How to Buy a Used Push Lawn Mower?

Answer 1

Buying a used push lawn mower, or ‘push mower’, can be an economical decision if you’re looking for a new lawn mower on a budget. However, while savings up to 75% off the retail price of a new mower are common with used lawn mower sales, that doesn’t mean that you’re always going to save money in the end by spending less initially. Here’s how to buy a good used lawn mower without being taken for a ride.

Finding cheap lawn mowers

The best place to find a lawn mower these days is in classified ads. While newspapers may carry listings, more times than not, classified ads website like Craigslist, and online marketplaces like eBay, are great locations to start looking.

Looking at a used lawn mower

Once you’ve found a potential candidate, you need to go and look at it. However, before you start looking, literally, at the aesthetics, you need to hear the lawn mower running and see it in action. Three things you’ll want to look for:

• Does the lawn mower start right away, or does it require a large number of ‘pulls’ before the mower starts?

• Does the mower seem to cut grass well, or does it seem overloaded when it’s being used?

• Is the lawn mower putting out a cloud of heavy smoke?

Some mowers need to be primed before they can start, and especially if it’s cold outside, it may very well take several tries to start a push mower. When the mower is running however, a health engine will not put out a thick cloud of smoke, and it should sound like it’s running consistently, not like somebody is revving the engine up and down. Finally, if the mower is not cutting grass, or it’s ‘bogging down’ with moderate use, you’ll either need to increase the speed of the mower, or consider that there may be a problem underneath the engine somewhere.

Used lawn mower buying tips

• If you see oil deposits on the head (area where the spark plug sits), the engine may need a new head gasket or piston rings. While changing rings can be a bit costly, if you’re buying a really cheap mower, the presence of a small amount of oil shouldn’t deter you from buying in most cases.

• When you buy a used lawn mower, always clean the air filter, change the spark plug, and change the oil before use unless it’s clear that the previous owner has done it already.

• Check the blade for sharpness. Sharpening a lawn mower blade isn’t usually expensive, but it’ll make mowing your lawn much easier.

• If possible, avoid buying a used self-propelled lawn mower. While the feature is nice in theory, having more mechanical parts on a used machine isn’t always to your advantage.

The great thing about lawn mowers, especially push mowers, is that if they’re running decently, they’ll likely get the job done for you. In fact, for the price of paying somebody to mow your lawn once or twice, you can have a mower that will last you for at least a couple of mowing seasons.

Answer 2

Buying a used push lawn mower, or “push mower’, can be an economical decision if you’re looking for a new lawn mower on a budget. However, while savings up to 75% off the retail price of a new mower are common with used lawn mower sales, that doesn’t mean that you’re always going to save money in the end by spending less initially. Here’s how to buy a good used lawn mower without being taken for a ride.

Finding cheap lawn mowers

The best place to find a lawn mower these days is in classified ads. While newspapers may carry listings, more times than not, classified ads website like Craigslist, and online marketplaces like eBay, are great locations to start looking.

Looking at a used lawn mower

Once you’ve found a potential candidate, you need to go and look at it. However, before you start looking, literally, at the aesthetics, you need to hear the lawn mower running and see it in action. Three things you’ll want to look for:

Does the lawn mower start right away, or does it require a large number of “pulls’ before the mower starts?

Does the mower seem to cut grass well, or does it seem overloaded when it’s being used?

Is the lawn mower putting out a cloud of heavy smoke?

Some mowers need to be primed before they can start, and especially if it’s cold outside, it may very well take several tries to start a push mower. When the mower is running however, a health engine will not put out a thick cloud of smoke, and it should sound like it’s running consistently, not like somebody is revving the engine up and down. Finally, if the mower is not cutting grass, or it’s “bogging down’ with moderate use, you’ll either need to increase the speed of the mower, or consider that there may be a problem underneath the engine somewhere.

Used lawn mower buying tips

If you see oil deposits on the head (area where the spark plug sits), the engine may need a new head gasket or piston rings. While changing rings can be a bit costly, if you’re buying a really cheap mower, the presence of a small amount of oil shouldn’t deter you from buying in most cases.

When you buy a used lawn mower, always clean the air filter, change the spark plug, and change the oil before use unless it’s clear that the previous owner has done it already.

Check the blade for sharpness. Sharpening a lawn mower blade isn’t usually expensive, but it’ll make mowing your lawn much easier.

If possible, avoid buying a used self-propelled lawn mower. While the feature is nice in theory, having more mechanical parts on a used machine isn’t always to your advantage.

The great thing about lawn mowers, especially push mowers, is that if they’re running decently, they’ll likely get the job done for you. In fact, for the price of paying somebody to mow your lawn once or twice, you can have a mower that will last you for at least a couple of mowing seasons.