Introduction
One of the staples of home lawn care is proper mowing (or cutting) of the grass in your lawn. Owning a home lawn mower is quite popular, though some people do hire lawn mowing help from lawn care services. Like other home maintenance products, a home lawn mower requires regular cleaning, oiling, and being taken care of to keep it in good shape and be ready for use when the grass is growing tall.
History
The manual form of the lawn mower was first invented by an English engineer Edwin Budding in 1830 after observing a cloth shearing machine in a cloth mill. It was a substitute for the scythe that was commonly used to cut grass till then. This lawn mower was a reel-type, or cylinder mower, with series of blades arranged around a cylinder and a handle for pushing – very much like some of the mowers still used today. The design was altered over the years, adding more blades, levels for cutting at particular heights, a tray for collecting the cut grass and then the addition of animals to pull the mower instead of using manual human force and steam-powered mowers, both of which didn’t remain popular for long. The fuel-powered home lawn mower then came into production as gasoline and electric mowers.
Features
Basic maintenance of a home lawn mower involves checking the blades and fasteners and ensuring they are tight, cleaning the air filter, removing and refilling the engine oil, cleaning up residue grass and dirt from last usage that is built up or sticking under the drive belt, greasing the adjuster brackets, and sharpening the blades, or replacing them if needed. 4-cycle and 2-cycle mower engines require slightly different maintenance of spark plugs – but they must be cleaned and it is better to replace spark plugs when one is about to use the mower for the new season. The proper order that should be followed in this tuning up is:
1. Empty the gas tank
2. Disconnect the spark plug
3. Remove the blades (sharpen as needed, advised every 2 months)
4. Drain the oil
5. Clean the undercarriage of the mower (then reattach the blades and fill the oil tank)
6. Change the air filter (especially if paper filter; foam filter can be cleaned)
7. Replace the spark
When storing away a home lawn mower after season, be sure to disconnect the spark plug and drain out all the gas from the fuel tank. Then, reconnect the spark plug and run the engine to use up any remaining fuel so the tank is completely emptied.
Tips and comments
A home lawn mower needs periodical care to keep it in good working order and to give a clean cut lawn with little hassle and wastage of time and effort. Since most lawn cutting is done between spring and fall, a home lawn mower needs to be put away for the winter months, and it has to be cleaned before doing so. When brought back in use for the warmer grass-growing times, perking up the engine and cleaning all movable parts rewards one with an efficient mower and a well-kept pretty lawn that will be the pride of your home!
