Spring Lawn Mower Maintenance Tips
When winter finally thaws, and the fresh grass begins to peak through the earth once more, it's time to get your lawn mower ready for the season's first mow. Everyone goes through lawn mower spring maintenance at least once a year, but many underestimate its importance for increasing the longevity of your mower. If you want to enjoy excellent lawn care for years to come, you'll want to stick around as our team at Mowrator breaks down your lawn mower's spring maintenance checklist.
Key Takeaways
- Spring lawn mower maintenance involves essential safety checks, cleaning, lubricating, and inspecting key components (e.g., blades, engine, air filters) to ensure optimal performance and longevity.
- Proper maintenance practices differ slightly for gas and electric mowers, with gas mowers requiring oil changes and cooling fin cleaning, while electric models focus on battery care and storage.
How to Service a Lawn Mower for Spring | Step-by-Step
| Step | Description |
|---|---|
| 1. Safety Checks | Before performing spring maintenance on your lawn mower, ensure it’s on a stable, well-ventilated surface, remove the spark plug or clear the electric terminals, wear protective gear, and keep the area free of flammable materials. |
| 2. External Maintenance | External lawn mower maintenance includes cleaning and lubricating the exterior components, ensuring proper tire pressure, and possibly choosing a professional service for a thorough spring tune-up, ranging from $100–$200 plus $20–$40 per replacement part. |
| 3. Engine Maintenance | Proper engine maintenance, including regular oil changes, cleaning cooling fins and grass screens, and checking oil after each mow, ensures better performance, lower emissions, and reduced fuel costs. At the same time, electric mower owners can skip oil-related steps. |
| 4. Blades & Air Maintenance | Proper maintenance of mower blades and air filters prevents engine overheating, improves fuel efficiency, ensures an even cut, and using an old blade for the first mow helps protect new blades and encourage healthy grass growth. |
| 5. Electric Mower Maintenance | For electric and robotic lawn mowers, properly store batteries above freezing, protect them from the elements, regularly check their charge and voltage, and you’ll be ready for spring. |
Start with Safety Checks
Safety checks like removing the spark plugs and creating ventilation are essential when working with fuel, oil, and electrical circuitry. Follow these safety tips to set up your spring maintenance for success:
- Disconnect and remove the spark plug from your lawn mower to prevent an accidental starts
- If you're working with a gas mower, now is a good time to open the space to ventilate fuels and oils as you change them properly
- Place your lawn mower on a stable, flat surface
- Clean the terminal of your electric lawn mower's batteries
- Maintain a clear workspace clear of any flammable materials
- Wear protective gear to prevent any potential injury to your body
Cleaning and External Maintenance
The external maintenance involves thoroughly cleaning the exterior of your lawn mower. This can include pressure washing the clumps of grass or mud from the previous mowing season to lubricating the parts that haven't been used in several months.
Light-duty lubricants are excellent for ensuring your wheel bearings and height adjusters won't cause you trouble during your first mower of the spring season. Follow this up by spraying silicone underneath the deck to prevent the build-up of rust. Aim for a tire pressure between 18 and 22 PSI, with a 3/32 inch tread depth.
Alternatively, you can opt for professional spring-cleaning and maintenance for your lawn mower. Cleaning services tend to cost between $100 to $200, depending on the extent of the maintenance your lawn mower requires. You'll also be expected to pay for replacement parts, which can set you back between $20 to $40 per air filter, spark plug, or oil change.
Engine Maintenance
Proper engine maintenance is crucial to keeping your lawn mower running, reducing emissions, and how much you spend on fuel. If you have an electric lawn mower like Mowrator's S1 Remote Control Lawn Mower 4WD, you won't have to worry about how to change the oil or what a dipstick is, but for many Americans, it is still an important step of the process.
If you have a mower engine, changing the oil at the beginning of the season is best. Always remove black oil or oil that contains debris, and check up on your engine's oil after each time you mow. Experts also recommend regularly cleaning your cooling fins and grass screens to prevent overheating your engine.
Blades and Air Filter Maintenance
When completing spring maintenance, lawn mower blades, and air filters are one of the most crucial parts of your mower to pay attention to. A dirty filter and blunt lawn mower blades can lead to your engine overheating, increasing how much fuel your engine consumes, and an uneven cut. If you can't clean your filter correctly, air filter replacements are very cheap to replace ($10).
Here's a tip: Use an old mower blade for the first mow of the season, and sharpen it or replace it with a new blade once the new grass grows. You can avoid breaking new blades on winter debris and stimulate grass growth.
Electric Lawn Mower Maintenance
A significant portion of electric lawn mower maintenance ensures your batteries are stored above freezing temperatures, away from the elements, and with regular power checks while not in use. The minimal spring maintenance tasks required for robot or remote control lawn mowers involve checking the battery's charge level and voltage output. After that, you're ready for spring, and your lawn mower maintenance checklist is complete.
Before you begin your first spring mow, check out the latest and greatest collection of remote-controlled lawn mowers by Mowrator. Our selection includes the most powerful and long-lasting remote control models today. Shop now.
Spring Lawn Mower Maintenance Tips FAQs
What setting should I mow my lawn in the spring?
Begin mowing your lawn at a higher setting in early spring—typically around 2.5 to 3 inches—to prevent stressing new growth. As the season progresses and your grass denser, you can gradually lower the cutting height for a well-maintained, healthy lawn.
When is the best time to clean lawn equipment?
It’s generally best to thoroughly clean your lawn equipment after the last mow of the season to remove all debris and prevent corrosion over the winter. Regular cleaning after each use also helps maintain efficiency, extend lifespan, and ensure it’s ready for the next mowing session.
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