The fact of the matter is that some lawn mowers just aren’t as fast as their counterparts, and this can be frustrating, especially if you have a lot of grass to cut, or if you just aren’t getting the degree of neatness and uniformity that you would like.
But this poses the question: can you make a lawn mower faster, and if so, how?
Can You Make Them Faster?
Firstly, it is entirely possible to make a lawn mower go faster and become more overly efficient.
This doesn’t necessarily require any major tinkering with the overall mechanisms of the lawn mower, and can in fact be as simple as cleaning, lubricating, and exchanging certain components within the engine and the bodywork.
How To Improve The Speed
When it comes to improving the overall speed and performance of your lawn mower, there are a few things you can do here and there.
Change The Air Filter
Air filters get clogged over time – it is their purpose after all to catch dust and dirt.
However, if they become too clogged or full, they can begin to leak this debris into the engine itself, which could have detrimental effects on the engines performance over time.
By changing the filter, you are essentially giving your lawn mower a fresh set of lungs, and this can make all the difference when it comes to increasing the speed.
Checking/Changing The Oil
As with a car, it is important to check the oil levels of your lawn mower, and to change it if needs be.
This is because oil can run low, burn up, or otherwise degrade over time, and this can have an impact on the engine and performance.
For a push mower, it is recommended that you change the oil after around 50 hours of use – or about once every season. This will ensure that no pollutants, debris, or problems can get into the engine and hinder the effectiveness.
Altering The Governor Spring
If you want to get a little more technical, then you could also alter or change the length of the governor spring. The governor spring is a component within the engine that determines how much fuel can flow to the engine itself.
Increasing the length of the spring will increase the amount of fuel that can reach the engine, thus increasing the speed of the mower in turn.
However, this will mean that you probably burn through fuel more quickly than you normally would.
Keep It Topped Up
You should also ensure that your mower has plenty of fuel before each use – as this will ensure that it is operating at tip top efficiency.
If the mower is not full, then it is not operating at full capacity, and this can obviously hinder the speed and overall efficiency of the mower itself.
How To Make A Ride-On Mower Faster?
Of course, when it comes to ride-on mowers, many of the same rules apply – although some modifications do require a lot more work and attention, if only due to the size of the mowers.
Sharpen Blades
Firstly, you could sharpen the blades. This might sound simple enough, but people easily forget, and dull blades help to create resistance, a poor finish, and an overall slower speed.
The blades can be removed fairly easily, and then all you need is a sharpening stone, a honing rod, or an angle grinder to remove the dull edge and make the blades fit for purpose once more. You’ll be amazed at the difference it makes!
Larger Tires
This might sound strange, but having larger tires on your mower can actually help increase the speed and performance.
Firstly, you can cover more ground per wheel rotation, meaning you literally get where you need to be quicker. Secondly, you will not get caught up in long grass, or snagged on any other obstacles and plants that might slow you down.
Air Filter
Once again, always check your air filters – these can make all the difference to the capability of your mower, and a fresh filter can really improve the speed and performance of your engine, not to mention keeping it free from debris and dust.
Reduce The Weight
You could also try and reduce the weight of your mower.
This is just basic physics – less weight equals greater speed – and this can be done by removing excess paneling, removing the hood, or opting for new, lighter weight components that will keep your important systems protected while allowing for greater speed.
Larger Pulley
This is something of an infamous modification amongst lawn mower fanatics, and can help to substantially increase the speed of your ride-on mower overnight.
One pulley is generally connected to the engine, and the other stretching behind it. By changing the pulley, you can increase the speed of your mower, due to the stronger rotations that the engine and pulley can achieve.
However, it is worth bearing in mind that making such extensive alterations will undoubtedly void your warranty, meaning that any breakages – either natural ones or as a result of your tinkering – could mean you are stuck with the bill for a new one, as well as being without the prospect of a return or exchange.
Final Thoughts
And there we have it, everything you need to know about lawn mowers, and the way that you can make them faster and more efficient.
It’s true that lawn mowers are designed to go at certain speeds, and tampering with the mechanisms could cause them to either break down or cause damage and injury.
However, with the right knowhow, and the proper tools, modifications can be made to improve the overall speed and performance.
So if you want to improve your lawn mower, then why not give these methods a try? Something tells me you won’t be disappointed!
