subject: The Right Way To Maintain Your Electric Or Gas Lawnmower [print this page] Once you have bought your new lawnmower you will want to know how to keep it on top condition so that it can perform at its best. Maintaining your lawnmower properly is essential to keep it working and in good condition for a long time and to ensure mowing your lawn is easy and trouble free. Most people can manage to do this job themselves although there are services to do this for you of you can't manage it yourself.
The maintenance need does, of course, depend on the type of lawnmower you have. Electric lawnmowers are easier to maintain than gas lawnmowers and really only need keeping clean, the rotating mechanism that holds the blades oiling and the blades sharpened occasionally. Also check the cord occasionally and replace it if it becomes frayed.
Sharpening the Blades
1. Make sure you read the owner's manual to find out the correct way to remove the blades.
2. Prevent the lawn mower from starting accidentally by unplugging the power cord, disconnecting the battery or the spark plugs depending on the type of mower you have. This is vital to prevent accidental injury!
3. Remove the blades as described in the manual. use spanners and make sure you prevent the spanners from slipping or you could risk being cut by the blades.
4. It's a good idea to mark the blades with chalk or other means as you remove them to make sure you return them correctly. Some mowers have weights for balance and these should be left in place.
5. Hold the blade with a vice and use a file or grinder to sharpen it being careful when you check how sharp it is so that you do not cut your fingers.
6. Replace the blades in the same order you removed them (using the chalk marks you made earlier!)
7. Make sure the blades are balanced correctly. If you did not remove the balancing weights then this should be fine without further problems.
Maintaining a Gas Lawnmower
1. In the fall, once you have used the lawnmower for the last time, drain it completely of fuel preferably by running it until it is all used up.
2. In the Spring change the oil and oil filter. Air filters can be changed every two years.
3. Its a good idea to replace the spark plugs every Spring. Its an easy job and spark plugs are not expensive and its easier to replace them at the start of the year than to have problems starting the mower when you need it the most!
4. After each use clean off the grass clippings that accumulate underneath the mower as these can stop the blades cutting properly. A paint scraper is an ideal tool for this job.
Conclusion
If maintained properly you lawnmower will last for many years of excellent service.
