Get matched with top lawn tool repair specialists in Sautee Nacoochee, GA

The American ideal of a large, perfectly-manicured lawn is tied to the post-World War II suburban housing boom. In the decades that followed, technological advances made self-propelled mowers more affordable and plentiful. Many Americans came to see reel mowers as old-fashioned, inconvenient, and time-consuming, and they eventually fell out of fashion.  

A standard home lawn mower with sharp blades can handle a thin layer of leaves without issue. You may need to make a couple of passes within several days to mulch leaves down, but your mower shouldn’t struggle. If your mower comes with a mulching kit, like an attachment to blow leaves out the side, that’s a good sign it’s ready for fall leaves. Set your mower to the highest or near-highest height for this project so it focuses on the leaves rather than the grass below.

Sometimes dark smoke trailing out of your lawn mower is the result of excess oil. It smokes as it burns off. Other times, it could signal a problem with the combustion or contaminated fuel. If changing the fuel and cleaning your mower doesn’t help, call a professional (especially if the smoke is white).

In many cases, it might be cheaper to repair your lawn mower than to replace it, depending on what needs to be repaired. The cost to replace a lawn mower dramatically varies, from $60 for basic models to over $15,000 for the top-of-the line models. 

Small repairs like a spark plug replacement can be as little as $20, so replacing the whole lawn mower wouldn’t make much sense. However, repairing a crankshaft could be much more expensive at $500 to $900, so depending on the age of your mower, it might be best to replace it. It’s best to speak with your lawn mower repair technician to determine which option is best for you.