If you have purchased or own your own mower, then there are a few things you should do to take care for and insure the life of your mower. Most mowers require weekly, monthly, and yearly maintenance to keep them running in optimal condition. Keep in mind that many of these things are only minor in duty but can determine the life-span of you mowers & trimmers. Note: if you are not mechanically inclined, there are those who can do the work for you at a nominal cost.

1.) Drain the remaining fuel from your mower. Warning: Always disconnect your spark plug connection prior to draining. In general, the longer your mower sits in storage, the more likely it is for your gas (either in the mower or can) to get bad. By draining the fuel from your mower, you are preventing the remaining fuel from aging and potentially going bad inside your mower engine and carburetor.

2.) Once the fuel has been drained, reconnect the spark plug wire and run the engine until it burns all remaining fuel and runs out of gas.

1.) Change the oil in the mower. If you run a two-stroke engine, then your oil is already mixed in with the fuel and you can skip this step. Most smaller gas powered four-stroke engines tend to run a 30 weight oil. However, you should first check your owner's manual to find out what the manufacturer recommends, if possible. Most smaller engines also have a drain-plug located under the deck of the mower. Most decks have a small cut-out area on the bottom that exposes the bolt to drain the oil.

2.) Replace the spark plug. Most older spark plugs can fowl-up and should be replaced at least once a year.

3.) Replace the fuel filter (if present). Some smaller sized and older engines may not have a fuel filter. If your engine does, it is typically located on the fuel line between the tank and the carburetor. It's usually an off-white or black color.

4.) Replace the air filter. Engines need to breath, too! If you kick up a lot of dust and debris while mowing, then your filter could be choking your engine. In such cases, you may want to replace the air filter more then once during the year.

5.) If you have completed these steps and your mower still doesn't seem to run properly, then go back and make sure everything was completed correctly. If you still continue to have problems, then you may want to take your mower to a service center near you to get help. You may have a simple problem, such as a carburetor adjustment, or something more complicated, such as an internal engine problem. Either way, these people should have experience and can usually identify what the problem is based on a call or email.