Forum

Its that time of year were every one starts to pull the mowers out of the shed and start getting ready to cut,

Before you think of going out to your first customer, have you double-checked your machines over?

Many people this time of year do not even think twice about checks on machines before using them and this will come back to bite you.

If you have not already had a service done on your tools / machines it is not too late as this little bit of extra work could prevent a breakdown in the middle of a job.

Oil-

Has the engine oil of the machine been changed? If not get it done, oil only has a limited life span inside any engine and the old saying of some oil is better than none is rubbish.
look through your operator book for change intervals and stick to it (even better find a engine manual and use that as machine op books are worked out on average use and engine manuals are more exact), once the oil is broken down and past its life span damage will be done to the engine every time its used, it may take a while to show but when it dose its not good.

Dose the hydraulic oil need topping up? on ride on mowers this could make the difference of a smooth open / close of a grass box at least or even if its a high tip machine mean a safe lift and lower of the box,

Is the machine fitted with corner gears on the deck? if so the gear oil in these will need changing normally recommended twice in one season but at min once a year, if not it could cause oil seals and bearings to fail eventually leading to replacing the corner gear which in some cases could be £300 +

Grease-

Has all grease points been filled up on the machine? Generally things like stub axle joints / main axle pivot points & main blade housings. This will stop un-needed wear on expensive to replace parts which also take time to replace and could hold up a job for a few days. Most op books contain the most needed points for greasing and again min required time line for it to be done.
If in doubt, contact the dealer / manufacture for confirmations.

Cables-

Are they sticking or rusty? Better to find out now that a cable needs replacing instead of being out on site and snap!
check all cables over and make sure there running smooth, if all is well then drop a little lubricating oil down them to keep it that way. if not it might be worth looking to replace it now or at least get a back up to keep in the van ready for when it dose snap,

Are the cables adjusted? one of the main reasons you lose drive speed or the blade will not engage is because your pulling the leaver but the cable needs adjusting so nothing happens, most cables have an adjuster on them so use this 1 SMALL adjustment at a time, not all cables need to be so tight you can play a nice tune on them, most of the time 1 turn on the adjuster is enough.

Deck / cutting system-

Is the deck nice and clean? to some its a strange question but this can drastically decrease the performance of your machine, a nice clean deck and ejection channel gives much much better airflow leading to much better collection and far less time spent un-clogging the machine.

Are the blades sharp? If the blades on any machine are not sharp, all you will do is bruise the grass and rip it, damaging the lawn and putting your machine under stress when you do not have to.
On this note every one has there own view, mine being replace the blade others being to sharpen, if you going for the sharpen option then please please please make sure it is done correctly.
An unbalanced blade ups vibration / noise & will eventually damage the engine if the blade is mounted on the main crankshaft, if you don’t know how to sharpen take it to a dealer as its not worth losing a machine trying to save a few pounds.

Is the blade fitted right? Sounds a silly question first but I promise its not,
after a long season cutting all could seem fine with your machine but if your machine uses a shear bolt / washer system like Etesia machines do its worth replacing these at the end of a season (or now before you start) as they could of had a little bashing over the months and like the cables its better knowing now and getting a few spare for the van instead of on the job with nothing to sort it out with.
also in with this is blade timing one multi blade decks, even though a machine is working and as far as you know as it should, its always worth checking the blade timing to make sure each blade is running at the right time.
If the blades are out of time this will affect performance but more important will on the next little knock to a blade send the whole thing crashing together possibly damaging the blades leaving you a bill for a new set, so its worth checking.
If you are unsure, take it to a dealer or contact the supplier.

the idea behind me spending every scrap of spare time today writing this was not to punish anyone who reads it (I know its long) but to try and save you all as much down time as possible by highlighting a few things you could do or check to prepare yourself as best you can while you still have a little time left, and make sure your machines big and small are ready to go

I have kept the above as general as possible to cover not just Etesia machines but anything else you may have as well, if any one has any questions on Etesia you all know where I am

Regards

Neal barker
Etesia

i know i had to of missed something simple but important

Belts-

when was the last time you changed them?
belts are a funny thing on machines, some can go for years and some need changeing twice in one year it depends on the conditions you useing the machine and storing it.
always check your belts as often as possible looking for splits or fraying on the belt, if you see such wear then it would normaly meen time to get a new one or atleast keep that spare belt you have (for those well prepaired people) in the van.
most belts like blade belts for mowers are simple to change but some can be a real pain so checking as much as possible could make the differnce of booking into a dealer to re-fit in plenty of time to trying to find some one who could do it on the day or loseing out on a few days work while you have to weight.