Lawn mower blade lubricant. Preparing a Commercial Lawn Mower for Spring

Preparing a Commercial Lawn Mower for Spring

Warm weather is coming, have you done your lawn mower spring maintenance? If you want your mower to perform reliably and last for years, we recommend you follow these guidelines before you start cutting.​

Lawn mower engine oil ch​anges

The obvious point here is to complete an oil change at the intervals recommended in your engine manual. If you can’t remember the hour reading at your mower’s last oil change, stay on the safe side and change it, along with the oil filter.​

How to change lawn mow​​er engine oil

Easy-to-read and understandable engine oil change details are outlined in the engine manual for your unit.

• Stop the unit, wait for hot parts to cool and remove the engine key.
• Position a drain pan under the oil drain hose.
• Remove the drain plug and allow all oil to drain.
• Remove and discard oil filter and install a new filter. When installing a new filter, apply a thin layer of oil onto the oil filter gasket.
• Reinstall drain plug and tighten to specification.
• Remove cap / dipstick from engine oil fill port.
• Fill engine with oil of correct weight / viscosity rating and quantity.
• Reinstall cap / dipstick, wait a few seconds and remove. Check the oil quantity and make sure it’s within the markings on the dipstick. Ensure cap is secure before attempting to start the engine.

How to change lawn mo​​​wer air filter

Details are listed in the lawn mower engine manual, but it’s as simple as removing the air filter cover from the engine and remove the air filter. If the engine air filter is soiled or damaged, dispose filter and install a new air filter; if air filter appears clean and in good condition, reinstall the filter. After filter is installed, reinstall air filter cover.

Hydro Gear transaxle mainte​​nance

If you don’t remember when the transaxle oil was changed, err on the side of caution. Transaxle oil is a heat transfer, and once it breaks down, it’s no longer an effective lubricant for critical mechanical components in a transaxle. A new Gravely zero turn lawn mower will need the transaxle oil changed after the first 75 hours of operation, but then only every 400 hours after that.

Change Hydro Gear transaxle oil​​

Changing transaxle oil is just as easy as changing engine oil:

• Park the unit on a flat, level surface, wait for hot parts to cool and remove the ignition key.
• Place a drain pan under the transaxle being serviced.
• Remove the filter guard and filter from the transaxle. Dispose the filter; retain the guard.
• Remove the transaxle vent port plug and allow oil to drain.
• Wipe filter mounting surface clean and lubricate gasket on filter with clean hydraulic oil.
• Reinstall filter and filter guard.
• Add manufacturer’s recommended oil type and volume to the transaxle oil expansion tank until oil reaches top of vent port.
• Reinstall hydraulic oil vent port plug.
• Add oil to transaxle oil expansion tanks until fluid level reaches cold fill mark.
• Purge hydraulic oil system.

Purging Hydro Gear tra​​nsaxles

When transaxle oil is changed, air s can get caught in the transaxles, requiring the need to purge air from the transaxles immediately after completing service. When purging is complete, recheck the transaxle oil expansion tanks and add oil so it reaches the cold fill line in each tank, if necessary.

The transaxle purge procedure is somewhat involved, so please refer to the operator’s manual for your unit for detailed illustrations and instructions. If the process seems too complex, please leverage the skill and experience of an authorized Gravely dealer.

Sharpening profession​​​al lawn mower blades

Sharp and balanced blades have a better cut quality and they reduce the need to mow the same area twice and waste time.

If there’s no access to a lift, blades can be accessed and removed easily after removing the mower deck. Gravely designed the process so one person can do it without special tools, but again, handling mower blades is a delicate process, so please turn to a Gravely dealer for service help.

Remove lawn mower d​​​eck

The steps below are an abbreviation of the procedure’s detailed instructions in the operator’s manual. As always, follow the safety instructions in the manual while completing service.

• Park the unit on a flat, level surface and remove the ignition key.
• Remove the left belt cover.
• Remove the spring from the anchor bolt to release PTO belt tension.
• Remove the PTO belt from the engine clutch.
• Raise deck to highest position.
• Loosen front jam nut on eye bolts to reduce deck lift assist spring tension.
• Remove lift assist springs.
• Place wood blocks under each side of deck.
• Lower deck to lowest position so deck rests on blocks.
• Remove hardware retaining deck lift links to deck lift brackets.
• Move deck lift links away from deck lift brackets.
• Slide deck out from under unit.

Removing lawn mo​​​wer blades

Follow the safety instructions in the manual before starting a service procedure because the blades are sharp and can cut if not handled carefully.

• Rotate the deck so its underside is exposed.
• Position a wood block between baffle and blade to prevent blade from rotating.
• With either a breaker bar or an impact gun, remove hardware retaining the blades.

Inspect the blades for wear, cracks and damage. If the blade is worn too far, is cracked or damaged, dispose it. Blades that are dull but in good shape otherwise can be sharpened according to the manual’s instructions. Remember, the maximum amount of material that can be removed from a lawn mower blade over the life of that blade is one-half inch.

Checking lawn mower b​​lade balance

Whether the blades have just been sharpened or not, they should be checked for balance before each season. To check blade balance, slide the blade onto a screwdriver, shoulder bolt or pin and position it horizontally. If the blade moves, it will need more material removed from the heavy end of the blade. After the blades pass the balance test, they can be reinstalled.

Remember to double-check the orientation of the blade when reinstalling. Blades must be installed with the cutting edge facing away from the top of the mower deck.

Clean mower​​​ deck

Mower decks packed with grass clippings, dirt and debris can damage your mower, affect cut quality and hurt lawns. Grass, dirt and debris holds moisture that corrodes bare metal on the spindles and mower blades. Additionally, grass-packed cutting decks can harbor fungi and bacteria that can spread to other lawns and damage them.

Grass buildup around the discharge area can prevent clippings from discharging evenly and could lead to clumping. Grass buildup under the deck can also affect the aerodynamics of the cutting chamber, disrupt the air lift under the deck and diminish the cut quality.

Check mower​​ belts

While the deck is removed, inspect the mower belts for cracks, signs of wear or damage. If belts (PTO belt, mower drive belt, transaxle drive belt) appear unacceptable after a visual inspection, replace them according to the procedure in the operator’s manual. Don’t leave these to chance, because a busted belt on the jobsite will cost a lot more time than it will today.

Greasing a lawn m​​​ower

Lack of lubrication can wear critical components like bearings. Aside from applying a thin layer of oil to all pivot points and pin connections on the mower, there are typically only two or three lubrication points on a Gravely mower.

Locate the grease fittings on the caster fork hubs and the caster wheel hubs. Pump grease into each fitting until grease squeezes past the bearing seals at the top of the caster fork hubs and on the sides of the caster wheel hubs. Wipe away the excess grease.

If seat adjustment slots are visible on the bottom of the seat, apply a small amount of grease to the seat adjustment tracks and move the seat back and forth to spread grease along the tracks. All lubrication points for your mower can be found in the operator’s manual.

Charging a lawn m​​ower battery

Mowers with discharged batteries don’t start. If the lawn mower battery was connected to a battery tender or trickle charger during storage, it should be in good shape. If the battery was left unattended, charge it to the voltage specified in the manual, but don’t fast charge the battery.

Clean battery ​​terminals

Typically, corrosion is more likely to form on the positive battery terminal, but corrosion on any terminal should be cleaned. Disconnect the battery cables, brush away corrosion with a wire brush, coat the terminals with dielectric grease or petroleum jelly and reconnect the battery cables with the original hardware.

Zero turn mower ​adjustments

A zero turn mower is most comfortable and operates most effectively when adjustments are checked and returned to specification. Make comfort adjustments to the seat and steering levers for the operator that will be using the machine. Check the following items according to the directions in the operator’s manual for your unit:

• Parking brake
• Transaxle neutral position
• Tire pressures
• Deck level and pitch

Zero turn lawn mow​​​er parts

Replacement and maintenance parts like belts, blades, lubricants and oils, can be sourced from your nearest Gravely dealer. Experienced Gravely dealers know exactly what their customers and their mowers need to continue performing at their best throughout the season.

Don’t forget …

Smart landscapers know that during the busiest time of the season, replacement parts are in high demand at dealerships. Stay sharp this season by visiting your Gravely dealer and stocking up on a season’s supply of wear parts like belts and blades.

Seven Lawn Mower Maintenance Tips

With warm weather just around the corner, it’s time to get your lawn mower ready and up to par for the seasons ahead. Chances are the lawn mower is one of the most used machines in your shed or garage, which is why it’s important to perform routine lawn mower maintenance to extend the life cycle of your machine and also to avoid breakdowns.

As with any routine mower maintenance, always refer to your owner’s manual for proper instructions for your model.

Here are a few outdoor power equipment tips from Troy-Bilt:

Change the Oil

First, place a container under the mower’s drain plug. Remove the dipstick and use vise grips or a wrench to take off the plug. Once the oil has drained, replace the plug. Next, place a funnel on top of the oil reservoir and pour in fresh oil. Check your owner’s manual to determine the appropriate oil grade and amount for your model. If you overfill, just drain the excess oil through the drain plug. Pay close attention, though. overfilling may damage the seals, and underfilling may cause overheating.

Grease It Up

Use a light-duty lubricant on contact surfaces for wheel bearings, cables and height adjusters. Don’t forget to spray silicone under the deck of the mower to prevent rust and to keep clippings from sticking. Be careful not to lubricate surfaces that the drive belt will come in contact with during operation.

Replace the Plugs

Spark plugs are cheap insurance and since they are inexpensive, don’t clean or reuse old ones. It’s recommended to replace them once a season.

Clean the Filter

The air filter is usually an oil-soaked and debris-covered sponge enclosed in a metal or plastic casing on the side of the engine. If you live in a dry or dusty area, you may need to clean the filter several times a year. To do so, simply soak it in warm, soapy water and squeeze dry. Sponge filters can be properly cleaned and reinstalled. If you have a cardboard filter, don’t clean it. just replace it.

Sharpen the Blades

It’s important to have your blades professionally sharpened at least once a year. If the blades are bent, you will need to replace them. Watch for impact or wear on blade surfaces and cutting edges because those should be replaced too.

Change Belts (For Self-Propelled Units Only)

Long and/or wet grass clumps easily, so remember to remove any grass buildup from under the deck or belt. Check belts for heavy wear or cracking. if you notice any, the belt should be replaced immediately.

Charge Battery (For Electric Start or Battery Units Only)

If you’re having trouble starting your mower, it may be your battery. Refer to your manual for proper battery charging or replacement procedures.

Replacement parts can be purchased at troybilt.com or at your local authorized Troy-Bilt dealer.

The Best Reel Mower for Your (Small) Lawn

We’ve reviewed this guide, added competitors, eliminated older models, and reconfirmed our decisions on our picks.

Reel mowers aren’t for everyone. They’re designed for small, flat lawns, and they take some effort to push around. But they provide exceptional cut quality and a completely unplugged mowing experience, so they offer things no other mower can. We think the best one is the Scotts 2000-20 20-Inch Classic Push Reel Lawn Mower.

For the healthiest grass

The Scotts makes the cleanest cut, has the widest cutting path, and jams the least of any reel mower, and its unusually tall 3-inch max cutting height makes it more versatile for different grass types.

Buying Options

At the time of publishing, the price was 145.

During initial tests with a golf course grounds crew and in years of follow up use, the Scotts-branded mower has the best cut quality of any of the mowers we’ve tested, and its unusually tall maximum cutting height of 3 inches makes it a versatile choice for different types of lawns and grasses. It has a 20-inch cutting swath—the widest available—and at 34 pounds, it’s light and easy to maneuver. It was also the only mower in the group that didn’t jam during testing.

Good cut, less elegant

This mower cuts almost as well as our main pick and has a taller cutting height, but it’s bulkier (making it harder to turn around) and more expensive.

Buying Options

At the time of publishing, the price was 250.

If our main pick is sold out or otherwise unavailable, we also really like the Fiskars 18-Inch StaySharp Max Reel Mower. Its a solid mower with a 4-inch cutting height is higher than any other reel mower’s. In testing the Fiskars cut well, but it wasn’t on par with the Scotts and didn’t handle tall grass quite as well. It’s also heavier and bulkier, making it more of a chore to turn around, it also costs more than the Scotts.

For the healthiest grass

The Scotts makes the cleanest cut, has the widest cutting path, and jams the least of any reel mower, and its unusually tall 3-inch max cutting height makes it more versatile for different grass types.

Buying Options

At the time of publishing, the price was 145.

Good cut, less elegant

This mower cuts almost as well as our main pick and has a taller cutting height, but it’s bulkier (making it harder to turn around) and more expensive.

Buying Options

At the time of publishing, the price was 250.

Why you should trust us

We spoke with Jason Kruse, assistant professor of environmental horticulture and turfgrass specialist at the University of Florida. As his bio states, Kruse’s responsibilities include “managing the University of Florida turfgrass Envirotron teaching and research facility, planning and implementing turfgrass educational field days and leading the statewide turfgrass teaching design team.” The guy knows a lot about grass.

For testing, we enlisted the aid of the grounds crew of the Diamond Hawk Golf Course in Cheektowaga, New York, a bunch of people who are serious about mowing. While using the mowers, they picked up cut blades to carefully examine how cleanly the mowers cut; they also bent down to compare the color of the turf after each one made a pass, and pushed all the mowers around on various lengths of grass.

Here at Wirecutter, we’ve been covering lawn equipment since 2014. As for the specific topic of grass-cutting implements, we’ve written extensive guides to both lawn mowers and string trimmers in addition to reel mowers.

Since the first version of this guide, we’ve recommended the Scotts as well as the runner-up Fiskars, and we’ve continued to use both models in assorted locations, paying attention to their long-term performance and any ongoing maintenance needed.

Who should get a reel mower

Before getting a reel mower, you should be aware of their pros and cons. Simply put, a reel mower is not a direct replacement for a regular mower.

As one of our long-term testers said, “I love [my reel mower]. It makes mowing feel more like a pleasant way to spend time outside and less like something I need to grit my teeth and power through.” On the other hand, a second long-term tester stated that he regrets purchasing a reel mower and has “frequently considered selling it to get a cheap electric mower.”

Reel mowers are better for the lawn’s health. They snip the grass blades like scissors, while rotary mowers tend to shred grass blades. According to University of Florida assistant professor of environmental horticulture Jason Kruse, “The scissor-cutting action of the reel mowers results in less damage to the leaf tissue, which in turn puts the plants under less stress.” He continued, “They lose less water, are less susceptible to disease, and generally look better when cut with a reel mower.”

Reel mowers are also good for the operator’s health. Because you hand-push the mower and it isn’t motorized, it takes effort to use, especially if you have a large lawn. Keep in mind that the turning wheels are what rotate the blades, which adds to the resistance. So the task is not as simple as, say, pushing an empty furniture dolly, where you’re pushing the wheels and nothing else. According to a Livestrong.com article, (which in turn credits Harvard Medical School, among others) a person weighing 175 pounds would burn approximately 251 calories by pushing a reel mower—which the article refers to as a hand mower—for 30 minutes. This is 51 calories more than someone weighing 185 pounds pushing a mower with a powered blade for the same amount of time.

Reel mowers also require minimal maintenance and are much, much quieter than regular mowers. Aside from lubricating and sharpening the blades every few years, you don’t have a lot of upkeep to do on a reel mower. As for the noise, many users of reel mowers cite the gentle snipping sound the tool makes as a key benefit. Gas mowers, on the other hand, require gas, regular tune-ups, oil changes, and winterizing. They’re also noisy and smelly. As one of our long-term testers said, “I love [my reel mower]. It makes mowing feel more like a pleasant way to spend time outside and less like something I need to grit my teeth and power through.”

But for a reel mower to be practical, you need a fairly small lawn. Anyone with more than a quarter acre (roughly 10,000 square feet) will find weekly mowing with a reel mower exhausting. One long-term tester stated that he regrets purchasing a reel mower for the size of his lawn and has “frequently considered selling it to get a cheap electric mower.”. In contrast, another of our long-term testers has approximately 1,000 square feet of lawn, and mowing takes her about 20 minutes.

A reel mower works best with a strict adherence to a regular cutting schedule. If grass gets overgrown, a reel mower will merely push it down and roll right over it, so if you tend to go a while between mowings, you should stick with a regular push mower. One long term tester had to wait so long for the reel mower to arrive that once it got there, the grass had grown so high they needed to hire someone to cut their grass. And the necessary diligence goes beyond the schedule: Reel mowers can’t mow over twigs and leaves as gas mowers can, so additional attentiveness to pre-mow lawn cleanup is required, as well.

Reel mowers are troublesome on sloped or bumpy lawns. The torque that turns the blades comes from the wheels as you roll them along the ground. On an uneven surface, the wheels lose contact with the ground as they bounce or as the weight shifts on a slope. As one of our long-term testers put it, “Small dips can lead to grass getting missed, so I often end up mowing from two or three different angles to try and get it all.”

In fact, the results in general may not be what you expect. One of our long-term testers said that their mower “often totally misses taller strands of grass” and that they “have to go back and snip those with a pair of shears.” Also, on most reel mowers, the blades are inboard of the wheels, so you’ll have a wider gap of unmowed grass against a fence or a stone wall.

How we picked and tested

To figure out how to pick the best reel mower, we spoke to Scott Dunbar, superintendent of Diamond Hawk Golf Course in Cheektowaga, New York. He explained that reel mowers can cut much closer to the ground than rotary mowers. At the golf course, the crew uses reel mowers to cut greens and approaches but uses gas-powered rotary mowers for the rough. But the average homeowner isn’t cutting the lawn for use as a putting green—in fact, cutting your lawn too low is terrible for its health. Turf experts suggest never cutting off more than a third of your grass’s length; cutting too close to the ground can cause the grass to dry out and get scorched in the summer. This means that a mower’s minimum cutting height isn’t a useful measurement, since you’re unlikely to use that setting.

The maximum cutting height was a crucial detail. We used this spec as our primary factor in eliminating mowers from contention. Few reel mowers are able to get above 2½ inches, which may not be good for your lawn. “[Cutting height] is one of the primary complaints I have against the majority of reel mowers that are marketed for home use. Most residential grasses (both cool- and warm-season) have recommended heights of cut that are at the upper limit or even exceed the height of cut that is possible with some of the mowers,” said University of Florida turfgrass specialist Kruse. “While it would be possible to use the mower, the long-term health of the turf could suffer significantly,” he continued.

Other factors were also important:

• How easy is the mower to adjust?
• How hard is it to push?
• How wide is it?
• How much does it weigh?
• What have other reviewers said about it?

We took our final four mowers to a golf course. There the grounds crew helped us adjust the blades to the exact same standard they used on their mowers so that the blades could cleanly slice a piece of paper. Over the next three hours, we pushed all four mowers back and forth on different-height grasses. On hand were course superintendent Scott Dunbar, a member of the grounds crew, a mechanic who maintains the course equipment, and an equipment salesman who happened to be at the course that day. These guys are all turfgrass experts who deal with grass and mowing equipment every day. They really took to the task of comparing these mowers, examining every aspect closely and answering all our questions about turf and cut quality.

Our pick: Scotts 2000-20 20-Inch Classic Push Reel Lawn Mower

For the healthiest grass

The Scotts makes the cleanest cut, has the widest cutting path, and jams the least of any reel mower, and its unusually tall 3-inch max cutting height makes it more versatile for different grass types.

Buying Options

At the time of publishing, the price was 145.

The Scotts 2000-20 20-Inch Classic Push Reel Lawn Mower is the reel mower to get. Of the tested mowers, it offered the cleanest cut and the easiest adjustments, and it was the only one that didn’t jam. It also has a wide, 20-inch cutting swath—the widest we found—as well as height adjustments between 1 and 3 inches, which is a more versatile range than we saw on almost all of the other available reel mowers. At 34 pounds, it’s light and easy to turn around at the end of each mowing row, but it’s heavy enough that it doesn’t bounce around on slightly uneven turf.

The quality of the cut excelled against the competition. When our lawn experts were going back and forth with the mowers on a variety of grasses and lengths, they noticed that the Scotts model would leave a swath of totally trimmed grass with each blade snipped evenly across, no ragged edges to be seen. In contrast, the other mowers would leave a bunch of blades sticking up like chimneys after a house fire, requiring the testers to back up and go over the area again. The Scotts mower also never jammed up during testing, whereas all of the other mowers did.

The Scotts 2000-20 also snipped a wider path than most of the others. The Scotts is a 20-inch-wide mower, the widest size available (the measurement refers to the blade width, not the overall width). We tested another 20-inch model, the Lee Valley 20″ Mower, but that one was harder to push, and its cut quality was worse.

Our testers also gave the Scotts 2000-20 high marks for overall usability. At 34 pounds, it lands in the middle of our test group in weight but manages to hit the sweet spot between maneuverability and stability. The Fiskars StaySharp Max is heavier and harder to turn around at the end of a mowing row; by contrast, the lighter Lee Valley model bounced around on uneven ground and left a ragged cut as a result.

All of the adjustments on the Scotts mower are easy to make. For cutting height, it has two levers, one for each wheel. One other model we tested, the 16-inch Great States 415-16, required us to unbolt it each time we wanted to change the cutting height. Also, the height settings on the Scotts model are accurate; the 1-inch setting on the Fiskars, in contrast, actually cut much lower, practically scalping the lawn, before we readjusted it to a higher setting.

The Scotts 2000-20 has a cutting range of 1 to 3 inches. The vast majority of reel mowers top out around 2 inches, so we appreciated the ability to go taller, either for the health of the grass or for a less manicured look. A DIY Network article lists the ideal cutting heights for a variety of warm- and cool-weather grasses, and the capabilities of the Scotts land nicely in the strike zone for every grass mentioned. Our runner-up, the Fiskars StaySharp Max, has an even higher maximum cutting height at 4 inches, but it’s a much heavier mower with more difficult maneuvering, and it doesn’t cut as nicely.

The Scotts is easy to assemble, and doesn’t require any tools. The bolts that attach the handle have large plastic wing nuts, so tightening by hand is simple. If you ever need to take your mower apart—to fit it into a compact space like a car trunk or a small storage area—we found that the Scotts was easy enough to disassemble, too. You might need pliers to remove the small C-clips that attach the handle to the body of the mower, but otherwise it shouldn’t be a hassle.

Scotts stands behind their products. Erin Price, then Wirecutter’s Audience Development Manager, had a wheel fall off her Scotts push mower and the company replaced the entire mower for her. She told us, “I love my reel mower and perhaps love it even more now that the company was so helpful.”

It has performed well in long term testing. Two other Wirecutter staff members, who both happen to be women, also have Scotts Classics in their personal tool sheds, and they appreciate the mower’s simplicity and ease of use. Senior Photo Editor Rozette Rago had never used a reel mower before picking up the Scotts for her small, flat yard in LA, and found it quick to get used to. It was easy to figure out for two people who have never used it before. Wirecutter Producer Beth Niegelsky, who has used both the Fiskars and the Scotts, prefers the latter, “ I actually like the Scotts significantly more because it is SO much lighter.” She explained, “With the Fiskars, I basically couldn’t mow the hill of my front yard without feeling like I was doing something dangerous. It’s basically no problem with the Scotts.”

Senior Software Development Engineer Joshua Brewer had the Scotts for three years and recently replaced it for our lawn mower pick. Throughout his three years of usage, he highlighted that the Scott was “kinda fun to use.” He appreciated that it was easy to storetash, didn’t require fuel, and was quieter than a traditional lawn mower. However, the Scotts did squeak despite thorough maintenance, required multiple passes on his lawn, and his foam handle disintegrated after the first year. Overall, Brewer says The Scotts 2000-20 worked, but was much more laborious to use with a lush and dense lawn and worked a lot better when the lawn was more sparse. He’s much happier with the Ego LM2135SP now.

Supervising Editor Josh Lyon also has a Scotts and said there are bumpy parts of his lawn that he needs to go over one or two additional times, but that “the mower is so light and has such a smooth roll that even with the extra passes it takes half the time to do our entire lawn than with the gas-powered mower we used to have.” Overall, Lyon is very happy with the Scotts and says he’ll never go back to a gas mower.

Finally, even though it wasn’t a major factor in our decision, testers liked how the Scotts looked better than the other mowers (some found the Fiskars model’s oddball form to be off-putting). The Scotts 2000-20 is covered by a two-year warranty, and user reviews suggest that the manufacturer, American Lawn Mower, issues free replacement parts whenever a problem crops up.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

We analyzed the negative Комментарии и мнения владельцев at Amazon and found that most of the complaints center on the aluminum handle breaking, a plastic gear in the mechanism stripping out, or simply the realization that a reel mower is not the right choice for the owner’s particular lawn.

We investigated the plastic-gear complaint by removing the wheel of the Scotts mower and taking a look at the gear. As you can see in the photo above, it’s a pretty robust gear with deep teeth, and it interfaces with the teeth on the inside of the plastic wheel. The wheels turn as you push, and those teeth turn the plastic gear, which rotates the blades. Stripping it out is an issue to be aware of, but under proper use, the gear shouldn’t be a problem. And if it becomes one, replacing the gear is a 10-minute repair job. While it would be nice if both the wheel and the gear were made of metal, such a design would likely add money to the price tag and a significant amount of weight to the mower.

One of our long-term testers also noted that when the Scotts arrived, many of the screws holding the handle together were loose and fell out within a month. Once they were replaced, no further problems surfaced.

A close reading of the user complaints suggests that owners who were using the Scotts mower on tall or tough Southern grass had the most problems, but such difficulties are likely to be common among all push mowers and not just the Scotts.

What Oil Do You Use On a Hedge Trimmer? Complete guide with pics

Ideally, the blades should be cleaned before oiling them. The moisture from organic material stuck to the blades can cause corrosion. Cleaning after every use will prevent damage and help keep them sharper for longer.

So what oil do you use on a hedge trimmer? Use 3 in 1 oil or SAE20 engine oil to lubricate the blades of a hedge trimmer. Any grade engine oil will work well.

Give them an oiling every 30 minutes or use, before, and after use. I use a machine oil applicator, but a paintbrush or oil-covered rag would do the job too.

Your hedge trimmer will sound quieter and will cut faster after good oiling, you just can’t beat good oiling. You can use WD40 but it doesn’t stay on the blades as long, but if that’s all you got, go for it, it’s better than no oil.

Clean Lube – Use a wire brush to clean any organic matter from the blades before lubing. Use a paintbrush or machine oil bottle to apply oil.

Cycle Engine Lube

If your hedge trimmer is gas-powered, you’ll already know the gas needs to be mixed with 2 stroke oil. The ratio will vary from one model to another and some models like STIHL have their own specific type 2 stroke oil.

Most trimmers will run between 40:1 or 50:1. That’s 50 parts gas to 1 part oil. Mixing small amounts of gas and oil isn’t accurate.

I mix a gallon at a time, and to keep it simple get a bottle size that makes the correct ratio for your machine. A 3.2 fl. oz. bottle in a gallon can is 40:1 and a 2.6 fl. oz. bottle in a gallon can is 50:1.

Always shake the can before refueling as the oil and gas separate when stored. I never leave gas in the hedge trimmer after use, it goes off and will cause all kinds of problems.

Regular gas 87 or 89 octane is best but ethanol e10 is ok too. E15 and e85 are not ok and can cause engine damage and void your warranty.

Oil Mix – Most Hedge trimmers run about 40:1 gas to oil mix. Always shake the pre-mixed gas before refueling.

Check Transmission Lube

All hedge trimmers will have a transmission gas-powered, electric, and battery, it’s located where the blades meet the body.

All the transmissions will be lubricated, and some will need to be topped up from time to time. Most of the battery and electric models are what they call oiled for life, meaning you shouldn’t have to check it, change it or top it up.

The gas-powered models will need to be checked and topped up. On some hedge trimmers, you can use a grease gun to pack the transmission through a maintenance grease nipple or bung.

Other less thoughtful manufacturers make you remove the transmission cover plate. You should check and top up about every 25 hours of use, or every 3 seasons.

The grease type may vary from one manufacturer to another but white lithium grease is normally used.

You don’t need to remove the blades to grease the tranny but removing them does make sharpening blades a ton easier. Note, blades are timed and your top blade may be different from the lower blade, so mark them clearly before disassembly.

For tools and supplies for your hedge trimmer, check out the “Hedge trimmer tools page”.

Grease – Remove the transmission bung to fill transmission grease, don’t fill to the very top as the grease needs space to move around when the blades are moving.

I use tubes of white lithium grease, the tubes make filling a little easier.

Hedge Trimmer Storage

Electric, battery, or gas-powered, blade care is the same. Clean down the blades after use using a stiff brush and a cloth to remove any foliage.

Allow them to dry out fully before coating with WD40 or your oily rag. Fit your scabbard as the blades can still move if pushed and are dangerous to little fingers and pets. Gas-powered trimmers should be drained of gas when not in use or use a gas stabilizer that keeps the gas fresh.

If you’re winterizing your trimmer, fill the gas tank up using your treated gas. This prevents moisture in the tank. Also, clean the air filter and spray the whole machine with a coat of wd40, this protects from corrosion and dampness. Don’t cover the machine with plastic as this promotes condensation, just store it somewhere dry.

Winterizing – Drain the gas or fill the tank with treated gas. Store the trimmer away from small fingers and pets, use the scabbard.

Related Questions

Why is my hedge trimmer not working? Common problems include:

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