For a variety of reasons it may be necessary to raise the lawn mower to the side. If the mower is a gasoline-powered type, tilting it in the wrong direction can have fatal consequences. This guide explains how to properly tip a lawnmower.
How do you properly tip a gasoline lawnmower?
With a petrol lawn mower, you should tilt it so that the spark plug points upwards to avoid oil leaks. Before tipping, pull the spark plug connector and loosen the spark plug. For safety, empty the tank or have driven it empty.
Tilt lawn mowers with a sense of proportion – this is how it works
It's not a question of right or left to put a gas lawnmower on the correct side. Rather, the position of the spark plug provides precise information about which direction you tilt the device. If you are unsure what a spark plug looks like or where it is located, please check the manual.
The rule of thumb is: tilt the lawn mower with a gasoline engine so that the spark plug points upwards. If a petrol mower leans towards the ground with the spark plug, oil will leak. The air filter, carburettor and cylinder head are flooded. In the worst case scenario, the device will no longer start.
Correct tilting direction is not enough – you should pay attention to this
If you want to clean or repair your lawn mower, the correct tipping direction is just one aspect of the professional procedure. The following preparatory measures are much more important to ensure your safety:
- First pull the spark plug connector
- Then unscrew the spark plug with a spark plug wrench (€9.00 on Amazon)
- Cover the exposed contacts with a cloth
Only when you have taken these measures to ensure that the lawn mower will definitely not start, tilt the device in the right direction. For the most unlikely of reasons, a lawnmower has started up while busy hands were in its blade block.
Empty tank in advance
Even if you tilt your lawn mower in the correct direction, fuel can leak. This applies primarily to a bulging tank. Plan the mowing work so that the tank is largely empty before tipping the device. Alternatively, empty the tank using a suction pump before beginning scheduled maintenance.
Tip
If your lawnmower smokes blue, this is an indication that you have tilted the device in the wrong direction. White-blue smoke always occurs when leaked oil burns. With some lawn mower models, the problem occurs when you mow a slope with an inclination of more than 15 degrees.
