4 Lawn Mower Maintenance Tips for Wet Weather

Like we said in our blog about how to mow when your grass is wet, we never recommend mowing wet grass. However, sometimes there is just no way around it. That said, if you experience a spring/summer like we’ve had and you’re consistently mowing wet ground, there are some extra maintenance procedures you should perform on your lawn mower to keep it going strong. Here are the 4 extra things you should consider when performing your regular maintenance on a mower that has been mowing wet grass.

1. Clean Your Mower Deck. Top/Bottom

You need to make sure you do this after every wet mow job. The grass and mud will stick to your wet deck. Long term this can cause rust and corrosion and in the short term it can build on the bottom and reduce the suction of the deck, creating issues with quality of cut. It can also build up around the belts and cause them to come off the pulleys.

2. Grease More Regularly

Moisture is never a good thing for bearings. It will cause corrosion and decrease the life the bearing. To help combat all the moisture flying around your deck and save your spindles and hubs, it’s important to keep those areas well greased, more so than in normal or dry conditions.

3. Check Your Belts

Because the grass is heavier with moisture it’s going to take more load and torque for your blades to spin as fast to cut the grass effectively. This extra load, combined with the added moisture of wet grass, can cause belts to slip, burn up and break more frequently than in normal or dry conditions. If you don’t want to get caught with a broken belt, it’s imperative to check your belts before and possibly after each mowing.

4. Sharpen Your Blades

We typically recommend sharpening your blades 3-4 times per year. However with the added moisture and weight of the grass, it isn’t a bad idea to go ahead and sharpen them a little more frequently in wet conditions. You should have your deck up anyway cleaning the grass and mud out of the bottom. While you’re down there, go ahead and zip your blades off and either bring them in or sharpen them yourself.

Obviously it’s important to continue your regularly scheduled maintenance for your lawn mower. However putting an emphasis on these four tasks can really help your mower get through what would otherwise be a hard mowing season, relatively unscathed. If you have any other wet mower maintenance suggestions or any questions please feel free to leave a comment, give us a call or stop by the shop. Happy mowing and stay dry out there!