Give Your Lawn Mower the Maintenance It Deserves MOW LIKE A PRO By this point of the season, you’ve probably been mowing your lawn weekly or biweekly. Have you noticed your lawn mower is not running as well as it was at the beginning of the season or last summer? Like vehicles, lawn mowers need regular maintenance to run efficiently. While you can take your lawn mower to a small engine mechanic, many maintenance functions can be done in your backyard or garage. Here are a few things you should do to ensure your lawn mower runs properly in the coming weeks. Change the oil. Your lawn mower oil is much easier to change than your vehicle’s oil. Most sources recommend you change the oil after 50 hours of use or annually for push mowers and after 100 hours of use for riding mowers. Most lawn mowers use SAE 30 oil, but double-check your manual to see if there’s a different recommendation for your mower. Changing the oil is as easy as removing the spark plug, draining the old oil, and adding new oil. It shouldn’t take you very long, and the oil should cost less than $5.
Clean underneath your mower. After mowing your lawn for a few months, you’ll notice the underside of your lawn mower is caked with grass, dirt, and other debris. This can spread disease to your lawn, making it more difficult to push, and cause your mower’s blades to work inefficiently. To clean under your mower, ensure the gas tank is empty, and then put the mower on its side. Remove any debris wrapped around the blade and spray the mower with a garden hose, which should loosen up old grass and dirt so you can scrape it away. Replace the filter. You don’t want debris or dirt to clog your engine, so check your filter a few times yearly to see if you need to replace it. Your mower will use either paper filters that can be easily replaced or plastic foam filters that must be washed and air-dried. Just be sure to disconnect the spark plugs before removing your filter!
Hoisin-Glazed Pork Chops
TAKE A BREAK
Inspired by TheModernProper.com
These savory and sweet pork chops are covered in a flavorful hoisin glaze and take only 30 minutes!
Ingredients
Directions
• 2 garlic
1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, simmer garlic, ginger, hoisin sauce, rice vinegar, and water. Whisk occasionally until mixture is fully incorporated (about 4 minutes). Set aside. 2. Lightly salt pork chops. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add sesame oil and wait until smoking. Place pork in skillet and cook until browned (3-4 minutes on each side, depending on thickness of pork chops). 3. Remove pork chops from skillet and transfer to a cutting board. Let rest for 5 minutes. 4. Drizzle hoisin mixture over pork chops and top with cilantro if desired.
cloves, minced • 2 tsp minced ginger • 1/3 cup hoisin sauce • 2 tbsp rice vinegar • 2 tbsp water • 4 boneless pork chops (about 2 lbs) • 3/4 tsp salt • 2 tbsp sesame oil • Cilantro (optional)
• 3 www.MelvinUpchurchSells.com
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