CLEANING THE UNDERNEATH AND INSPECTION OF THE BLADE / BLADES

[Henry100]

 Now you really are going to learn things about your mower you never knew,

Once again safe working is first and as we are going to have some parts of our body under the Mower you must ensure the mower can not roll forward or Rear word . Two ways of ensuring a safe way of doing this is (1) use a lawn mower lift, These are bought frames that you can lift the mower so it leans to the side clearing enough space under the belt deck so you can work with enough space so clean the under neath of the deck and have a good look at the belt and belt drive Pulley system (the disc the belt/belts run around) "NOTE" If you ever do tip the mower to one side ensure you are not tipping to much of an angle so oil can pour out.

(2) A ramp large enough to drive the Mower up and then secure the wheels so the mower can not roll off the ramp. (use the cheese     shape wood blocks to wedge the wheels) Ensure the ramp is strong and safe,& As an extra safe method secure the machine via rope  or chain,

Now the work begins  REMOVE THE KEY AND DISCONNECT THE BATTERY.

We will start by looking under the mower and you should be able to see the blade/blades And above these blades you should see the Belt and all the drive guide rollers or as some call them wheels, TIP, A very very good tip, If you have not already drawn a diagram of how the belt is connected to each roller/wheel ?????? Now is the time to do such a diagram, If the belt snaps and you do not know the belts connection( how it fits and were) You really will be in trouble, So (a) Draw a diagram (b) look at the belt and see if you can see the info ref size / etc If so make a note and keep this info with your diagram, the manual should give this info, Have a spare belt ready to use, I can guarantee the old belt will snap on a Sunday/Bank holiday So be ready "Have A spare.

You will see all the compacted grass stuck around the inside of the skirt and both sides of the blade/blades, You'll also notice the blade/blades may have chips along the cutting edges ?

Lets start to scrape all the skirt inside edges first, using a scraper I just scrape away the really thick stuff, it will fall off and it can be dusty (mask/ goggles ) The blade/blades can also be scraped, (blade removal later)  It is now you will understand why the keys are in a safe place/ battery disconnected,  If you turn the blade while under the vehicle and the battery & keys we're left in the vehicle you could easy bump start the engine and these wheel's would be spinning & Blades wanting to cut? !!!!!!!!! "say no more" 

All the underside needs to be cleaned "some old grass can be blown off (compressed air) I never use high pressure water jets because these are so powerful they can get water were you do not want it, Use the compressed air to clean around all the tight places including from the standing up outside the frame pointing the air gun down so you can get the inner of the lower decking, Around the wheels inner sides/ The inner side of the steering rods, under the engine/ and the rear section again as you have done for the front underside, blow around the battery box and under the seating area/ the section we're the grass box fits (box off). You can now wash the the inner skirt using hot soapy water to have this area smooth clean, dry it with rags and spray the metal only (not the belts)With  WD, 40. Check the belt for cracks ? And wear "it should be firmly fitted but not over tight, Clean both sides of the wheel hubs and wash/dry wash all the cables underneath /dry  Have a look to see that the engine block/oil filter are not leaking, and Now get ready for the grease/Gun work. Wheel hub caps are on the outside & center of the wheel, you will need a flat edge screw driver to remove these hub cap's, you will see the edge of each cap has a ridge,use the screw driver to loosen all the way around each cap and then take it off, inside you will see grease, make sure the cap is packed with grease and then replace the hub cap and the grease nipple at the rear of wheel (some times at the side) push your very small headed screw driver or the point of a nail into the center of the nipple(this is spring assisted boll bearing  and can get stiff, Hence the prodding with the screw driver,once the nipple head is cleared use the grease gun and load with grease until grease is seen coming out of the seal around the hub cap area,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Henry100]

Now you have checked all 4 Hubs are greased you clean/ check and grease all nipples around the complete mower,

Your manual will have the location of all nipples "or you may have to search, It is very worth while finding & knowing were these are and check them all, The cable's both ends (top of mower and were they connect bottom of the cable should be cleaned and a section of cable that is designed to move (linkage etc) should be Oiled or the WD40 spray used, (try from the top of cables to WD40 spray down the cable it is only a small gap between the outer protection cover of the cable & the inner cable it's self "but using the spray will lubricate all the inner"

Tip While you are under the machine  "Now" is a good time to check the battery  "EARTH" lead connection to the vehicle

frame, this is bolted to the metal work and can get covered with grass very small bits a also this nut must be really really tight and both the lead and the metal frame were these two meet again must be really clean to engage a good earth.

Well your now doing well and i am sure you will know more now ref whats happening under the mower,

But we're not finished yet, Having checked any nuts /Bolts /screws you came across are all tight we now have cleaned and put our wheels back on the wheel mountings having again cleaned all the wheel threads and Nuts and used a little grease on the threads, So the nuts turned freely ( When ever i tighten the nuts on wheels i do the sign of the cross🙄 No it's not some religious thing It is a way of tightening the nuts so they are equal sittings of the wheel, the wheel is seated all the way round and "Not an uneven fitting,  So the top nut first ----- then the bottom nut------------- then the right nut-----

& last but not least the left nut, Now repeat this for a second time to ensure all nuts are good and tight? Job nearly done but not "YET"

Check the amount of air in your tubes, use a tyre pressure reading device for this,

GOOD TIP,if when you are just about to cut the grass you do not check the tyre's and one on one side is slightly less pumped up and your cutting the grass and you turn the machine so your going back down the lawn with the cutters going, You'll' be cutting the side with the lower pressure tyre  and your own body weight closer to the ground and this causes those scalped circle cuts at every turn you've made (Looks a mess and spoils the cut) remember these tyre are a hard plastic and not like a road  tyre this is why they tend to need checking more often,

Well time to remove the all the wheel clamps and next the Electric's and body clean?

[Henry100]

THE  ELECTRIC'S

OK sparking plug And H.T. cable,

The sparking plug is a very important part of the electrics, it is the match if you like to lighting the fire,

It needs to be the correct size for your machine, IE You have two sizes of plugs and these are the length of the thread that enters the plug, The long reach one will turn more thread and so the plug end goes deeper into the cylinder head and this then sparks causing the fuel to ignite "But" the piston head is at the top of the cylinder to meet the plug,

So if you put a long reach plug in an engine that was made for a shorts reach plug the piston will smash to bits and your machine engine in serious trouble, So now you can see why you must check you are replacing the plug (when needed) with the correct size, All the info for the correct plugs are in  the manual or even when buying a new plug the section in the store were you buy plugs as norm have a chart with all the size plugs and for what machines they are for, "But" take your old one with you and check.

 FEELER GAUGE ?

This device has a series of sized flat section all marked & all flat, these are the gap settings for your plugs when you know the makers correct gap size put the feeler setting into that gap and adjust (closing the gap or opening ) you will have a section on the gauge that is for bending the end of the little metal cross section that fits over the needle shape point under this , if the gap is tight & the feeler setting wont fit between the strip and the ignition pin then use the adjustment device to bend up and check the setting again until correct,

Clean the plugs by wire brass brush and a little emery paper and ensure all waste (muck) is blown out, clean the threaded area again wire brush Not sand / emery paper as these both wear down the threads & can cause loose fitting;

A used or dirty plug can cause a misted- firing/ over heating/ 

I myself use the mower a lot during the cutting season (everyday when dry weather) And so i buy a new plug every year for the price and the work they do i believe it is a good investment and trouble free in this dept)

Next HIGH TENSION CABLE /POINTS/ LIGHTS:FUSES.

H. T. Lead ?

Whats this all about !!!!!

The lead that connects to the sparking plug is a HIGH TENSION Lead,

And it's job is to bring the electric from the supply unit of the machine to the plugs and then the sparking plug,

This lead has a covering over the copper wire and at some point this lead is in what i call open ground, ie the weather /heat of the engine/heat of its job/ all need to be thought of when servicing the mower, Is the end that fits onto the plug in good order ? Is it a tight fit ? No good being loose, Is the covering in good order? And if so how can i give it a little help to stay damp free/water free?  Answer WD40 Spray  give it a really good spray and let it dry,

The other end of this wire goes into the points box (if points fitted) or magneto system

The points system is were the electric via magnet is produced via a rod turning across a series of magnets and producing electric the points are two small caps  that open and close as the rods turn send the electric to the points,

These points can & do get dirty and need cleaning, (A very soft emery paper ) is used to clean the points open the points softly a put the paper inside and pull the emery paper in/out a few times only, inspect the paper to see whats on it, turn the paper to a clean rough side and clean the other point,

The Magneto system is a round coil with very small (and i do mean small) pin like spikes all around it this coil can get rust in it and causes a bad delivery of the electric so it needs cleaning but without removing those little spike like points

I use a fine brass wire brush to do this very slow and delicate job and blow away all the rust powder when finished,

Again your dealing with the delivery of the electric for the mower so take your time and do the job properly,

Lights "if fitted" clean class, check bulbs for blown ones refit "but check wiring is not rubbing on metal, if so tape it, check fuses   and again clean the metal ends of the fuse "You by now understand a good contact every time"

Ignition

Check if working ok, if so nothing to do to it,

Last important job before putting machine away for the winter,

EMPTY the fuel tank and carburettor

The fuel tank, If you leave fuel in it all winter the fuel not only goes stale and gets a water content in it but the fuel in the Carburettor  can have the jets blocked , Two stroke  (petrol&oil mix) are famous for having blocked jets due to the oil stiffening and separating from the petrol ,

So  by using a tube or an electric mini pump remove all the fuel from the tank, clean the petrol cap (ensuring the tiny hole in the cap is clear, this is a pressure hole some times on the inner of the cap,

Turn the petrol tap on and run the engine until it stops, the carb is now empty,

I use an additive in the fuel every time i fill up the fuel tank, this cleans the carburettor  jets as the machine is being use, you get this additive   in any petrol station,

Well apart from a good polish of the body, that's about it except you can but the battery on a trickle charge and keep an eye on it through the winter,

It may seem long winded this little lot but it is given with the thought that you do not know much if anything ref how to service a RIDE ON MOWER, Hope something here has helped,