Making Mowers Last

Our first lawn mower was given to us by my mother in law. It was a push mower. You know, a mower completely powered by your pushing it. The power to turn the blades and to move it forward are provided by people power. We had a regular neighborhood front and back lawn that would take an average person one half hour to mow with any power mower, but we used a manual push mower. It doubled the time but used no gas or electricity. A lot more effort to do the same job. If you are looking for exercise, this is a good way to go. Also, there is no gasoline consumption or oil used to lubricate the engine. You are the engine. Interestingly, no one ever asked to borrow this mower.



Here is an example of an old push mower. They still make them today and they are a viable option for those that want a little extra exercise while they mow. They do a great job and create no emissions. This one is missing the handle. You get the idea.


One day one of my co-workers saw me using this push mower to cut the grass. Feeling sorry for me, he offered to give me a power mower. He told me it did not run and that it was a piece of junk, but if I did some work on it, who knows... We didn’t have money to buy a power mower (another great reason to use a push mower) so we brought it home.

I looked at this sad pile of metal over trying to decide where to start. It was filthy, the wheels sagged on the axles, and according to my friend, it hadn’t run in years. I used a pressure nozzle on a hose to spray the grime off the mower. It looked a little better. All I had to do to fix the wheels was to tighten the bolts that held the axle assembly to the body of the mower. It looked a little better still. Actually, it looked as good as it ever would. This thing was old and there was no getting around the fact that it had not been taken care of for years.

I gave the pull starter a tug and found it to be sluggish. It was as though something was keeping the engine from turning over. There was! Upon checking the oil I found it was up to proper levels, but it had the consistency of honey. It just stuck there on the dipstick. More like grease than oil. I asked my friend when he changed the oil last. He could not recall. He thought it interesting that he could not remember ever changing the oil, but remembers adding oil once in while.

I removed the oil drain plug from the mower and let the mower sit on a big old can. A little oil came out, but it stopped flowing almost immediately. Over several hours the oil gradually drained out of the engine. While I was waiting for the oil to drain I removed the spark plug. It appeared to be badly burned and worn out. I replaced it with a new one and put new oil in the crank case. I pulled the air filter out. It was full of dirt and grime so I cleaned it and put a light film of oil on it before reinstalling it. The mower had not run in years and there was no gas in it. I filled the tank and started the process of trying to coax the old dead mower to life.

Surprisingly, the mower started in about twenty pulls. I was amazed and thrilled!!! Not only did I get this relic to run, but I now had a power mower! I was catching up with the Jones’! We used this mower to cut our grass for the next six or eight years. I don’t know what brand mower it was. There was no way to tell. I think it was just your run of the mill department store cheapie.
After we had moved into a new neighborhood, I was mowing the lawn one day when one of the neighbors came over and asked me about my mower. He could see it was not a very handsome machine and that it was not self propelled. He told me he had just bought a new Toro mower and that his old one (also a Toro) was in fine working order. He said that if I wanted it, I could have it.

This wasn’t like my old mower. This was an old but well cared for Toro rear bagger with front wheel drive. SELF PROPELLED!!! Boy was I excited about that! It started on the first or second pull, looked nice, and was easier to maintain. Why did he give it to me? I don’t know, except he had a new one and saw I had an old mower. He and his wife had no living children (another story for later) and we got along very well as neighbors. We used this mower for probably three years until I bought our current mower.

So what did I do with the old mower? Why, I gave it to my other neighbor who used to borrow it anyway. Both of these old mowers were great machines that gave me terrific service. All I had to do was service them yearly. When we bought our current mower I cascaded the Toro to my neighbor as well. Why? Because the engine on the old mower had seized. An engine seizing is usually caused by one of two things. Either it is finally completely worn out, or no one checks the oil level or condition. Was that why the old mower gave out? Who knows, it was old when I got it and I used it for years.

In January of 1993, after many conversations with a work associate about his experience in the lawn care business, I decided I would quit my part time job and give working for myself a try. In the police department I was working for, all the officers had a second job to make ends meet. I had been doing security work on the side and wanted to find something that would provide a little better income. This looked like the way to do it. My friend had warned me to only use the best mowers. He told me there are a lot of lawn mowers out there that will cut grass once a week for many years. He said when a mower runs every day of the mowing season, it had better be the best. Otherwise, you will find yourself not mowing and being paid, but fixing and paying.

After a lot of research and looking at what the others in the business were using, I found there were several brands that produce great commercial grade mowers. We settled on the Honda commercial grade mower for several reasons. They had a great financing program, their shop was close to home, and I felt they had the best machine for the money. I also bought a consumer grade trimmer, edger, and sidewalk blower. All the consumer grade items were worn out by the end of the first season.


What about the Honda lawn mower?


We mowed every day of the week but one and every week of the season for three years. During the season we sharpened our blades, changed the oil, and at least cleaned the air filter every month. You don’t need to do all of that when you are running a mower once a week on just your lawn, but when you run a mower more in one week than most mowers are used in an entire season, you better service the machine at least monthly. Changing the oil and the other items once a season is sufficient for most of us that only have one lawn to mow.

After we closed the lawn care business (we had met our goals), my son and his buddy used the mower for a couple seasons to make money. In addition, I mowed my mine and my mother’s lawns weekly. Also my neighbor has borrowed this mower on many occasions. We still mow our lawn once a week and the mower runs great. We have had it in the shop a couple times, but we mostly maintain it ourselves. It is now 16 years old and has provided us with excellent service. The thing cost me a thousand dollars in 1993 to buy, but made me a profit in the first season I owned it. Since then it has continued to be an excellent piece of equipment and should it crumble to dust tomorrow, I would replace it with another Honda.

Here are a few simple tips to mower longevity:

Choose a mower brand that has been around a long time. This means parts will be available for a long time. You then have a resource if the machine breaks down and you don’t know how to fix it yourself. If you choose to use old mowers and fix them yourself, there are many books and internet resources available to help you keep that machine in top shape.

Service the mower by changing the oil, cleaning/replacing the air filter, cleaning/replacing the spark plug, and sharpening/replacing the blade at least seasonally.

Keep it clean. Spray the exterior off with the hose, but only when the engine is cold. Clean the under side of the mowing deck by spraying it off.

If something goes wrong with the mower, fix it or take it to the shop to have it repaired professionally. These can be dangerous machines if they are not working properly or if you are not operating them in the manner prescribed by the manufacturer.

Park the mower out of the weather in your garage or in a shed. Weather beats everything up in time. Parking it inside protects it from the elements.

Don’t loan your mower to people that will not take care of it.

Over the years I have had many neighbors and friends that have had to replace their mowers on a regular basis. Why don’t their machines last? Because they do the opposite of the afore mentioned tips. As much as I have learned over the years about taking care of lawn mowers and like machines, much of this experience has come from seeing what others do or don’t do to take care of their mowers.

HAPPY MOWING!!!