How long should lawn mowers last

So just changing the oil at the start of each season will extend its life. A sharp blade will make life a lot easier on the mower and the lawn. But my top tip for caring for your mower — use a gas stabilizer. It prevents damage associated with stale gas. I replace lots of carburetors at the start of every season because of gumming. A tune-up should be done once a year — at the beginning of the season, this will ensure trouble-free cutting and less stress on the mower and the lawn.

Single cylinder, air-cooled engines are the most popular. Briggs and Stratton, Kohler, and Kawasaki are the three main players, Briggs is the most common, but all engines are of good quality. Diesel engines are available but are only fitted to the commercial-grade mowers. If the budget allows, opt for a mower with an oil filter, it means it has an oil pump which means the engine will last longer, especially if you have a hilly yard.

Twin Cylinder air-cooled engines are better suited to the large hilly more challenging terrain, twin cylinders equal more power, smoother running, longer life, and higher running cost.

Look for one which is designed to be used with ethanol. At the end of the season, you should also siphon out any remaining fuel so that it is not sitting in the mower over the winter. Fuel is the energy, but oil is the lifeblood.

You need both working in harmony with each other. Skimp on one, and it does not matter how good the other is. Having high-quality, clean oil in your mower is a must.

Start with premium oil, and be sure to change the oil on a regular basis. When you are changing your oil, be sure that the fuel tank is empty before you do. This helps to avoid spilling as you may be changing the position of your mower.

Use something to catch the used oil from your mower when you remove the oil cap and, once empty, refill with fresh oil. This is often an overlooked area of lawn mower maintenance.

Filters are cheap and easy to re-place, so there really is no excuse for not replacing them. Many lawn mowers have two filters ; one for the oil and one for the fuel. They can both be removed in seconds and replaced in seconds. Your user guide will tell you exactly which filters to use. I find that if I change or just clean the filters when I am changing the oil, I stay ahead when it comes to maintenance.

Keeping the contacts and charge at the appropriate level will also go a long way to keeping your lawn mower in tip-top shape.

Spark plugs should be changed out after hours of use again, consult your manual for exact times. Old spark plugs can take their toll on a lawn mower motor and can damage it. Your overall lawn mower performance will also be affected. If you have an electric mower, then charging the battery a few times over the winter, when the lawn mower is not in use, will also help to prolong the life of the battery.

If a lawn mower battery is left empty, then its ability to fully recharge will be diminished, and you will not get as much out of it when you do come to use it. The blade does all of the cutting work. Following the above tips will help to take care of the motor, but how can you prolong the life of your blade? One of the best things which you can do is to sharpen it regularly. You should aim to sharpen the blade three times over the cutting season.

The crankshaft is a costly repair—again, it usually makes more sense to replace the mower altogether. Many lawn mowers these days will come with a warranty for the first few years of use.

Without a warranty, lawn mowers can be pricey to repair. Generally speaking, you should be able to get 7 to 10 years out of a new lawn mower, but repairs come up. Things like belts pull chords, or broken cables are easily replaced with little cost. But mechanical issues are much more costly.

If your machine is continually breaking down, is it really worth it to keep repairing it?