Last Updated on March 26, 2024 by Sharaj
If your lawnmower must remain in a good shape even after being used for a long time, then its maintenance is something you must dedicate yourself to wholly. Your lawn mower should be tuned up at least at every mowing season’s end or once after every 25 hours of use. This will not only keep it working fine, but it will also help your lawn get the best cut. You may think maintaining your lawnmower is a waste of time.
How to Service Your Petrol Lawnmower?
Regular maintenance of your lawn mower is important to get the best service from your machine, even you have bought the best petrol lawn mower from the market.
However, wait until the machine starts cutting haphazardly or goes totally stiff on a day when you could really use its abilities. If you’re willing to take our advice and service your petrol lawn mower, then here are a few tips that’ll help.
1. Don’t Neglect Your Manufacturer’s Manual
It’s easy to brush your manual aside, especially if you already have experience with a lawnmower before.
However, each mower has its own uniqueness and the manual will help you stay abreast of the intricacies of your mower. It will help you treat your machine in the right way and will give you clue to troubleshoot anytime a fault comes up
2. Examine Your Starter Cord
Pull starter cords are one of the most vulnerable parts of your machine. This is because of the frequent tugs that they have to undergo every now and then.
So, don’t be surprised when you notice any fray or tear on the cord. Hurry and replace the cord before the issue becomes more serious.
Changing your starter cord is fairly simple. Simply remove the Cord’s housing first. Then bring out the old cord from inside the pully system. Insert a new cord into the system but make sure to not spin this pulley while you’re inserting the card.
Wind the new starter cords a couple of times around the pulley while still avoiding turning the pulley. Once done, test your new starter cord.
3. Change Air filters
The air filter is a critical component of your mower. Its job is to prevent dust from entering the engine. Ideally, you should replace your air filter at least after every 3 months.
You may want to consult your instruction manual first before changing the filter since there are various kinds of air filters. Your manual will tell you which filter fits your specific mower.
Note that filters look alike but have important differences. Therefore, choose the exact filter that works with your engine. While changing the filter, do well to clean the part that houses it as well.
4. Draining Petrol
Keeping petrol in your mower’s engine for a long time, say up to 30 days, can be very dangerous for the machine. Ideally, you should either drain the petrol from the tank or simply use all the fuel on your last mowing activity for that season.
Keep in mind that petrol is highly flammable. Which means that you should drain it with care and dispose it off the right way.
5. Changing Oil
When preparing to change the oil in your mower, first locate the position of a plug. Many mowers have this plug on their underside. Place a container underneath this plug before removing it and letting the oil drain into the container.
Once this is done, carefully pour new oil into the machine. Make sure you pour in the right amount.
6. Spark plugs
The work of a Spark plug in a petrol lawnmower is to burn the fuel inside the machine’s engine. This means that the spark plug indirectly causes the blade to spin. As such, a spark plug is one of the most important components in a mower.
For this reason, pay extra attention to it. Change it when necessary and make sure to disconnect this plug before beginning any maintenance on the machine.
7. Wipe Your Mower Clean
After being used for a while, it is only normal for your mower to accumulate debris and dirt. Many times, dirtis trapped under the cutting deck and can easily clog the blade if not removed early.
Therefore, focus on this area when cleaning. Also, pay attention to the areas around the air inlet. Dirt around this area can make your mower’s engine overheat.
You do need to refer to your manual here as it is not all mowers that can be tilted when they need to be cleaned. This is because fuel leak into the motor when some mowers are tipped. It is always better to clean your mower immediately after every use.
The job is easiest at this time because the grass clippings that have stuck to the mower tends to still be damp and will, therefore, be easy to wipe away.
Don’t neglect the blades either. Wipe them thoroughly with care. Ensure that you wear gloves when cleaning this area.
8. Change the Blade
The mower blade becomes blunt over time. When this happens, the blade begins to tear grass apart and the overall lawn look the mower delivers will not be pleasant. However, that your blade is blunt doesn’t automatically mean you have to replace it.
You can simply sharpen the blade, so it starts cutting well again. Even so, you will eventually need to change the blade in the long run. For this too you’ll need to check your manual for information about the right blade to use.
9. Re-Tighten Loose Wheels and Bolts
Sometimes some of the wheels and bolts on your mower can loosen a bit. This is one of the things you should pay attention to when servicing the machine. Examine the whole machine and tighten any bolt that seems to be loose.
Wheels too need to be screwed tightly in place. Though lawnmower wobbles sometimes, a more pronounce wobbling may be an indication that the machine’s axle nut has a problem. At times, adjusting the axle nut will solve the problem. If this doesn’t, then you may need to replace it.
10. Pour New Petrol Before Next Use
Since you have already drained out all the old petrol, make sure to pour in new fuel when you’re ready to use the machine again.
Do not use the same old fuel you drained out. The best thing is to purchase fresh fuel a few days before your next mowing session and pour it into the tank just before you begin mowing.
The Final Word:
That’s it! You’ve got the 10 tips on how to service a petrol lawnmower effectively. Still if you want to buy a new one but having a budget issue, here you can check the reviews of cheap petrol lawnmowers UK, that won’t break your bank.
