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We’ve talked plenty about mower care over time, but we often avoid talking about the deadly sins of lawn mower maintenance. These are seven things that folks do – or don’t do – that can destroy their lawn mower.
Ignorance
Ignoring the owner’s manual is the worst of the sins. While we can offer plenty of hints and tips for mower care, each mower will have specific quirks that may crop up, or different procedures that may need to be followed while working on it. The owner’s manual will have troubleshooting tips, instructions for user safety, and more. In the case of mowers, ignorance is most certainly not bliss.
Pride
You may think you can maintain your lawn mower all by yourself. Most likely, you will be able to do the majority of repairs on your own – push mowers, in particular, are easy for the DIY repairman. You need to know your limitations, though. All too often, folks who try to repair their mower at home get to a point that is beyond their skill level, but push forward anyways. This can lead to larger, more expensive issues cropping up.
Dirty mowers, courtesy user I Woke Up Today via Flickr.
Filthiness
Failing to thoroughly clean the mower and components before and after use can lead to an accumulation of problems over time. The longer a mower is covered in dirt and grime, the harder it will be to remove the dirt and debris. These things
Rust
Rust can spread, quickly. Once it grabs hold on an exposed surface, it will continue to try and grab more space. If you notice rust forming, you need to address it immediately. You’ll want to chip off the rust, scrub it clean using steel wool, and seal and paint it to prevent further rust from forming.
Aloofness
Not recognizing problems with your mower and failing to detect changes in sound and performance will allow these problems to continue. Pay attention to how your mower operates when healthy, and be alert for an changes. Sure, a change in tone or performance can just be slight hiccup. However, it can also be the sign of a much worse problem, particularly when it goes on for a sustained amount of time.
Apathy
This goes hand-in-hand with the previous sin, but it is so much worse. It’s one thing to not comprehend a problem, but it’s much worse to detect and understand the problem yet not attempt to fix it. This means you are willing to ignore the health of your mower. Don’t be apathetic – when you detect a problem, address it immediately to prevent long-term problems.
Sloth
Being slow to change out and replace fluids such as gas and oil will cause you to continue to cycle these old, stale fluids through the engine. This can rob your mower of power, plus clog up some of that moving parts. Drain your mower’s fluids on a regular basis and refill with new, clean and clear fluids.
Don’t let yourself commit one or more of these deadly lawn mower sins. Committing one of these sins might not kill your lawn mower, but it can certainly put a cramp in your lawn maintenance.
