Buying a recycler lawn mower is costly on its own—but how much should you pay for it to get a full-service repair so it’s practically brand new again?
In a recent video, TikTok user @small.engine.repa, who works at a small engine repair shop in Cleveland, Ohio, showed viewers what goes into “lawn mower maintenance.” For this particular service, the worker said that he was running a special and that the upkeep would cost $65.
The workers’ nearly 2-minute long video, which has amassed more than 79,600 views as of Tuesday afternoon, showed TikTokers how to properly clean a Toro recycler.
What does a ‘full service’ entail?
@small.engine.repa said that the customer who brought the lawn mower requested a “full service tune-up.” He then proceeded to show viewers “what that consists of.”
First, the worker sprayed the entire mower with a white foamer. “We spray foam it and let it set for a minute,” he said.
Then, he power washed the mower. Already, the mower appeared to get most of its red color back—which had been previously disguised by dirt and grime.
After the mower was sufficiently clean, @small.engine.repa brought it into what looked like a workshop.
“Now we got it on the table… what we’re going to do is take out this air filter and put a new one in,” he said.
To finish the job, he said he gave the mower a fresh oil change, put air in its tires, and changed its spark plug. “Out with the old, in with the new,” he said.
In the comments section, @small.engine.repa said that the entire service cost $65, but other experts said that prices can vary.
“I’m at $85 includes removing and thoroughly cleaning [the] carburetor and replacing with fresh fuel plus seafoam,” one commenter said. “I prefer to hand wash opposed to power washing. I don’t use water.”
Indeed, other users confirmed that the cost for a full-service maintenance can be upwards of $150.
“Every shop is going to have their price,” the first commenter replied. “Maybe that shop just has a lot of overhead.”
Why do you need a recycler lawn mower?
To be clear, recycler lawn mowers are far from cheap. The Toro brand, in particular, sells mowers ranging from $369 to $679, according to its website. But there are benefits to getting a recycler versus a regular lawn mower.
For instance, Toro’s products recycle your grass clippings back into your grass for both a faster cut and healthier lawn. Toro also boasts that its recyclers chops grass into bite-sized pieces and spreads them over your lawn to return nutrition back to your turf.
Regular lawn mowers, by comparison, might entail bagging and transporting grass clippings to a secondary location.
Viewers weigh in on the mower’s maintenance
Even if the cost of repairs varies, many users were impressed by @small.engine.repa’s work. Some viewers questioned what, specific, products he used to clean the mower, while others said they wanted a similar service done to their lawn mower.
“I need that done to mine,” one man wrote.
“Bro where did you get that foamer?” another asked.
“Good work as usual,” a third viewer said.
Of course, there were a fair share of naysayers in the comments section, too. Most said that they worked in a similar field to @small.engine.repa and claimed that they would’ve cleaned the mower differently.
“If you’re doing a full service you should be cleaning the carburetor bowl, checking the valve gap, and cleaning the cooling fence,” one worker said.
“So much wrong with this,” another added. “Worked on small engines for years. Unfortunately most stuff now is pre-set due to EPA standards.”
“That’s the way to keep them coming back skipping out on services,” a third person wrote. “Should’ve replaced blade and cleaned out carb.”
@small.engine.repa Lawnmower maintenance #creatorsearchinsights #lawnmower #lawntok #maintenance #fyp #fypシ゚viral ♬ original sound – small engine repair shop
The Daily Dot has reached out to @small.engine.repa via TikTok comment.
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