A lawn mower can be a life-saver if you have a lawn or a backyard with grass. Nowadays, more advanced mowers are widely used in almost every house. But, there is a matter of concern on how to adjust the RPM of a lawn mower.
A lawn mower contains both a governor-arm and governor-spring. To adjust the RPM, you have to tighten or loosen the spring with pliers. You can do so by moving the governor-arm.
In this article, I will give you the complete guideline that you need to become a lawn mower nerd. Additionally, you will learn about the RPM difference between electric and gasoline mowers.
How Do You Adjust RPM on a Lawn Mower?
If you are a new lawn mower owner or a new user, the functions and terms of a lawn mower are tricky. The RPM of any engine or lawn mower stands for Revolutions Per Minute. You must adjust it according to your need because it indicates how fast the lawn mower blades are moving.
First of all, you need to learn what RPM you want and the ideal RPM for your lawn mower. Sometimes, a higher RPM does not mean you must run your engine at that speed as you might damage your lawn mower. If you run your machine at a higher rate it can handle, then you may never be able to use it again. For that, I would always recommend you to check the specifications before buying or using a specific model.
Once you have learned about the RPM, try to run it for the first time without any tweaking. Generally, the RPM is set by the manufacturer at an ideal rate that is suitable for cutting grass. But, if you feel the power is not enough or too much for your needs, you can adjust it with some knowledge.
Try to locate the governor-arm and governor-spring on your lawn mower. Although sometimes, these two can be hidden under a cover, you can easily find them most of the time. The governor spring is the key to adjust your RPM. If you increase the spring tension, the RPM will be higher, and loosening the spring tension will reduce the RPM.
Use pliers to adjust the governor-spring, which is attached with the governor-arm, according to your need. As stated earlier, tightening or loosening the spring tension will increase or decrease the RPM. The higher the RPM, the more easily and quickly it will cut the grass with its blades.
After adjusting the RPM, you need to find out the exact RPM your lawn mower is running. To get the RPM reading, you can use a digital tachometer. Those are affordable and can be found online or at your local mechanical shop. Hold it near the spark plug while running the machine. After a few seconds, the tachometer will show the RPM.
RPM on a Typical Gasoline Lawn Mower
Nowadays, the government controls the gas-powered lawn mowers’ RPM because the more RPM your engine produces, the more carbon it emits. To be specific, the authorities regulate the speed of the blade tip.
A typical walk-behind lawn mower runs at 2,900 RPM, which is slightly less than the ideal speed. The perfect rate for a lawn mower is around 3,200 RPM because, at this speed rate, you can easily cut down grass quickly.
No matter what RPM of your engine is running at, there is always a way to adjust your machine’s running rate. You just need to know how to properly tweak it.
Usually, a gasoline-powered lawn mower provides more power than its counterparts. Its power source can contain and deliver lots of energy, and you can get higher RPM from it.
The size of a lawn mower’s blade also plays a vital role in the grass cutting rate. You must use the appropriate length of the blade with a particular engine. If you use a 19” blades engine with 24” blades, it will overpower the lawn mower and might lead to a severe injury.
RPM on a Typical Electric Lawn Mower
Typically, an electric lawn mower is less powerful than oil-powered machines, although more efficient. Its RPM depends on the power supply, and it comes with around 2,800 RPM.
The motor of an electric lawn mower gets its energy through a power cord or battery. Usually, a power cord attached lawn mower gives more power than a battery-packed lawn mower. However, a battery-packed lawn mower is more convenient because you can move it without a limited length cable.
Electric lawn mowers are more than enough for slow-growing and small grasses. They lag in cutting fast-growing warm-climate grasses for their low RPM. The RPM of an electric mower cannot reach the necessary speed due to power limitations.
When it comes to pricing and maintenance costs, electric mowers are way more cost-effective than gasoline mowers. In the electrically powered segment, cordless mowers are more expensive than those with a power cord due to their batteries.
Electric mowers are also eco-friendly because their carbon emission rate nears 0%, whereas the governments strictly regulate oil-powered mowers for their carbon emissions rate.
To sum up, the RPM of an electric mower can be much less than that of a gasoline mower, but if you have a small lawn with tiny grasses, then it may be perfect for you. Moreover, it is more efficient and eco-friendly than other types of lawn mowers.
