Summer heat hits mowers hard. Long days, dry lawns, and thick growth all add extra pressure. If your mower has been parked up through winter, the first warm weeks can expose every weak point it has. Here’s what hot weather actually does, and how to stop small issues becoming repair jobs.
Hot days put extra strain on air cooled engines, especially if they haven’t been cleaned in a while. Dust sitting on the cooling fins or packed under the shrouds traps heat and makes the engine run rough once it warms up. Clearing out debris around the cooling system is one of the quickest ways to keep things running steady.
Airflow matters too. Summer dust clogs air filters fast, and a blocked filter can make the mower feel underpowered or blow black smoke. A fresh air filter helps the engine breathe properly and keeps temperatures down.
Uneven cutting is often caused by one soft tyre rather than a problem with the deck itself. Even a slight drop in pressure on one side will tilt the deck and leave the lawn looking uneven. Pumping the tyres evenly between 12 psi and 20 psi usually fixes the issue straight away.
Then there are blades. Dry summer grass dulls blades faster than spring growth does. A dull blade tears instead of cutting, which not only looks rough but puts more load on the engine. If the lawn looks ragged even after a fresh mow, the blades might be the culprit.
Pulleys can also heat up quickly when they’re worn. A pulley that’s a bit loose or noisy in cooler months becomes noticeably worse once things get hot. If a pulley seizes, it destroys the belt almost instantly, so it’s worth spinning them by hand to make sure they’re smooth.
Fuel can cause trouble in the heat as well. Old petrol breaks down, makes starting difficult, and can clog the filter. If your mower’s been sitting since early winter, fresh fuel and a clean filter make a bigger difference than most people expect.
Quick tip: Knock grass and dust off the deck after each mow. Clean airflow keeps temperatures down, stops belts slipping, and gives you a neater cut.
A bit of attention during the hot months keeps your mower running cooler, cutting cleaner, and far less likely to quit on you when the grass is high and the sun’s beating down.