Lawnmowers: Maintaining a Petrol Lawnmower

Looking after your petrol lawnmower is important for safety and can prolong its working life, as well as improving the cut it delivers to your lawn.

Spark Plug
Spark plugs need to be taken off and cleaned annually. You begin by disconnecting the wire attached to the spark plug and then use a spanner to lift off the plug. If your spark plug is wet or black looking it should be sanded down to bare metal using fine sandpaper, then you need to wipe it with a soft cloth to ensure it is both dust-free and dry. Screw it back onto the cylinder before connecting the spark wire back to the end of the plug.

Oil
Before each use of a petrol mower you should ensure there is the right level oil in your mower. Low oil can prevent the mower working properly and will eventually seize the engine entirely while too high an oil level can drip over the moving parts and start a small fire!

Fuel
Always check there is petrol in the mower and always empty it out at the end of the mowing year. When you start mowing again in the following spring, ensure you fill the tank at least half full with new fuel that you have purchased recently - do not use up old mixture that has been stored over the winter at first, run the mower in with fresh fuel and add the old fuel back in slowly, a quarter of a tank to each half tank of new.

Make sure there is gas in the lawn mower. If you have old gas in the lawnmower and did not put in a fuel stabilizer at the end of the season, replace the gas. If you had drained the gas tank at the end of the previous season, then fill the tank at least half full with new gas.

Fuel Line
At the end of the year turn off the fuel line switch and then remember to turn it on before attempting to start the mower in spring!

Looking after your lawn mower makes practical and economic sense. Tools for maintenance courtesy of Flattop341