A flat tire on your lawn mower can be a huge inconvenience, especially if you do not have immediate access to an air compressor. Using a lawn mower with flat tires is not an option since it can either damage the tires or deform the wheels’ rims, causing costly damage. If you have a bicycle pump in your garage, you might be wondering if you can use it to pump a lawn mower tire.
You can pump a lawn mower tire with a bike pump. With the right bicycle pump, a bit of physical persistence, and some time. The bigger the tire, the longer it would take. However, it won’t be difficult, as long as you have the correct PSI (pounds per square inch) in the tire.
Use this guide to learn how you can pump a lawn mower tire with a bike pump, and factors to consider when choosing a bike pump for your lawn mower.
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Bike Pump for Your Lawn Mower
Using a bike pump to inflate a lawn mower tire is quite straightforward, but there are several factors you need to consider before pumping air into the tires.
The factors that determine if you can pump a lawn mower tire, with a bike pump include the following:
Compatibility of the Pump and the Tire Valve
The inflator head of the bike pump and the valve of the lawn mower tire have to be compatible. The majority of air-filled tires use Schrader valves. These include motor vehicle tires and lawn mower tires. Bicycle tubes, however, can have Schrader, Presta, or Dunlop valves depending on the type of bicycle.
Schrader valves are most common in wider rimmed bicycle tires since they weaken narrow wheel rims. This means they are rarely used on modern, high-end road bikes. Most bike riders, therefore, own either Presta pumps or dual valve capable pumps for both Presta and Schrader valves.
If a bike pump has a Schrader inflator head, you can simply hook it to the compatible Schrader valve on the lawn mower tire and start pumping. Presta or Dunlop bicycle pumps cannot fill up a lawn mower tire unless used together with an adaptor. You must screw a brass adapter firmly onto the valve of the lawn mower tire before you start pumping.
The Air Volume of the Pump
The speed of inflation of a tire depends on its volume. The larger the tire, the longer it will take to inflate. A larger lawn mower tire will take more time and effort to inflate to capacity than a smaller one.
On the other hand, the speed at which you inflate the tire will depend on the pump’s air volume. The size of its air chamber determines this. Small pumps have reduced air chambers and deliver low volumes of air per stroke compared to larger pumps. This means that it would take more strokes to fill a lawn mower tire with a small pump than with a larger one.
The most efficient bicycle pumps are floor pumps. A standard floor pump has a volume per stroke of around 300 cubic centimeters, meaning that it can inflate a lawn mower tire faster than smaller pumps.
Pressure Output of the Bike Pump
Although often overlooked, tire pressure significantly affects the performance of a lawn mower. It affects steering, traction, and the evenness of the cut grass. lawn mower tires are manufactured to operate within a certain range of air pressure. Standard lawn mower tires generally measure between 10 – 15 PSI (Pounds per Square Inch).
This pressure rating differs among various lawn mower tires and is usually embossed on each tire’s sidewall. The tire pressure should be adjusted to meet the manufacturer’s guidelines detailed in the Operator’s Manual.
Pressure output is the measure of the amount of air that a pump can force into a tire. For a bike pump to inflate a lawn mower tire, it must match or exceed the air pressure imprinted on that tire’s sidewall. This means that if the maximum air pressure produced by a bicycle pump is too low, it cannot adequately inflate the tires of a lawn mower no matter how hard you pump.
A typical bike pump should deliver enough pressure output to inflate a lawn mower tire. Portable bicycle pumps offer around 90 PSI, while a standard floor pump can deliver up to 160 PSI.
Type of Bicycle Pump
Bicycle pumps come in all shapes and sizes. The most efficient pump to inflate a lawn mower tire should have a big diameter cylinder that produces a high volume per stroke. The design of the pump should also make it easy to operate. The pumps that you operate with both hands or with your foot are more effective.
Additional features also play a significant role. For example, if your bike pump doesn’t have a nozzle that clips or screws onto the valve stem of the lawn mower tire, you will have to hold it in place as you pump, making your work more difficult.
The floor bike pump is by far the best choice when inflating a lawn mower tire. Its long, slender frame offers the largest volume per stroke. The fold-out bits at the base that you stand on as you pump the T-handle with your arms also provide much-needed stability and comfort.
The leverage and power achieved from floor pumps make them ideal for pumping high-pressure lawn mower tires.
Foot pumps are easier to operate than hand pumps. However, they do not generate high pressures, but since they are compatible with Schrader valves, they can be used to inflate lawn mower tires.
Mini-pumps are small in size and therefore generate low air volume per stroke. This means that more strokes are required to fill a lawn mower tire. However, some small pumps are dual-action, meaning that they pump air on both the upstroke and downstroke. Dual-action pumps inflate tires faster than ordinary mini-pumps.
How to Pump a Lawn Mower Tire With a Bike Pump
When you have established that your bike pump can inflate your lawn mower’s tires, follow the instructions below to do it properly:
- Park your lawn mower on clear, flat surfaces such as a garage or a driveway. Allow the lawn mower to cool since you should only inflate its tires when they are cool.
- Remove the valve caps by turning them anticlockwise and set them aside one after the other.
- Once you’ve removed the valve cap, position the tire gauge firmly on the valve to record the tire pressure.
- Compare your recorded tire pressure to the recommended tire pressure on the sidewall to determine what air pressure you need to inflate your tire fully.
- Position the inflator head of your bike pump over the valve of the lawn mower tire. Press the pump valve squarely onto the tire valve and raise the lever to lock it in place.
- Pump up your tire by raising and lowering the pump bar of your bike pump at regular intervals
- Use your tire pressure gauge to adjust the tire pressure of your lawn mower accordingly.
Tip: If you realize that the tire won’t hold the air and you fear your lawn mower tire is damaged. I’ve written an in-depth guide on how to repair one here.
Conclusion
A bike pump is an essential tool in a bicycle tool kit. It is easy to use, and you can adapt it to pump the tires of your lawn mower so that it is properly inflated for improved maneuverability, reduced fuel consumption, and increased tire life-span.
These are some factors to consider when using a bike pump to pump your lawn mower:
- Compatibility of the pump and tire valve
- The air volume of the pump
- Pressure output
- Type of bike pump