Lawnmower service

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comports

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Colchester, Essex
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Hi Folks,

Just wondering how many people on here have their lawnmower serviced regularly or wait till it needs something doing.

I've had my lawnmower for 2 years (not had a service yet) but recently it's started revving up and down on idle and when running. I'm told it needs a new diaphragm. Are these thing supposed to only last a year or two..??

Not too difficult to do I guess but am being talked into a service at the same time.

£70 for the service and probably worth doing but wondering if you folks have it done and your comments in general about it.

Ta muchly..!
 
I have a lot of grass to cut and use a self propelled 20" petrol. I have never had a lawn mower serviced, last one was about 10 years old and the only thing I had to do was replace the starter actuater rope pull thingy and clean the plug a few times. I threw it in the skip when I had a garage clearout and the gypsys took it out so it's probably still being used. My current one is a Mountfield, 2 years old and Ive never even checked the oil :eek:
I dont know why I completely neglect my lawn mowers because I am very picky with checking oil and service intervals on my cars :dk:
 
they are pretty simple devices but can be messy. I change the oil in mine yearly - put it up on a workstand to drain it but there is still a lot of scope for making a mess.

I'd say have a go.

The problem is that your service is close to a third of the cost of a replacement mower - even a decentish Honda model. It's be like paying £10k for an A service on a new C220cdi Sport!!
 
Interesting comments so far.

I hear you re the cost of the service vs cost of replacement. I gather the diaphragm is a princely £2 or thereabouts..! The mower was £340 I think. Hayter (Briggs & Stratton) Spirit 21, rear wheel driven.

I'll probably do it myself in fact. I too never had a lawnmower serviced in the past and the last one was about 10 years old. I think I changed the oil once.

The purists would say service it for a longer life but not sure the replacement cost really warrants the service expense.
 
there probably comes a point where it is worthwhile - I have a Mculloch (branded - it's made by husquvarna) 20" rear-wheel driven with a B&S 4-stroke motor - I think it was around the £300 mark too.

I change the oil as mower oil is cheaper than cooking oil and it does get filthy - I consider that a £3 bottle of oil every year will see me add a couple extra seasons of use out of it and is therefore worthwhile.

I'd have a go at the diaphram - especially if it is really a couple of quid for the part - but i wouldn't pay £70 for a service.
 
The purists would say service it for a longer life but not sure the replacement cost really warrants the service expense.

The second part of your statement is true - unless you do it yourself as others have suggested.

I am no mechanical genius but even I can service our lawn mower (an old Hayter). As others say they are relatively simple things so have a go yourself. You can probably find an exploded diagram of yours on the old interweb so it should be fairly self explanatory once you take it apart.

Good luck and please dont pay someone 70 notes for something you can almost certainly do yourself.
 
The same dealer just informed me that to repair (replace) the diaphragm and no service is £30 +vat..! They will supply the diaphragm for £3 so I'm off to get one and some oil.

It starts first time, every time so I don't think it needs a new plug.

Wish me luck.... I'm going in... :eek:
 
they aren't ripping you off mind - £3 part + £27 an hour labour - it might not take an hour but probably more than half and i'd expect to be billed for one.

good luck!
 
You're meant to get your lawn mower serviced?
 
Avoid the messy draining by using a Pela 6000 (Google for cheapest).
And definitely change the oil regularly. Small engines frequently work very hard without respite - ask a professional greenkeeper on a golf course!
Also, if your mower throws a rod, you will have to re-turf to cure the damage to the lawn.
 
DIY new air filter and oil every 2 years, new spark plug every year, new blade every 3-5 years--- depending on how much grass you cut of course. Might be running a trifle rich? try running it without the air filter for a couple of minutes[ not cutting!] to see if it improves? There is often a centrifugal governor on these- there's a lever mechanism which operates on the throttle via a shaft from the innards of the motor- sometimes these get clogged up with grass cuttings preventing them from working properly - make sure all that is clean and free to move.
 
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Of course winter is a good time to take lawnmowers apart, as there's not such a rush to get it working again if you break it!!
 
Update -

I went and bought the diaphragm from a spares shop nearby. £3.45


and.... it took me 10 minutes (including getting the right tools out) to remove and replace and all working perfectly....:bannana:

Also got the oil and plug so will probably give it a once over just before retiring it for the winter (or maybe to wake it up before the next season starts)

Now have a nicely striped lawn...!

Thanks all..!!
 
I have mowers ranging from 3 to 38hp(7 at last count:eek:- wife keeps nagging about it), plus lots of other small engined machines for our small farm, so seem to be continually buying plugs/filters/bits etc.
It is well worth looking after your small engines as per posts above & definitely do yourself if you can.
Saying that, I do not always service as often as manufacturer recommends. Somethings are more important to do than others. Obviously don't let a 4 stroke run out of oil. For things like hedgecutters, keep the gearbox regularly topped up with grease & the blades oiled. For 2 strokes, use a qood quality oil for the oil/petrol mix- I bulk buy 5L packs of Stihl oil which has fuel additive/inhibitor in already, meaning less maintenance & hassle. If a machine has grease ports on it, make sure you use these regularly!
Considering these machines work hard they are fairly robust & don't require much maintenance.
Don't forget the air filter too- this can make a real difference to the performance. Often may just need taking out & give a few taps to dislodge dust/muck, or a new one for a 5-10 pounds. Changing the plug on my old hayterette recently made a huge difference to how easily it started. Change plugs at least every 1-2yrs.
For any one in East Cambs area, I would like to recommend Thurlow Nunn Standen for parts- not always cheapest, but excellent service & they will try hard to get any parts needed. The local competitors are not a patch on them for customer service. (I have no affiliation with them!)
 
I thought I would ask about getting my Honda Izzy serviced a couple of week ago. Strangely enough £70. Now I use it once/twice a week in the season running for about an hour each time plus in the autumn for picking up leaves, its heaviest job really. 70 quid! No way - or £15 for a service pack. So changed the spark plug, change out of four quid. Gave the air filter a blow through and job was a good un. Oil change? Well its only five years old gets used a couple of hours a week tops from St Pat's Day through to end of Oct. So not many hours run really. So I guess over five years it has only run around 15 days - Does it really need an oil change with so little work?
 
Mine's a secondhand Hayter I've owned for 6 years. Never serviced it yet but I did top the oil up. Only oil I had was Mobil 1. So with some of that in it assume it won't need changing for years.

Bet it dies now next time I fire it up. :crazy:
 
Mine's a secondhand Hayter I've owned for 6 years. Never serviced it yet but I did top the oil up. Only oil I had was Mobil 1. So with some of that in it assume it won't need changing for years.

Bet it dies now next time I fire it up. :crazy:

I'm planning on using Shell Helix when I finally put oil in my new mower. So please test yours to destruction before I make the same mistake!! :D
 
I have always run my old Briggs and Stratton engined lawnmower on whatever car engine oil I have to hand (petrol or diesel).

Over the last 18 years it has had everything from GTX to Magnatec to Halfords own brand and anything else I can find. I think it gets an oil change about every three years. With a quarter of acre of garden, most of it lawn, it continues to serve me well.

The body has rusted apart and is held together with fibreglass, but the engine is as good as new. It is still on the original spark plug.

My neighbour bought an expensive Honda engined mower and it has been for repair twice in the last three years.
 

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