Spring is the time your John Deere lawn mower gets to shine. Warmer weather calls for a nice and tidy lawn with fresh-cut grass. But if your mower was in storage all winter and fall, there are a few things you need to handle before your mower can perform at its best. Performing seasonal maintenance on your mower is a must but thankfully, it can be simple enough for you to do it yourself. Set aside a few hours of your time to service your mower and it will be ready to perform all season.
As a safety precaution, it is advised that you remove your mower’s spark plug before starting any maintenance work. This will prevent any accidental start-ups while you’re under the mower. You’ll also need to replace the old spark plug with a new one when done with your maintenance if you haven’t in the last 100 hours or so. A new spark plug will increase fuel efficiency and prevent power outages so you won’t have any problems starting up.
A tractor check-in is a great opportunity to clean up your tractor to knock off some of the dust or debris your tractor may have collected in the past season. You want to avoid any build-up or corrosion as it can impact the performance of your mower. Make sure the gas tank is empty and turn the mower on its side then remove any noticeable debris from the underside with gloves. After that, you’ll want to hose the underside of your mower down. Scrub any stubborn soil or dirt with a brush and hot water if needed.
When your mower is clean and dry, you can go ahead and change the oil if it has gotten old or low over the past season. Make sure you get the exact oil needed for your mower by looking at your owner’s manual. Replace the oil filter as well.
Chances are your air filter has collected a lot of dust. Make sure clean air is circulating in your mower by replacing your old filter with a new one. A clean air filter can help your mower run more efficiently, run cooler, last longer, and prevent burning up gas.
You won’t get much done on your lawn with bad blades. That’s why before getting to work, you should inspect your blades to make sure there is nothing of concern such as any dents, chips or bending. If there are, you need to replace all blades as soon as you can. This is also a good time to sharpen your blades if it’s been a while and your blades are getting dull.
Once you're done, you should be able to fill up your gas tank and get rolling! If there is anything else on your mower that raises concern, don’t hesitate to contact your nearest Belkorp dealer and we can talk you through the next steps you’ll want to take to get your mower in tip-top shape.