Q: Is there anything I can adapt to my lawn mower to remind me of the required maintenance?
A: Yes, there is; it’s called an engine minder. Most price out just under $45 and are about the size of a domino. They are mounted with either contact tape or small screws. Some models can be mounted up to 8 feet away from the engine. Minder’s are perfect for lawn and garden, motorcycles, or marine gas-powered equipment. The minder works off of the engines coil wire, requiring no batteries. They’re also designed to withstand severe environments including snow, rain and direct sun light. The minder works like this: When the engine is running, the coil wire powers the minder’s microprocessor from the electrical current going through the wire. This fires the spark plug and records the engines run time in hours. Some models have a “change oil” symbol flash that can be reset when it’s time to perform the maintenance. I have seen engine minders on two-cycle gas-powered leaf blowers and line trimmers as well.
