Garden, Guide, News, Review

Annual maintenance of your lawnmower

Posted by

Brichome

19 March 2024

On 19 March 2024

TO GET BETTER PERFORMANCE FROM YOUR MACHINE

For petrol lawnmowers it is important to carry out correct maintenance before the grass cutting season begins. As with other engines, ordinary and periodic maintenance gives greater performance during use and a longer life of the machine.

With a touch of practicality and a minimum of equipment, the classic service can also be carried out "do it yourself" if you have some skills. Alternatively, you can contact the retailer where you made the purchase.

But what checks need to be carried out?

MOTOR OIL:

It is best to change it at least once a season. If the cuts concern lawns of over 700 m2, it would be necessary to replace it even twice. To replace it, you need to run the engine for a few minutes so that the oil becomes less dense. Then you need to open the oil cap and let it all out. Finally, change it with an engine oil of the viscosity indicated by the parent company (in case it is not possible to trace this data, a 10W-40 may be fine).

AIR FILTER:

It is good practice to blow the air filter with a compressor several times during the season. Even more important is to check that the filter is not cut or broken, because at that point it should be changed.

BLADE SHARPENING AND BALANCING:

Keeping the blade sharp is important to allow the lawnmower to: cut with less effort; cut more cleanly, without tearing, with the risk of the tips of the cut grass giving a yellowish effect. To sharpen the blade you need to dismantle it, then unscrew the central bolt (keeping the blade blocked), considering that the bolt is left-handed, so to unscrew it you need to screw it. When sharpening the blade, you must not create an edge that is too thin, as it would be too delicate and risk being damaged quickly. To balance the blade you can purchase a special tool which costs around €100. If you want to sharpen the blade effectively, without spending anything, you need to insert a screwdriver into the central hole of the blade and make sure that the blade is balanced, i.e. that it does not hang to the right or left.

CHECK THE CUTTING DECK:

This operation must obviously be carried out with the engine off. You must check that the cutting deck is very clean, especially in the area where the belt is located. Furthermore, it must be kept as clean as possible, protected from humidity
to prevent the steel body from rusting in the long run (which is why it is better to buy it with an aluminum body).

CHECKING THE SPARK PLUG AND CHANGING FUEL:

Evaluating the state of the spark plug is not easy... If the lawnmower struggles to start, it is still worth replacing it, otherwise it can be kept. If you made the mistake of not emptying the lawnmower of petrol, and it remained throughout the winter, it may have created a residue in the tank which can cause problems with the carburettor. Therefore it is a good idea to replace it with new petrol.