Pre-Season Lawn Mower Maintenance – Part 2

In our last installment we discussed getting your engine ready for the season. Well, what about the lawnmower itself? This time we will deal with that.

Start With Your Lawnmower’s Wheels

First, we’re assuming this is a riding lawn mower, so let’s look at the mower’s wheels and tires. Quality of cut is as much determined by the wheels and tires as it is the blades. The machine has to be level side to side. So let’s look at the front tires. Again, we’re going to assume that the tires have decent tread and are in relatively good condition. (Since we are dealing with small P.S.I. values, we need a good tire gauge that reads in single pound increments. These gauges generally read from 1 to 20 pounds per square inch. The gauge you use for your automobile generally reads from 10 to 60 P.S.I.)

So let’s check the tire inflation. On most front tires on riding lawnmowers the inflation is around 14 P.S.I. This means both tires need to have the same amount of air in them to maintain level from side to side. Then we will move to the rear tires. Generally, they will require inflation to around 10 P.S.I. Again this needs to be the same on both sides. This will insure the mower sits level side to side. It is not necessary for all four tires to be inflated the same amount, as long as each pair is the same, in other words the fronts are equal and the rears are equal between the pair.

Let’s take a look at the wheels themselves. Are they tight on the spindles or do the wobble excessively? It might be time to pull the wheels and replace the wheel bearings or bushings prior to undertaking another season of mowing. If the wheels are all right, what about the spindles and tie rods. Are they tight or loose or possibly even broken? If you need to replace these parts give us a call at 877-314-6990 and we will be able to quickly get you the replacement parts. Now is the time to repair the mower when you have a little time before you really need it.

The Lawn Mower Lube Job

It is also the time to lubricate the mower. A shot of grease from the old grease gun will do wonders for the wheel bushings or bearings, depending on how your machine is equipped. Take a look at the front end of the mower and give each grease fitting a shot of grease. If you aren’t sure whether your mower has grease fittings or not, consult your owner’s manual. If you don’t have one, why not download an owner’s manual from the machine manufacturer’s website. The information inside the manual is well worth the time it takes to read it.

Inspecting the Deck

Now let’s look at the mower deck for a minute or two. If it is still covered with last year’s accumulation of cut grass and dirt, now would be the time to clean that off. Take the time to look closely at the belts, pulleys, and spindles. Are they in good shape or loose, cracked, or frayed? Excessive play in the blade spindle(s) will cause quality of cut problems, premature failure of the mower deck belt, and damage to the blades themselves.

In many cases, if there is a problem with the blade spindle it is more cost effective to replace the entire spindle, rather than try to disassemble and repair it. Bear in mind that not only does the blade spindle need inspection, so do the idler pulley(s), drive pulley(s), and belt guards. Any of these can fail and cause damage to the mower deck itself or any part of it.

One option is to order one of our deck rebuild kits that will replace your belt(s), spindle assembly(s), blades(s), and pully(s). Many customers will find if you replace one spindle that the other spindle will be going bad soon after. So it is more time saving and cost effective to buy a lawn mower deck rebuild kit and replace all parts with new to insure you have a trouble free mowing season. If you do not see one that will fit your lawn mower please call us at 877-314-6990 and we’ll get you the correct rebuild kit. Also take a look at the deck hangers and lift links. Inspection of the hardware can help you spot problems while they are still inexpensive and simple to fix.

Assuming the deck itself checks out alright, let’s take a look at the blades. Whether you replace your lawn mower blades with new ones or just re-sharpen the current blades, starting the mowing season with sharp blades will make the cut look better and reduce the wear on the machine itself. The blades also need to be balanced to reduce the wear on the spindle shafts and bearings. Out of balance blades cause excessive vibration and can lead to major problems if left alone. We carry an affordable home owner blade balancer. If you are looking for more of a commercial grade blade balancer, we carry those as well.

When you re-install the blades make sure you put them on correctly, on the same level and correctly tightened. If one blade is higher than the other, the cut will show the difference. The fact they need to be tight on the spindles is self explanatory, loose blades can come off and damage the mower or worse injure someone. So make sure you have the blades on correctly before you start the mower deck up.

Ready to Go

So upon review if you have the following, fresh fuel, clean air, oil, fuel filters, new spark plug(s), a fresh change of oil, a fully charged battery, properly inflated tires, sharp balanced blades, properly functioning blade spindles, pulleys, and new belts then you insure that your lawnmower is ready for whatever Mother Nature has in store for you.