recommend to others!”
“Without reservation, I can recommend Mower Mobile Maintenance for all you Mower/snowblower maintenance needs. I have been using them for 15 years and have been thoroughly pleased with every aspect of their service. They always arrive on time and work expertly and professionally. Thanks to them, my equipment has lasted well beyond its expected service life. Their on-premises capability is priceless to me”
I had my snowblower tune-up and carburetor cleaned. When it was dropped off the technician answered all my questions. Good communication with the office. Maybe you need to leave a message in the voicemail but you hear back from them. I’ll definitely use this service again.”
Suburban Lawn Equipment
Don’t let Spring be a pain in the grass! Bring in your equipment to Suburban Lawn Equipment for a Pre-Season Lawn Mower Tune-Up and receive 10% off of your repair cost, or take advantage of our discounted pick-up and delivery!
Want to learn more about lawn mower winter maintenance? Make sure to read this post – our service experts are sharing great tips to give your lawn mowers a bit of love this season. If you don’t feel comfortable taking care of the outdoor power equipment on your own, we’re here for you! Please see below for our current lawn mower tune-up service prices. But hurry up! The offer ends on January 31st, 2021!
Pre-Season Lawn Mower Tune-Up Special:
Residential ZTR’s starting at 199.99
Commercial Walk-behinds starting at 199.99
(Service parts are an additional cost. Shop fees apply to all repairs)
We have a contact-free alternative for anyone who wishes to not come into the store by offering parking lot pick up of all items and services. Please call us with your needs and we will bring it out to your vehicle. Larger items can be delivered at a minimal cost. Call us at 302-998-7700 for more information.
Our staff is taking extra measures to make sure all common contact areas of our store are kept clean and sanitized. Please help us by keeping an extra distance from other customers while in the store.
Suburban Lawn Equipment has been providing first class service to the outdoor power equipment industry since 1981. Excellent products and outstanding before-and-after-sales service has earned us a stellar reputation. We’re happy to service anything we sell. Bring your zero turn lawn mowers, walk behind lawn mowers, lawn tractors, riding lawn mowers, etc. to us any time you need a tune-up or maintenance and repairs.
Our technicians are certified by the Equipment Engine Training Center (EETC) and stay current by attending all sales and service seminars offered by our manufacturers. For our customers this means experienced trouble shooting and flawless work with no room for complaints.
302-998-7700 | sublawneq.com
Lawn Mower Winter Maintenance Tips
As the seasons change and the snow begins to fall, it’s time for lawn mower winter maintenance. With a little post-season preparation, your lawn mower will feel brand new when spring comes back around.
You should always store your lawn mower in a cool/dry area, and make sure you cover the mower to prevent wear and tear. But before you cover, you should follow these basic tips below to ensure proper winterization of your lawn mower.
Lawn Mower Winter Maintenance Tips
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If you need help with lawn mower winter maintenance, contact the experts at Suburban Lawn Equipment. We service everything we sell!
302-475-4300
This entry was posted in Commercial Lawn Equipment, commercial outdoor equipment, Cub Cadet Lawn Mowers, Honda mower dealer, landscaping business, Lawn Mower Maintenance, Lawn Mowers, Outdoor Power Equipment, TORO Mowers Delaware, Zero Turn Radius Lawnmowers and tagged Lawn Mower Maintenance, Lawn Mower Maintenance Delaware, Lawn Mower Repair, Lawn Mower Winter Maintenance Tips, Winterize Lawn mower on October 20, 2020 by Suburban.
Honda Dealer Guide to Everything Lawn Care
As your longtime local Honda dealer, we take pride in each piece of Honda equipment we sell and service. Because we only want the best quality and performance for our customers, we make sure that every time we see a product to you, we also make sure you know everything about safety operations and maintenance procedures.
Whether you’re a homeowner or a you take care of people’s lawns for a living, we want to provide you with the best of the best. If you want to learn more about mowing, lawn care or mower maintenance, you came to the right place! Below are some of your most asked questions and answers that will surely take your lawn care experience to the next level!
Honda Dealer Guide to Everything Lawn Care
Is there a right and wrong time to mow the lawn?
Any time is good to mow the lawn as long as you have good lighting conditions. In a heat or areas affected by drought, Honda recommends to raise the height of the cut and allow the grass to grow a little higher than normal during those times.
How dry must the grass be when I mow it?
As dry as possible. If the grass is wet, it won’t mulch properly and the clippings will tend to clump together or stick to the mower deck. It is a good idea to let the dew evaporate before mowing. You should be able to pass your hand over the surface of the grass and not detect free moisture.
What is the rule of thumb for the grass height before it should be mowed?
The general rule is that no more than one third of the leaf blade should be removed at any one mowing. Another way to think about this would be to mow the grass when it reaches 50 percent higher than the desired height. For example, if you are maintaining the turf area at two inches, ideally it should be mowed when it reaches three inches in height.
What does “going to seed” mean? Is this a good practice?
This means not mowing the grass and allowing it to go to seed. Some homeowners believe they can thicken up their lawn by not mowing and allowing the grass to form seed. Unfortunately, the exact opposite is true. By allowing the turfgrass to form seed, nutrients normally used for shoot and root growth are diverted to nourish the developing seed. Developing seed always has priority over shoots and roots for nutrients.
What is proper mower maintenance?
The mower must be carefully inspected at the beginning of the season. Depending on the usage, cables may need adjustment, the blade(s) may need to be sharpened or replaced and engine oil changed. The blade(s) and oil should be checked before or after each mowing.
At the end of the season, the mower should be prepared for storage as detailed in the owner manual.
What are the signs of a worn mower blade?
A worn or dull mower blade will tend to shred the grass leaf rather than cutting it cleanly. The result is a jagged tip that turns brown rapidly. This, in turn, gives the entire lawn a brownish or tan appearance for several days. The turfgrass might actually appear to be diseased or stressed, but the green color will gradually be restored as the grass leaves grow.
Got more questions? Make sure to visit Honda for more tips!
Suburban Lawn Equipment has been providing first class service to the outdoor power equipment industry since 1981. Excellent products and outstanding before-and-after-sales service have earned us a stellar reputation. We’re happy to service anything we sell. Bring your zero turn lawn mowers, walk behind lawn mowers, lawn tractors, riding lawn mowers, etc. to us any time you need a tune-up or maintenance and repairs. Our technicians are certified by the Equipment Engine Training Center (EETC) and stay current by attending all sales and service seminars offered by our manufacturers. For our customers this means experienced trouble shooting and flawless work with no room for complaints.