Month: January 2020

Lawn Mower Repair Tips, Riding Lawn Mower Repair

My Riding Lawn Mower Won’t Move

Is that riding lawn mowers wheels locked up or will it not move when you put it into gear?

If the wheels are locked up, check the brake system to ensure that you don’t have it engaged. That is the most common problem with a locked up lawn mower. If that does not solve that problem, check the be sure that you are not in a gear or that the hydrostat is in the neutral position.

If the lawn mower won’t move, check to see if the drive belt has come off the pulleys or if it is broken. Also check that the tow rod is engaged. These two items will solve most of the problems with a lawn mower that will not move. It is a possibility that the transmission is broken or slipping.

Transmission problems are more difficult to diagnose and you should consult a professional to resolve this problem. There are many different types of lawn mower transmissions, from simple gear drives to sophisticated hydrostatics.

When you need your riding lawn mower transmission serviced or repaired, visit our Locations page for a shop near you.

Lawn Mower Repair Tips, Riding Lawn Mower Repair

How To Tell When To Change The Oil in My Riding Lawn Mower

If you have an hour meter on your riding lawn mower, that is the best way to tell when to change your oil. But that could also not be totally accurate if you mow in dusty conditions. You will need to change your oil sooner if you do.

The best way to tell when to change the oil in your riding lawn mower is to consult the owner’s manual for the engine. This will give you the correct number of hours to change it and what type of oil that the manufacturer recommends. Also be sure to use the correct oil filter for your riding lawn mower.

Normally the oil is changed every 100 hours or more depending on which engine is in your riding lawn mower. You can use conventional motor oil to break in a new engine and then change over to a synthetic oil once your engine reaches its first oil change interval with is normally at 25 hours. This first oil change is the most critical of all because you drain out any metal shavings from the internal components as they wear in. Do not skip this first REQUIRED oil change!

Here is a list of engine manufacturers to help if you do not have your owner’s manual.

Briggs and Stratton https://www.briggsandstratton.com/na/en_us/support/manuals.html

Honda https://engines.honda.com/support-and-service/owners-manuals

Kawasaki https://www.kawasakienginesusa.com/support/manuals.html

Kohler https://kohlerpower.com/en/engines/manuals

Taking great care of your engine in your riding lawn mower is very important to getting the complete life out of it.

If you need a lawn mower repair shop to change your engine oil, visit our Locations page.

Lawn Mower Repair Tips, Zero Turn Lawn Mower Repair

My Zero Turn Lawn Mower Does Not Go Straight

Mowing in a straight line is one of the important things about making your lawn look nice. When your zero turn won’t do the job, there are reasons why and we must check them out one by one to determine what the problem is.

The most likely problem is that one of the tires is low and is causing it to pull to the side. Check all your tires for the proper pressure and then do a test mowing.

If that is not the source of the issue, check to be sure that your brake is not dragging and causing it to pull to one side.

Do the drive sticks look like they are aligned properly? If not, this could be an issue as well.

If none of these things resolve the problem, an adjustment to the drive sticks will need to be made to make the zero turn drive straight. If you have the ability to perform this adjustment, go ahead and do so. If not, visit our Locations page for a zero turn lawn mower repair technician near you.

Lawn Mower Repair Tips, Push and Self-Propelled Lawn Mower Repair

Self-Propelled Lawn Mower Pulls Slowly

Is your self-propelled lawn mower slowing down over time? Does it not pull up hills the way it used to? Does it take longer to cut your grass than it did?

As a self-propelled mower ages, the drive belt will begin to wear and the drive pulleys may wear as well. When this happens, it creates less friction and the drive system begins to slow down.

Eventually something has to give and the belt will either just stop making contact or it may break. The drive pulleys could also wear out to the point that they no longer grip. Then the entire drive system becomes inoperable and you are back to a push mower. And this becomes a very heavy push mower when you have to move it.

You bought a self-propelled lawn mower to help you power through the tall grass and hills in your yard, not to become a brick that you mow your lawn with!

Changing the drive belt can be easy or difficult task depending on the brand and model of self-propelled mower you have. If it looks beyond your capabilities, check out our Locations page for a self-propelled lawn mower repair shop near you.

Lawn Mower Repair Tips, Push and Self-Propelled Lawn Mower Repair, Riding Lawn Mower Repair, Zero Turn Lawn Mower Repair

My Lawn Mower Bogs Down in Thicker Grass

You care cruising along and cutting the grass when you hit a patch that is a little thicker than normal. All of a sudden the mower begins to bog down and may even die. You are now wondering why it does that?

If your lawn mower works well under normal conditions, it could be a mechanical, electrical or fuel problem. Each of these systems will need to be troubleshot to determine what the problem is. One by one is the best way to proceed.

Since you really cannot put a load on the engine unless you are cutting grass, let’s check some easy things first. Is the spark plug normal looking with a brownish appearance on the electrode? Is the fuel filter clogging up? Are the valves properly adjusted? Is one cylinder not getting spark or fuel?

Check each component to find out what exactly is causing the problem. Some things such as spark will require a spark tester to determine if the spark is good or not. The other items are a visual inspection to see if things are working as they should be.

If you find something wrong, adjust or change the component and retest to see what results you get to ensure that your lawn mower is not bogging down.

Should you need technical help with your lawn mower, check our Locations page for a lawn mower repair shop near you.

Lawn Mower Repair Tips, Push and Self-Propelled Lawn Mower Repair

Honda Self-Propelled Drive Wheels Will Not Turn

Is your mower becoming hard to push or turn? Does it not want to go in reverse when you pull it backwards? Is the speed slower than normal?

This is a problem that occurs in the rear wheel drive system. Over time dirt and debris builds up in the axle assembly and causes it to start to bind up. Then it can become extremely hard to move the mower and the wheels may even lock up completely.

This problem can be solved but it takes a good bit of disassembly to resolve it. Taking the drive system apart is one thing. Putting it back together is quite another. Honda self-propelled lawn mowers are a bit on the complicated side in their drive systems. A good schematic or mechanical knowledge is important to ensure that things go back in their proper order.

Try removing the drive wheels to ensure that the gears are not worn down and are making good contact with one another. See if the drive gear spins freely and locks up in one direction. If all this is good, the problem is deeper in the drive train.

If you need a professional Honda Lawn Mower Repair Technician, visit our Locations page for help.

Lawn Mower Repair Tips, Push and Self-Propelled Lawn Mower Repair, Riding Lawn Mower Repair, Uncategorized, Zero Turn Lawn Mower Repair

My Lawn Mower is Leaking Gas From The Air Filter

If any gas is leaking from your lawn mower, that is a safety hazard. The fumes can ignite from a hot exhaust  and cause a fire. When you have a gas leak, it is best to get it addressed by a lawn mower repair professional immediately.

Many times the cause of this leak is the needle and seat in the carburetor is not sealing. The weight of the gas from the tank is sitting on the needle which is the size of a sharpened pencil lead. If there is any buildup of oxidation on it, it will begin to leak. It could leak out slowly or it could come out gushing and empty the tank quickly.

Garage fires have been caused by leaking lawn mowers, so be careful about paying attention to the top of your mower on a push or self-propelled and on the floor if it is a rider or zero turn.

The carburetor will need to be disassembled and cleaned or replaced if the fuel oxidation is too bad.

If you need lawn mower repair, visit our Locations page for a shop near you.

Lawn Mower Repair Tips

The Pull Cord On My Self-Propelled Lawn Mower is Stuck

This condition makes it feel like you are going to break your right arm when the pull cord gets stuck. You yank on it and it is locked up tight.

Let’s check a few easy things first.

Check the oil. If you have no oil on the dipstick, that is a bad sign and the engine could be seized up. “Sometimes” you can break the engine free, add more oil and dodge a bullet, but that is rare. Normally the engine is destroyed if run on no oil.

Pull the spark plug wire off the spark plug and tilt the mower backwards so you can inspect under the mower. Is there anything that is blocking the blade from turning? Can you move the blade at all?

Sometimes a rock or stick will get caught in the blade and stop the engine from turning.

The pull starter would also be broken and causing it to be locked up.

If you cannot determine what the problem is, visit our Locations page for a small engine repair shop near you.

Riding Lawn Mower Repair

One Wheel Turns on My Riding Lawn Mower and Other Does Not

Riding lawn mower transmissions are normally a one wheel drive at a time. You may notice it especially on hills where one tire slips on the uphill side.

On many riding lawn mowers, this is a perfectly normal situation. There is a sort of limited slip built into them and slippage like this is common.

If your riding lawn mower is supposed to have both wheels turning, then you may have a transmission problem or one of the wheel keys to holds the wheel to the axle may not have been installed after recent work.

One way to tell if your transmission is working properly is to put the rear up on jacks and then spin one back tire. The other tire should rotate in the opposite direction on a normal lawn mower. They should both turn in the same direction on a mower where both wheels engage.

Check the wheel keys. They are just a square piece of steel that slides into the axle and the wheel itself.

If you cannot find the source of the problem, visit one of our Locations for a riding lawn mower shop near you.

Lawn Mower Repair Tips

How to Start a Hard Starting Lawn Mower

You are struggling to start your lawn mower and you just feel like pushing it over the nearest hill…well that is, if you have a hill!

Lawn mowers can be a real pain if everything is not working properly and a hard starting one can be frustrating. So, let’s see if we can take some of that frustration out of it for you.

A hard starting lawn mower can either have a fuel issue, ignition or a mechanical one.

Fuel

You can check if the lawn mower is getting fuel by trying to start the engine and then removing the spark plug after you stop cranking. See if there is any gas on the plug. If not, it could be a fuel delivery problem such as a plugged up carburetor or fuel filter.

Ignition

You can also install a spark tester at this time to see if you have good spark.

Mechanical

A choke that will not fully close is another issue that causes hard starting. Engage the choke fully and make sure that is closes completely.

Improperly adjusted valves is another item that will cause hard starting. Check the valve clearances to ensure they are in specifications.

Low engine compression can also cause this problem.  Check for the proper PSI that your engine should have.

These are some simple things that you can check and see if you can resolve your lawn mower problem. Perform these steps and hopefully you will find the problem!