UK's Popular Lawn Mower Clinic Expands to Take More Clients
LEXINGTON, Ky., (March 23, 2017) – In past years, the University of Kentucky’s popular lawn mower clinic has filled up fast. This year, the group from the College of Agriculture, Food and Environment is adding a second clinic to handle demand. Students in the UK Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering will host clinics March 23-26 and March 30-April 2 to sharpen mower blades and their skills.
Blade sharpening isn’t the only service included in the $35 fee. Students will also change the oil, clean and gap spark plugs, thoroughly clean the mower including the air filter and drain the fuel system. New spark plugs will cost an additional $5.
The goal for the clinic is to provide preventive maintenance for the upcoming season. Students are not able to offer repair services for broken machines. Organizers can only accept a limited number of mowers, so reservations are a must.
To reserve a spot, email BAE.lawnmowers@gmail.com or call 859-218-4329 and make sure to include name, phone number, make and model of mower, drop-off date and whether the mower needs a new spark plug. New online registration is available this year through Google Sheets. The link is http://bit.ly/2mWUssK.
Participants should bring their mowers to the Agriculture Machinery Research Laboratory at 411 Stadium View Alumni Drive in Lexington between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. EDT, on March 23 or March 30. Pick up is March 26 and April 2 between 9 a.m. and noon. Owners may be able to pick up their mower on the preceding Saturday, if the mower is ready. This year the BAE students are offering pickup and drop-off within 10 miles of the shop for $15 each. Make checks payable to BAE Student Branch.
Clinic organizers are not able to accept reel mowers, garden tractors or riding mowers, and all machines must be operational.
Because of the difficulties of servicing Honda mowers, those machines will cost an additional $10 to offset the additional time and effort to adequately service them.
The lawnmower clinic is the biggest annual fundraiser for the UK BAE Student Branch.