The Complete Guide on How to Use a Lawn Mower

Purchasing a lawn mower is a tedious task in itself, and then when it finally arrives, you have to start it. You may not be familiar with how to use a lawn mower, so you can begin by learning how to operate it. You would need to learn the basic parts to be able to operate the lawn mower smoothly.

Once you grasp how to turn on a lawn mower, you will be able to trim down the grass in your garden or yard effortlessly. You could also detect common issues in the lawn mower if it doesn’t start and fix them too.

How To Start Various Lawn Mowers

To grasp how to use a lawn mower, you must first observe the type of lawn mower you have in your possession. With all the technological development in recent years, many types of lawn mowers like electric, riding, etc., have emerged apart from the regular ones.

Each of these types of lawn mowers has a different mechanism for starting and operating them. Hence, you must understand the mechanism and operation of each type of lawn mower to understand how to use a lawn mower.

Gas-Powered Lawn Mower

A gas-powered lawn mower works on gas to help start the machine and keep it running. So for it, you would need to understand how to use a gas lawn mower or how to use a petrol lawn mower. It is perhaps one of the most common lawn mowers you can find across the states.

The system of a gas-powered lawn mower is simple since it has existed for so many years now. The basic system is to turn the key in its place, pull the cord and also utilize the choke if required to start the lawn mower. Then you can move it with your hands to cut the grass in the areas required.

Steps for Starting a Gas Powered Lawn Mower

• To start a gas-powered lawn mower, you would first need to check the gas in the lawn mower tank. If the gas has been there for long, you may need to replace it with fresh gas to start the lawn mower.
• Once you ensure that the gas is fresh, you can then move on to the starting process. You can pull on the pulling cord or handle, differing on your model. Once the lawn mower starts, you can use it.
• If the lawn mower doesn’t start, you can also understand how to start a lawn mower with a choke. You need to pull the choke and then repeat the same, pulling the cord or the handle to start the lawn mower.

Riding Lawn Mower

A riding lawn mower is a lawn mower on which you can ride and trim the grass simultaneously. Such a lawn mower is perfect for yards or gardens too large and impractical to trim on foot. Having a machine that can trim your grass while you drive is the perfect solution.

Riding lawn mowers are more frequent in larger or commercial areas with grass since they are quite efficient in what they do. Their mechanism is different from your regular gas-powered lawn mower, so you need to understand it to learn how to use a lawn mower.

Steps for Starting a Riding Lawn Mower

• Learning how to mow a lawn with a riding mower is a bit on the trickier side. However, if you follow the steps, you can achieve it easily. The first step would be to sit comfortably on the riding mower. Once you sit down on the lawn mower, then you can start it.
• You can engage the parking brake after sitting down so that the mower doesn’t start running immediately. Check to see if the PTO lever is off. You are then set to start the riding lawn mower after this.
• You can turn the key in the hole, leading to the riding lawn mower starting. It is easy to learn how to use a lawn mower, even a riding one. Once you use it a couple of times, you will get the hang of the process.

Electric Lawn Mower

An electric lawn mower is the latest addition to the types of lawn mowers available in the market. It is a more eco-friendly and yet equally efficient machine that helps the owner cut the grass efficiently. It uses electricity through a power outlet to work and doesn’t require gas.

It is popular amongst people who are conscious about the environment since using an electrical lawn mower reduces the consumption of non-renewable energy resources. It might not seem like much but is significant merit or electrical lawn mowers. Besides, they are just as efficient as a gas-powered lawn mower is.

Steps for Starting an Electric Lawn Mower

• Understanding how to use an electric lawn mower is relatively easier than doing the same for a gas-powered lawn mower. The first step here would be to take the plug and plug it into an appropriate socket.
• Try to plug in the lawn mower to an outlet closer to your garden; even though the cord provided with these electric lawn mowers may belong, it might fall short of reaching all the ends of your garden.
• Once plugged in, you can switch the lawn mower on and simply begin trimming the grass from a corner. However, do not forget to remove the cord after use or before you inspect its blades or other parts.

Manual Lawn Mower

If you want to learn how to use a manual push lawn mower, the process is perhaps the simplest of them all. However, it will require more strength and effort from you since there are no machines involved in such a lawn mower.

The blades of a manual lawn mower only move when a person pushes and applies pressure onto them. Then they move and slice the grass beneath them, helping trim it. It involves zero force from any other power sources and only from the human who is operating them.

Steps for Starting a Manual Lawn Mower

• Since there are no machines involved in a manual lawn mower, you would also not need an energy source; it is ideal since not all people can afford fuel or electricity to go into their lawn mowers.
• You can place your manual lawn mower over the grass on a flat surface. Ensure that you clear out any pebbles, toys, or other objects that may come in the way of the lawn mower. It will help prevent such objects from getting stuck in the blades of the lawn mower.
• Then you must push onto the handle and push forward with the lawn mower. You would be able to see the blades rotating and cutting the grass beneath them as they go. Then you can repeat the entire process till you finish with the entire yard.

What to Do If a Lawn Mower Doesn’t Start?

Many times, after some amount of use or even by being left alone, lawn mowers tend not to start. In such a situation, you would ask yourself how to use a push lawn mower. The answer is that you need to find out the persisting issue in the lawn mower to start it.

You must figure out exactly which part is malfunctioning and why in the lawn mower. Then you can figure out how to use a lawn mower. The most frequently occurring issues in lawn mowers are listed below, with solutions to fix them.

Clogged Air Filter

A clogged air filter may lead the lawn mower to malfunction or even stop at times. If there isn’t ample air in the combustion chamber, then you might even witness black smoke emerging from the chamber.

In this case, you must stop the lawn mower first and then clean the air filter. You can remove the filter from its place and use a brush and soap to clean it. Once dry, you can just put it back in its place, and you would not have trouble with the air filter anymore.

Something Stuck In The Blades

Sometimes, some materials may get stuck in the blades or even the throttle of the lawn mower. In such a case, you must first remove the spark plug to avoid starting the mower by mistake. If you use an electric lawn mower, then you can unplug the lawn mower first.

Ensure that you do this step to ensure your safety as well. Then you can inspect the blades to see if there is indeed something stuck in them. If there isn’t, you could still lubricate the throttle, and the lawn mower will work just fine.

Old Gas In the Combustion Chamber

Lawn mowers might be essential for all gardeners, but their usage isn’t as frequent. Most people use their lawn mowers once a month or once in two months. So old gas in the chamber may not let the lawn mower start as usual.

Gas remains usable for one or two months after it gets exposed to air. But after that, it would need a replacement for the mower to work well. So you can empty the older gas in the lawn mower and fill fresh gas to get your lawn mower to work.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

Lawn mowers work well in their tasks and help you maintain your garden without having to put in too much effort. They are machines that are the essential tool for any person with a garden or a backyard.

But if you have bought a lawn mower the first time, you might have trouble starting it. It is a small yet complex machine that needs to get started well use it. So we have brought you the complete guide on how to use a lawn mower.