How To Maintain Your Gas Lawn Mower; Tips From the sears.com 'Lawn and Garden Advisor'

Keeping your lawn mower running smoothly and out of the repair shop requires following basic maintenance procedures throughout the growing season.

Now, advice on maintaining your mower and other lawn and garden tools is just a few mouse clicks away: from the Lawn and Garden Advisor feature on the sears.com Web site. Tips found in the sears.com Lawn and Garden Advisor include:

  -- Always use fresh gasoline.  Fresh gas helps prevent hard starting and
     maintains a clean engine.  Avoid leaving gas in the mower or fuel
     container longer than 30 days because it will eventually break down and
     clog the carburetor.

  -- Check the oil periodically.  A good rule of thumb is to change the oil
     every 100 hours of operation.  The exact amount is specified in your
     owner's manual.

  -- Check the spark plug and air filter, and clean or replace them as
     needed.  Refer to your owner's manual for specifications.

  -- Check the mower blade for sharpness.  Have the blade sharpened -- or
     replaced if  worn.  A sharp blade helps cut grass faster and maintains
     the health and appearance of your lawn.

  -- Keep the mower deck clear of grass, leaves and grease buildup to avoid
     fire hazard and keep the mower operating efficiently.

  -- Get a tune-up by a qualified service dealer at the beginning or end of
     the season.

To access the Lawn and Garden Advisor on the Internet, go to http://www.sears.com/ . Click the Lawn and Garden tab at the top of the screen. Scroll down on the left navigation bar of the Lawn and Garden screen, and click Lawn and Garden Advisor.

Lawn and garden enthusiasts in need of advice on equipment repairs or tune-ups can call Sears HomeCentral®, 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 1-800-4-MY-HOME® (1-800-469-4663) to schedule service appointments or to find the nearest Sears Parts & Repair Center. Sears has thousands of specially trained repair technicians who service nearly three million pieces of lawn and garden equipment a year, no matter where the customer bought the product. Equipment parts that need replacing, regardless of the brand, can be ordered online at http://www.sears.com/partsdirect .

Sears.com features more than 600 lawn and garden tools and pieces of equipment covering the major categories including: hand tools, sprinklers, hoses, power mowers, riding mowers, lawn tractors, chain saws, blowers, trimmers, edgers, tillers, pressure washers, chippers and log splitters. In addition to Craftsman®, America's best-selling brand of mowers and tractors for the past 20 years, sears.com also features popular brands such as Toro®, Yard-Man® and Black & Decker®. Kenmore® and Weber® grills also are available on sears.com. (Brand names are the intellectual property of their respective owners.)

Sears, Roebuck and Co. (NYSE: S) is a leading U.S. retailer of apparel, home and automotive products and services, with annual revenue of more than $40 billion. The company serves families throughout the country through approximately 860 department stores, approximately 2,100 specialized retail locations, and a variety of online offerings accessible through the company's Web site, www.sears.com.

SOURCE: Sears, Roebuck & Co.

Contact: Media, Ann Woolman of Sears, Roebuck and Co., 847-286-7079, or
awoolma@sears.com

Website: http://www.sears.com/