As lawn mowing season rapidly approaches, your mower needs to be ready to handle all the hard work you’ll throw at it throughout Spring and Summer.

It’s easy to take your mower for granted - until something goes wrong - by which point a brief chore has turned into an expensive repair bill or even irreparable damage.

Keep your lawn mower healthy and running smoothly with these springtime maintenance steps from Johnston Tractors of Carlisle, Appleby and Dumfries.

10)

Change engine oil and replace filters (air, oil, fuel)

Should an oil filter become blocked, which can be caused by not changing it on time, unfiltered liquids and gases can travel around the engine.

Prevent contaminants from damaging your engine by proactively replacing the filters while you’re working on the engine.

9)

Clean/replace air filter pre-cleaner and paper element

A paper air filter element works by passing all air intended for the combustion chamber of the engine to pass through a filter with microscopic filter elements.

It’s important that these are cleaned regularly as air contaminants are otherwise difficult to monitor.

8)

Replace spark plugs

Are you pulling your back out trying to start your lawn mower, only to have it sputter?

Your mower probably needs a new spark plug.

Changing in advance of any problems will keep you cutting grass whenever the weather will allow it.

7)

Clean battery terminals

Mowing is a mucky job and any grime on the terminals is bad news for the longevity of the battery and its overall performance through current leak.

Keeping your battery connections clean can not only help your battery live longer but also saves you time and money in the long run.

6)

Sharpen mower blades

Not an easy one to do yourself by any means- but making sure your blades are sharp enough to cut cleanly is more important than you may realise.

Dull blades not only cause unsightly raggedness of the finished grass, but the increased surface area of the pulverised grass blades can lead to increased disease and infection.

5)

Check mower drive belts

Ensuring adequate tension on the drive belt of your riding mower is essential before you put the vehicle through the strain of the long mowing seasons.

On occasion, the drive mower belt on a riding lawn mower may need replacing. It is highly recommended that you seek professional help in arranging this.

4)

Clean engine cooling fins

Cleaning the cooling fins in a lawn mower is an important part of maintenance and may seem simple at first.

Do it wrong though and you potentially kick up additional contaminants which can do additional damage to your combustion engine.

3)

Check/adjust throttle cables

Without proper maintenance the mower’s output can become erratic, idling high then low seemingly without warning.

Checking and adjusting the throttle cables can be fiddly but is essential to regulate the speed of the engine.

2)

Clean/level mower deck (lawn tractors)

Improperly levelled mower decks cause a wide variety of problems including scalping, uneven cutting and ragged results.

As well as setting at the correct angle it’s important to keep the mower deck clean to prevent rust.

1)

Book a service from the expert staff at Johnston Tractors

Do all of the above sound like too much work?

Unsure about carrying out any of the steps yourself?

You should only work on your lawnmower if you are able to troubleshoot with total professional competency to avoid causing damage to your mower- or worse - yourself.

The experts at Johnston Tractors can carry out all of the above maintenance for you at a great offer price available by contacting the team here .

On Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 19th of March 2017 Johnston Tractors will also be featuring a range of quality lawn care equipment from John Deere including Walk Behind and Ride On lawnmowers.

Find out more here…

Johnston Tractors at Cumbria Life Home & Garden Show 2017

Johnston Tractors will be exhibiting for the first time at this year's the Cumbria Life Home & Garden Show, held on Saturday 18th & Sunday 19th of March at Rheged Visitor Centre near Penrith in Cumbria. We will be showcasing our fantastic range of quality lawn care equipment from John Deere including Walk Behind and ...