How to Buy A Used Lawn Mower and Avoid A Lemon

This guide will outline what you, as the buyer, should consider when purchasing a used lawn mower; what potential pitfalls to avoid and how to spot a diamond in the rough and save money. Before forking over any of your hard earned cash, it is imperative that you inspect the various components, as well as the overall working condition of the lawn mower. Buying used is becoming a more viable option as the cost of even entry level lawn mowers has increased substantially. Furthermore, if you are interested in learning how to maintain your used lawn mower, please refer to our many blog posts that teach how the average DIYer can do so, while saving both their time and money.

Many used lawn mowers if well maintained can last for many seasons of headache free use!

Let's Begin with the Price

A basic, entry level used lawn mower in perfect running condition should garner a price tag of about 80-125 dollars.

Add self-propelled transmissions, a bagger attachment and some other bells and whistles such as electric key starts, mulching capability, side chutes, auto-chokes and the used price tag can be expected to jump to about 150-250, depending on appearance and in some cases brand name. These are the general figures related to residential level mowers. They can fluctuate depending on your area and whether a lawn mower is of a commercial grade, in which case you would expect a higher price tag. This information will help you gauge good deals on the used lawn mower market in your area.

Assess Initial Appearance

Whether looking at a Facebook Marketplace picture or viewing in person, does the mower appear clean and presentable? Usually but not always, if a lawn mower is extremely dirty in appearance more often than not you can assume its maintenance to have been neglected. However since most people are aware of this, a clean mower is not always indicative of a well maintained one.

Ask about Service History

Ask the seller if they performed any maintenance themselves or if they had it professionally serviced. Also ask if they can include the owner's manual in the sale if it is available. If the mower is currently in running condition someone must have been maintaining it, next we'll reveal what to look at to determine how well it was for yourself.

Assess Engine Oil

Ask the seller politely if you may check the engine oil. Locate the oil dipstick, have a clean rag or some paper towel handy and on a relatively level surface, remove the oil dipstick wipe clean and reinsert. Remove and check the oil level and appearance. Is it to the full mark? Is it bronze or a clear tan color, or is it black and sludgy? You want to see clean and clear oil. Does it smell of gas? This can indicate fuel system problems. Pro Tip: Some manufacturers require the dipstick to be threaded back into the oil fill hole to check accurately, while others do not. Make sure you are following the manufacturer's proper method for the specific model you are planning to purchase.

Engine oil fill hole where dipstick is located

This is a sample of clean engine oil on the lower mark needing a top off

Assess Air Filter

All lawn mowers require an engine air filter to protect the internals of the engine from harmful abrasives potentially ingested while in operation. A quick glance at the air filter can reveal the health of the engine. Ask politely if you can see the engine air filter. Does it appear clean? If it is the foam style is it properly oiled? Otherwise it will not be effective in trapping abrasives.

A typical paper style filter

A typical foam style filter; these need to be lightly oiled

Other Things to Glance Over

If equipped with fuel line, does it appear cracked? Does the spark plug wire have tears or electrical tape repairs? Does the muffler feel loose? Pro Tip: Place your hand over the engine does it feel warm as if it has been started before you arrived to view it in person? This may indicate potential starting issues the seller is trying to prevent you from seeing as a warmer engine is easier to start.

How is the Deck?

The deck is the metal shell that the engine is bolted onto. Do you see any rust, holes or cracks? A lawn mower with a price tag similar to the ones mentioned earlier in this article should have a pristine deck with none of these issues. A mower with a hole in the deck should be avoided as it poses a safety risk for the operator and bystanders. Rocks and other debris can be thrown through these holes by the spinning blade.

How is the Blade?

Again, ask the seller politely if you can assess the blade. Be sure to tilt the lawn mower correctly as outlined in our article here: How to Properly Tilt Your Lawn Mower On Its Side: Your Probably Doing It Wrong! Look for nicks, dents, dullness or cracks. Ask if it has been sharpened recently. Chunks or dents may indicate that an obstruction such as a rock has been hit by the blade. With the spark plug disconnected spin the blade by hand and look at the distance between the outer edge of blade and the underside of the deck. Is the gap consistent all the way around during the travel of the blade or does the gap shrink and or expand? If so then the blade and or the crankshaft may be bent. A bent crankshaft is not an advisable repair and usually warrants an engine replacement in residential level lawn mowers.

The gap between the blade and deck should be consistent all the way around

If Everything Looks Good Ask to Start It

Ask if you may start the lawn mower. There should be a safety bar that must be pressed and held down, before you pull the starter rope. For more information on how to start a lawn mower refer to our article here: How to Start Your Lawn Mower-For the Beginner: A Step-By-Step Guide Expect a well maintained lawn mower to start within 1-3 pulls. Some mowers have different starting procedures; ask the seller to show you if necessary. Another component to be mindful of is the blade brake cables. Are they free moving or are they difficult to move and close to seizing? They should move freely if you expect them to last. Avoid buying a used lawn mower with the blade brake cables bypassed to avoid having to use them in order to start the lawn mower, as this poses serious safety hazards!

What to Look For While its Running

While the mower is running look for any vibrations. Is the engine violently shaking? This may indicate internal engine problems, a bent crankshaft, or a bent blade. Is there any smoking while running? If there is a little black smoke at start up this usually means a carburetor or fuel related issue. If white or bluish smoke is present this may indicate oil consumption issues, or that the lawn mower was overfilled with oil or tilted incorrectly. Now is the perfect time to engage the self-propel transmission. Do the wheels spin freely? Are the treads on the drive wheels worn excessively? This indicates a well used lawn mower. Does the engine surge, or sputter? Any unusual noises of knocking or pinging? These warrant further investigation if encountered.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/5cb4b2_5233353f2085433892165e72ec5da9de/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

This is an example of a lawn mower that is running much too fast and wont last much longer as its RPMs are set far too high and this will cause eventual catastrophic engine failure

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/5cb4b2_a59c86855a1c4def80a45263ccdf9687/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

Sample of the sound of a properly running lawn mower

Perform a Test Cut

If possible test cut some grass with the lawn mower. Does it bag, side discharge or mulch the grass as it should? In relatively short grass does it bog down and stop? In exceedingly tall grass this engine behaviour is to be expected, but in grass of a reasonable height you plan to cut this would be a red flag.

Final Words on How to Buy a Used Lawn Mower

By following the above mentioned checks before deciding on which used lawn mower to buy you can rest assured that you will be saving yourself a lot of potential headaches and money caused by buying a lemon used lawn mower!