Push Lawn Mower Bogs Down Under Load

Is your push lawn mower bogging down when you get into thick grass or when you mow a little faster?

If so, it could be an engine problem or you could be mowing more than you should. Waiting to mow tall grass is not good for a lawn mower with a small engine and will bog it down.

But if your grass is relatively short, your mower should power right through it and not bog down. If it does, you could have a problem with the engine or your deck could be clogged with grass and have a dull lawn mower blade.

The first thing to check would be the lawn mower blade and deck. Make sure your deck is clean and you blade is fairly sharp.

If everything is fine in that area, your carburetor or fuel system may be causing you the problem with low power. The governor may also set incorrectly. These are problems  that you can check out yourself or if you need a professional lawn mower repair mechanic, visit our Locations page for a small engine repair shop near you.

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.