6 Fall Maintenance Tips For Your Dixie Chopper
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The Magnum 2250R is leave chopping machine!
There is no doubt that this has been the roughest year in recent memory for your lawn mower. The grass never stopped growing and we’re estimating that on average you’ve mown twice as much (or more than in a normal mowing year). Whether that is true or not and there is no doubt that what you were mowing was thicker, and longer than any previous year. That said, your Dixie Chopper has been through a lot. We recommend you take a look at these six things on your Chopper to get you through the home stretch of the mowing season.
- Check your Air Filter
Your air filter is how your engine breathes. It’s important to make sure that it’s clean and so that you engine can cool itself. After this year of heavy grass, it’s likely to clog more quickly. This can wreak havoc on your engine. Pull your filter out, blow it off if you can, or just replace it to get ready for fall. - Sharpen Your Blades
With all the heavy use this year you’ll want to have sharpened your blades a couple times already and a few more before the end of the season. All in all you should have sharpened them 3-4 times this year to make sure you’re getting the best quality of cut. The best way to chop leaves is to have sharp blades! - Clean Your Deck- Bottom and Top
You’ve pushed more wet grass clippings through your mower deck this year than any year in recent memory. It’s important to make sure the bottom of the deck is clear of debris and dried clippings. This affects not only the quality of cut, both in terms of your grass and potential leaves, but also the longevity of your mower. Less debris equals less build up and less build up equals less rust and less strain on your engine to push grass out from under the deck. It’s equally as important to make sure that you’ve removed all the debris from the top of the deck. Debris here can rupture belts and sideline your mower, costing you time and money. - Check Your Belt Tension
While you’re at deck level cleaning, you might as well check your tension. Make sure your pulleys haven’t moved out of whack and that your spindles are all still straight. You don’t want to blow a belt this close to the end of mowing season. - Check Your Oil
In general people are creatures of habit. Most people only change their oil once or twice a year and they have a ritual. This spring/summer has ruined all that. You’ve mown on average twice as much as you have in previous years which means your mower has worked twice as hard. As we enter the final stretch, make sure to check your oil to keep from needing a new mower next year. - Makes Sure Your Greasables are Greased
More mowing equals more wear. You want to make sure that you’ve got all the moving parts of your Dixie Chopper lubricated. This helps with bearing life and ultimately increases the life of your mower. You especially want to check your mower deck spindles, deck wheels and the front wheels on your unit.
If you’re still using the same mower now that you started with, its been a trooper this year. It’s important to perform some minor maintenance to make sure that it will continue to be reliable moving into next year! It’s not a bad idea to have us pick it up and service it as we enter the home stretch. If you have any questions or want to schedule and appointment give us a call or stop in!
