Cost to Tune Up a Lawn Mower – 2021

| Last Updated: August 23, 2021

National Average Improvement and Repair Cost

Pro

DIY

Hours:

2

3.5

Cost:

$ 85

$ 25

Would you do this project? According to our survey, 54% of respondents preferred DIY compared to hiring a pro.

The average price to Tune Up a Lawn Mower noted above is cost data to compare a contractor’s estimate with doing it yourself.

What’s the cost to tune up a lawnmower? To tune up a lawnmower, a repair service charges $85, but a handy homeowner can do it for only $25.

To keep your lawn looking well-manicured maintain the mower on a regular basis. It’s the workhorse of yard work, so keep it working at peak performance throughout the growing season.

Just like your car needs regular maintenance to keep it operating, so does your lawnmower; it’s a job even a first-time do-it-yourselfer can tackle. And it’s important to the health and growth of your lawn because dull blades rip grass blades apart instead of making a clean cut.

Use these figures to compare the costs. A lawn mower service or handyman will charge about $85 to tune up a typical four-cycle power mower, which includes the labor and material. You can do the tune-up for $25, the cost of the replacement parts, and save 71 percent. As you work, refer to the mower’s owner’s manual. If you don’t have one, go to the manufacturer’s website, where you’re likely to find it to download.

The easiest way to work on a mower is to raise it off the ground, so put it on a pair of workhorses so you can access all of its parts and undercarriage. The tune-up involves checking and replacing spark plugs and filters and sharpening the cutting blade. You need a socket or spark plug wrench, a file to sharpen the blade, and a drip pan to catch the old gas and oil you remove.

LawnStarter has this advice about the importance of sharpening lawn mower blades How to Sharpen Lawn Mower Blades.

You have to find an environmentally safe place to dispose of the old oil you remove.

To give your mower premium service, check the tires to ensure proper inflation. Then tighten all nuts, bolts, chain drives and belts, and lubricate moving parts or exposed metal to prevent rust. Check the manual to find out what type of lubricant to use.

Looking for a simple lawn care plan? Here’s a link to a good one from Essential Lawn and Garden 10 Step Lawn Care Plan. Scotts also has suggestions to create your lawn care plan My Lawn.

If you’re in the market for a new mower visit Best of Mowers.com for advice about choosing a mower that’s right for your size of lawn.

Wrapping up, given the average cost to tune up a lawnmower you can compare the price of a contractor’s bid with doing it yourself. 

Here are some other helpful guides:

Welcome! We hope you’ll find the job costs of home improvement projects useful when you’re deciding whether to do a job yourself vs. hire a contractor. We’re the authors of 20 home improvement books, most notably Home Improvement for Dummies©, Bathroom Remodeling for Dummies©, Carpentry for Dummies©, Plumbing for Dummies©, and Painting and Wallpapering for Dummies©. Our most recent book Fix It and Flip It is in its second edition. We’ve appeared as home improvement experts on television programs such as CNN, Dateline, the Today Show, HGTV and many others.