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Mowing Basics
Blade-to-Blade Contact
Many lawn problems are the direct result of dull or poorly balanced blades. When a dull blade makes contact with a blade of grass, it hacks and fractures it, leaving it brown, ragged and susceptible to disease and fungus.
A professionally sharpened blade gives a nice clean cut for a healthier lawn. Our new Ready To Mow 12-point service can contribute to your lawn's health by keeping your mower blades sharp and in balance.
Mowing Guidelines
In addition to properly maintaining your mower, you can do a few other things to help keep your lawn looking great:
- Adhere to the 1/3 rule. Never remove more than 1/3 of the grass blade at one time.
- Don't mow your lawn when the sun is extremely hot or when the grass is wet. Severe damage may result.
- Under most circumstances, do not remove clippings. Clippings return nutrients to the soil; remove them only if they are so extensive that they threaten to damage the lawn or when they leave unsightly windrows.
Quick tips
To keep your equipment in top performing condition:
- Sharpen blade edges to 1/64 inch to provide an even cut and keep the blade strong. Dull blades split the end of grass plants, which allows turf diseases to spread and detracts from the beauty of a lawn. Sharp blades cut the grass plants cleanly and evenly, improving the overall look of the lawn.
- Blades should be properly balanced to avoid vibration; then the mower deck should be leveled to allow for an even cut, better handling and improved mower safety.
- Mower deck gauge wheels should be properly adjusted (wheel height gauges should be accurate and operate properly), contributing to an even cut, better handling and optimal safety when operating the machine.
- To extend the life of your equipment, change the motor oil after every 25 hours of use. A simple schedule to follow is to have the oil changed during a professional service early in the season and then change the oil around Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day.
- Check belts and hoses yearly for signs of aging or deterioration. Cracked belts or hoses can lead to serious repair bills.
- Once a year, it's a good idea to have a professional service technician check a mower's engine idle speed, engine valve clearance and fuel injectors to ensure smooth, long-term performance.
- We recommend regular grade 87 octane unleaded fuel for use in mowers. Fuels are blended to give peak performance during cold and warm weather. For cold weather, gasoline is specially blended to provide better starting capabilities. Summer fuels don't require improved starting properties.
- Buy small amounts of fuel to avoid hard starting in cold weather with summer fuel and in the summer with "old" fuel.
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