With spring just a short while away, now is the perfect time to get your mower out and make sure it is ready for the busy cutting season ahead.
Gas – If your lawn mower has sat with gas in it all winter long and there was not any fuel stabilizer in it, it most likely is bad. That gas will need to be removed and fresh gas put into the fuel tank.
Air Filter – Check your air filter and if it is dirty, change it out with a new one. Hold a flashlight on one side and you should see a lot of light shining through. Paper air filters are not reusable but the foam air filters can be washed in some mild dish soap and dried out to be used again.
Spark Plug – Remove the spark plug and clean and re-gap it or replace it with a new one.
Oil – Change the oil and filter with the recommended grade of oil.
Deck – Scrape the deck of all the grass that has accumulated over the past year.
Blade – Remove and sharpen the blade. Be sure to remove the spark plug wire from the spark plug for safety. Check the blade to ensure straightness and look for any cracks. Balance the blade as well.
Belts – Inspect them for cracks and if they are riding deep in their pulleys. This means they are worn out and need replaced.
Tires – Inspect them and fill them with the proper amount of air pressure. Check the drive mechanism inside of the wheel if these are from a self-propelled lawn mower. If it is worn, replace the wheels.
Chassis– Make sure all the controls are working and adjusted properly as well as lubricated.
Steering – Lubricate any grease fittings for the steering system.
Clean – Clean the engine and chassis as well as the deck and transmission of any grass clipping, dirt, sticks and other debris.
Battery – Top off the acid level to the fill mark and clean the battery terminals and terminal lugs.
Controls – Lubricate and adjust any control linkages or cables.
Valves – Adjust the valves if the hours of operation recommend it.
This is a fairly comprehensive list of things that need to be accomplished with any lawn mower tune-up each year. This tune-up will help ensure that your mowing season will be trouble-free and that you will have fewer breakdowns during the lifetime of your lawn mower.