This year, the mowers and scythes may last until November, so it is worth taking care of them during the season, which will only extend their service life.
"The lifetime, that is, the efficient functioning and reliability of a mower or a scythe, largely depends on its owner, who, when buying the machine, takes responsibility for it. The quality of the machine is of course of great importance, but even the best petrol lawn mower will one day refuse to obey if its owner neglects the basic rules of proper operation or simply
he forgets about it.
Mowers that often mow or work in a dusty environment, for example on sandy lawns, require much more attention. If neglected, they not only lose efficiency, but also use more fuel
and emit more exhaust gases, but also more often go to the website, which is associated with
with additional costs. Some owners are aware of this and care
for their mowers as for cars - exemplary, but most of them, unfortunately, contribute to their destruction.
This season, we rescued a pair of long-standing Honda petrol lawn mowers with a thick crust of dry swath and holes in their blades that were no longer suitable for mowing, and the engines were subject to accelerated wear! It is also worth remembering about technical inspections in the context of warranty, because performing periodic service inspections at our authorized service network and the use of genuine Honda consumables extends this period to five years."-explained Marcin Samsel,Mechanic responsible for garden machinery service at Aries Power Equipment - General Distributor of Machines and EquipmentHONDAin Poland .
The most common causes of failure of petrol lawnmowers
The mower does not mow like it used to? Lost in performance? Burns more fuel? Gives off more exhaust? Or maybe you can hear the engine waving? All these symptoms should be alarming. The reasons are most often the result of negligence
and incorrect use of the machine:
Dry swath
While mowing, the swath blades always stick to the mower housing and its bottom
and blades, and when not removed, it dries up tightly to the surface.Over time, the overlapping layers create a crust that is difficult to clean, which at the same time blocks the mower's functions - for example, it prevents mulching when the transmission lever is blocked by a swath left behind. Grass that is not removed from the mower housing also leads to corrosion in machines made of steel.
"The microscopic defects in the paint coat arising during use of the mower increase if they are not protected on a regular basis, or at least after the season. Avoiding these losses is rather impossible, because the blades moving at a linear speed of about 200 km / h create a vortex the air sucks in sand, parts of hard stems and even pebbles that hit with force
in the housing. On the other hand, a mixture of fresh, moist swath with soil, which causes the fermentation process, left in the cavities, promotes the formation of corrosion. " -said Marcin Samsel.
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Fig. Aries Power Equipment - Honda machinery and equipment service. Neglected petrol lawn mower with a layer of swath mixed with the ground |
These problems can be solved by cleaning by washing the mower housing from the inside after each mowing - fresh swath is easy to remove, and dried-on swath requires more care.
When washing the housing with a garden hose or a pressure washer, be careful not to let water get into the control lines, the air filter and the muffler opening.After drying the surface, you can wipe it with a cloth with oil, especially the spots of the varnish coating, which will reduce the formation of corrosion.
Swath blocking the wheels
The mower wheels are a place that hardly anyone pays attention to, and they belong to the "sensitive places" where the swath also accumulates.With dry blades of plants, there are practically no problem, although it is a place difficult to clean, but the damp, when dry, can effectively block the cutting height adjustment, and even damage the drive or break the drive cables.
Knives worn
The blades are a key part of the mower that defines the mower and the key to the he alth of the grass. The knives wear naturally during mowing, especially intensive mowing, so it is recommended to check them before each mowing.First of all, they should be well sharpened, otherwise they hurt it and destroy the grass, which may lead to the dying of plants.However, when heavily worn - they no longer mow but lay down the grass.
The degree of wear of the knives is easily recognizable by their rounded shape, their surface shrinkage, and jagged blades. The decreasing surface of the knives affects their balance, while the vanishing blades do not move the swath to the basket. Heavy wear of the knives may indicate that the period of use is too long, but also
about the quality of the lawn.
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Fig. Aries Power Equipment - Honda machinery and equipment service. Very worn and "sandblasted" knife blades of the petrol lawn mower |
If the mower is operated on a thinning lawn, on dry and sandy ground, the blades will sandblast very intensely, even resulting in holes in the steel blades.In this case, the mower loses its efficiency.Any damaged or worn blades should be replaced with new ones - at least before the season and systematically sharpened during the season.
Worn, dirty air filter
The air filter on petrol lawn mowers supplies the engine with clean air, without which the engine cannot operate. A clogged filter restricts air flow to the engine, and a damaged filter lets in dust and sediment that can cause contamination of the carburetor, excessive and too rapid wear of cylinders, pistons and engine rings.
The air filter should be checked each time the mower is used, especially when the machine is used intensively and in a dusty environment. PWhen checking the air filter, two criteria must be considered - operating time
and degree of wear. In practice, the frequency of replacement depends on the operating conditions of a given machine and the intensity of its operation, unless other situations occur, e.g. flooding the filter with oil or fuel.
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Fig. Aries Power Equipment - New and worn air filter |
"Oil flooding of the filter can happen when the mower is tilted to the wrong side, ie to the side with the air filter. Another reason may be that the fuel is left in the carburetor for a long time or the use of poor quality fuel, which causes contamination of the carburetor, which may result in flooding the air filter with fuel.
In such cases, the air filter must be replaced immediately, otherwise engine waving, loss of power may occur
and efficiency, higher fuel consumption and increased exhaust emissions. Delaying the replacement of the air filter may result in damage to the engine and the necessity to replace it. " -explained Marcin Samsel.
Dirty spark plug
A contaminated spark plug is a result of the mower's operation with a clogged air filter, i.e. as if the engine was running on a suction. Then the engine loses power and consumes more fuel.
Dirty bin
The basket is used to collect the swath, which is thrown into it, provided that there is constant air circulation in the basket. If the basket is not cleaned, this necessary air flow is disturbed.As a consequence, the mowed grass is not sucked into the basket - it remains partially on the mowed lawn, sticks to the bottom of the mower and housing, and may also block the movement of the knives.
Damaged protective apron
A damaged protective apron puts the mower at risk.It is placed in mowers to protect the operator's legs from cones, pebbles or hard plant stems and wears naturally during mowing.A damaged apron does not fulfill this role, so it is worth checking its condition before mowing and replace if necessary.
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Fig. Aries Power Equipment - Honda machinery and equipment service. Damaged protective apron for the mower |
What should be checked before each mowing?
Before starting the petrol lawn mower, check:
-knives- sharpness, general condition and operation of the blade control levers. Dull blades should be sharpened and worn or deformed blades should be replaced,
-basket- cleanliness ensuring good air circulation and fixing,
-oil level ,
-filter air- cleanliness and wear. Dirty one should be thoroughly cleaned, and worn - replaced.
The engine oil should be changed and the spark plug checked every 50 mth or 6 months or so.
In the case of brushcutters, before each start-up:
- check the condition of the cutting part and the guard,
- clean the space around the gear head,
- check the condition of the air filter element - cleaning the filter element and housing should be performed every 25 mth hours,
- check idle, throttle lever operation, STOP button
