The lawnmower, particularly during March and October (traditionally the lawn cutting season), is an invaluable tool. To keep it working to its full potential, for as long as possible, it’s important to carry out regular maintenance.

Some of the key maintenance on a petrol lawnmower, during and at the end of the cutting season, is the draining of oil. In this post, we explain when you should and how you drain oil from your lawnmower.

When Should You Drain Oil From Your Lawnmower?

There are a few key times when you should drain oil from your lawnmower during the cutting season, and these are after the first five hours of using a new lawnmower – this is because loose bits of metal can fall into the oil tank and will need to be removed to prevent any damage to the appliance.

Other times the oil should be drained from your lawnmower during the cutting season is every 25, 50 and 100 hours of use.

In addition to draining the oil from your lawnmower during certain points in the cutting season, it’s also important to drain the oil from your lawnmower before putting it away for the year.

It’s important to drain oil from your lawnmower at the end of the season, as if left for an extended period of time oil can go stale making it difficult to start the appliance come the new cutting season. When draining the oil at the end of the season, we also recommend giving the lawnmower a thorough clean, including the blade, blade housing and spark plug.

How To Drain Oil From a Lawnmower:

Before you drain the oil from your lawnmower, it’s important to make sure your lawnmower’s engine is warm. The reason this is important, is that it helps ensure the removal of any floating particles from within your oil tank which would normally settle in the engine.

With your lawnmower’s engine warm, you can then begin to drain the oil – either by following the advice outlined by Hayter or McCulloch, found below.

Hayter recommend you drain the oil from your lawnmower, by:

If following the steps outlined above, before tilting the lawnmower and removing the oil filler dipstick, we would recommend cleaning around the area of the dipstick. This will help remove any dirt and debris, reducing the risk of it falling into the oil fill hole.

Whilst McCulloch suggest the easiest way to drain oil from one of their lawnmowers is to:

Whichever method of draining oil suits your specific model of lawnmower – your lawnmower’s manufacturer guidelines will give you a clearer indication – it is worth remembering that if you’re draining the oil at the end of the mowing season, you don’t want to refill it until you next use your appliance.

Knowing when and how to drain the oil from your lawnmower will help to keep your lawnmower working to its full potential for longer, ensuring you get a better cut of your lawn and your garden is kept in pristine condition.

And should you need any spare parts or accessories for your lawnmower, from lawnmower blades to lawnmower oil, get it at a competitive price and with fast delivery from BuySpares.

Tags: Gardening Tips, Lawnmower, Lawnmower Oil