Machinery maintenance: how to make your kit last twice as long

We see it every week in the workshop: most breakdowns are not caused by use, but by *lack of maintenance*. Follow these routines and your machinery can easily last twice as long.

After every use (5 minutes)

• Clear off the grass and soil — once dry, it sets like cement. Scrape under the mower deck with a scraper, and never blast a pressure washer straight at the bearings.
• Give the blades, cutting heads and bars a quick visual check: a knock spotted in time is a single part; spotted late, it is a breakdown.

Every season

• Engine oil (four-stroke machines): change it at least once a year. It is the cheapest maintenance there is and the one that saves the most engines.
• Air filter: clean or replace it; an engine that cannot breathe burns more fuel and runs hot.
• Spark plug: check it and replace it if the electrode is worn.
• Blades and lines: sharpen and balance. An unbalanced blade vibrates and eventually destroys the bearings.

Winter storage: the great forgotten job

The first breakdown of spring is set in motion the previous autumn. Before putting a machine away for months:

• Drain the fuel tank, or add stabiliser and run the engine for a few minutes.
• Clean the machine thoroughly and grease the moving parts.
• Store it somewhere dry, and keep batteries at around half charge, never fully flat.

When to book it in

Once a year for a full tune-up (carburation, wear tolerances, transmission), and any time you notice new vibrations, a loss of power or unusual smoke. At Tecomac we keep courtesy machines so your work does not stop, plus a collection and delivery service for larger machines.

Book your tune-up in winter, when the workshop is running freely: give us a call and we will have it like new for spring.