Spring is no time for a lawn mower to be on the injured list.
But as heavy April rains poured down on Eastern Iowa, dozens of mowers ill prepared for the new mowing season stood lined up for repair at Dubuque’s McGovern Hardware and at Iowa City and Cedar Rapids-area hardware stores. With idle mowers, many Eastern Iowa lawns grew wild and unabated as the steady rain kept coming.
Welcome to the Iowa Lawn Jungle. It’s not just Major League Baseball pitchers having a tough spring.
With all the multi-tasking we do during spring, it’s easy to forget to perform preseason maintenance on your lawn mower. But it’s never too late to get your lawn mower back in top performance form. Well, never too late until you get a citation from your local municipality for a lawn growing wildly out of control.
And it’s well worth the investment. Angi’s reports a lawn mower tune-up costs $130 on average. But a smart DIY job can be done for as a little as $10.
‘Servicing Keeps Your Mower In Peak Condition’
“A properly tuned-up mower is your lawn’s best friend, but one with dull blades is like the schoolyard bully,” Angi’s Katy Willis reports. “Rather than giving beautiful clean cuts, it tears at the grass like the mean kid pulls hair. Plus, annual servicing keeps your mower in peak condition for longer.”
Whether a Troy-Bilt Gas Push Lawn Mower or an EGO Power+20 Push Lawn Mower, even a cutting edge name brand mowers need regular service to get a good mowing job done.
“Even a top-of-the-line mower needs a little help to stay in good shape,” Willis notes. “Without a yearly tune-up, any mower struggles to keep your lawn nicely manicured. Plus, a full service helps maximize the life of your mower and reduces the likelihood of hefty repair bills.”
Indeed. An under-the-weather mower — especially one that was not winterized — will not only underperform but carry an even heftier cost in the long run, especially if long-term neglect requires it to be replaced entirely.
Spring Lawn Mower Maintenance Recommendations
The reassuring news is it doesn’t take open heart engine surgery to get your injured mower back and running at prime health. Electric mowers just require a sharpening of the blade and a battery charge.
It’s very easy to take care of your mower,” Danny Lipford of Today’s Homeowner writes.
Here are the Musts of Preseason and In-Season Lawn Mower Maintenance for Gas Mowers:
Change Oil: Just like trucks and cars, lawn mowers need fresh oil to effectively and safely operate. Over the course of the mowing season, mowers ingest bad things you don’t even want to think about, from dirt to numerous other impurities.
They collect in the oil and will ruin an engine running on last year’s oil.
Change your oil religiously at the start of every mowing season and check your manual for the proper procedure.
Replace or Clean Spark Plugs: As the oldest saying in manufacturing goes, nothing lasts forever. Your mower’s spark plug needs regular cleaning and eventual replacement. Clean it thoroughly or change it at the start of every mowing season.
Replace or Clean Your Air Filter: Nobody likes breathing dirty air, especially lawn mowers working in 90-degree heat in the heart of summer. If your mower has a paper filter, remove the filter cover and blow out all debris with a high-pressure air hose. When they become too clogged and dirty, replace them.
For foam filters, wash them in water with detergent solution. Let them dry. Then apply a few drops of oil. In most cases, foam filters will need a simple cleaning.
Sharpen Those Blades: Just like you wouldn’t carve your Thanksgiving turkey with a butter knife, you shouldn’t cut your grass with a dull blade. A sharp blade is essential for a clean cut and the health of your lawn. Even tractor blades should be sharpened three times per year.
“To remove your mower’s blades, wear heavy leather gloves, remove the spark plug wire, and jam in a short 2×4 to keep the blade from turning as you loosen the bolts,” Consumer Reports’ Tobie Stanger advises.
Just as no starting pitcher can get a win with a bum elbow, no injured mower can be trusted to safely and effectively clean your lawn. Make sure your mower is up to par before its next start.
