Help Me Take Care Of My Lawn!

Spring has sprung!  Of course, living in Utah, we can never be 100% sure that one last snowstorm will sneak up on us, but for all intents and purposes, we are on the eve of a summer of outdoor fun and adventure.  One of the first steps to segue into spring and summer is by taking care of your lawn, which may or may not have been as battered as normal due to our mild winter.

When caring for your lawn, it's important take the appropriate steps to make sure that it is healthy, green, and beautiful.  Follow the basic steps below to ensure that your lawn is ready for summer barbecues, flag football games, and more.

1.     Follow the One-Third Rule – NEVER cut your grass more than one-third of its current height.  Taking more than that one-third is traumatizing on the grass plant and will lead to unhealthy, dying grass that is hard to treat.  If your lawn needs to be cut by more than this one-third rule of thumb, you can do it in stages over a few days.

2.     Cut Your Grass to the Highest Acceptable Height – By cutting your grass a little longer, you are ensuring that it retains water more than if it were short.  More retained water means greener grass.  While a short lawn may hold some visual appeal, your lawn will brown and the soil will quickly dry and lose crucial nutrients.

3.     Sharpen Your Mower Blades – Unsharpened mower blades take a toll on your grass, as that hack at the grass rather than cut it cleanly.  Grass that has been hacked at is damaged and more prone to not growing healthily.  Blades can be easily sharpened, and should be sharpened at least twice a season.

4.     Fertilize – Fertilizing your lawn ensures that your grass is given the appropriate nutrients to stay healthy and green.  Fertilizer is readily available at any home and garden center, and is easily applied to your lawn.  It's best practice to treat your lawn with fertilizer every 4-6 weeks to keep it looking beautiful and green.

5.     Treat Weeds and Disease – If you have some unsightly brown spots or dandelions, you may have a problem with your lawn.  Insects, disease, and weeds can undermine a dedicated lawn care effort.  There is treatment through various products such as weed and feed, but the best course of action is to consult a lawn care professional for further advice and treatment.

6.     Watering Your Lawn – Deep watering is  When watering, it's more effective to water every few days than for a little bit every day.  Having said that, you will want to give your lawn at least 1 ½ inches of water a week.  Make sure to water it in the mornings to make sure the water doesn't quickly get burned off by the scintillating summer sun.

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Crowell's Flying Wrench is a full-service mobile repair company that comes to you and services your equipment at your convenience.  Our lawn mower repair service in Draper, Utah provides years of experience and friendly service that will leave a lasting impression upon you.  In addition to Draper, we service all of the Salt Lake Valley.  Give us a call today to see how we can help you!

By: Kyson Crowell

How To Care For Your Lawn

It’s easy to look at many of the beautifully manicured yards that exist throughout our neighborhoods and communities and wonder just how they do it.  Pristine lawns and perfect flower beds perfectly complement houses, and it all can make us a little jealous.  Believe it or not, most of these horticultural masterminds were once in our shoes and had to hone their craft through years of trial and error. 

In order to really get your yard looking swell, the main tools for success you will need are a lawn mower and a string trimmer, which is more commonly known as a weed whacker.  It’s more than likely that you already have at least a lawn mower, and you can buy a weed whacker quite affordably. 

When mowing your lawn, it’s important to remember the following steps:

• -        Remember to mow your lawn when the grass is dry
• -        Be sure to adjust the blades to ensure that the grass cut no shorter than least 3 inches
• -        Mow in a distinguished pattern, and change the mowing pattern each time you mow
• -        Always mow with the mower in front of you
• -        Avoid mowing in the heat of the day to prevent heat stress on the grass (and on yourself)
• -        Keep your mower blades sharp and balanced

When trying your hand at weed whacking, remember the following steps:

• -        Hold the weed whacker as close to the ground as possible, then start it
• -        Use a steady side to side motion, walking forward
• -        Make sure to not run the weed whacker on rocks, as they will wear down the line more quickly.
• -        If weeds aren’t being cut immediately, turn the weed whacker off and pull more thread out.

As you hone your craft, mowing will become more easy and enjoyable.  Caring for your lawn mower can seem overwhelming, but as long as you are adding the right kind of fuel and are sharpening the blades regularly (experts agree that blades should be sharpened every 8-12 hours of use), you’ll be ok.  Caring for a weed whacker is fairly simple as well, as you will need to make sure that you have enough line to get the job done, as well as the right kind of fuel, if your weed whacker is gas-powered. 

If you need further repairs, Crowell’s Flying Wrench offers affordable, convenient mobile small engine repair.  Our lawn mower repair in Herriman, UT will come right to you and make sure that your mower or weed whacker is always running like new.  Give us a call at (801) 860-3605 or schedule an appointment on www.crowellsflyingwrench.com today.  We look forward to serving you!

Which Snow Blower to Buy?

Winter has unofficially arrived.  As many parts of the country find themselves buried under feet of fresh powder, many of us find ourselves thinking how we are going to dig ourselves out when the storm hits.  Snow blowers have made life significantly easier for our snow-filled lives, but the important decision of choosing the best snow blower must be answered.  There are several brands of snow blower that offer great features and reliable performance, and each of them is angling for your hard-earned money.  

For those of you looking for the best snow blower of 2014, look no further than Troy-Bilt.  Troy-Bilt offers a wide array of reliable, durable snow blowers that can handle even the toughest of jobs.  Troy-Bilt offers a 2-year limited warranty and affordable financing options.  The Troy-Bilt 31AH64Q has been recognized by Consumer Reports as the best snow blower buy for your money this year, as it includes heated handgrips, joystick control, and offers the benefits of a double-stage gas blower for the price of a single-stage blower. 

Ariens also offers a variety of award-winning snow blowers that meet your needs and feature a selection of premium features.  The Arians 921022 is a critically-acclaimed double-stage snow blower that Consumer Reports recognizes as one of the year’s best.  What sets this snow blower apart is its heavy duty construction and immense power.  Ariens is renowned for durability and 3-year limited warranty.  Financing is also an option, allowing you to find a model that suits your needs and fits your budget. 

If you are looking for a more affordable option, the $700 Craftsman 88970 is an impressive double-stage machine.  This 26-inch gas blower is backed by the dependability of Craftsman, one of America’s most reputable brands.  This particular model offers great clearance and tremendous power output, helping make the task at hand a breeze.  Enjoy a two-year limited warranty and joystick control, with a limited lifetime warranty on upper and lower chute.

If looking for a single-stage snow blower, look no further than the Simplicity SS7522E.  Simplicity offers an affordable alternative to many of the more well-known brands, while featuring superior performance.  This particular model features a 163cc Briggs & Stratton 4-cycle motor, electric start, and highly-rated throwing power.  This $499 snow blower offers a two-year limited warranty and financing. 

Any of these award-winning snow blowers will make snow removal a breeze, while not putting a dent in your wallet.  However, as time goes on, many of these models will need to be serviced or repaired.  Crowell’s Flying Wrench offers local, mobile snow blower repair acrossthe Salt Lake County and Summit County to help your machine remain in tip-top condition.  We are here to serve you. 

By: Kyson Crowell

What Snow Blower Best Fits You?

       Utah winters can be brutal.  Experiencing lake-effect snow can quickly turn 2 inches of freshly coated snow into 2 feet of packed powder that leaves our driveways buried in.  Digging our way out of that snow without a snow blower can be daunting, to say the least.  Most of us can recall stories from our childhood of being woken up by Dad hours before dawn to head outside with the shovel and get to work.  It’s a wonder many of us don’t walk around with debilitating back injuries from all that heavy lifting. 

       

       Even to this day, many people haven’t made the move to buy a snow blower.  If you’re a newbie, it’s hard to know which snow blower is best.  There are two primary types of snow blowers: single-stage and double-stage.  Single-stage models also offer gas and electric options, further confusing the uninitiated.  Knowing which type to buy may seem daunting, but in reality, the decision is easy once you understand what you are looking for. 

       A single-stage gas snow blower is ideal for a flat, midsized paved driveway.  They are most effective in areas that receive an average snowfall of 8 inches or less of snow or less.  Single-stage blowers are light, easy to handle, and require the same amount of garage storage as a typical lawnmower.   A single-stage gas model will give you a 20- to 22-inch swath when clearing your driveway. Gas-powered models are two-cycle engines and require regular maintenance and most offer electric starters.  Single-stage snow blowers are not a good choice for gravel driveways as the auger contacts the ground, and the limited drive action makes steep hills undoable, as the machine will pull from side to side.  

       

       Single-stage electric models are ideal if you have a short, flat paved driveway and walk while electric snow blowers are most effective in areas that receive an average snowfall of 4 inches while an electric model will give you an 11- to 18-inch swath.  Single-stage electric snow blowers offer many of the same advantages and disadvantages, while being quieter and not requiring regular maintenance.  Just be aware that you’ll require a long extension cord you will have to tote with you.

Double-stage snow blowers are the best option for you if you have a long, wide, or hilly driveway and receive a typical snowfall of 8 inches or more.  Two-stage blowers clear a 24-32 inch swath, ensuring your job is done much more quickly and efficiently.  Double-stage blowers are required for gravel driveways, as the awning won’t contact the ground.  They offer electric starting and have driven wheels and an impeller to throw snow.  Two-stages are quite heavy and take up as much space as some sit-down mowers, while requiring regular maintenance. 

When choosing any model, be sure to try the controls to ensure that you are comfortable with the way it handles, the height of the controls, and the ease of chute adjustment.  One-handed drive and auger are important on a double-stage model.  Keep your eyes open for models with headlights and dead-man control.

       

       When the time comes to repair your new investment, Crowell’s Flying Wrench offers local, mobile snow blower repair throughout the Salt Lake Valley and we are a top pick for snow blower tune up's and repair in Park City.  We offer outstanding customer service and competitive pricing that will fit any budget.  Our trustworthy team brings years of repair experience to meet any need.

By: Kyson Crowell

Lets Talk About Trimmers

Most of the posts so far have focused on lawnmowers, but it could be argued that the weed trimmer is just as important when it comes to your lawn-care arsenal. Sure, the mower does most of the work; but every homeowner knows that the devil is in the details when it comes to the silent competition between neighbors for best lawn. You’re done for if you don’t clean up the edges, and a trimmer is the best way to do it. But how do you know what kind of weed trimmer to get? Use this guide to determine which type is best for your application and if you have a trimmer and are struggling to get it to work and are watching those edges keep growing check out are great tiller service in Salt lake City UT. 

Curved-Shaft Trimmers

Curved-shaft trimmers are among the most popular because they are generally lightweight and easy to use. They get their name because of the bend in the shaft toward the cutting head. This bend brings the cutting head closer to the operator, which makes it a little easier to handle for detail work and getting at those tricky spots. Because of the bend in the shaft, these trimmers are driven by a flexible cable that runs from the motor to the cutting head. The flexible nature of this cable limits the amount of power that can be applied from the engine, as too powerful of a motor would cause it to break. That said, these machines are more than capable of handling the vast majority of jobs in a suburban setting.

Traight-Shaft Trimmers

Straight-shaft trimmers are most commonly used for industrial uses, or by those with particularly large jobs. Rather than the flexible drive cable used in curved-shaft trimmers, these have a rigid drive shaft. This results in increased durability and power transfer from the motor. This means that more powerful motors can be used. While the straight shaft allows for more power, it also means that the cutting head is further from the operator. This can make getting a level cut slightly more difficult for the inexperienced. These also tend to be heavier than their curved-shaft counterparts.

Rolling Trimmers

Rolling trimmers are a slightly newer development in the lawn-care industry. These machines look like a mix between a standard push mower and a string trimmer. Their rolling platform allows for larger and much more powerful engines along with a wider cutting radius. Unfortunately, their minimum cutting heights are relatively high when compared to most lawn mowers, making them essentially useless for all but the most niche projects.

At the end of the day, the type of trimmer you get depends entirely upon how you intend to use it. Curved-shaft trimmers are perfect for most residential uses because of their light weight and maneuverability. Straight-shaft trimmers are great for larger projects and industrial uses because of the increase in power and length of the drive shaft. Rolling trimmers are useful for some specific applications, but most people have no need for them. Consider these tips before you buy and you’re sure to end up with a machine that is perfect for you.

By: Kyson Crowell