[DanielCoffey]

I have just put my petrol mower away for the winter and am thinking about the maintenance it is going to need next season and this is where I need some advice on *how* to carry out that maintenance.

Mower : Hayter Hayterette (mulching) with B&S 650EX

While it was new I had it serviced by an authorised dealer for the warranty stamps but then they went bust. The next couple of seasons I did the usual oil change but now I think it is in need of a more thorough overhaul.

I definitely believe it is within my capability to handle tasks such as the air-filter and plug change. The blades need removing and sharpening (and I do actually have a spare set bought when it was new). I don't know what the effective life is on a carburetor (four years so far) but if it was up on a bench I would be prepared to give that task a go too.

That is what I need advice on... the bench.

We will be moving to a new property soon with a 3m x 6m timber-framed single garage. On one side is likely to be a wood/craft/potting bench with a vice and the other half will be for the bicycle and related stuff. I wondered if some sort of moveable tool bench or trolley with lockable wheels would be good to work on the mower (and incidentally store it off the concrete over the winter).

For those of you who service your own mowers and rotavators, what do you use to get it up off the floor? How large a bench do you prefer and what is it made of?

[AlaninCarlisle]

Blimey, storing it off the concrete! I have four mowers, the oldest of which is 50 and they all live on a concrete floor in an out-house and seem OK

[R Tallentire]

I’ve just fitted a new engine and wheels to a Hayterette and assembled it on a Workmate. If your proposed workbench with vice is big enough, that is fine for working on it, handles removed, they don’t take up a lot of room. As for a moveable tool bench, I always considered them to be an indulgence, until I tried one. I was a mechanic on “mobile plant” in a large factory, one of my workmates found an old hospital medicine trolley (thrown out by the sick room) and converted it to a mobile tool bench. From taking the “pee” about it, to making one for myself, took about a fortnight. I have also always left mowers etc, on the floor, but had the workshop flooded, and several small engines submerged in the great Wyre valley flood about 6 weeks ago. Didn’t hear about it? We got 63mm in three hours, the more recent floods “down south” were caused by 37mm of rain.

As for your carburettor, don’t touch it unless you have a problem.

[Growster...]

I used a workmate for our Mountfield, and it was fine, as I could get all around it.

If it's too heavy to lift up, (I struggled), just get a plank and ease it up onto the top, bit by bit!

[DanielCoffey]

Thanks for the replies... some good thoughts in there.

I do like the idea of a small bench I can set up outside. Whether it is a workmate or just a couple of saw-horses with some 3/4" ply on the top, I think getting into the daylight and fresh air when working on a petrol engine is going to be sensible.

Is the workmate big enough to tip a typical petrol mower on its side? I will want to do that to get the blades off and clean the underside of the deck occasionally. I can certainly lift it up. It weights 31kg unfilled. Apologies for mixing units but it is an 18" cut width so is a reasonable size.

Funny story here... I know I can lift it onto a bench because it currently has to live inside a first-floor flat (yes, I know the petrol is a hazard but it is necessary). I lost one and a half mowers from the communal stair which is what forces me to keep this one inside. The first mower was only chained to a bolt with a light chain and it only lasted a few months before it was gone. I got it replaced on the insurance and the thief came back within a week of the new mower being chained up again (with a much heavier chain).

I had wrapped the chain all around the grass box as well as the mower. He came into the communal stair at 09:15 and cut the new chain. Of course bolt cutters are a two-handed tool so the chain fell onto the grass box and made a racket. I burst through the door and ran down the stairs. He bolted and disappeared. Now for the funny bit... his car was outside. It was a Volvo Estate with the back up, grass clippings all over, space for a mower and a petrol can. I phoned the Police, stood next to the car until they arrived then they towed it! I assume he had tossed the bolt cutters over a wall and lurked in the hope of recovering his car and sadly I don't know what happened after that.

Satisfying as heck though!

[AlaninCarlisle]

Yes, that outcome would have pleased me too