There’s
nothing like the feeling of the wind blowing through your hair, the
bugs in your teeth, and the jealous glances of your establishment
type neighbor’s as they hear the thunderous roar coming from the
engine your mighty iron horse! Well, the monotony of riding around
the lawn on your riding mower, or garden tractor, does leave you some
time to fantasize, doesn’t it?
Anyway,
back to reality. Your iron horse needs some regular maintenance to
keep it in top shape, so let’s start with the basics. Here is a
list of what you should do, and how often.
Before
performing any of these steps unplug the spark plug and secure the
spark plug wire to the engine block, well away from the spark plug.
That way the thing can’t start and all your fingers, and other body
parts, will remain attached.
After
the first 5 hours of operation for a new machine:
Change
oil in the engine and replace the oil filter. Change it again after
another ten hours, then every twenty-five hours.
Check
the belt that drives the blades for proper tension. New belts need
to stretch in, so check them often until they don’t seem to be
stretching anymore.
Check
the condition of the blades and make sure they are tight.
Check
the tire pressures. Uneven pressure can cause uneven cutting.