GardenFork – Eclectic DIY

Tag: lawnmower

  • A 4WD Self Propelled Mower Review, The Troy-Bilt 4×4 XP – GF Video

    A 4WD Self Propelled Mower Review, The Troy-Bilt 4×4 XP – GF Video

    Go up hills easy! My self propelled mower review of the Troy-Bilt 4×4 XP. Watch the video and then read through my comments below.

    Why I Like This Self Propelled Mower:

    • Great Power
    • Ease of Steering
    • Troy-Bilt Quality

    Full disclosure here, Troy-Bilt has been a sponsor of GardenFork for a while now. I wouldn’t work with them if I didn’t believe in their products or their company. I’ve met about 20 people who work at Troy-Bilt and have been using their products for years. They are good people and they make good stuff. Here’s a vid about a volunteer project we did recently with Troy-Bilt

    OK, back to the 4 WD self propelled mower. It will pull you up hills.

    self propelled mower

    Yes, its that simple. I took this lawn mower over to my neighbor’s hilly cow pasture and went through 12″ high grass mix up a hill with no problems. And that’s with the mower set the mulching mode.

    On the mower handle you can choose front wheel drive, rear wheel drive, or four wheel drive, pretty easy. I used it in all modes but found 4WD worked best for me.

    self propelled mower

    Talking about Troy-Bilt quality, it the small things that matter, like how they attach the gas cap to the fuel tank. Ever lost your gas cap? I have.

    self propelled mower

    I suggest buying this mower with the large rear wheels and the Honda engine. If you change the oil in your lawn mower, it can last forever.

    self propelled mower

    Its easy to adjust the height of the wheels for grass cutting height. Note the larger real wheels, makes it much easier to drive around and steer. Its all about ease of use, why make it hard to cut the grass?

    Like most, this self propelled mower comes with a bagger and a side discharge and a mulching mode. I like to mulch the grass, so I did not use the bag feature, but its in the box with the mower if you want to make compost from your grass clippings.

    I give this mower a thumbs up, its a quality machine, and the 4WD is brilliant. You will like this rig.

    Learn more about this mower on Troy-Bilt site here.

    Lawn Mower Oil Change, How To Do It Easy – GF Video

    How To Sharpen Lawn Mower Blades – GF Video

     

  • Broken Lawnmower Wheel Repair : GF Video

    Broken Lawnmower Wheel Repair : GF Video

    Fix a broken lawnmower wheel: watch our lawn mower repair how to video and get back to mowing you grass. The tire on our mower broke, here’s how to fix it.

    When the lawnmower broke, the camera operator, who happens to love mowing the lawn, thought we needed to buy a new mower! No, for about $10, we fixed our grass cutting machine, and the camera operator is now out cutting the grass before dinner. Not a bad deal for me…

    The lawnmower wheel repair was not difficult. All you need is a metric or standard wrench, depending on the make of the machine. An adjustable wrench will work as well, but the correct size wrench is better. Pay attention to how the tire is attached to the mower, remove the nut holding it to the threaded axle, along with any washers that may be with it. Take a picture with your cell phone as you disassemble the nut and tire unit, it will help with putting the whole thing back together.

    Take the tire to your local hardware store to match it to a replacement. Our wheel was an 8″ diameter, which seems pretty standard for push mowers.

    Lawnmower wheel

    Bring back the new one and slide it on. There may be a metal or plastic bushing inside the wheel so the tire can fit on different diameter axles. Secret tip: use some anti-seize paste on the axle threads before attaching the wheel. If you ever have to remove the wheel again, this will make the job much easier.

    Get a neat set of wrenches here.  (Affiliate link)

    And there you go. Job done, now how to convince your significant other that mowing the lawn is exercise?

    We have a how-to video on how to tune up a lawmower here,  and And a how-to video on how to sharpen the blades of a lawn mower .

  • Lawnmower Tune Up and Oil Change Tips

    Lawnmower Tune Up and Oil Change Tips

    Time for the lawn mower tune up. I pulled the lawnowers out of the garage today, ready to change the oil and do a tune up on both mowers. We have several how to tune up a lawn mower videos on GardenFork ( links are below ), here are some photos and tune up tips as a refresher.

    Lawnmower Oil Change and Tune Tips:

    • Change the lawnmower oil at least once a season
    • Replace the Air Filter every year, more if its a dusty environment
    • Change the spark plug each summer
    • Sharpen the mower blades when the grass cutting suffers
    • Remove debris from under mower deck after each use
    Add and Drain mower oil here.

    The Lawnmower Oil Change is crucial to the mower engine. The oil lubricates and cools the engine, and the oil slowly breaks down and loses it ability to do this over time. If you use your lawnmower more than the average person, consider changing the oil more than once  season. I change the oil in the mowers twice a season – i’m a firm believer in the idea that regular oil changes prolong the life of your lawnmower. Most mowers drain the oil through the same tube where you add oil.

    Always recycle your waste oil, bring it to a car repair shop or oil change shop. Some towns offer used oil recycling.

    Make sure the gas cap is tight first.

    Replacing the air filter is something many people don’t do, but it should be changed or cleaned when you change the oil. Air filters are not that expensive, and easy to change out. We show you how in our How To Tuneup Your Lawnmower video here.

    Use a spark plug wrench to remove the spark plug

    If your mower is hard to start, it may be because the spark plug is failing. The spark plug provides the ignition in the engine cylinder, and if its failing or dirty, the engine runs poorly.

    Sharpening the lawnmower’s blades is crucial to cutting the grass, dull blades tear the grass leaves. You want the blades of grass to be cut cleanly. Its not rocket science to sharpen mower blades, we show you how in this How to Sharpen Lawn Mower Blades video.

    Sharpen blades and clean mower deck

    Clean out all the cut grass from under the mower deck. This will help the mower last for years. Wet grass clinging to the underside of the mower allows the deck of the  mower to rust out prematurely. It only takes a few minutes to scrape the underside of the mower, put the clumps of removed grass in your compost pile.

    Watch our Lawnmower Repair Videos:

    How to change the oil and tune up your lawnmower

    How to sharpen lawn mower blades.