best lawn mower mulching blades image
scotty_doe
I am a lawncare newbie (I've lived in an apartment the majority of my life). Now that spring is here, I need to get my lawn mower ready. How do I change the oil?? Sharpen the blades? What to use for an oil catch pan? I feel stupid for asking these questions, but I was never taught this growing up. Any help/suggestions are appreciated.
Answer
Quick and dirty for lawn mower tune ups:
1. Pull the spark plug. If it's fouled, replace it. Better yet, replace it anyway, as they only cost a few bucks.
2. Unscrew the air filter cover (or unsnap it, if it snaps into place) and check to see how dirty it is. If it has a foam element over it, clean the element with water, dry it, then squeeze some motor oil onto it and wring it out (it should seem mostly oil free, but still tacky). If the air filter itself is dirty, replace it. IMPORTANT: If the air filter looks even slightly dirty, replace it. The particles caught by the main filter are too small to see by the naked eye, so if you see particles, it is over-dirty.
3. Drain and replace oil:
- The drain plug will be square, so you can't miss it. It is normally located on the lower side of the engine (riders) or the underside (push). Simply unscrew with a sizable pan under it. Riders have 2-4 quarts of oil, Pushes have just over 1 quart normally.
- Once the oil is drained, replace the plug and fill it with the recommended oil (riders normally take 10W30, pushes normally take SAE30). Every brand has different specs, so look in your manual! Do not listen to people who say "every mower takes ..."
- Do not over fill the oil! The oil dipstick will tell you if it should be crewed in or not while checking oil level. On screw-in types, if you do not screw it in while checking the level, you will drastically overfill the crankcase and cause the engine to seize up in short order. (made a LOT of money from that one)
4: Sharpening the blades: Don't do this yourself! If not properly balanced after sharpening, you will destroy your spindle bearing (riders) or destroy your engine crankshaft (pushes). Not to mention sharpening a blade is not as easy as it looks. The angle must be right and mulching blades require steady hands to avoid damaging the blade beyond repair.
5: General lube/cleaning:
- Spray your mower down with degreaser and let it sit for a few minutes. Spray off with a jet water nozzle.
- Drip oil anywhere a hinge or cable opening resides.
- Grease anywhere a grease nipple resides (you need a grease gun for this). Many riders have them, almost no pushes have them. If you do grease, grease until grease comes out of an opening. Greasing a few shots does not cut it.
6: Check belts for damage. Replace if any damage is seen, especially dry rot! Belts take a lot of torture, but a damaged belt will fail in short order and sometimes a bit of damage to the mower or you upon failure.
7: Check tire pressure. Fill tires to nominal PSI stated on the side of the tire. e.g.: Different tire pressures in the rear end of a rider can (and will) kill your tranny. Sometimes the little things make a big difference.
8: Prior to storage, always put fuel stabilizer in the your mower and run it for a few minutes. Many people will say "run it out of gas to prevent fuel clogs", they are ignorant! No fuel = no lubrication of the rubber gaskets in the carb, which = dry, cracked gaskets in the spring and a complete carb rebuild in your future. PS: Carb rebuild kits cost very little, but let your mechanic do the job if you are not knowledgable in the area, as a properly tuned mower will add years, if not decades to its lifespan.
Doing your own mechanic's projects are fun and instantly rewarding when done properly. Why let your mechanic get all of the gratification? Do it yourself and save a few bucks at the same time, when appropriate.
Have fun!
Is it better to mulch grass or to use regular blades and blow the grass out the side chute?
Jeff M
I own a John Deere Z225 mower with a mulching kit and mulching blades. I mow 6 to 8 lawns a week and lately I've had a lot of problems with the cutting quality. I've had to mow over the grass twice because it's so long and afterwards there are still clumps. Is it better to take off the mulching deck and blow the grass out the side chute of the mower or will this make an even bigger mess? I'm tired of going over the grass twice. Also, if I were to take off the mulching kit, would I put the regular blades on?
Answer
The beauty of mulching is that you don't usually have to do any raking or clean-up. And also you are blasting the chopped up nutrients back into the lawn.
If you are having to go back over the lawn twice, it sounds as if your blades are not sharp enough and maybe you are not mowing often enough.
I always make sure my blades are sharpened - I do it myself - because there is nothing more frustrating than trying to mow with dull blades. I mow 8 lawns and sharpen my blades at least once a week.
I don't mow my lawns once a week ; I mow when needed, weather permitting, and try not to let the grass get ahead of me. Another thing, make sure that the underside of your deck is kept clean. Blow out any accumulated clippings with a hose as often as needed ; preferably when the clippings are still "fresh".
I would never go back to side discharge. Too often you have to rake and dispose of the clippings. This is not only time consuming and a pain in the neck , it also robs the lawn of good nutrients.
If you take off the mulching kit , you can leave the mulching blades on. They work fine.
Hope this helps you out !
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