How To Charge A Lawn Mower Battery

The battery is probably the most important part on a riding mower. I say this because without it there is no way to start your mower.  This is why battery maintenance is so important, and this is especially true when it comes to storing it for extended periods of time.

As your riding mower ages, your battery may begin to lose its charge. Your initial response to this might be to look into replacing the dying battery, but before you replace it, you might want to look into finding out if it can be recharged.

Battery Charging Time

Customarily lawn mower batteries charge at a rate of 10amps for about an hour. It’s important to maintain this standard as it’s safe for the battery to do so. This goes for both charging times and charging amps.

Changing Your Lawn Mower Battery

First, you want to make sure your chargers set Volt is at 12volts.

• Now you want to locate your battery. For most riding mowers you’ll find it under the seat, if not refer to the user’s manual for its location
• Next, disconnect the battery cables. You may need to use pliers for this
• Move your battery charger near an outlet and go ahead and plug it in
• Ensure that the charger’s red lead is connected to the positive terminal
• With the black or negative lead, you have the option of connecting it to the battery negative terminal or the lawn mowers frame
• An important bit of information to know is your battery’s voltage. Most use a 6 volt, but a few will have a 12-volt battery
• Set your charger to use the trickle charge setting and don’t forget to set it to the voltage that’s appropriate for your specific situation.
• Allow it to charge for the appropriate amount of time, as noted in your owner’s manual. While on the trickle setting most batteries require between 4 and 8 hours to charge fully. For the sake of safety, and to avoid battery damage do not over charge.
• After charging is complete, it’s time to reconnect the battery’s cables to your lawn mower and start the mower. After you have it running, then you can disconnect the jumper cables.

To conclude this article, it’s good to know that you can extend the life of your lawn mower battery when it’s fully charged. This is especially true when it’s stored for extended periods.

You should keep in mind jump starting a battery is dangerous, and you should wear gloves and some eye protection when working with them to avoid injury.

Avoid damaging your battery by always being sure to connect the proper terminal posts. Not doing so is extremely dangerous as it could lead to having your battery explode. This is a situation you want to avoid.

Always use a well-ventilated area when charging a battery, as they have been known to release gasses while charging. It’s a good practice to make yourself knowledgeable about the type of battery you’ll be working with before starting by reading the owner’s manual.

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Are Lawn Mowers Age Restricted?

Maintaining a nice looking, neatly trimmed, nourished and healthy lawn is something most homeowners take very seriously. These same proud owners also take the safety of their children very seriously as well. It’s unfortunate that too often we hear of the disastrous results that occur when child care and lawn care come together.

Unfortunately year after year far too many children become the victims of lawn mower injuries, and the truly sad part is the vast majority of these injuries were completely avoidable. Most often the accident is the result of the careless nature of the way a child is operating the lawn mower.

When are children old enough to use a lawn mower?

As previously stated, each and every year there are many accidents involving children and lawn mowers. It is, for this reason, lawn mowers come with age restrictions. For a riding lawn mower the legal age limit is 16, and for a walk behind lawn mower, the legal age limit is 12 years old.

Beyond the legalities, you should also consider the maturity level of your child before allowing them to operate a lawn mower.

Some things your teens and pre-teens should be clear about before running a lawn mower.

First and foremost teach them that safety comes first. You’ll want to ensure your child has a clear understanding of the basic safety standards that go along with operating a mower. Don’t be one of those parents that mistakenly think that just because your child is of the legal age to run a lawn mower they can automatically do so successfully. Take the time to teach them proper safety habits and procedures.

Here are some safety rules to follow when it comes to operating a lawn mower:

• There should never, ever be any horseplay when running a lawn mower. You must make sure the child grasps the reality that a lawn mower is not a toy and can cause them severe harm.
• Ensure that smaller children do not come anywhere near the mower while it’s in use.
• Do not use the mower when the weather is bad. Inclement weather includes conditions such as thunderstorms and heavy winds.
• Don’t mow grass that’s wet.
• Only mow when there’s plenty daylight.
• Before starting to mow pick up any and all debris like fallen tree branches, rocks and toys.
• Don’t put small children on a riding lawn mower under any circumstances.

Further safety precautions you’ll want to go over include being clear about what conditions the mower should always be turned off. These will be:

• Anytime you’re going over a gravel road or path.
• When the grass catcher needs to be removed.
• When the lawn mower’s discharge chute needs to be unclogged.
• Anytime it’s necessary to leave the mower unattended, even if it’s only for just a few seconds

Conclusion

Just as a reminder, for a riding lawn mower it’s legal at 16 years old, and for a walk behind mower, the legal age is 12.

Of course the first few times your child takes on the task of mowing the yard you’ll want to be sure to closely supervise their activity to ensure that follow the previously gone over safety precautions. You should continue to do so until you’re completely confident in the child’s ability to handle the responsibility alone.

Ongoing maintenance is essential if your plan is to have a good looking yard, and with responsible guidance and supervision, it’s something your children can help with safely.

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How To Construct A Racing Lawn Mower

Are you thinking about building a lawn mower for racing? Perhaps you’re a fan of the sport and would like to participate in lawnmower racing? If your answer is yes to these questions, this is for you because here you’re going to get the advice and information you need to build a lawn mower for racing.

Finding the Parts You Need

In many ways building a mower for racing is a lot like building a car. The first thing you’ll need to do is find the parts you’ll need to build your mower. This will likely be the most difficult part of this process for you, but once you’ve found what you need you’re on your way. The places to begin your search for the parts you need include searching scrap yards and garage sales and checking eBay and some of the other larger auction websites.  And don’t forget to include checking with your friends and family for old lawn mowers they may no longer be using.

Here are the main parts you’ll need:

1. An Engine (of course!)
2. A steering wheel
3. Rear axle and axle hangers
4. Gas lever
5. Brake system
6. Wheels, tires, and hubs
7. Centrifugal clutch
8. Front axle and spindles
9. Chain
10. Transmission (right angle gearbox)
11. Sprockets
12. Electrical components
13. High endurance engine component

Also check out this video guide on lawn mower racing:

Building Your Frame

As the entire point of your building project is to build it to go fast you’ll first want to create a frame for it that’s large enough to support its purpose. This is often done by making adaptations to the already existing frame that include adding a place to sit and adding other metal pieces to make it a bit sturdier. At this stage, you’ll want to keep in mind you’ll most likely be racing on dirt roads so you may want to add some sort of suspension system since this is not something a lawn mower comes with.

Your Steering System

To have any hope of winning races, you’ll certainly need to have a steering system for your racing mower. For this, a direct steering system will be perfect and will make driving easier for you.

Internal Components

The next thing we want to do is install your internal components, starting with the transmission, then the brakes. You should be aware that there are several different types of brake systems available, both hydraulic and mechanical, but you’ll want to go with hydraulic brakes as they work better for racing mowers. Not to mention they’re also much easier to install.

After you have the brakes set up and installed you’re then ready to weld the mower deck to the frame, including the battery and electrical system.

Next, you’re ready to make what’s known as the puke tank in the mower racing world. This is the area that is designed to hold your engine, and since it’s designed as a tank, it stops your racing mower from leaking oil on the race track.

For safety and comfort now it’s time to install your seat. Most people use seats like those commonly found in schools, however without the legs. If you’re looking for more comfort from your seat, it can be covered with foam from something like that you’ll find in an old car.

The final step before re-assembling everything is to paint it whatever color you’d like. Something bright and eye catching is often a good choice here. Then you’re ready to assemble it back together. One more thing to note here is to be sure to select large wheels that have deep treads. This will help a lot when you use it for racing off road.

After you’ve completed the building process, you should have no problem finding events where you can race against other racing lawn mower competitors. A quick online search for events should be all that’s needed.

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When is the Right Time to Mow New Grass

When you start to see newly planted grass starting to sprout, it’s a sure sign you’ve successfully seeded your lawn. Now all there is to do is take care of the new sprouts and you’ll have a perfectly lush lawn in no time. Sounds great right? But when is it time to start mowing these new sprouts? You certainly don’t want to do it too soon as this might ruin everything you’ve worked for to this point.

Timing

Timing is indeed of the essence when it comes to the question of when to mow new grass. As a general rule, you’ll want to allow approximately four weeks to go by from the time you first see sprouts to the time you mow them. This will give the young plants time to develop the root strength to withstand being trimmed by a lawn mower blade. Consideration also needs to be taken not to disturb the roots that are still forming. The back and forth of a rolling lawn mower could definitely be hazardous to their growth and development.

Mowing the new plants too soon may also lead to issues with the soil as the back and forth tends to compact the soil which makes it hard. This will make it difficult for the root system of the new grass to develop properly.

Proper Lawn Cutting

When mowing you want to ensure that the blades of your lawn mower are sharp, so they actually cut the grass smoothly, rather than creating a situation where the grass is being ripped or torn from the impact of the blades hitting it. A height of two to three inches is ideal. Cutting it lower than this range makes things like pests, weeds and heat stress more likely. It’s also helpful if you don’t mow in the same direction all the time. Switching up the direction helps the grass to grow straight.

Observe the Height

The height of the grass determines how low it will take to mow it. When new grass is 3 or 4 inches high, you can consider it’s ready for mowing. Making sure to keep the ground moist is an important element when grass is new and trying to establish roots. Before cutting though allow about 48 hours for it to dry a little just before mowing it. When you mow, take care to do slow turns, so the wheels of your lawn mower aren’t tearing chunks of grass away from the soil as you pass.

Consider Renovation

To even out your lawn if there are bare patches you should consider re-seeding the areas that are bare. If you do this, just avoid mowing the newly seeded areas. Giving those areas the time and opportunity they need to catch up with the growth of the rest of the yard. It will eventually blend in with the more established portions of your lawn, and there will be no visible signs of the patches that existed before.

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When is the Best Time to Buy a Lawn Mower?

If you’re wondering when the best time of year to buy a new lawn mower is you’re not the only one. A lot of people are asking themselves this question just about all the time. With the prices of lawn mowers seemingly always on the rise it’s probably not a bad question to ask. Especially if you’re going to be looking for a riding mower, the price of these can run around five thousand dollars. Depending on the model of riding lawn mower you choose they can exceed the cost of a small automobile, even approaching the twenty thousand dollar price tag. Mowers with such high price tags are usually commercial grade machines but still $20,000 is no small price to pay for a lawn mower.

As we all know, there are times during the year when prices are lower so if you figure out when these times are you could save probably save a nice wad of cash.

Check End of Season Sales for Lower Prices

When the sale of certain items start to slows stores, lower the prices of those items and put them on sale. This is also true with lawn mowers. The season when lawn mower sales are naturally at their lowest point is at the end of summer. Another reason many stores are looking to move things like lawn mowers this time of year is because if they don’t sell them, they’re stuck having to store the items through the winter. This kind of inventory storage is very costly to stores, so they’re highly motivated to not have to do it. For this reason, the best time to purchase a lawn mower is after summer is over in September or October. This is when you’ll find the best prices.

It’s also possible you could find some good deals on lawn mowers in the early days of spring. For some home improvement stores its standard for them to offer huge sales just ahead of summer. If you can catch one of these stores at this time, you could see some very significant savings for a new lawn mower purchase. So if you can do so, it would be in your best interest to make a new lawn mower purchase after summer or in very early spring.

Purchasing Discounted Models

Of course, there may be times and situations that occur that make it impossible for you to wait until one of these optimum times to make your purchase. One such situation would be if your lawn mower stopped working in the middle of summer. If this were to occur, you might lose the ability to control when you make your purchase but do not despair it might still be possible to purchase a new lawn mower at a discounted price. You might be able to find an older model lawn mower that is being sold at a discounted price. These are lawn mower models that are perfectly brand new that the particular store has decided to stop carrying.

Whichever route you decide to take there are several ways you can save money when buying your new lawn mower. Take the time to compare prices between the stores as you look for the best discount. One other avenue you might consider is buying your new mower from a small local store as opposed to a larger national chain. Remember prices can vary greatly from store to store.

The bottom line is, get out there and start looking for deals. You won’t know how great the deals are until you start looking.

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How to Start a Lawn Mowing Business

It’s not difficult to start a lawn mowing business and even be successful with it if you take care of it and treat it like a job and not something you’re just playing with like a hobby. However, before you start there are a few things you need to have in in place to give yourself the best chance for success.  If you take the time up front to put all of the necessary items together, you well have set up your foundation for a successful mowing adventure.

Reality Check

Starting your own lawn mowing business can sound appealing; however, every business opportunity has its pitfalls. Starting a lawn mowing business is not an exception. You should understand that you should be more skilled at pruning, trimming and mowing than the average Joe to start doing these things as a business. What this means is you will need to have practiced gardening before starting your business. Also be aware that being in business requires a level of discipline and focus the many may find uncommon. All this in addition to the physical fitness level required means operating a lawn care business is something you should really think about before blindly jumping into it.

Solid Planning

You’ll need to lay out a solid business plan beforehand. It will need to include your growth and marketing plan and your specific ideas about the services you intend to offer. Other planning to consider is the rates you intend to charge for the services you’ll be providing. Keeping in mind these rates will need to be competitive with other service providers in your area. Finally, be sure to consider the service area you will cover.

Market Research

Get clear about who your customers are. As an example, baby boomers are some of the more affluent homeowners, and many of them have a deep appreciation for a well-kept lawn. And the best part for you is they don’t have time to do the lawn care work themselves.

The Legalities

One of the first things you’ll need to do is settle on a name for your new business. Once you do the next step will be to file the appropriate paperwork. The type of business structure you decide on will determine what paperwork needs to be filled. The businesses types to consider include Limited Liability Company, Corporation or Sole Proprietorship.

The Equipment

Getting your business started is something you can do with only a push mower. When it grows, you’ll find that you’ll want to have the ability to mow more lawns each day. To do so will most likely require that you buy a riding lawn mower. It’s recommended that you buy it as soon as you can. Some other equipment needs will eventually include a weed trimmer, fertilizer, and even grass seed.

The Financing

You’ll need to separate your business finances from your personal, so this means you’ll need to open a separate bank account. If you have to start with a small amount of capital that is fine, but when you reach a point where you need to purchase more equipment you can apply for a small business loan or credit card.

These are a few tips that if used will help you get started with your new lawn mowing business.

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How to Start a Lawn Mower

In this article, we’re going to cover something that probably seems like a relatively simple process, starting a lawn mower. It’s something that sounds pretty simple but if you’re one of the millions of people who have ever found yourself getting nowhere while pulling and pulling on a lawn mower cord you’ll understand it’s not always as simple as it sounds. Lawn mowers have been known to be incredibly hard to start and to make matters worse, every model seems to have its own unique procedure for getting it started. This means it’s almost never the same process from one mower to another. This makes the seemingly simple task of starting a lawn mower becomes complicated for even yard cutting veterans.

Check Your Owner’s Manual

The best way to know the startup procedures for your specific lawn mower model is to check the owner’s manual. In it, you will likely find step-by-step instructions on how to start the exact mower you have. In many cases, consulting your manual should be your first course of action when attempting to work through a problem that makes you baffled. It can be helpful if you have a lawn mower that is loaded with safety features. It could save you hours by giving you the procedure you need instantly instead of learning it through trial and error.

Starting Your Push Mower

Here, we will cover the general standard that will need to be followed for most push mowers. A couple of the variations you may find is that some models may have a choke mechanism and some sort of safety setting, or perhaps just one or the other. It’s the older models that typically have a choke that you have to manipulate during the start-up process. While the newer models come with a safety bar that you have to press in order to be able to start the mower. Be aware that many of these models are designed to automatically shut off if you release or stop holding the safety bar. To operate most choke systems, it’s just a matter of putting it on the start setting and pulling the starter cord. There are things that are different from each model that is why it’s a good idea to have a look at your owner’s manual to get the specifics on your particular lawn mower model.

Starting a Riding Mower

Trying to start a riding mower is just a few subtle differences from a push mower that you’ll need to be aware of. For starters with a riding lawn mower, you’ll be dealing with a key starter where there is almost never the situation with a push mower. Another point to consider will be the use of foot pedals for the operation of the mower. Just like with driving a car, we’re talking about automatic transmissions versus the use of a clutch and the learning curve that involves.

So as you’ve discovered, know the procedures for the specific model and type of lawn mower you’re dealing with is extremely important when it comes to starting a mower. The good news is the information you need to know is right at your fingertips in the form of the owner’s manual.

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