As my colleague and wine-loving old friend Dick Roberts is forever banging on about in his talented and persistent way at the moment, the weather change is a-comin’. Soon my beauties, soon!
Yes, very soon old man winter will be looking around in panic for some other poor unfortunates to bother and pushing off to live somewhere else for a while. Rather like those distant family members from New Zealand who come to crash for a few days and end up staying a few months, eating you out of house and home and making annoying noises about the weather, the food and the temperature of your beer. (If I wanted my beer to be ‘frosty’ I’d live in the artic circle).
Anyhow, the point is that Spring is waiting in the wings to be a star and wow the audience so it’s time to take a sneaky peek into the shed, have a look at your mower and survey the damage, or not.
it’s not great when thew first pull of the the starting cord in spring brings a gentle coughing and spluttering sound like a goat with a bad cold and you really want your first cut to be positive so get to it.
If you stored your mower away properly – i.e first cleaned it, emptied the tank, checked everything and covered it and left it somewhere dry and warm. Well done. If not, gird your lojns, or any other part of you that need girding, and get ready to administer a large does of TLC before the growing season creeps up behind you and bites you in the nethers.
Bright spark: It’s sensible to take out the plugs when you need to clean or fix the engine or blade
Spark Plugs
One for petrol lawn mower owners. Remove the spark plug before you do anything else. This keeps you safe while you carry out your other tasks and you casn check, clean or replace the spark plug w, putting it or s new one back in at the end.
Cables
If you have an electric mains powered mower, have a good look at your cables and make sure they are not too twisted, no holes and no perished plastic or rubber. Check contacts and switches and so on.
Batteries
Cordless lawn mower owners will have rechargeable batteries and any petrol mower owner with an electric start will also have a battery. Check contacts on any batteries are clean and undamaged.
Rechargable batteries need to be looked after and stored carefully (see this MowHow article for more details) so check that they and the charger are operating properly.
Blade
If you didn’t sharpen your blade at the end of last season, after months of work, it’s time to sharpen it now. Blunt or damaged blades can be rough on grass blades and cause a brown and unkempt looking lawn. If you don’t know how to sharpen, have a look at this article or contact a professional.
N.B. ALWAYS make doubly sure your mower is off. If you have a mains electric unplug the cable, if a cordless mower take out the batteries, if it is a petrol mower, double check the engine is off (hopefully you have already removed the spark plugs by now.)
If you have a blade that is damaged, it’s best to replace it now.
Cleaning
hopefully you cleaned your mower thoroughly before you stored it. However, even if you did it’s worth checking there is no rust or problems witht the deck from grass or mud.
If you didn’t do it now! The underneath of the deck should be totally free form any organic debris that can lead to moisture getting into important parts leading to corrosion. Check and clean the axles, especially where the axle joins the wheels
A hard bristled or wire brush is good for this job. Also wipe the external part of the deck down. Check and wipe down handles, adjustment bars and all cables.
Check the air filters and clean or replace them.
Oil and Fuel
If you have a petrol mower, and you didn’t do it when you stored the mower away, change the oil. If there is old oil in the tank,Don’t top up with the new oil. drain the old oil off. Best to make a totally fresh start. Your manual should tell you what oil to use if you don’t know.
Your petrol tank should have been emptied before the winter. If not do it now. The petrol in the tank will not work if it has been there for more than 30 days and even less. It can do damage to your mower so drain it off if you left it in there and replace with clean, fresh unleaded petrol.
Moving Parts
Check all screws, hinges, adjustable knobs and the like for stiffness or problems. Lubricate as much as is necessary and possible. If your mower’s wheels have ball-bearings lubricate these if you can.
And, all being well,that will set you up for the season. We have more tips and guides on these MowHow pages.
But if you have any issues not covered, or you need extra help and advice, or even a brand new mower for the season, please call us on 0345 4588 905 (9am-5pm Mon-Fri & 10am-4pm Sat) .
Our product advisors are very friendly and really know their stuff. They will be happy to give you impartial, helpful advice.
‘Outstanding!…From the outset, the whole customer journey has been fantastic with the customer service team offering advice and technical information so that I could make an informed decision. As such, I would have no hesitation in recommending Mow Direct.” Frazer99 The Review Centre
Or you could visit our or main website where we have a large range of lawn mowers for all budgets and needs. Enjoy your garden. Drew Hardy
