Lawn Maintenance and Care: How to Start a Lawn Mower?

Let us help you with some simple steps for mowing your lawn when the mower refuses to cooperate.
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Last updated: September 03, 2023
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Given the tremendous work that goes into a lawn, including plant materials, water, chemicals, labor, time, capital, and energy to set up and maintain it, it takes quite a lot of work to do it right. However, a beautiful lawn has a huge positive impact beyond the joy of a job well done. Regular mowing isn’t only helpful to a house’s curb appeal but also to your lawn’s health. With a well-maintained lawn, it allows for an amazing space that’s uniform, green and gorgeous. These lawns provide attractive spaces for outdoor social interactions, block parties, barbeques, pool parties, as well as general exercise and socializing for adults, children, and neighbors.

No matter if it’s the first trim of the season or the fifth one in the first week of May, sometimes the lawnmower doesn’t always cooperate. Mowing the lawn can be an overwhelming task. It becomes even more so when the lawnmower doesn’t turn on no matter what you do. That’s where we come in to help with simple steps for starting your lawnmower.

Simple Steps to Starting a Lawnmower

Lawns are dominant features of urban ecosystems. They cover an entire 11–23% of cities that have them, which explains why the average homeowner or renter needs to keep their yards trimmed by mowing their lawns regularly. More households are picking up gardening Trusted Source Landscape Industry Statistics | NALP Statistics from the IBIS World Landscaping Services Industry Report shows that the landscape services industry has a market size of $105.1 billion in 2021. The industry employs more than 1 million people and represents 604,163 landscaping service businesses, an increase of 4.9 percent from 2020. www.landscapeprofessionals.org and several types of lawn care and maintenance activities with the rising health consciousness of millennial consumers. Did you know that there have been 16 million new gardeners during covid-19 Trusted Source 2020 National Gardening Survey The 2020 National Gardening Survey is the comprehensive market research report that leaders in the lawn and garden industry count on each year to track the market and help them make strategic marketing decisions. Conducted annually since 1973, the Survey provides in-depth and up-to-date marketing information on industry trends, household participation, consumer profiles and retail sales. gardenresearch.com and, most of them are under the age of 35? There are some tips and tricks for getting your engine to start regardless of how carefully you follow these steps.

Check the Blades

Lawn Maintenance and Care: How to Start a Lawn Mower?
Start by checking the blades. It may be something causing the entire machine to stall.

There is a chance that debris, long grass, and sticks can get caught within the blades, against the wheels, and so on. Keep an eye for debris before and during your mow to keep this problem to a minimum. One way to help this is to get a lawnmower that’s designed for your landscape. For example, uneven, lumpy, or hilly landscapes tend to dig up more dirt with standard mowers. Getting a lawnmower can help mitigate this issue.

Check Oil Level

Start by checking the levels of the mower itself. Ensure that the oil is at a proper level to make sure the engine and internal parts are properly lubricat4ed. Having too low of an oil level will often prevent the engine from starting at all. Make sure you fill it to the upper mark. This is the correct oil level.

Check Gas Level

Lawn Maintenance and Care: How to Start a Lawn Mower?
Ensure the gas level is high enough to supply the lawnmower with its power.

If there isn’t’ enough gas, your mower may sputter or not start at all. Tired of using gas for your lawnmower? It may be time to switch to something new altogether. The Ego Power+ Lm2000-S Ion Battery doesn’t use gas and instead uses a rechargeable battery. Not only does this improve the reliability but also the ease of use.

Gas Top “On”

Ensure that the gas top is in the “on” position. Although not all gas valves are made the same, not all of them are fitted to the mower. The gas tap should be turned off during storage and turned on again before use.

Choke “On”

To start, what is a choke? A choke is used to enrich the fuel mixture by giving it an added air ratio. This Air-Fuel Ratio (AFR) enriches the fuel mixture, which counteracts the issues caused by the frigid air.

The choke is specifically for throttle lever-type systems. Ensure that this is turned into the on position. If you have an auto choke, there is no need for this step.

Bail Lever “On”

Take the bail lever, also known as the dead man’s lever, and hold it. This is the bar at the top of the handlebars. Usually, it’s marked with a stop sign. Remember that you need to press and hold these handles together and while keeping them together, pull the starting cord.

Pull the Cord

Now it’s time for the lawnmower cord pull. Give it a good yank – the engine must turn over at 350 RPM at the very minimum. You’ve to use some force. Any less won’t produce a spark strong enough to ignite the fuel. Don’t give up after the first or even second pulls. As you likely know, it can take a few attempts before achieving a purring motor after the third attempt, which is when you give it a bit of a break. The third pull may end up flooding the engine with fuel. If that happens, leave it to sit for about a half-hour. Then try again, but this time do not apply the choke.

Time to Mow

Now it’s time to do some landscaping, and not everyone can or wants to hire a professional Trusted Source Landscaping Services in Canada - Industry Data, Trends, Stats | IBISWorld Find industry analysis, statistics, trends, data and forecasts on Landscaping Services in Canada from IBISWorld. Get up to speed on any industry with comprehensive intelligence that is easy to read. Banks, consultants, sales & marketing teams, accountants and students all find value in IBISWorld. www.ibisworld.com . Lawn care requires regular trimming, weeding, and mowing. When the weather gets warmer, lawn mowing becomes increasingly regular. If the ground is not wet, it’s a good time to mow the lawn.

There are advancements in lawn care that make mowing your lawn much easier. Take away the gas engine and replace it with a charged 4ah battery, and you have an amazing model like the GreenWorks Pro GLM801600 80V Lawn Mower. This is a highly rated elective lawn mower that delivers gas equivalent performance with more reliability and performance.

Oil Check and Adding Oil

Lawn Maintenance and Care: How to Start a Lawn Mower?
The average oil in a mower, when full, is about a quart (.6lt).

Did you know that it is best to check the oil while the engine is cold? Most lawn mowers are content with 10w30 car engine oil however it all depends on your specific lawn mower model Trusted Source Troybilt Canada The “service rating” is the age range of engines for which that oil is appropriate. The rating is at the top of the “donut” and is indicated by a two-letter combination (e.g., SN, SM, SL, SJ). The further down the alphabet the second character is (S_), the more current the rating. SN is the most up-to-date rating. support.troybilt.ca .

FAQs

Can I use gas in my mower from last winter?

Although it is a much cheaper alternative, it’s not great for your mower’s engine. Even when it comes to the top innovative landscaping brands such as Troy Bilt, Green Works, Lawn-Boy And Snapper, fresh gas provides a smoother and more efficient experience. The gas that has been in the mower since last year is not the best quality anymore. Occasionally, especially after a long and dormant winter, a mower can be tough to ignite. Old fuel can prevent your mower from starting completely. If that is the case, drain the gas tank and refill it with new gas.

How do I use a fuel stabilizer?

What is a fuel stabilizer? This is an addition to a lawn mower’s fuel before the season end. This prevents clogging and cleans the fuel system. Even the top leading brands of lawnmowers need a degree of maintenance. Fuel stabilizers can do just that!

Final Thoughts

It is that time of year again when mowing the lawn becomes a regular chore. It is straightforward to start a lawnmower. Some of the leading riding lawn mowers in the industry, including Ariens, Snapper, Swisher, And Husqvarna, all can have similar issues. There are a few vital steps, but once you get the hang of it, it’ll be just like riding a bike.

Knowing how to start a lawnmower is the first step to getting the lawn looking gorgeous and green. Keeping your lawn and garden fresh and fun is a wonderful way to ground yourself and be mindful of the moment. There’s a true thrill in the air when spring comes. Now that you know how to start a lawnmower, it’s time to get started on the lawn of your dreams.

References

1.
Landscape Industry Statistics | NALP
Statistics from the IBIS World Landscaping Services Industry Report shows that the landscape services industry has a market size of $105.1 billion in 2021. The industry employs more than 1 million people and represents 604,163 landscaping service businesses, an increase of 4.9 percent from 2020.
2.
2020 National Gardening Survey
The 2020 National Gardening Survey is the comprehensive market research report that leaders in the lawn and garden industry count on each year to track the market and help them make strategic marketing decisions. Conducted annually since 1973, the Survey provides in-depth and up-to-date marketing information on industry trends, household participation, consumer profiles and retail sales.
3.
Landscaping Services in Canada - Industry Data, Trends, Stats | IBISWorld
Find industry analysis, statistics, trends, data and forecasts on Landscaping Services in Canada from IBISWorld. Get up to speed on any industry with comprehensive intelligence that is easy to read. Banks, consultants, sales & marketing teams, accountants and students all find value in IBISWorld.
4.
Troybilt Canada
The “service rating” is the age range of engines for which that oil is appropriate. The rating is at the top of the “donut” and is indicated by a two-letter combination (e.g., SN, SM, SL, SJ). The further down the alphabet the second character is (S_), the more current the rating. SN is the most up-to-date rating.

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