Home Improvement: Small engine repair expert offers tips to keep your mower mowing

Patrick Camp, The Cullman Times, Ala.
Updated ·2 min read

Apr. 27—One of the easiest, most effective ways to increase your home's curb appeal is to maintain a well manicured lawn. Like most home improvement tasks, the most difficult part of lawn care is often times knowing where to begin. Luckily, Corey Gibbs — owner of Randy's Small Engine Repair, located at 1605 3rd Street NE — has shared his advice on what you will need to tackle this season's outdoor tasks and how to maintain them.

Whether you opt for a top-of-the-line, wide-deck, zero-turn behemoth or a simple hand-me-down push mower, a well running lawn mower is arguably the most essential piece of equipment you will need to stay on top of this year's grass cutting needs. Gibbs said you will also likely need a reliable string trimmer to help with those hard-to-reach areas around obstacles.

Other items Gibbs said are likely to come in handy are a good set of gas powered hedge trimmers and a leaf blower, which will help with clearing away grass clippings and debris.

He said most of the prep work for these items typically begins in the fall when they are put into storage for winter, but for those who favor procrastination, he advised installing a fresh set of spark plugs, changing the oil and swapping out the old air filter. Perhaps most importantly, he said, was to be sure to drain any old gas that has been sitting inside the tank for an extended period of time and adding a fresh fuel filter. As for when you go to refill your tank, he said it is worth the time and effort to seek out a gas station which offers ethanol-free fuel.

"Just about everything that we work on up here deals with fuel problems. Those fuel problems start with using ethanol gas and them leaving the gas in it," Gibbs said.

Once you have ensured all of your equipment is operational, Gibbs said there is barely any maintenance needed throughout the season other than washing away any clippings that have built up underneath your mowing deck and making sure any pulley mechanisms are free of debris.

"Once you change your oil and your filters and everything at the beginning of the season you should be good for about 50 or so hours," he said.

For an easier start next year, Gibbs said to add a type of fuel stabilizer or to run the equipment completely out of gas before storing it away for an extended period.