LOOK AFTER THE LAWN MOWER

Evening Star, Issue 23864, 19 April 1941, Page 4

LOOK AFTER THE LAWN MOWER

When mowing is finished for tho season it is a good plan to give the mowing machine a thorough overhaul, so that it will be ready for use next spring. First, remove ail dried grass and dirt by scraping off as much as possible, then scrubbing with boiling water in which washing soda has been dissolved. Set the machine on a box and remove tho handle by taking out the two bolts which secure it to the frame. Then examine Mie exterior so that you become familiar with every part. Pull out the split pins which secure the driving, wheels to the main spindle. Next take off the driving wheels (it may be necessary to tap them lightly with a hammer), and with them will come the small driving pinions. As these parts are removed drop them in paraffin oil, and after allowing them to soak for a time brush off all dirt and rust and dry them. The bearings in which the spindle revolves are next removed by taking out tho bolts and lifting the upper part of the bearings away. Lift out tho spindle together with the knife cylinder and the lower half of the bearings; wash these well in paraffin and dry.

Take off the nuts which hold the wooden roller spindle in place and slide off the rollers. The spindle should be polished with emery cloth, then smeared with grease, 'scrape the end of the wooden rollers and wash them in hot soda water. Dry them quickly to prevent tho wood swelling. The iron washers found between each section of the wooden roller should be cleaned and greased. The fixed blade of the machine will probably required little special attention, for it might have worn hollow in the centre. To remove this turn the machine upside down and take off the set screws which secure it to the underside of the frame.

HOW TO REMOVE RUSTED SCREWS. These screws may bo firmly rusted in their holes; but if the screwdriver is held in the slots and rapped smartly with a hammer they will generally come out easily. Having removed the blade, the next step is to make it level. It might be possible to do this with a file, but a grindstone is preferable. Afterwards the blade may be screwed back into its place, having first cleaned the framework with paraffin and greased tho set screws. Next slip the lower bearing of the cutting cylinder back into position, then the cylinder itself, and finally the upper half of the bearing, screwing down the adjusting bolts so that the edges of the knives bear lightly on to the edge of the fixed blade when the cylinder is revolved. Slip the driving wheels, complete with their pinions, back into place and secure them temporarily so that the knives may be sharpened. Pour some lubricating oil on the blades, then dust - them lightly with fine emery nowder, taking care that the edges of the knives and the edge of the fixed blade are well coated. By revolving the cylinder in the opposite direction to that in which they move when mowing, the knives will be ground to the correct angle against the edge of the fixed blade. Continue this until each knife shows a clean, even edge. Dismantle the machine again and wash the knives and the fixed blade with a little clean paraffin, dry them, and smear with a thin film of oil or grease. Finally assemble the machine permanently, tightening each holt and nut to its correct adjustment. Before putting the driving wheels hark into position see that the pawls—the little steel “ fingers ” which engage with the pinions—are in the right position to drive the cylinder in a forward direction, and pack the interior of the driving wheel casings with grease. Drive the split pins through their holes in the spindle, open out the ends and bend them slightly over. Store in a dry place.