Top Lawn Mower

Discount program allows residents to exchange their gas-powered lawn mowers for electric, cordless ones.

For the sixth consecutive year, the South Coast Air Quality Management District is offering residents the opportunity to cut down on pollution while they cut their grass.
The annual “Mow Down Air Pollution” program allows residents the chance to trade in their gasoline-powered lawn mower for a new cordless electric mower for $100.

“It’s a way for consumers to help fight the war on smog,” spokesman Sam Atwood said. “It reduces upwards of 20 tons of smog-forming pollutants each year.”
The push toward improving Burbank’s air took on an added urgency in January after a report showed Burbank’s air quality is one of the worst in Southern California.
The study found that high levels of toxicity in Burbank from diesel engines, most likely from trucks rumbling through Burbank on the Golden State (5) Freeway are the culprit, but pollution from Bob Hope Airport also plays a role, officials said.
The new mowers, provided by Neuton, one of the top sellers of battery-powered mowers in the United States, produces half the noise of a gas mower and can operate for up to one hour on a 12-hour charge. Its power is about equal to a 3.5-horsepower gas mower and has a 14-inch blade width, Atwood said.
The electric mowers, which are usually sold for about $400, are offered to residents for $100 and help reduce volatile organic compounds from being released into the atmosphere. Such compounds are one of the worst pollutants found in Southern California and a toxin that is especially present in the summer, he said.
The discount is paid for by the air quality district’s investment program, where large companies around Southern California are asked to “do something to reduce employee emissions,” Atwood said.
“They are asked to ride-share, scrap vehicles or pay a fee,” he said. “We receive several million dollars a year from companies, including studios around Burbank. We’re reducing emissions for those companies.”
While the program has reduced 116 tons of volatile toxins since the program’s inception six years ago — and been responsible for scrapping nearly 24,000 gasoline mowers — it is difficult to quantify its effect on air quality, Atwood said.
“It’s impossible from year to year to say that one particular program has caused an improvement in air quality,” he said.
While city officials hailed the program, there are no plans to switch its fleet from gasoline mowers to electric cutters.
“Our scope is so much bigger than small residential lawns,” Public Works Director Bonnie Teaford said “We try to get the best available technology on all out fleets.”There are nearly 25 parks in Burbank, covering 360 acres, according to the Park, Recreation and Community Services Department.
The air quality district will conduct seven exchange events across Southern California on seven Saturdays between April 5 and May 31. Residents are asked to pre-register on the organization’s website or call their office to verify their residence and register for a location.
Participants must bring a working gasoline lawn mower and $100, Atwood said.

If the yard is still soggy, let it dry out before walking on it. Then begin to remove debris from the lawn and beds.

Get the lawn mower blade sharpened so it will be ready when grass needs its first mow of the season.

In the meantime, take a soil sample. It’s the best way to determine what nutrients your lawn and landscape will need this year.

From April 5-27, many retailers in Oakland and Macomb counties are to participate in the "Don’t Guess, Soil Test" program. Homeowners can drop off a soil sample at one of those stores and pay $15.

The samples are collected and taken to Michigan State University for testing, with the results returned to the homeowners in a few weeks.

For a list of participating stores, go to www.landscape.org/soil_test.html.

Elsewhere, contact your county office of the MSU Extension for soil testing information.

Wracking to commence your lawn mower after a recollective winter can be very frustrating. Playing a few routine maintenance tasks earlier you store your lawn mower for the winter can salve you time in the springtime, draw out the living of your lawn mower, and salve you money all over the tenacious tally. Even if you have already lay your lawn mower into storehouse for the winter, a few simple maintenance tasks executed earlier getting down your lawn mower in the springtime can be very good.

Wash and wry your lawn mower after the cutting down season is all over. A powerfulness electric fan can be very helpful in taking grass and debris from the bottom of your lawn mower and early hard to arrive at countries. If your lawn mower locomotive engine is air-chilled, use a control stick or wooden dowel pin to remove any balance from the cooling fins. If you have a lawn mower with a H2O-chilled locomotive, check the coolant level and make full the artificial lake if requisite. Clear the radiator cooling fins with a potent jet of H2O. You should too drain the fuel tank and supersede the fuel filter. The air filter lodging should be made clean and the air filter superseded.

Think to check into the spark plug(s) for erosion and wear. Do not attempt to make clean the spark plug if it is demonstrating some article of clothing. It is inexpensive and easy to supervene upon the spark plug. Be certain to remove any debris earlier withdrawing the spark plug and by exploitation a spot of anti-clutch compound when you supercede the older spark plug, you will assure easygoing remotion next year. Clear and lube the throttle valve gene linkages and the choke coil, and utilize grease to the mower deck and all the accommodations. This will be leisurely if you remove the mower deck and you can focus the leaf blades piece the mower deck is dispatched. Focalizing the leaf blades after each cutting down season will yield you a better cut next year and salve you the problem of having to focalize them in the springtime.

Clear the electric battery depots and supercede your older lawn mower electric battery if necessary. You can aid forestall corroding of the depots if you utilize grease to the stations at the terminal of each cutting down season. Change the oil colour in the railway locomotive crankcase and supersede the oil colour filter. You should as well drain the gaseous state from your lawn mower earlier stashing away it for the winter. During the recollective summertime cutting down season, recall to rinse your lawn mower and remove any debris after the mower has cooled down. Safekeeping your lawn mower clear volition supply months to its living and get routine maintenance tasks a mess easygoing.

Lawn cutting down is a line of work most of us face each and every year. A lawn mower that runs outstanding and is swollen kept up volition get this job more pleasurable and easygoing all summer recollective. A yearly check up for your lawn mower is the perfect style to protract its living and maintain it breaking away like fresh, and your lawn will look outstanding when you mow with a simple machine that is in top doing work condition. Your lawn mower will execute at the eminent level possible if you call back to execute these simple maintenance tasks each and every year. During the summertime calendar months sporadically check the oil colour and the status of the air and fuel filters. You will salvage money and your lawn mower will work outstanding for months to come up.

Ever wondering how to do your bid to save the environment without investing on a new lawn mower. Found a cool hack from a gas mower to an electric powered.

“I enjoy mowing my rural lawn area - weeds and all. I just resent having to use a noisy polluting machine to do it! I learned that small gasoline engines like those in lawn mowers can pollute up to 7 times as much as vehicles (with the exception of our Honda Insight which is an Ultra Low Emission Vehicle!). The project entails replacing the gasoline engine of a used 22″ gas powered mower with a 12 Volt electric motor and battery - along with gauges, circuit breaker/power switch and charging connector. Using 12 Volts keeps the design simple and relatively safe. The solar charging system consists of solar panel(s) that are wired to a charge controller with an extension cord that connects to the mower. Optionally, a standard AC powered automatic battery charger can be used. The noticeable difference when mowing is the quiet! The blades are spinning at about 1/2 the speed (1750RPM) of a gas mower (3450RPM) with a virtually silent motor, it sounds like a big fan! With sharp blades it cuts just as good as my retired Sears 5HP mower.” - Source

You may not realize it, but your lawn mower needs routine maintenance in the same way that your car does. Keeping your lawn mower in top shape will not only make it run better, it will also make it last longer!

You should give your lawn mower a good tune-up every spring. If you don’t use your lawn mower a lot, you may be able to skip a season. But, whether you use it a lot or not, it’s been sitting all winter and really needs a little care!

There are only three main steps to getting your lawn mower ready for a hassle free season! You should change the oil, the spark plug and the air filter. With very little tools and time, you can keep your lawn mower running at it’s best!

To be extra safe, remove the spark plug wire anytime you work on your lawn mower. It’s highly unlikely that it’s just going to start and run on it’s own, but better safe than sorry!

Choosing the right type of oil and filters is very important. It’s also important that your spark plug is gapped at the right specification for your model. Spark plugs are usually pre-gapped at the factory, but it may not be set for your exact lawn mower.

A gapping tool is very inexpensive, usually under a couple of dollars. If you don’t already have one, pick one up when you buy the plug, the same tool can be used on your car’s spark plugs!

If you’re not sure about the information for your lawn mower, you can check your owners manual, ask a salesperson or even search your model and make online.

Before removing the spark plug make sure that you clean the area around it. An old rag will work, but it’s better to use a small brush. You don’t want any old grass or dirt to fall inside the motor!

Then use a socket wrench to remove the old plug. You’ll have to have a deep welled socket that will fit over the plug. Check the new plug to make sure it’s gapped correctly and then just screw it into place! If you’re done working on your mower, remember to replace the plug wire!

Your lawn mower will either require a paper air filter or one made of foam. To replace a paper air filter, just remove the cover and replace the old filter with the pleats facing outward.

A foam air filter is inside a filter unit, but it’s still just a matter of unscrewing the cover. However, the unit is removable and you’ll need to clean it thoroughly. Usually a little kerosene will remove all of the old sludge from the unit.

The new piece of foam will also need to be soaked in clean oil. Once it has completely soaked, use an old rag to squeeze out the oil. Insert it into the unit and replace the cover.

The first thing you’ll want to do when changing the oil is to use an old rag to clean any dirt or debris off of your oil tank. You may even need to use an old toothbrush, you want to make sure that nothing falls into the oil tank.

There will be a small plug on the bottom of your oil tank. Before unscrewing the plug, you’ll need to have a container to catch all of the old oil. Removing the dip stick will provide air for the oil to completely drain.

Once you’ve got the container in place you’re ready to remove the drain plug. You can use a pair of vise grips to loosen plug and then remove it with your fingers.

If the oil is really dirty, or it’s became thick and clumpy, clean the drain plug and the dip stick. Replace the drain plug and just tighten it to a good snug fit.

Although most lawn mowers don’t use a oil filter, there are some that do. If your model requires an oil filter you will want to change that as well.

It will be one of two types of filters, the screw on type like a car uses or a canister filter. Just wait until you’ve drained all of the old oil before removing the filter.

The screw on type is simply screwed off and replaced the same way. The canister type will be inside a housing, there will be a bolt in the center of the housing that holds it in place.

Just remove the bolt and lower the housing a little to remove the old cartridge. Place the new cartridge inside the housing and replace the bolt and tighten it back up.

Now, your ready to fill it back up with clean oil! Before adding the new oil just remove any blocks that you used to raise the lawn mower and make sure it’s sitting nice and level!

Anytime that you change the oil, you should start your lawn mower and let it run for a little while. Watch around the oil tank and oil filter to make sure there aren’t any leaks. If you do notice a leak, just tighten them a little more!