One of the handiest lawn care tips we can offer you is how to inspect your mower belt and bearings. A quick inspection of your belt and bearings can prevent a major equipment malfunction, such as your mower breaking down in the middle of a mowing session. There are many hazards to a dirty engine, including risk of fire. Below, we offer tips for this valuable lawn mower maintenance task.
Preparation
As always, put on gloves and protective eyewear before inspecting your belt and bearings. Then, remove the sparkplug in order to ensure that your mower doesn’t start.
Clean and inspect your belt and bearings
Wash your mower with soup and water, wiping away any dirt that accumulates. In fact, you should be cleaning the underbelly of the mower after each time you use it, applying lubricant. You want to make sure that dirt does not get washed into the bearings, so pay close attention to monitoring the spread of dirt and grease. When your mower and bearings are clean, inspect the belt, looking for and cracks and separations that have developed, and make sure that the belt is tightly fastened. If you find any cracks or if you know in advance that the belt is more than a year old, you should purchase a new one.
You also need to inspect the bearings. To do this, spin them and listen for squeaking or grinding noises. Be sure to remove any dirt or debris with a wire brush. If the bearings make a great deal of noise, they should be replaced. When doing this, be mindful that bearings only fall into place slightly. To firmly secure them, place the old bearings on top and hammer it down.
Mower Belt
With the arrival of the growing season fast approaching, it is absolutely crucial that your belt and bearings are good to go. Prevent your belt and bearings from breaking down by following these instructions, and visit this page to find other useful lawn mower maintenance tips.
