A ride-on mower is expensive and you have to treat it well if you want it to last for a long time. There are a few simple things you can do to make sure your lawn mower keeps going for a long time. Each ride-on mower model is different, but they all need the following basic maintenance work from time to time.

• Check the oil – Be sure to check your engine oil regularly. It’s good to get into the habit of checking it before you start mowing each time. Few things will ruin an engine faster than running out of oil.
• Change the oil: You should change the oil in your lawn mower every fifty hours or so. Many people do this before they start mowing the lawn for the first time in the spring.
• Spark Plugs – Inspect your spark plugs at least every year, especially if your mower sounds different. If it is badly worn, you can easily and cheaply replace it.
• Air Filter – The air filter should be changed on your ride-on mower once a year, or even sooner if it becomes badly worn. Air filters can easily become clogged with dust and debris, so cleaning or changing them frequently is a must.
• Lawn Mower Blades – A great trick to maintaining the strength of your lawn mower is to remove the blades and sharpen them. You can easily sharpen them yourself with a grinder, but if you don’t have one, you can remove them and take them to a lawnmower repair shop. Keeping the blades sharp means the engine doesn’t have to work as hard to cut the grass.
• Clean the mower deck – Clean the bottom deck of the mower (when it’s off, of course!) and remove any grass clippings that are stuck to the sides or wrapped around the blade. Sometimes grass gets stuck in the blade rotors and this increases stress on the motor.
• Belts – Inspect the belts from time to time. There are belts that spin the cutting blades and sometimes they wear out and break. Make sure they are tight and in good condition.

These are just some of the things you can do to keep your mower running well for years to come. Take a look at the owner’s manual that came with the machine for other maintenance tips.