How to Improve Lawn Mower Suction? 6 Ways to Get Your Yard in Shape?

Maintaining a lawn is not a cakewalk. You have to work tirelessly to make your lawn look beautiful and well-kept. You also need help with different tools and knowledge to overcome lawn challenges.

One of the most important tools in a lawn is a lawnmower. You can’t do without these if you want your garden to look nice and tidy. But do they work efficiently all the time? Unfortunately, no. You need to maintain the lawnmower’s suction to ensure proper grass trimming. Only then will your lawn look well-kept. But how do you know if your lawnmower has any problems?

Unquestionably, the mowing capability is based on accurately clipping grass. You can know by checking the grass clippings. If these clippings are uneven, you can be sure your lawnmower isn’t performing well. After all, what’s the use of a lawnmower if it cannot clip grass?

In this article, we will explain in detail on How to improve your Lawn Mower’s suction and get your Yard in shape.

Why is My Lawnmower Not Picking up My Grass?

A lawnmower is among the most useful tools, but like any other machine, it can malfunction. However, suppose you notice that it is not clipping grass efficiently. In that case, it’s high time you solved the issue!!

Here are some of the common reasons for your lawn mower not doing its job of picking grass properly:

• There is a clog in the grass bag.
• The lawnmower’s blade is not in proper condition
• You are cutting too much grass at once
• You are cutting grass from too low
• Your cutting deck is dirty
• The grasses are wet

The points mentioned above are just a few reasons your lawn mower isn’t functioning as it’s meant to. There can be more!! Whatever the reason may be, it interferes the efficiency!

You need to follow the right steps to determine and solve the problem. Then your mower will be back to being usable.

Let’s say you have a clog in the grass bag. Then it won’t function properly, right?

The first thing you need to do is clean the grass bags! However, some people use water to clean them first up. To those people, I would suggest emptying the grass bag first and then using a brush to clean them.

Do Lawnmowers Create Suction?

Yes! Lawnmowers do create suction! It allows them to create more vacuums to cut the grass more efficiently. It has two blades to alter suction levels.

The lift of the moving blade creates a flow of air which helps the blade create a force that will cut through the grass. They tend to make a partial vacuum, which lets you create pressure to do what you need. But you need to know more if the pressure resembles a vacuum cleaner.

Common Issues With Lawn Mower Suction

If you have a lawnmower, you should know the challenges you will face. As discussed, the mower’s suction is similar to a vacuum cleaner in its functioning.

The moving blade’s life creates airflow. It helps the blade to create a force and cut through the grass. Also, it often creates a partial vacuum, which helps in suction. Now that you have got an idea of how a lawn mower functions let’s dig into some of the common problems that a Lawn Mower faces concerning suctioning:

1. Dull/Damaged Blades

You will not even know when your mower’s blade got damaged or dull. But if this happens, it will reduce the efficiency of your mower.

So, how do you know if the blades are dull or damaged? Turn the blades upside down, and you’ll notice it.

If you find them damaged or dull, consider replacing the blades. The type of blade you need depends on your lawn mower’s make and model.

Replacing the lawnmower’s blades is a relatively easy task. You can easily do it even if you are new to lawnmowers. Once you replace the blades, you’ll notice the mower’s efficiency has greatly increased.

2. Clogs in The Air Filters

Another major problem that every other lawn mower face is “air filter clogging.” If this is the problem, there will be less airflow, making it difficult to generate force. A dirty air filter can also make the lift go down. It makes the lawnmower less effective.

3. Damaged Drive Belt

The drive belt is another important factor determining the efficiency of your mower’s suction. If your mower has a loose/damaged drive belt, then there is a high chance that your mower is less effective.

Most of the time, a broken drive belt must be replaced with a new one. It makes the system even more efficient.

4. Dirty Carburetor

A dirty carburetor is another common reason a lawnmower won’t pull air in. Henceforth, you won’t be able to lift, too, making the process less efficient.

The dirty carburetor is easy to change; the same is true for the clean one. It helps a lot if you also clean the carburetor. But if cleaning doesn’t work, you should repair the carburetor for the best results.

5. Unreliable Cutting Height

The height of your machine must be changed depending on how tall the grass is. Therefore, you might not get the best results if the height is too low.

Make sure you can change the height for your Lawn Mower to function optimally.

How to Improve Lawnmower Suction?

If you see that the suction of your lawn mower is not working properly, then the first thing you need to do is take immediate action!! Hence, this ensures you can handle suctions without major hard work.

If you leave the lawn mower in this state for a long time, you might have to buy a new one. Small damages can be major soon if left unattended for a long!

We’ve discussed some of the best and most efficient ways to improve the lawnmower’s power.

Step 1: Avoid Mowing Wet Grass

Have you ever tried mowing wet grass? If so, we’re about to drop some knowledge on you: don’t do it! Your mower needs top-notch suction power if you want to tackle damp turf successfully, and even then, it isn’t ideal. Want to know the reason?

Wet grass makes things tough on those poor little blades – they’ll need help to cut through properly and won’t be near as efficient as they should be. Even high-quality mowers can only partially overcome this issue!

Our advice? Give your lawn time to dry out on its own before picking up that mower again. Trust us – once things are nice and dry, you’ll notice that everything goes much more smoothly, and there are no issues with suction power whatsoever. This one simple tip could save you plenty of headaches!

Step 2: Replace The Worn Out Blades

For the lawn mower to function efficiently, ensure the blades are in top working condition to function at their optimum level.

However, if the blades are worn out, you will notice that many problems will emerge. Usually, such blades have two edges- cut and sail. The sail edge’s work is to cut the grass and ensure it is back to the deck. It also takes care of the airflow generation. Unfortunately, only a few people know this due to a lack of knowledge. But the blade’s sail edge is susceptible to easy damage.

Once the sail edge gets damaged, it is much easier for the suction to lose its charm and become more ineffective than you think. In such a case, you will have to replace the blade and get one that will enhance the efficiency of the blade manifold.

Step 3: Clean The Air Intake

As we know, the air intake gives the engine the oxygen it needs, making the pressure needed to pick up grass cuttings and other waste. Less air will get to the engine if clogged, weakening the pressure.

Therefore, you must ensure to clean the air intake regularly. You can clean out the entry with a stiff brush or compressed air if it has dirt, grass clippings, or other junk.

Step 4: Clean The Deck

Over time, grass clippings, leaves, and other garbage can build up on the deck and block the airways that help create pressure. Stop the mower and take out the spark plug to clean the deck.

Then, clean the deck of any dirt that has built up. If the deck is dirty, remove it from the mower and clean it well.

Step 5: Change The Height of The Cut

To keep your lawn looking pristine all summer while extending the life of your mowing equipment, consider adjusting its mowing heights accordingly.

Mowing too close can make it hard to gather clippings and other yard waste because not enough pressure will be produced by blades contacting ground materials.

The alternate scenario presents itself if you aim too high: reducing airflow passages which in turn may affect the pulling power of the mower. Therefore, it’s best always to adapt the cutting height to match your lawn grass type, ensuring optimal drag and performance.

Step 6: Change Out The Air Filter

An efficient air filter is essential to prevent detrimental foreign substances, such as dirt and debris, from entering your lawnmower’s internal system and causing destruction.

However, with continuous use over time, this vital component has an excessive pile-up of waste. It produces decreased airflow into the engine leading to reduced suction prowess for mowing tasks.

Installing a new air filter regularly (yearly or every hundred operational hours) will enhance continued strong performance results for your lawnmower’s proper functioning.

FAQ’s

Conclusion

Lawnmowers are essential if you are a proud owner of a yard. Further, improving the suction of your mower does not have to be tiresome! You can follow the simple steps outlined in this blog, and if there isn’t any long-term damage, your mower will be back in its pre-existing condition soon.

The efficiency of the mower greatly depends on the parts! Further, the overall efficiency will increase when you give proper attention to each part.

If any part faces a problem, you need to replace or repair that part instead of buying a new mower. Happy Mowing!!