Quick Tips

At Mower MD, we want to help you keep your outdoor power equipment healthy. Some easy tips for you to keep your equipment in shape and ready to work when you are.

5 Tips to Reduce Service Trips

Regardless of the type of outdoor power equipment you use, the technicians at Mower MD remind you of five general rules that will save you time and money in the long term.

• Although today’s high-performance tools require less maintenance than in the past, they are still mechanical devices with parts that can wear out or dry out. Ongoing checkups and maintenance are vital to ensure a safe, peak performance.
• Harsh winter weather can wreak havoc on your yard. Before you set out with your equipment, walk the general area to inspect for large rocks or other objects that have surfaced and pick up pine cones and larger sticks that have fallen to the ground. Although most brands of mowers and tractors are built for durability, they are not designed to plow over major obstacles.
• Never store power equipment such that the spark plug is facing down. This is frequently a problem for people who hang their out-of-season equipment on a wall. This position causes the oil to travel beyond and around the piston which creates a hydraulic lock. As a result, when you go to pull the cord, it won’t move because the piston has no room to expand.
• Use special care when handling a throttle cable. Many consumers are in the habit of winding the cord and placing it in their pocket or other cramped area when transporting the mower off the premises. The #1 service issue in the lawn care industry is a bent throttle cable.
• When storing any type of outdoor power equipment either in the shed, basement or garage, take care not to store near large amounts of fertilizer, because the chemicals in most fertilizers are prone to cause corrosion.