Lawn Mower Maintenance For Winter

The last cut of the year can be an emotional time for us gardeners as it spells the end of a 7 month long ritual of lawn care and maintenance. Each and every gardener is different and so too is the treatment of their lawns and lawnmowers. As a result each lawn mower is treated differently than the next

Whatever you and your lawn mower get up to over the year, it is important that, at the end of the growing season you take the time to service and go over your mower with care. Leaving your mower covered in grass and dirt for 5 months of the year can lead to rusting and a quick deterioration of the machine.
Below is a check list of things you should do to ensure your mower remains in top working order:

• Remove spark plug before carrying out any maintenance work
  • To do so, simply pull the connecting wire from the spark plug
  • Using a socket wrench remove the spark plug
• On ride on mowers remove the battery
  • To remove, first remove the negative wire connection and then the positive
  • Store safely in a cool dry place
• Clean the deck
  • On a push mower you can turn the mower on its this
  • One a ride on you should remove the cutting deck
  • Clean entire deck with a tough brush
  • Dry after cleaning
  • Apply WD40 to metal surface and blades
• Remove blades and sharpen
  • This would require experience, so if you are unable to remove the blade a local mechanic can do it for you
  • Blade can be sharpened with a file or
• Re fit blades and check over lawnmower to ensure all parts are fully secured
• Lastly store the mower in a dry place

While the summer months can be though on your mower the winter doesn’t have to be. By following the steps above and spending a few quality hours together you can your lawn mower can see out many happy years of lawn manicuring and grass cutting toegether