Q - I know you don’t answer car questions, but I am wondering if you have any tips for the first time I use my lawn mower this year.  I am a first timer mower, but a long-time listener…

Beth Ann in Norcross

A - How appropriate that you are asking about mowing the lawn.  My wife and I made a deal when we first moved here in ‘83: she cuts the grass and I shovel the sidewalks.

While everyone’s Bermuda lawns are just about ready to start greening up in the next couple of weeks, here are a few things you should do each year to make sure your mower runs efficiently and effectively:

- Change the oil.  Clean around the oil fill and remove the dipstick.  Depending on your type of machine, the oil may be drained by removing an Oil Drain Plug located under the mower housing just above the blade. To get to it, put your lawn mower up on a couple of cinderblocks. Then, with a basin to catch the used oil, remove the plug and allow the oil to drain until it stops dripping out of the mower.

Put the oil drain plug back in then refill the engine with oil. Using your dipstick as a guide fill to the ‘Full’ mark on the dipstick. Oil capacity on most lawnmower engines is approximately 20 ounces.

- Change the spark plug. Take the lawn mower off the blocks and remove the spark plug. Before check its gap (refer to your owner’s manual for specifications), most Briggs & Stratton engines require a spark plug gap of 0.030″ or 0.75mm. After checking the gap, screw the new spark plug in finger tight then tighten 1/4 to 1/3 turn more with your socket, but do not put the spark plug wire back on just yet!

- Replace the air filter. Take out the old air filter and replace it with a new one. A new high efficiency air filter will help your mower perform at its peak. Be sure to saturate the new filter with fresh engine oil, the wrap in a clean cloth and squeeze to remove any excess oil.

- Check the blade. If your mower’s blade is chipped, dented, bent, cracked or dull now is the time to replace it. It should be at the least, sharpened every year.

While all of these things are excellent DIY projects, it can be much, much easier to take your mower to your local lawn equipment store every year. Then you can be confident that your mower will crank right off when your better half gets it out for the first time this spring…

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