Get Ready, Get Set, Mow

If you didn't drain the gasoline from your lawn mower last year, chances are good that mower servicing is in your future. According to Troy Allen of Allen's Lawn and Tree Service in Lanham, this is the number one problem he encounters at the start of the growing season. "Gas gets thick and gums up the carburetor," he explains.

How you positioned your mower in the shed or garage also is important. Jeff Lemon, in the lawn mower department at Strosniders Hardware in Bethesda, sees lots of mowers that have been stored while turned onto their side -- but with the air filter up, not down. This allows oil to get into the carburetor through a vent in the engine, requiring a thorough cleaning and filter replacement.

You don't want to leave your mower outside uncovered or otherwise exposed to the weather, says Francis Johnson of Johnson's Lawnmower Service & Sales in Rockville. Rain or melted snow can get inside and rust the insides of cables or other parts, mix with oil or infiltrate gas tanks. "Clean the underside off before you store it away, too, so clippings and other debris won't harden under the casing," Johnson says.

The good news is that most lawn mower service shops offer packages that include draining the tank and cleaning the carburetor; installing new filters and spark plugs; checking cables, wheels and safety switches; sharpening or replacing blades if needed; and giving the casing a thorough cleaning. Strosniders charges $59.95 plus parts for its package (it also sharpens hand mowers for $45). Allen includes parts in his $50 price for gas and hand mowers. Johnson's $57.95 includes all parts except air filters. "Those vary so much, depending on the machine, that we have to charge separately," he says.

Right now, service backup averages one to two weeks. To avoid the spring rush, Johnson suggests bringing your mower in during winter, which also may cost less. (He offers 20 percent off in January and February.)

All pros recommend sharpening the blade at least once or twice a season -- right at the start and, if needed, midway through summer. How do you know it's time? "You'll see it isn't cutting as evenly," Lemon says. "The grass ends will tear." Allen's rule of thumb: "Sharpen every 25 cuts or at least once a season."

Blade height can mean the difference between a lawn that is burned brown by the sun and one that thrives. "There's a formula for setting blades," Lemon offers. "Grass can be lower in spring when there's more moisture and grass is growing faster. Then in hotter times like midsummer, fall, let it grow taller." And if you're mulching (chopping the grass and letting it lie to replenish nitrogen in the soil), cut it 2 1/2 to 3 inches no matter what time of year, he says.

Adjusting blade height is something homeowners can do fairly easily for themselves, Allen says. He advises customers who don't want to tinker to keep their blades at three inches for the whole season. And Johnson recommends cutting your fall "last mow" shorter, so grass blades won't double over in the winter.

All three shops also service and repair line (or string) trimmers -- changing the spark plug, cleaning the filter and carburetor, lubricating the shaft and replacing the line. But if your weed whacker was inexpensive to begin with, don't bother. You can buy a new one with the $38 to $68 (if the carburetor needs work) involved.

Strosniders and Allen's also sharpen garden tools -- just about everything from secateurs and machetes to pruning hooks and double-sided hedge trimmers.

Jim Lovaas of Strosniders recommends against sharpening flat, square-point shovels. "They shouldn't have that fine an edge -- just clean and file them at home," he says. Implements with teeth on their blades, such as pruners that have a handsaw on top, are sent out to a sharpening service. In-house work is done twice a week. Drop off tools by Monday night for a 5 p.m. Tuesday pickup, Thursday night for Friday. Strosniders' fee, depending on blade and tool type, is $4.50 to $6.50.

Allen's will sharpen while you wait or have you drop the tool off. The minimum charge of $50 per hour is pro-rated for garden tools, depending on how long the job takes.

Tips for keeping mowers and tools in shape during the season? Take a walk around your lawn before you start mowing, advises Allen. Stumps, surface roots, jump ropes, toys and garden hoses all lie in wait to blunt or nick blades, get wound around shafts or shoot up into the air. Remember to wear safety glasses and work boots. As for garden tools, wipe them down after each use and store them so they are clean and dry.