Monthly Archives: September 2017

Tips for Buying a Used Honda Mower

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Tips for Buying a Used Honda Mower

A used Honda mower can be a great addition to your lawn care arsenal, whether you want a spare mower for your landscaping business or you’d like something that’s the price of a big box store mower without having to settle for low quality. It’s also a good time of the year to pick up a mower as owners pick up new models on end-of-season sales and make plans to move before next spring. If you decide to go this route, what should you look for?

Checking the Engine

Honda’s legendary reliability aside, engines are usually the last thing to break on mowers. However, there are a few things worth checking before testing the mower:

The air filter should be easily accessible and can usually be opened without tools. Wipe off any debris and check for damage: if the elements are full of dirt, it’s likely that the rest of the mower hasn’t been taken care of, either.

The general engine condition can be assessed by checking the spark plug. If the electrode end is light gray or brown, everything is running correctly. Ash indicates misfiring, oily build-up indicates oil or too much gas in the combustion chamber, and soot is caused by a rich fuel mixture, usually caused by a clogged air filter.

Look down through the screen next to the starter to inspect the flywheel. It’s held onto the stub shaft by a small square key. If the key is missing, the ignition timing will be off. If the holes for the key are damaged, the flywheel or crankshaft may need to be replaced, which is a difficult and costly repair.

Deck

Minor surface rust is nothing to worry about, but dents can hamper the mower’s ability to generate a vacuum to pull grass towards the blade. Severe dents can shift the position of the engine mount, making the blade cut at an angle.

Check the levers to make sure they move freely and the cables are moving parts on the engine and deck. If it has a bag, take it off and make sure the rear of the deck opens all the way when the mower is set to bagging mode.

Check the condition of the blades and underside of the deck. When tipping a walk-behind mower, always tilt it so that the carburetor and fuel tank are pointed up. There should be no play in the blade. If it’s cracked or worn, it will need to be replaced. Uneven wear can cause vibrations when running.

Testing the Mower

Before starting the motor, make sure there’s oil inside the crankcase and the fuel line is free of cracks to ensure your test run won’t end with a damaged motor or a fire. The dipstick is designed to measure fuel when placed at the edge of the filler neck; if it’s pushed or screwed in, the oil level will read too high.

Make sure to ask about how old the fuel in the tank is: modern gas doesn’t age well, which can lead to hard starting. Even when treated with a stabilizer, fuel shouldn’t be used if over three months old.

Scalloping indicates a misaligned blade. This may be a matter of the wheels not being at the same height setting, but if they’re equal, there is something wrong with the deck or blade.

If the blade looked fine during the inspection, severe vibrations are likely due to a bent engine shaft, which is a costly and difficult repair.

Your Used Mower’s First Service

Even if the mower you bought was properly maintained, there are a few things you should do to ensure your mower is ready to use:

– Drain the fuel system and add new fuel. Some models have a sediment cup on the carburetor that will need to be cleaned.

– Change the oil.

– Clean the air filter. Foam elements can be washed with a non-flammable solvent or soap and water, then saturated with clean engine oil. Paper elements can be tapped against a hard surface to loosen dirt.

– Sharpen and balance the blade.

– Lubricate the cables. Some models have sealed cables which don’t require maintenance.

Getting Parts for Your “New” Mower

Hondalawnparts.com is a certified Honda Power Equipment dealer, and our massive warehouse helps us keep popular items in stock for fast shipping across the U.S. and Canada. Our site has built in factory information including parts diagrams and descriptions, making it easy to find what you need to get your mower running like new.

How to Test Your Lawn’s Soil

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honda fertilizerTesting soil is standard practice for professional landscapers, but if you’re new to this process, it can be daunting. How do you know you’re getting a good sample, and how do you act on the results?

Preparing a Soil Sample

If you have areas that need different soil characteristics, say, a lawn and a flower garden, you should perform a test for each area. The soil should be dry and all tools should be cleaned beforehand to ensure a reliable reading. Make sure to get the sample sent in at least a couple weeks ahead of when you plan on fertilizing to ensure you’ll have the results in on time.

Start by digging several holes 6-8 inches deep. These holes should be spaced out around the soil and include areas where plants are thriving and failing.

Slice into the side of each hole all the way down and place into a bucket. Once you have soil from each hole, mix it together and spread it out on a newspaper. Once it’s dry, it can be packaged and sent to the lab.

Understanding Test Results

The results you get from your soil test will vary: most DIY kits only test acidity, while a test from your local extension office will include nutrient information so that you can apply the correct chemicals and fertilizers to help your lawn flourish. What do these results mean?

Soil Acidity
Acidity is rated in pH, which is a number between 1 and 14. 7 is neutral, while lower numbers are acidic or “sour,” and higher numbers are alkaline or “sweet.” Most plants thrive in soil with a pH of 6.2-7.2, while some plants including blueberries and rhododendrons prefer more acidic soil. Soil is usually alkaline in the central and southwest U.S, and acidic in the rest of the country.

Nutrients
This includes phosphorus (P,) potassium (K,) calcium (Ca,) magnesium (Mg,) and sulfur (S.) Micronutrients including iron, manganese, copper, zinc, and boron may also be listed in areas with sandy soils.

Toxic chemicals
Aluminum (Al) can harm root construction and reduce phosphorus solubility, although acidic soil-loving plants are usually less affected. Aluminum is hard to extract, but decreasing soil acidity can reduce its solubility.
Lead (Pb) can be absorbed by plants, making it unsafe to eat vegetables grown in soil with a lead content higher than 300 ppm (parts per million.)

Adjusting pH

Acidic soils can be brought closer to neutral by using lime, which is simply powdered limestone.

Alkaline soils can be acidified with sulfur, gypsum, Sphagnum peat moss or organic compost. Peat moss can be expensive and compost may not be readily available, making sulfur and gypsum the most common treatments.

Picking the Right Fertilizer

While fertilizer blends are marketed for specific purposes, their function comes down to the formulation. Somewhere on the fertilizer bag will be a set of three numbers, such as “18-9-9.” These indicate the proportion of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, sometimes labeled “N-P-K.” The “P” stands for phosphate (P2O2) and the “K” refers to potash (K2O,) materials used to provide plant-available nutrients. Each number is a percentage, but these elements will never add up to 100 since part of the fertilizer needs to be fillers to make it easier to handle.

Each nutrient helps plants in different ways:

Nitrogen is a critical component for the manufacturing of chlorophyll, which is used by plants to capture and process sunlight. High nitrogen fertilizers are promoted for use with new seeds.

Phosphorus is used to build roots and helps plants flower, so it’s often sold as “bloom booster.”

Potassium helps with a wide range of functions including drought resistance, cold resistance and the building of roots and chlorophyll.

Your soil report will show you exactly what your top soil is deficient in, letting you apply fertilizer accordingly. Always err on the side of caution as too much of any nutrient can cause plant burning and even death.

Micronutrient fertilizers are also available, but since adverse effects are unlikely, these mixes include every micronutrient so they can correct any deficiencies.

Soil Additives

Other nutrients can be added using chemicals:

– Lime and gypsum add calcium.
– Lime and Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) add magnesium
– Gypsum, potassium sulfate, sul-po-mag, manure, and compost add sulfur

Since lime makes soil more alkaline and both sulfur and gypsum make it more acidic, these chemicals should be avoided if your soil already has the right pH.

Take the Work Out of Fertilizing

Whether you’re using your mower to mulch grass, turning garden soil with a tiller or using a spreader to deposit fertilizer, chances are that equipment is built by Honda or uses one of their engines. Where can you turn when you need to maintain or repair this equipment? www.hondalawnparts.com. We’re a certified dealer so we can provide you with the OEM parts you need, whether you live in the U.S. or Canada.

The Last Mow: Preparing Your Lawn for Winter

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preparing lawn for winter

Fall and winter are on their way, which means it’s time to think about last minute lawn care tasks that will help the grass come back to life in the spring. These tips will help you prepare your lawn for the winter from fall lawn care tasks to the final mow of the season.

Things to Do Before the Last Mow

To get the best lawn next spring, there are several tasks that should be completed before the grass goes into hibernation:

Aerating and dethatching – Dethatching removes the layer of grass stems and tough plant material that gathers on the surface of the soil while aerating loosens the top soil. Together, these increase the grass’ access to water and oxygen.

Fertilizing -While high nitrogen content mixes are usually recommended, your lawn will do a lot better if you match the fertilizer’s nutrient mix to the results of a soil test.

Overseeding – Planting seeds now can help fill in bald spots and increase the thickness across the lawn, while planting cool weather grasses can keep your lawn green longer.

Leaf control – Leaves should be mulched into the soil when possible. Excess leaves should be raked up and removed, by adding them to a mulch pile or sending them to a yard waste facility. Leaving them in place can create a mat of wet organic material that will increase the chance of snow mold and choke the grass when it comes out of dormancy in the spring.

When Should I Stop Mowing?

The final mow can come at any time between early October and early December depending on your local climate, weather and the type of grass on your lawn. Warm season grasses will go into dormancy early into the fall, while cool season grasses will keep growing into early winter. Growth rates should slow down as soon as leaves start falling off of the trees. If there is an early frost, it should halt the growth of warm season grasses, but some cool season grasses may bounce back. Freezing aside, expect to mow your lawn for the last time once temperatures are consistently below 40°F (4-5°C.)

What Height should the Grass Be After I Mow?

The final cut should leave the grass at a height of two inches, regardless of variety. This provides enough ground coverage to resist freezing without trapping moisture that can encourage mold growth. Long grass can also bend, reducing light contact. This slows down photosynthesis, which can keep the grass from building up the sugar stores it needs to last through the winter.

As always, only one-third of the grass should be cut at a time. If you have a normally tall-cut grass like Kentucky Bluegrass that will take more than one cut to get to that height, wait at least a week between each mow. This shouldn’t be a challenge since growth rates at the end of the season should slow to a point that mowing is only needed every two to four weeks.

What Should I Do After the Last Mow?

Get your mower ready for storage: Instructions for storing your mower can be found in the owner’s manual, and we have guides for storing many of Honda’s mowers on this blog. It’s also a good time to address issues like worn blades and sticky cables so your mower will be ready to go in the spring.

Shut off the sprinklers and drain the water lines so they won’t burst in freezing temperatures.

Cover perennials in mulch after the first hard freeze, taking care not to cover the crown. The freeze will put the plant into hibernation, while the added dirt will shield it from winter weather.

Get Your Mower Ready for Winter

When you’re ready to put your mower in storage for the season, visit www.hondalawnparts.com. We have everything you need for your Honda mower and Honda-powered equipment from maintenance items to major components. Our site has original factory diagrams and descriptions built in, making it easy to identify what you need, and we can ship your order to any location in the U.S. or Canada.

Technology: Honda’s Advantage in the Small Engine Market

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honda small engines

Why are Honda engines so popular in professional and high-end consumer outdoor equipment? Since its inception, Honda has been first and foremost an engine company. From aircraft to motorcycles, their engine technology has led the way with innovations like their legendary V-TEC valve control system and top-mounted jet engines. Small engines receive the same treatment with Honda consistently introducing new technologies to the market, making their offerings the most reliable, easiest to use engines on the market. Here are just a few of the features that make them so popular.

Mini 4 Stroke

Lawn professionals have a love/hate relationship with two stroke engines: on one hand, they deliver a lot of power for their size and don’t have any oil inside that can leak into the combustion chamber, making them ideal for handheld equipment. On the other hand, they’re difficult to start, use a lot of fuel, need their fuel mixed with oil, and are extremely sensitive to stale gas. It’s also looking like the two stroke’s days are numbered due to their high exhaust emissions: it’s hard to argue for this design’s future when workers who clean up roadsides get far more exposure to pollutants from their chainsaws and string trimmers than the thousands of vehicles that pass them by during each shift.

To address these problems, Honda designed an oiling system works at any angle, allowing them to build a small four stroke engine that can be turned and tosses around just like a two stroke. Along with other improvements including an efficient overhead cam head design, their line of Mini 4 Stroke motors are able to deliver near-two stroke power without all the two stroke’s disadvantages. They aren’t just better for the environment and easier to use, their low fuel and oil consumption means operating costs are half that of comparable two strokes.

Oil Alert – GX, iGX, V-Twin

Air cooled engines depend on oil for both lubrication and cooling, which means it doesn’t take long for a lack of oil to cause serious damage. Honda’s Oil Alert system links the ignition system to a sensor in the sump, shutting off the engine if the oil level is too low and preserving the engine.

Integrated ECU – iGX

The iGX has an ECU that controls the throttle, choke and ignition timing. These functions can be controlled using “drive-by-wire” systems, eliminating mechanical cabling that can rust. This allows engine settings to be programmed to fit the equipment’s needs, while the governor can adjust automatically to current conditions to maintain power. This reduces maintenance while making the engine easier to use, so it’s a perfect fit for rental equipment.

Variable Timing Ignition – GX, iGX, V-Twin

Timing on most small engines is controlled by the movement of the flywheel past the ignition coil, but with this technology, timing can be adjusted to fit current conditions and engine speed. That means easier start-up, increased fuel efficiency and more peak power.

Integrated Cylinder and Head – V-Twin

Since the cylinder and head are cast as a single unit, there’s no head gasket or bolts to fail, and there’s better heat transfer between these two sections of the engine, increasing reliability, particularly in harsh environments.

Lifetime Belt-Driven Overhead Cam – GC, GS, Mini 4 Stroke

Cam chains are noisy and heavy, while belts can stretch and break. By moving the belt inside the engine where it can be lubricated, Honda engineers have been able to make a belt drive system that will last the life of the engine, combining the advantages of chain and belt drives.

Automatic Mechanical Decompression – All Engines

On most engines, when you pull on the starter handle, you have to get the engine to spin past the compression stroke to start it. Honda uses a mechanical system on their motors that keeps the exhaust valve from closing completely, letting the air inside the motor pass through freely instead of being compressed. Once the engine is running, the system disengages and the cam acts normally, sealing the chamber for maximum power. Since this system is used on all of Honda’s modern engines, electric start versions need less battery power and can use smaller, lighter starter motors.

Easy Access to Parts

Honda has the technology to make small engines reliable and easy to use, while www.hondalawnparts.com makes it easy to get the parts you need to keep them running. Our search engine doesn’t just find parts, it shows you Honda’s own parts diagrams and lists factory descriptions so you can identify exactly what you need. No matter where you live in the U.S. or Canada, we can ship those parts to your door.