How to Prepare Your Lawn Mower for Summer

Introduction:

Please see my companion article, How to Winterize your Lawn Mower.

Things You Will Need:

Motor Oil

Hand tools

Much of what I discussed in the companion article can be done in the spring. It is just better to do it before storing your lawn mower before winter sets in. The only thing that is really necessary for winter storage is a relatively warm and dry storage area.

Air filter, spark plug, blade and undercarriage maintenance were all covered in the first article. Putting in fresh oil is the only thing which should for certain be done in the spring. Run the engine until the oil is warm and replace with new.

It is a good idea to pour fresh gasoline into the gas tank. However, I have found that if the mower is stored properly, the gasoline does not age that much over the winter, especially if you have ran the engine several times during the cold season and have used a small amount of carburetor cleaner as an additive.

So, fresh oil and gasoline is about it. That, and making certain your linkage apparatus is clean and lubricated. The first few times you use your mower in the spring you will probably be picking up a lot of dust and dead grass, so pay special attention to your air filter during this time. You need not replace it more than once a season unless you have very unusual circumstances, but you should dust it out often.

Tips:

Maintenance on a lawn mower is neither complicated nor hi-tech, but you do have to discipline yourself to do it on a regular basis. The main thing is the oil. Change it after every 25 hours of operation.

Comments (1)

jswana said:

	... Great companion article. My son needs to read this!
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October 14, 2011
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