A lawnmower has become the most necessary gadget in houses with a garden. There are almost more than 220 million houses in the USA that has lawnmowers. So, it is crucial to know how to use a lawn mower.
We are going to cover that in this article. The first thing we should know is that there are many kinds of lawnmowers. We will try our best to cover the most popular types of lawnmowers and how to use them.
These are the common things you should know before starting to mow your garden with any lawnmower:
- Keep the children away from the lawnmower. Ask them to stay inside the home or away from the garden area.
- Clear any rock or twig in the garden. Make sure to eliminate any hard particles which may damage the blade in your lawnmower. You can use a fork broom to clear these rocks and twigs.
- Have the fuel filled in the lawnmower beforehand. If you are using an electric lawnmower, plug the power cable into a live socket and switch it on.
- Make sure to keep the lawnmower in a secure place after use. Especially, secure the area from children.
We will see how to use different lawnmowers one by one in this article.
1. Push Lawnmower
This is the most traditional type of lawnmower that is widely used among most houses in the USA. First, make sure that the lawnmower has its tank filled. If you’re using a lawnmower with a four-stroke engine, you can view the fuel level by using a dipstick or by viewing the inside of the tank after opening the cap.
We have to check whether the spark plug is attached appropriately to the engine. The spark plug ignites the mixture of fuel and gas inside the combustion chamber which causes the blades to rotate at a higher speed.
Without the spark plug, there will be no ignition resulting in no blade movements. You can see the side of the engine and check whether the spark plug is fitted in the right way.
Now, we have to find the prime button in the machine. Usually, the prime button will be black or a red button can be found near the throttle. Press it two to three-time to force the fuel into the carburetor. Make sure you don’t do it often which can result in some engine malfunction.
If you find the weather cold or you are in the winter season, use the choke. Pull it with force two to three times. This will warm up the fuel a little bit creating an optimal environment for sound combustion. You don’t have to use a choke if you find yourself in warm regions.
Now use the throttle and switch it on. You find it near the handle of the lawnmower. Make sure to on the throttle or else the engine won’t start. Now pull the starter cord two to three-time until the engine starts.
And all is left to do is push and steer the lawnmower where you want it to cut the grass. If you have an electrical push lawnmower, it would be easier as you have to just put the power cable into the power cord.
2. Self-Propelled Lawnmower
One of the disadvantages that the push lawnmower has is that the user has to push it to move it. The equipment will be heavy making it hard to push it over. A self-propelled lawnmower solves this problem.
This kind of lawnmower moves in the set direction without the need for any external forces. The engine will supply enough power to the wheels to drive them themselves.
You have to check the fuel level just like in the push lawnmower. You can use a dipstick to do that if your lawnmower has 4 stroke engine. And use the prime button to make a brief supply of fuel into the carburetor. You can also use a choke if you find yourself in cold regions to temporarily heat the fuel until the engine picks on.
Now switch on the throttle near the handlebar to make sure that the engine starts. Then pull the starter cord near the engine several times until the mower starts on. Now, most of the lawnmowers come with a self-starter eliminating the need of pulling a starter cord to start.
All that is left for you to do is walk behind this lawnmower while it cuts off the excessive grown grass in your garden. You can change the direction of the lawnmower to cut in a different area in your garden.
They relieve you from the trouble of pushing these heavy machines until your garden becomes silky-smooth.
3. Riding Lawn Mower
A riding lawnmower is the best choice for elderly people as you can mow your garden just by riding on it. These lawnmowers are very easy to use compared to the previous lawnmowers we saw.
Most of these lawnmowers have a self-start switch which makes it possible to use them with a single click. If you are using an older version of a riding lawnmower, you might want to follow these steps.
First, check the fuel using a dipstick. Put the parking breaks down. If you have your parking breaks enabled, you might not move them after starting the engine. Make sure you are in a steep area. Check whether the spark plug is connected to the engine.
Now press the prime button several times. Enable the throttle and pull the power card quickly four to five times until you hear the engine starting noise. Once the engine started, crank the throttle two or three times to keep the engine running.
Then sit on the riding lawnmower and steer them like driving a mini golf cart.
Riding lawn mowers are easy to control and are much slower for safety purposes. Ensure that the kids are not anywhere near this machine while you are mowing the garden.