Why Does My Lawn Mower Shut Off When The Blades Are Engaged
Thanks to modern lawn mowers, yard maintenance has become a manageable weekly chore. Unlike the old days when people would trim grass using a scythe, this machine allows you to cut grass without breaking your back.
A lawn mower is the ultimate time-saver for gardeners. It can be a significant investment, but its worth the price. Theres nothing like relaxing in your garden surrounded by perfectly manicured grass. A lush, green lawn is also guaranteed visitors and neighbors alike.
But what if your lawn mower suddenly stalls when the blades are engaged?
Dont be too hasty in getting a replacement. Check out these common reasons why your lawn mower bogs down while cutting grass.
Tips For Servicing A Petrol Lawnmower
I truly believe that with the correct maintenance a quality petrol lawnmower can last the full lifetime of the owner.
There are many things you can do to extend the life of a petrol lawnmower and things you should do at the end of the cutting season.
Most of my 21 tips can be undertaken without any special tools and will go a long way to maximising the life and performance of your lawnmower.
In fact, you could probably do most of them in under 5 minutes!
Annual Lawn Mower Maintenance Checklist
Use this checklist to make sure youre doing everything needed to keep your lawn mower running at its best:
- Change the oil
- Add fuel stabilizer to the fuel system, or remove all fuel from the mower if discontinuing mower use for more than 30 days
- Replace the spark plug
- Replace and clean the air filter
- Sharpen the lawn mower blades
- Balance the lawn mower blades
- Keep the mower clean
- Fog the engine
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What Are The Other Options
One other way you could get the engine running is by removing your mower. We recommend taking it in to get a tune-up if your engine starts failing on you, but there are other options. The most common way is to replace the air filter and service your carburetor.
When youre outside your yard, the local gas station has a few different types of synthetic oil available. They have synthetic, natural, and the old fashioned stuff: Natural Oil Fertilized Naphtha Synthetic Oil
Can you use synthetic oil in your lawn mower? Weve all been there, but we never want to be there again. It can be so frustrating when were trying to get our lawn just right and the engine in our mower starts sputtering on us. Maybe its time to invest in a new mower, but maybe you dont have the money for it yet.
Take A Photo Of Your Lawnmower Service Ticket
Take a look around your lawnmower deck. It should have a rectangular service ticket on with all the details of your lawnmower.
This ticket gives you the exact code for your lawnmower plus the manufacturers name and manufacturers date of production. Take a photo of the ticket with a digital camera or mobile phone and make a back up of it.
User manuals tend to go missing and if the service ticket gets damaged with fuel or fades over time you will have a difficult time locating spare parts.
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Is It Safe To Use Synthetic Oil In Lawn Mowers
Even though many mowers do come with the type of synthetic oil that allows you to use it, you must have the permission of your lawn mower manufacturer to use it. Synthetic oil is classified as synthetic and as a gasoline additive.
This means that you can never run your engine on synthetic oil. Your engine will only run efficiently on the type of oil that is designed specifically for your lawn mower, and that oil is not an approved synthetic oil.
Does it make the engine run better? No. It actually makes it worse. The engine that runs on synthetic oil is only designed for a petroleum-based engine. You cant use an engine that is made of something else. What is synthetic oil used for?
Lawn Mower Maintenance Tips
Keeping your lawn mower in excellent working condition is a big part of maintaining a beautiful, healthy lawn, and its also key to ensuring your lawn mower will last as long as possible approximately 10-15 years. Performing regular maintenance on your lawn mower, particularly its engine, will extend your lawn mowers life and help it work its best all season long.
You can either tune-up your lawn mower yourself or hire a lawn mower service expert to take care of it professionally. Either way, lawn mower maintenance is something that should be done at least once a year and will only take a few hours to complete. Use this guide to learn how to properly maintain your lawn mower and extend its life.
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How Often Should Lawn Mower Blades Be Sharpened
How often you sharpen your lawn mower blades depends on how often you use them. The rule of thumb is to sharpen your blades when you notice a decrease in cutting performance. Sharpening mower blades once a year is good enough for some homeowners. Other experts recommend sharpening your blades at the start and around the middle of the mowing season. But you may need to sharpen your blades more often if you mow over debris, such as rocks or sticks.
Common Riding Lawn Mower Issues
- Riding lawn mower wont start
- Riding mower wont stay running
- Riding mower or tractor has unusual and excessive vibration
- Riding mower is bagging, discharging, or mulching improperly
- Riding mower is leaking oil
Our repair experts are some of the best riding lawn mower and riding tractor repair service technicians in the business. Technicians that are local, licensed and vetted, with the skills to get your riding mower or lawn tractor up and running quickly.
Schedule your riding mower repair online today.
If your riding mower doesnt need a repair, but simply a tune-up or pre-season maintenance, schedule riding mower maintenance with our technicians today.
Find the parts and accessories you need to keep your riding mower in top shape at Sears PartsDirect
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Servicing Your Victa Product
Just like having your car serviced, it is important to have your Victa Ride-on serviced by a Victa Trained Technician. Your Victa may often work in hot and dusty conditions, so it is vital that the engine is serviced to ensure hassle free mowing. It is also vital that the mower deck and steering components are properly serviced and maintained. To help preserve and maintain your new Victa Ride-on, make sure you follow the recommended service intervals outlined in your Victa Ride-on Service Schedule.
How To Find A Lawn Mower Repair Shop In My Area
Start by searching our list of local mower repair services in your area, then compare reviews and costs. After finding and contacting potential pros:
- Compare at least three free estimates.
- Ask for recommendations from family, friends, and neighbors.
- Select companies that are licensed, insured, and certified.
- Verify their insurance, workers compensation, and bond guarantees.
- Read reviews and check out their previous work on HomeGuide, Google, and the Better Business Bureau .
- Ask for a price list of standard repair services.
- Ask about their warranties and guarantees.
- Ask for a written contract, warranty, and detailed estimate.
After asking questions and verifying their credentials, hire the best lawn mower repair service in your area.
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Clean The Cooling Fins
Im often asked by my youtube subscribers why does my lawnmower cut out after a few minutes when it gets hot.
Most lawnmowers have cooling fins on and with poor maintenance, they all become clogged.
Remove the starter recoil cover and take a look around at the cooling fins. Remove any dirt with a stiff brush or an air compressor.
When engines overheat they stop working. Having clogged cooling fins causes this to happen a lot.
Change Lawn Mower Oil
To ensure it performs up to its maximum capacity, make sure you change lawn mower oil at regular intervals. Old oil that is black or contains debris should be drained and replaced. This will improve performance, reduce costly repairs and extend engine life of gas lawn mowers. A push mower has an oil capacity of 15 to 18 ounces. It should be changed either every 50 hours or annually, whichever comes first. A riding mower has an oil capacity of 48 to 64 ounces. It should be changed either every 100 hours or annually, whichever comes first.
- Before changing the oil in the lawn mower, disconnect the spark plug.
- Remove the drain plug underneath the mower and allow it to drain into an oil-safe container.
- If the mower does not have a drain plug, use an oil extractor kit to remove oil from the compartment.
- Add new small engine oil to the compartment up to the dipstick fill line. Oil formulated for small engines will keep your mower running at its best.
- Be sure to recycle the old oil properly.
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Riding Mower Repair Service
If youre looking for riding lawn mower repair and lawn tractor repair, Sears Home Services can help. From Poulan to Craftsman riding mowers, were your best option for quick, and easy local service and repair of your riding lawn mower or tractor. Weve done hundreds of thousands of lawn equipment repairs, so you can count on the small engine repair experts from Sears to identify the problem and know the solution.
What Is Synthetic Oil
Synthetic oil is the oil used in many cars and trucks today. Its often called engine oil in the auto industry. Engine oil is only to lubricate the engine of a car or truck, but some of it will also help a car or truck move in a smooth and straight line.
However, if synthetic oil is being used in your lawn mower, it will be used to lubricate your engine. This can wreak havoc on your engine. The chemicals in synthetic oil can ruin the oil in your engine and work their way into the bearings in your engine.
This can eventually lead to the engine being ruined or starting to seize up. What are the health effects of using synthetic oil? Synthetic oil is highly flammable, so the flammable chemicals that are added to it can ignite, causing a fire.
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Rotary Mower Blade Sharpening
Rotary mower sharpening starts with removing the blade and securing the blade in a vise. The specialist then sharpens the mower blade while maintaining the angle. Afterwards, the specialist reinstalls the blade. For the final step, balancing the blade is essential to ensure minimal vibration. Excessive vibration can loosen internal bolts and cause faster engine wear. The procedure for rotary mower blade sharpening can vary from Tasker to Tasker.
Clean Or Repair The Air Filter
This tip is super quick and easy, however, its incredibly important. The last repair you really want to do is service the carburettor.
The air filter is designed to catch any dirt to eliminate this happening. You can clean an air filter using some old fuel and once dry smear a very light covering of oil on the outer side of a sponge filter.
Replacement is very cheap and my preferred option.
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Cylinder Mower Blade Sharpening
If your cylinder mower blade is dull or no longer makes clean cuts, a Tasker can sharpen the blades for you. Taskers can sharpen lawn mower blades with various tools, such as hand files, bench grinders, and chisels and punches. Book a cylinder mower sharpening today by posting a task. After sharpening a lawn mower blade, specialists can also set the blades correctly. The proper setting ensures the blade lasts longer and achieves optimum cutting.
Lawn Mower Blade Repair
One indication of a damaged blade is a sudden loss of power while mowing. Usually, it is resolved by cleaning the underside of the machine and getting rid of all grass clippings. But if the problem persists, then it might be due to a bent or loose blade. To resolve the issue, our mobile lawn repairer can sharpen them, or replace them with a newly sharpened blade as well.
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Here Are 8 Tips For A Lawn Mower Service
- Clean your lawn mower
Often overlooked, but definitely important if you want your mower performing at its best. For most of the body of the mower, all you need is some soapy water and a brush. For the undercarriage, giving your lawn mower a good hose down and scrub with a metal brush will ensure the build-up of grass and dirt is removed. You can then use degreaser and a rag to get into all the small components around the engine to remove grease and dirt build-up.
- Clean your air filter
Remove the air filter and give it a tap to remove any dust or build up. If it is particularly dirty, you are best to replace it with a new one.
- Change your spark plug
A common cause for many lawn mower issues and an easy problem to fix. Remove the spark plug and clean the thread and lubricate with a small amount of oil before putting back. Replacing your spark plug every 12 months will help to avoid spark plug failure and help to ensure a quick start and a smoother running lawn mower.
- Sharpen/replace your blades
One of the most important steps in servicing your lawn mower that can substantially affect the health of your lawn. Change your blades at least once a year and keep them clean of debris. A good sharp blade will ensure the grass blades are cut rather than torn, which is important not only for the appearance of your lawn but for the health of the leaf.
- Check the oil
- Lubricate Throttle cable, height adjuster, wheels and other moveable parts
- Check you have fresh fuel
Can High Mileage Oil Damage An Engine
Using a high-mileage oil in a new vehicle would be ill-advised, since no manufacturer recommends this type of oil for a new vehicle. Would it harm your engine? Most likely not, but it would be better to adhere to what is specified in the owners manual, at least until the warranty has expired.
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How To Book A Repair / Service/ Warranty Inspection
For all Ride-on, Zero Turn and large equipment call us on 07 3273 and make a booking. During the period 01 December thru 31 May, you will need to book your repairs as we only have limited space in our workshop.
For all other items just bring them in. We operate on a first in first served basis but to offer an urgent service for emergencies.
When you book in your job we take a $30* deposit at the time. This deposit comes off your repair costs or if it can not be fixed goes off a new item.
We will then look at your repair in turn and call you when ready.
Dont worry about a massive bill, we set a maximum value of $120 unless otherwise quoted. If we need to go over this amount, we will call you before we proceed.
* Ride-ons can require a $85 deposit unless purchased from us in the last 5 years, No deposit for warranty assessments on equipment purchased from us in the last 12 months.
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Lawn Mower Oil Chamber Repair
Don’t panic if a cloud of smoke suddenly comes out of your lawn mowing machine. Usually, the problem is due to an overfilled or leaking oil chamber. Our lawn mower service and repair experts can check your tool and identify the source of the smoke.
For overfilled lawn mowers, your Tasker may need to release some oil from the cylinder to have it running again. As for leaking oil chambers, this issue could be from a damaged bearing ring seal, valve gasket, dipstick seal, or crankcase gasket. We can repair and patch any of these parts, or replace them if necessary.
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Check The Blade Balance
Mowers run smoothest when the blade is balanced. However, sharpening sometimes removes more metal from one edge than another. This makes the blade unbalanced.
Its important to fix a blade that was imbalanced during sharpening. If it wobbles now, it will wobble on your mower too. An unbalanced blade may damage your mower. The vibrations alone are annoying, but the bearings or blade shaft might actually get destroyed.
Follow these steps to check the balance on your sharpened lawn mower blade:
- Support the blade under its center, like a scale. A screwdriver is an easy tool to use. Insert the screwdriver tip through the hole in the blade. The blade should balance on the tip or drop to balance on the handle.
- Hold the blade horizontal, then let go. It should remain level.
- If the blade drops in either direction, it means that the blade is unbalanced.
- The side that dipped down is heavier. Take a few strokes off that end to remove some metal, then retest.
For more precision in judging blade balance, purchase a blade balancer. Its a good addition to your mower maintenance tool kit. Its a cone-shaped tool that has a spindle for the blade.
