Making sure your lawn mower or tractor is ready for the rigors of spring and summer mowing is one of the most important things a homeowner can do.
Yet, surprisingly, it is also one of the most overlooked maintenance steps.
Many people think nothing about getting their riding tractor or push mower out of their shed or garage after a long winter hiatus and just assume it will fire right up and be ready to go. And why wouldn’t it? After all, it worked fine when you put it away for the winter, right?
“Tuning up your mower is probably one of the most important things you can do,” said Tom Duff, owner of Duff’s Service Station in Houlton. “Even if it is just something simple, like changing the air filter, it can be beneficial.”
A lawn mower tune-up essentially consists of three tasks — changing the oil; changing the spark plug; and changing/cleaning the air filter.
“A lot of the newer mowers today will not start if your air filter is clogged,” Duff said. “Or it might seize up right in the middle of mowing.”
Many handy men and women can perform the tuneup themselves, provided they have the right tools. For those who are uncomfortable getting their hands dirty, Duff’s can give the mower a quick once over for minimal cost.
Some tips for the do-it-yourselfer:
• Make sure to purchase the right type of oil for your mower. When in doubt, check the owner’s manual.
• Clean off any loose dirt around the upper part of the oil tank (where you fill the machine with oil). An old toothbrush comes in handy for this task.
• If your machine has an oil filter, replace it as part of the lawn mower tune-up and clean the gasket that it comes in contact with.
• Change the spark plugs.
• Sharpen the mowing blades. Dull blades can fold and damage blades of grass.
If your mower is more than a few years old, perhaps it is time to replace it with a new, more energy efficient model. There are a variety of “greener” mowers on the market today. Some mowers still use the power of the person pushing it to turn the blades to cut the grass, which is ideal for small, flat parcels of land.
Other mowers use alternative fuel sources such as electricity (both with a cord and cordless). Electric mowers are much quieter than gas mowers and don’t give off fumes.
“Mower engines are a lot like automobiles,” Duff said. “You have to get the (old) fuel out of the carburetor. It is so much more important now than it was in years past. Some of the new machines even have fuel-injected engines.”
April and May are the busy times to get mowers ready for heavy use, he said. In 2013, Duff’s Service Station worked on more than 800 mowers and tractors.
