How to Get Your Mower Ready For Next Season

Lawnmowers are not cheap no matter what size mower you have, so it's important to take good care of them to get many years of service out of your investment.

Not everyone likes to mow their lawn or service their mower but both are necessary to keeping your lawn looking good and your mower lasting a long time.

For over twenty years I've had at least an acre or more of grass to mow at my last three addresses so I've had a couple mowers and have serviced them both which has gotten me a lot of use out of the first one and the second one hopefully has many years ahead of it.

You should always check your oil each time before you mow your lawn. This is very important because if that oil gets to low is could cost you an engine or shorten the life of the engine you currently have.

Most mower manuals will tell you to change the oil once a year. I prefer to do it after my last mow of the season. That way when storing the mower, it will have brand new oil sitting in the engine rather than the old dirty oil.

You should clean your air filter once a year and change it every other year.

If you have a larger mower and especially if you have a zero turn, it's good to grease the fittings when you change the oil.

Zero turn mowers also have hydraulic fluid so it's good to keep an eye on it as well but check your manual for when to change that fluid.

This year before I bought my materials, I checked a few mower stores and box stores for the parts I needed to maintain my mower. I did notice that I personally found everything cheaper online so that is where I ordered my oil, filter, plugs, blades and oil filter. If you do a really specific search, you may be surprised at what you find. My mower has a Kawasaki engine on it and I found the exact kit that was made just for my mower. I saved a ton.

I probably have one more mow left before I do the tune up. Just a reminder for you, when you change the oil, warm up your motor for a little bit. Having a warm engine helps drain out the old oil better. Always check your mower's manual for specific instructions on maintenance.