Maintaining and Winterizing Your Lawn Mower
Provided by: Jorbins.com
A lawn mower is an expensive piece of gardening equipment that people fail to perform regular maintenance on and winterize properly. Usually this lack of care results in major problems in the future. Either they end up having to spend hard-earned money on fixing their lawn mowers or replacing them altogether.
This is a guide that will help you with maintenance necessary to keep your lawn mower running smoothly year in and year out.
The Best Time for Lawn Mower Maintenance
Usually the best time to perform major maintenance is after your last mowing for the season. The reason being is that you will want to clean your mower before it is put away for the winter. If the it is not cleaned the buildup can rust the deck and other parts. But, in order to clean the mower deck the lawn mower needs to be put on its side. Most manufactures recommend that fuel and oil be drained before you do so because fuel and oil can drain into filters, valves, the muffler, carburetor, etc. So if you are going to go through the process of cleaning you may as well do complete maintenance while you are at it.
If you didn't perform these steps last fall you shouldn't wait until next fall. Perform the steps now so that your mower is fit to mow the rest of the season. When the mowing season ends just follow these steps again before storing the mower for the winter.
IMPORTANT! Before You Begin
Be sure that any knobs, keys, and levers are in the off position so that the mower cannot start. Detach the spark plug wire from the spark plug and tape it or attach it so that it cannot contact the plug in any way. This will prevent the mower from accidentally start.
Gasoline Maintenance
Draining the gasoline for winter storage is a debatable subject. For the most part it is recommended to do so but this can cause gaskets, seals, and rings to dry and crack. A way around this is to leave the fuel in the mower. BUT, doing this also has its problems. Fuel degrades after about 2 months. This degrading fuel produces gummy and varnish-like residuals that can gunk up your fuel lines, filter, carburetor, and cylinders.
There is a product that enables you to store equipment for a period of time without having to drain the fuel. It is called a fuel stabilizer. STA-BIL® is the most popular. A fuel stabilizer keeps gasoline from degrading over time. This means that fuel can be left in the lawn mower over the winter without the fuel degrading.
For now just drain the gasoline from the engine to perform maintenance. All you should have to do is detach the fuel line and drain the gasoline from the tank. Once the gasoline is drained out it would be wise to run a bit of fresh gasoline through to help clean out any sediment left in the tank and line. Reattach the fuel line when finished.
Oil Maintenance
The next thing you should do is drain the oil from the lawn mower. To do so there is a drain plug that can be easily unscrewed. Be sure that you have something to catch the oil that is portable so that you can dispose of the old oil in an environmentally friendly way.
After the oil is completely drained use a small amount of new oil and run it through to remove some of the excess sediment. Never run water through! Once this step is complete just replace the oil drain plug and wipe any excess oil that may have spilled or dripped.
Check the Mower Blade
After the lawn mower gas and oil have been completely drained you can then tip the mower onto its side. Double check to see if the spark plug wire is detached and not touching! It is better to be safe than sorry.
The first thing you will want to do is remove the lawn mower blade. Once removed the blade should be scrubbed clean with a wire brush or a cleaning pad. Be careful not to cut yourself.
After the blade is clean, check it for weak points, cracks, bends, nicks, and dullness. Most blades can get you through at least 2 years worth of mowing. Typically you will want to sharpen it one year and then replace it completely the next year.
If the blade looks heavily damaged and has large nicks in it should just be replaced.
If the blade looks good just a little dull you should take the time to sharpen it. That is if you don't want to replace it just yet. A file or a grinding stone will do the job. Be sure that the lawn mower blade is balanced after it is sharpened. You can purchase a blade balance at a local hardware store and it is inexpensive. When the blade is placed on the balance it will tip to one side or be remain level. If the blade tips to one side you should remove some steel from that side on the back of the mower blade not the cutting edge. Keep doing this a little bit at a time until the blade remains level on the balance.
Do not put the lawn mower blade back on until you complete the next step.
Clean the Mower Deck
Now you are ready to clean the mower deck. If the caked on lawn clippings are not removed it can promote rusting of the mower deck. With the blade out of the way it should be very simple to clean off.
A cleaning pad, a hard bristle brush (not wire because it may strip the paint), and a bucket of soapy water is all that is needed. A spray hose can be used but do not spray down the engine or let the water pool around the engine. Try not to use a putty knife or screwdriver to scrape caked on lawn clippings. This may scratch the paint. You may want to use a putty knife fore larger chunks but be careful.
After the mower deck is cleaned inspect for rust as well as nicks and scratches in the undercoating. Take a steel wool page and gently remove the rust. Try not to remove much undercoating around the rust spots. Once rust is removed you will want to paint any bare metal to prevent any more rusting.
When you are finished and the mower deck has dried you can then put the blade back on. Check again to make sure the spark plug wire is not attached or touching the spark plug. Return the lawn more back its wheels.
Spray down the bag and lay it in a position out in the sun so that it may dry quickly.
Clean Engine And Lubricate Moving Parts
You should take a damp cloth or sponge and clean the engine. Do not use a spray hose as that may force water deep into parts causing rust. Also, it may force water into fuel and oil tanks, hoses, carburetor, muffler, etc.
NOTE: Some of the parts may be hot if you recently used the mower. Allow for it to cool before cleaning.
Wipe down the housing, the head, hoses, and mechanical parts. As you clean keep a sharp eye on the condition of parts. If you find any parts that may be worn, damaged ,or leaking you should replace those parts immediately. Make sure that parts, screws, bolts that need to be tight and secure are tight and secure.
Lubricate all parts according to manufacturer recommendations. Each lawn mower is different and may have special parts that need to maintained and lubricated. There may also be moving parts that may not be recommended for lubrication.
Check Filters and Belts
Check any filters and belts your mower may have. Replace any according to manufacturer recommendations.
Spark Plug
Wipe or blow out any debris around the spark plug before removing. Once the area around is free of debris, remove the spark plug from your lawn mower completely. Check for any cracking, corrosion, and heavy wear and tear. Since spark plugs are relatively inexpensive it may be better to replace it than clean it. If you do replace the spark plug be sure to gap the electrode to the specification of your engine manufacturer. Return the plug to mower and tighten it to the proper torque according the engine manufacturer. Be sure that you use an anti-seize compound for easy removal later.
If you do decide to clean your lawn mower's spark plug, you can do so by using a contact cleaner. Do not use water. Remove any dark or discolored buildup on the tip where the plug wire connects to the plug. This ensures a proper conductive connection. Also remove any dark or discolored buildup on the other end of the spark plug (the electrode). After cleaning you should gap the electrode to the engine specification and return to the lawn mower engine using an anti-seize compound. Tighten the plug to the proper torque specified to the engine manufacturer.
Spark Plug Wire
First check for any cracks, splits, and wear in you plug wire. Replace it immediately if you do find damage.
The spark plug wire on your lawn mower should fit tight to the spark plug. A wire that is not tight will vibrate causing a bad connection to your spark plug. Even worse it may come off completely. Most loose connections can be fixed simply by applying a little squeeze to the end. Just be sure not to misshape the connector.
Complete your Lawn Mower Maintenance
After completing all of the maintenance steps you can put new oil in your lawn mower as well as gasoline treated with a fuel stabilizer.
When everything is dry you will want to run the mower for 5 minutes or so to circulate the treated gas and new oil.
Now you can store the mower for the winter without worries. When next spring comes the mower will be set to go!
REMEMBER: You can always perform these steps mid summer especially if the mower is operated during strenuous conditions.
