The Scary Setbacks of Leaving Your Mower Unmaintained

October is here, which means that Halloween is on its way! Although this year will be a little different since trick-or-treating won’t be prevalent, we’ve already seen plenty of people in our neighborhood decking their lawns with the ghosts and ghouls that signify the season. But while jack-o-lanterns are a delight and skeletons may give us a fright, what chills us to the bone is an unmaintained lawn mower.

Overlooking the importance of maintenance and care for your mower can lead to dire consequences, not only for the machine, but for your lawn. Here are just a few of the ways an uncared-for mower can wreak havoc this Halloween:

A dull blade can tear your grass to shreds. When your mower blade isn’t sharp enough to slice through the grass, it tends to rip and tear the blades, causing severe damage to the integrity of your grass. Repeatedly damaging your grass in this manner can lead to the appearance of brown patches. It also makes it easier for pests to invade since your lawn’s defense systems will be weakened.

Leaky gas tanks leave destruction in their wake. It’s probably pretty obvious that gasoline isn’t good for grass. If your gas tank is damaged or leaking for any reason, it’s not only a waste of fuel, but also a surefire way to get yellow and brown spots on your lawn. To help protect your gas tank, make sure you remove rocks and large debris from your path before mowing. Make sure you keep an eye out for any fuel stains in the garage or wherever you store your mower.

A dirty or clogged air filter can kill an engine. Have you changed your mower’s air filter lately? The pros at Gator Mower Parts recommend changing your air filters once every three months, especially here in Florida where our mowing season is a busy one. A damaged air filter can allow dirt and debris to enter the engine, causing it to wear down quickly and eventually leading the engine to fail completely.

The end of the busy mowing season may be near, but this is a great time to perform mower maintenance. Taking care of any maintenance and repair tasks now can help ensure that you’re off to a productive start next spring. Sharpening mower blades isn’t an easy task for an amateur. To schedule maintenance for your mower, call the Longwood parts people at Gator Mower Parts at 407-260-1292 today.