Mowing the grass is a common pass time for a lot of people. It is important to keep the grass down whenever you can. However, lawn mowers are expensive. Spending that much money on a product can be hard to do. Knowing how long do lawn mowers last can make this decision a bit easier.
To better understand the durability of a lawn mower, we have to examine the different parts of a lawn mower. How long your mower lasts directly relates to the wear and tear as well as quality on each part of your mower.
How Lawn Mowers Work
The concept of a mower is fairly simple. It is a blade that rotates and is powered by the engine of your mower. This fasting rotating blade cuts anything that it comes in contact with.
Think of the engine inside of your mower as a smaller version of your car’s engine. Over the years, this small engine has developed into something revolutionary.
Compared to the past, the engine provides enough power to last far longer than mowers of the old days. The deck is where the blade sits and it keeps the blade, along with anything else the blade comes in contact with, under control.
This mower, a rotary or push mower, includes a handlebar that you use to push the mower forward. Some versions also come with a throttle that you can squeeze to push the mower forward automatically or at least help you.
That moves us to the ride-on mowers. These are even more like cars. Lastly, there are mowers that move automatically without much input from you and these are robotic mowers.
Regardless of the type of mower though, each contains very essential components that make them a mower: a motor, a blade that rotates, and some way to get rid of anything that the blade cuts.
Rotary Lawn Mowers
If it is a rotary lawn mower, it needs an adequate power to keep the blade spinning at speeds that will cut grass cleanly. An internal combustion engine help to make this happen. It can run on two cycles or four.
With the two-cycle mode, the engine will burn through both gasoline and oil. The Four-cycle mode motor only burns through gasoline and has a completely separate way of lubricating itself.
Riding Mowers
There are times where riding mowers are necessary. Hills and other large areas of grass should be cut with a riding mower.
These mowers come in different shapes and sizes and provide very different engines and blade sizes. Riding mowers are often expensive, however.
Riding mowers do not stop at the commercial level, however. Tractors are heavy-duty riding mowers that have accessories built specifically for cutting large lawns or fields of grass. These are even more expensive.
How to Make Your Mower Last Longer
Even though there is typically a set life span for your mower, there are several things you can do to make sure your mower lasts as long as possible. Let’s discuss some different ways you can achieve this.
Fuel Intake
Gasoline breaks down over time and can cause damage to your mower. With ethanol gas, the problem only becomes worse. It builds up and lowers the quality of rubber and other plastic pieces.
A good way to combat this is to use a stabilizer designed for ethanol. Keep the gas tank full so there is little room for air or condensation.
Make Sure to Change the Oil
Not changing your mower’s oil is the number one way to destroy your mower. Changing the oil of your mower helps keep your engine healthy. You should always be sure you are changing your oil properly, however.
Improperly changing your oil can do more harm than good. Oil will keep your engine from overheating and so you should understand the importance of it.
Watch out for the Deck
As discussed above, the deck keeps anything your blade cuts in a specific area so it doesn’t go all over the place. This doesn’t mean you should leave your deck untouched.
The debris and grass that your mower cuts will build up here on the deck. This can dull your blades and make cutting your grass much less efficient. Most mowers provide a port for you to wash out the deck with a water hose.
Using an elevated ramp to put a riding mower on is also a viable option if your mower does not come with a port. Scraping any clumps off the deck with a stick or knife is also another option you can choose.
Most people do not do this, but you should sharpen the blades of your mower at least 3 times a year. Make sure to wear heavy duty gloves when doing this.
You do not want to cut yourself on these blades. Remove the spark plug before dealing with any part of your mower.
Filters are Important
Some engines come with air filters. These need to be changed alongside oil and fuel filters. Your dealer can help you with getting replacement filters. Washing these filters can make all the difference down the road.
Occasionally Maintenance
From time to time, you should be doing some type of maintenance on your mower. For example, with electric mowers, keeping it charged when you are not using it during times like the winter is important.
This will keep the battery fresh and keep it from becoming a bad battery from non-use. Otherwise, you should keep your mowers indoors over the winter. The cold weather can damage your mower without you even knowing.
How Long Do Lawn Mowers Last?
So, how long do lawn mowers last? That is entirely up to you. Knowing how mowers work and the different types of mowers you can get is a great start.
There are several tasks you can do to keep your mower lasting as long as possible. If you are taking care of your mower, it can last up to 15 years. That is a long time relative to the price and use you get out of it.