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Have you tried Ace Hardware? I've use them to sharpen blades ($12?) but I think you'll find that the complete tune up job is mostly labor so maybe not much cheaper than what you're paying now. Even a new blade, air filter, oil change and spark plug is probably less than $30 in parts.
Just out of curiosity, why are you getting the mower tuned-up every year? If you are paying over $100 every year for a tune-up, that seems really pricey. If you are only mowing your own yard, you honestly shouldn't need a tune-up every year. I have a 5 year-old LawnBoy mower and have changed the plug just once, and clean the filter myself. If you have a 4-cycle mower, the typical interval for changing the oil is at the 50-hour mark, which is nearly two years worth of mowing for most homeowners. There is no oil to change, of course, in a 2-cycle mower.
The blade sharpening I agree with -- I pay $8 at Ace in Cary, but bring them the blade off of the mower.
Have you tried Ace Hardware? I've use them to sharpen blades ($12?) but I think you'll find that the complete tune up job is mostly labor so maybe not much cheaper than what you're paying now. Even a new blade, air filter, oil change and spark plug is probably less than $30 in parts.
Frank
(That's where I go now. $90 labor, $30 parts) Isn't there anyplace or anyone else that's less? I've gotta learn how to do this stuff myself
Burke Brothers Hardware is where we take ours (across from the Fairgrounds on Hillsborugh). Call them and ask how much. I would remember if it was over $100....wow.
not sure why you are paying for the tune up, the oil($8), the plug($6) and the filter ($8) are all pretty easy to swap out on your own. should take you less than an hour to do at home and it'll save you $70. Only thing you gotta bring in is the blade for sharpening.
IF you have the original owners manual there should be step by step instructions for maint in there.
not sure why you are paying for the tune up, the oil($8), the plug($6) and the filter ($8) are all pretty easy to swap out on your own. should take you less than an hour to do at home and it'll save you $70. Only thing you gotta bring in is the blade for sharpening.
IF you have the original owners manual there should be step by step instructions for maint in there.
I agree......I always had the tools, always had the time, just never had the confidence! Always thought Sears (when I lived in New England) had a bunch of talented dudes who could get my gas mower to run like new every spring. And so would go through the hassle of taking it to the mall, standing in line, then doing the same thing in reverse a week later, after forking over $80-100 for a tuneup on a $140 mower.......
Like Machine Head says: Get some motor oil called for in the user manual. Get a replacement spark plug at Ace and also the air filter. Have the guy at Ace or wherever help you "gap" the plug if need be (with mowers I never bothered). All that's spelled out in your mower user's guide.
Remove the oil fill cap and tip the mower on its side to drain the oil into a large turkey roasting pan or similar and dispose of oil properly. Refill the oil to the specified level. Remove the bolt(s) that hold on your mower blade. It is likely or at least possible that it is installed with the threads opposite from the usual way because of the travel direction of the blade. Remove the blade and oil the bolt before you replace it.
Clean all the crud out from under the mower to remove moisture-trapping debris. I use a plastic putty knife. My current mower is 20 years old and failure to remove caked-on grass has caused rust to bubble up through the deck and I feel the deck will rot before the engine goes bad. Spray a liberal dose of WD-40 all under the deck.
For the blade: I just use a Dremel tool with a whetstone to buzz off any nicks and rust. Make it as even as possible and lightly run a finger across the blade to ensure sharpness. You can do the old-fashioned trick of hanging the blade on a nail horizontally by the center hole and see if it stays parallel to the floor. Ir it sags in either direction, you need to take a small amount of steel off of the "heavier" side.
Anything deeper than this stuff I trust to the pros. I never tried to replace a pull-start rope or anything. They do make electric start mowers now and my lawn tractor is a dream.
Confidence will get you through this. I've been there.
I agree......I always had the tools, always had the time, just never had the confidence! Always thought Sears (when I lived in New England) had a bunch of talented dudes who could get my gas mower to run like new every spring. And so would go through the hassle of taking it to the mall, standing in line, then doing the same thing in reverse a week later, after forking over $80-100 for a tuneup on a $140 mower.......
Like Machine Head says: Get some motor oil called for in the user manual. Get a replacement spark plug at Ace and also the air filter. Have the guy at Ace or wherever help you "gap" the plug if need be (with mowers I never bothered). All that's spelled out in your mower user's guide.
Remove the oil fill cap and tip the mower on its side to drain the oil into a large turkey roasting pan or similar and dispose of oil properly. Refill the oil to the specified level. Remove the bolt(s) that hold on your mower blade. It is likely or at least possible that it is installed with the threads opposite from the usual way because of the travel direction of the blade. Remove the blade and oil the bolt before you replace it.
Clean all the crud out from under the mower to remove moisture-trapping debris. I use a plastic putty knife. My current mower is 20 years old and failure to remove caked-on grass has caused rust to bubble up through the deck and I feel the deck will rot before the engine goes bad. Spray a liberal dose of WD-40 all under the deck.
For the blade: I just use a Dremel tool with a whetstone to buzz off any nicks and rust. Make it as even as possible and lightly run a finger across the blade to ensure sharpness. You can do the old-fashioned trick of hanging the blade on a nail horizontally by the center hole and see if it stays parallel to the floor. Ir it sags in either direction, you need to take a small amount of steel off of the "heavier" side.
Anything deeper than this stuff I trust to the pros. I never tried to replace a pull-start rope or anything. They do make electric start mowers now and my lawn tractor is a dream.
Confidence will get you through this. I've been there.
This is great advice. Considering that you can get a nice new self-powered mower for $300, I can't believe you'd spend $100 annually for a tune up, especially for such a simple machine. Even completely neglected, a mower will last almost indefinitely...
My mower is also 20 years old, it gets a fresh oil change every spring, and I sharpen the blade twice a summer myself with a grindstone. I still has the original spark plug, which still looks good even after all these years! Keep it clean and it will last forever.
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. $90 labor, $30 parts) Isn't there anyplace or anyone else that's less? I've gotta learn how to do this stuff myself
