Winter is finally over, and the grass is starting to grow like crazy. The first instinct for many farmers and dealers is: pull out the mower, fill it with fuel, and get to work. Hold on. A mower that has sat idle in a shed or garage for three or four months is like a runner trying to sprint without warming up – at best you damage the machine, at worst you cause an accident.
Every spring, we get a flood of after‑sales questions: “Why won’t my mower start?” “Why does the cut look like a dog’s breakfast?” “Why is it vibrating so badly?” The truth is, 90% of those problems can be avoided with one simple spring service. The five checks below take less than an hour but can add two or three extra years to your equipment’s life. Please share this with your customers.
- Clean it – remove all the “winter leftovers”
After a whole winter, the mower deck, cutting chamber, discharge chute, and air filter area often accumulate dried grass clippings, mud, and even mouse nests. These are fire hazards, heat killers, and the main cause of rust on the deck.
How to do it:
- Use a pressure washer (avoid electrical parts and bearings) or a scraper to thoroughly clean under the deck and inside the discharge chute.
- Clean dirt and grease from the engine cooling fins and around the starter cord housing.
- Pay special attention to the air filter – mice love to store food there. If the filter element is heavily soiled, replace it. Don’t just tap it and think it’s fine.
Common consequences: Starting without cleaning means clogged cooling fins will cause the engine to overheat and seize. A clogged air filter lets dust into the engine, and one day of mowing can wear out the cylinder liner.
- Change the engine oil – don’t try to save a few bucks
Oil that has sat in the engine all winter oxidizes, thickens, and loses its lubricating properties. Worse, old oil contains metal particles and acidic combustion by‑products that corrode internal engine parts.
How to do it:
- Drain the oil when the engine is warm (run it for a few minutes first) – it flows better.
- Choose the right viscosity as per the manual (typically SAE 30 or 10W‑30 for spring).
- After filling with new oil, run the engine for one minute, then check the oil level again.
Common consequences: Running on old oil means the degraded oil can’t form a proper film. The piston rings and cylinder walls run dry – you can score the cylinder in as little as half an hour. The cost of a new engine would buy you dozens of oil changes.
- Inspect / replace the blade – a dull blade is a lawn killer
Many users think “if the blade isn’t broken, it’s fine.” Actually, the first cut of spring is the toughest test. After a winter of dead grass, frost heaves, and stray gravel, a dull blade doesn’t cut – it batters. Grass blades get smashed, turn white and yellow at the cut ends, and within days the whole lawn looks grey and becomes vulnerable to disease.
How to do it:
- Remove the blade and check for nicks, bends, or heavy wear.
- Use a grinder or file to sharpen the cutting edge (keep the original angle).
- Check the blade bolt torque (typically 54‑68 Nm).
- If the blade has worn down to half its original thickness or has cracks, replace it with a new one.
Common consequences: A dull blade not only damages the grass – it also causes excessive vibration, which then damages the spindle, bearings, and even the engine crankshaft. Replacing a blade is far cheaper than repairing a damaged spindle.
- Tyres and tyre pressure – the hidden cause of uneven cuts
When a lawn looks wavy and uneven after mowing, the problem is often not the deck – it’s uneven tyre pressure. Over the winter, tyres naturally lose air. A pressure difference of just 0.2 bar between left and right tyres changes cutting height by 1‑2 cm. From a distance, that looks like stripes of different lengths.
How to do it:
- Use a pressure gauge to check all four tyres (or two rear wheels plus two front castors).
- Inflate to the pressure listed in the manual (typically 1.5‑2.0 bar for rear wheels).
- Also check tyres for cracks, bulges, or embedded metal bits.
- Don’t forget the castor wheels – a seized castor wheel will drag a trench across the lawn.
Common consequences: Under‑inflated tyres increase rolling resistance, raise fuel consumption, and cause the drive belt to slip and burn. Over‑inflated tyres reduce suspension, making the deck bounce and the cut uneven.
- Fuel system – the #1 reason engines won’t start
“I filled the tank last autumn – why won’t it start now?” The problem is that ethanol‑blended gasoline absorbs moisture from the air. After three or four months of storage, the fuel contains too much water and may even form gum and varnish that clog the carburetor jets.
How to do it:
- If you didn’t add fuel stabiliser last autumn, drain the old fuel completely and replace it with fresh gasoline (minimum 87 octane / RON 92).
- Check the fuel filter and replace it if dirty.
- Inspect all fuel lines for cracks or hardening, especially rubber hoses.
- If the carburetor is already clogged, don’t keep pulling the starter cord – remove the carburetor for cleaning or take it to a shop.
Common consequences: Forcing the engine to start will completely block the tiny passages inside the carburetor, eventually requiring a whole new carburetor. Also, a cracked fuel line leaking onto a hot engine is a fire waiting to happen.
A final note for dealers
Send this article to every one of your customers, or print it as a simple maintenance card to include with each mower. A mower’s life can go from 3‑5 years to 8‑10 years – the secret is one simple service in spring and one in autumn. Your customers save the cost of a new machine, and you save the headache of after‑sales repairs. Win‑win.
One last safety reminder: Always remove the spark plug cap before doing any maintenance to prevent accidental starting. Safety first – no matter how much of a hurry you’re in.
Wishing all our customers a smooth start to the spring season and a beautiful lawn all year long.
