My lawn mower may have just died. It's about 8 or 9 years old, has a Briggs and Stratton engine. One minute it was mowing fine; the next minute I couldn't start it - the starter cord would only pull out to about 9 inches. I decided that it was jammed, and asked someone more technical than me to look at it. He basically said "The mower has had it. The engine will not turn over."
OK. I admit to knowing nothing about engines, but . . . . It seems odd to me that an engine should die so suddenly. Also odd that a B&S engine should only last about 9 years. And then there is the symptom. A starter cord that would only pull out 9 inches didn't sound like a dead engine.
Is it really dead?
And if so, what is the likely cause of death?
|
|
9" could be the free play before it engages with crank. If you turn the mower over, can you turn the engine over using the blade (disconnect the spark plug cap first, just in case it decides to fire....!)? It rather sounds like you might have seized it - was there any oil in it?
|
does it have any oil in the sump?
when did you last change it?
did the note of the engine change prior to it stopping
might just be a collapsed bearing
certainly worth a strip down
get pda to help shes itching with her new whitworth current spanners.....
|
Thanks gentlemen for your help.
"does it have any oil in the sump?"
The mower is not at home at the moment, so I can't check it, but . . .
"when did you last change it?"
Ahhh. Oil. That'll be it. Last changed a couple of years ago. Whoops. Oh dear.
It rather sounds like you might have seized it - was there any oil in it?
Sounds like I've killed it.
:-(
But, looking on the bright side, it was a cheap mower, and I have been regretting not getting a self propelled one, because pushing it has been a bit of an effort. And I have been regretting not getting a more powerful one, because I have a lot of grass to cut.
In fact, I had been thinking that I'd really, really, like a new one. But I didn't have an excuse to get one. And I was finding L'escargot's recent mower thread very interesting.
:-)
My next question is - should I ask for comments and suggestions for a new mower on this tread, or should I hijack L'escargot's thread, or should I start a new one?
|
I've known the recoil starter to fail in a way that it jams the engine so worth pulling it off the top before checking the engine turns OK.
If it is trashed never worth paying for a repair. You'll get a good used one on EBay for the cost of a service and blade sharpen.
|
I've known the recoil starter to fail in a way that it jams the engine so worth pulling it off the top before checking the engine turns OK.
I'm pretty sure the gent who checked it did so. (I dropped it off at his place, so wasn't present.)
Here's a few that I've seen that look interesting:
MURRAY MXMH 850E
tinyurl.com/2wxlhdy
Hayter Motif 53 Autodrive
tinyurl.com/38gsthh
Husqvarna R53SV
tinyurl.com/3aygbdx
Any comments on them are welcome.
Last edited by: tyro on Mon 30 Aug 10 at 13:35
|
Comments... yes buy a new Honda.... or if your budget doesn't run to it buy a used Honda.
Seriously they are a class above.
BTW you should start a new lawnmower thread... I've got nothing else pressing this afternoon :-)
Last edited by: Fenlander on Mon 30 Aug 10 at 13:41
|
Not sure about the new thread. I've already taken this one too far!
Should I get a Honda Mower, or is it good enough to get another mower with a Honda engine?
|
I had a mower where just the engine was a Honda and the rest an average make... engine was fine but the transmission bit failed and scrapped it. Having said that the Honda engine is a plus.
Are you in The Highlands? Is the grass other than a bowling green lawn? If so I'd be very tempted to go for a mulching mower with no bag.
Like this...
www.justlawnmowers.co.uk/pages/productspages/honda-hrs536sde.htm
|
>> Hayter Motif 53 Autodrive
>> tinyurl.com/38gsthh
We use larger versions of these at work for cutting the lawns, although I think ours have Brigg and Stratton engines. They can be a pain to start when warm (very long throw cord takes a lot of pulling). The drive mechanism slows down after some use and needs adjusting, or it can get clogged up with mud and grass and needs cleaning out. Also the box is fiddly to take on and off. The people who design some of these mowers never think about the operators backs (or maybe they expect 20 yr olds to be using them!). I can't comment on the other two, but as Fenlander says, Honda engines at least are seriously good.
|
"Are you in The Highlands? Is the grass other than a bowling green lawn? If so I'd be very tempted to go for a mulching mower with no bag. "
Yes to two questions - large patch of grass, rough and sloping.
I'd not really considered a mulching mower. I'd heard negative things about them. I think, for example, I'd heard that they encouraged moss, and the moss in my garden needs no encouragement. However, perhaps I need to think again.
Corax - thanks for that helpful comment.
|
I don't think moss is a huge issue related to a mulching mower. The most usual reason I've seen on lawns is cutting too close. Compacted ground, waterlogging, lack of sun and feeding the lawn can all encourage moss far more than a bit of excess mulch.
As we have more grass than is easy to cut some weekends I've saved a bit of the effort by this year giving up using the grass bag. Mowed weekly our lawns still look great and there has been no new moss. This is with a self-propelled 21in Honda, not a proper mulching mower. For the last few cuts I've gone to a basic design 19in push rotary Hayter which has a flat underside as there is no chute to where the box would be. This has given an even better finish with the advantage in heavy or damp grass there is none of that clogging up the grass chute.
If I can't stop myself I'm due to buy a bargain 21in proper mulching mower on EBay soon and see how that goes for the end of the season.
Just a point on self-propelled mowers. My Honda is too slow for me as I tend to walk quickly and I find myself pushing against it wasting effort. Despite a fair area to mow (well over 0.5ac) I'm getting on fine pushing the Hayter along at my natural walking pace.
|
As we have more grass than is easy to cut some weekends I've saved a bit of the effort by this year giving up using the grass bag. Mowed weekly our lawns still look great
Mowed weekly has never been something I've achieved. I've got about an acre. Getting it all mowed six times a year would be doing well.
|
|
What's that then.... once a month? Surely it's too long after that time and too big an area to use the grassbox? Sounds like the perfect area for a no box mulcher.
|
...Sounds like the perfect area for a no box mulcher...
Sounds like the perfect area for a few sheep.
|
|
Eldest daughter is home later after two weeks work experience on a Herefordshire mixed farm. Last night's pleading phone call was to bring home a lamb she'd been bottle feeding. I was reminded of the great statesman Ozzy Osbourne when he said something like... *For God's sake Sharon, no more F...... animals*.
|
Just a point on self-propelled mowers. My Honda is too slow for me as I tend to walk quickly and I find myself pushing against it wasting effort. Despite a fair area to mow (well over 0.5ac) I'm getting on fine pushing the Hayter along at my natural walking pace.
That brings back memories. Back in the 1990s I used to have a self-propelled mower - a Qualcast Suffolk Punch. I must confess that I didn't really warm to this self-propelled business. Part of it was the business of it going to slowly. I also thought that it was just more bother than it was worth - one more thing to go wrong. Which may be one of the reasons I didn't buy one last time. Getting a powerful motor may be more important. However - I suspect that getting a good mower that is not self-propelled may be difficult. And I'm not as young and fit as I was in those days - the attractions of self-propelled mowers probably grow with age.
p.s. Ifithelps - if I had a pound for every time someone mentioned getting a few sheep (or some other grazing animal), I'd have pretty well saved up for a nice new lawn mower already!
Last edited by: tyro on Mon 30 Aug 10 at 16:41
|
I'm using a ride on mulcher, a John Deere, and while I'm delighted at the lack of a stinking heap of grass, not to mention the need to fork the contents of the box onto it when you've finished mowing, the finish is nowhere near as good as with a collector. Mulching works best when the grass is dry and you're not taking much off. Mowing once a month with a mulching mower would be a disaster. You are trying to pump a months worth of growth back into the remaining stubble and expect it to vanish. It's just not going to happen. It will lie on the surface and kill the grass beneath.
If the grass is long or wet (or both) it sticks to the tyres and peels off when the weight reaches a critical mass, or when I turn. This might not be a problem with a walk behind with narrow wheels.
The mower is about 12 years old and it's a great bit of kit. I had a Westsomething (taken over by Countax) before that and it was a heap of junk.
JH
|
>>>Mowing once a month with a mulching mower would be a disaster. You are trying to pump a months worth of growth back into the remaining stubble and expect it to vanish. It's just not going to happen. It will lie on the surface and kill the grass beneath.
Fair point... to a point.... much depends on the quality of action on the mulch mower. It was how we maintained our previous paddocks with a tractor mounted 3m mower... never an option to collect with that. It took two or three mows to tidy a previously abandoned paddock but once monthly mowing was established the finish was quite reasonable.
Even now I often leave our rough grass area 3/4 weeks and mow without collecting... no problems.
Anyway assuming Tyro is mowing an acre monthly from very long to a normal cut length the number of grassbox empties must be a nightmare.
Last edited by: Fenlander on Mon 30 Aug 10 at 17:02
|
" the number of grassbox empties must be a nightmare." yup. A collector / furnace would be a good idea :-(
JH
|
...Ifithelps - if I had a pound for every time someone mentioned getting a few sheep...
Any reason why you've not done so?
You don't seem too bothered about the finish of the grass, and cutting it seems to be a chore, so on the face of it sheep would seem a good 'set and forget' solution.
Especially so if they are somebody else's.
|
But not Soay. Blasted escape artists. They'll be eating someone's grass/plants/veg but not yours :-(
JH
|
...Blasted escape artists...
Depends on the breed.
Some wouldn't cross a sagging rope, but others will try and break out of wherever you put them.
|
|
An acquaintance is a retired sheep farmer. He believed they were designed to jump an inch higher than any fence you put round them. He also reckoned their ambition was to die in the most stupid way possible.
|
"Anyway assuming Tyro is mowing an acre monthly from very long to a normal cut length the number of grassbox empties must be a nightmare."
I've gotten used to it. So, while a bit of a slog, not a total nightmare. But you are right - I do a lot of grassbox empties.
"Any reason why you've not done so?
You don't seem too bothered about the finish of the grass, and cutting it seems to be a chore, so on the face of it sheep would seem a good 'set and forget' solution."
I don't want sheep in my garden because it's not just grass and weeds that they would eat. Fencing off the sheep areas from the non-sheep areas would not really be practical.
|
Result:
"Comments... yes buy a new Honda.... or if your budget doesn't run to it buy a used Honda.
Seriously they are a class above."
Oh, very well.
Done it.
www.honda.co.uk/garden/lawnmowers/HRG536SD
More than I intended to spend. But then not totally ridiculous.
I've always reckoned that I ought to buy a Honda. None of their cars really appealed though, so a lawn mower it had to be.
;-)
|
So you're ruling one of these out then? tinyurl.com/35rme3c
JH
|
>>>always reckoned that I ought to buy a Honda. None of their cars really appealed though, so a lawn mower it had to be.
Funnily enough I say that when in *down the pub* lawnmower discussions.
The mower you've decided on with be a cracking model. My main Honda is a similar model from a few years back but with a steel deck... see you'll be getting the Polystrong material... really prefer that.
|
>> Funnily enough I say that when in *down the pub* lawnmower discussions.
gawd blimey, you must be a right laugh dahn the boozer
|
>>>gawd blimey, you must be a right laugh dahn the boozer
Ha... don't really talk lawnmowers down the pub as such.... just use the *down the pub* phrase about a discussion that is all opinion and rubbish when folks haven't a clue.
As in...
I wouldn't touch a Sony/Citroen/Garmin/Holiday in Florida/etc because my mates uncle once.........
|
"So you're ruling one of these out then?"
Y'know, JH, there are times when I wonder what I am doing on this forum.
I am utterly and completely unmechanical, I have never watched Top Gear (apart from one time in somebody else's house when I was forced to), I have never had any interest in motor-sport in any shape or form, and I've never wanted a sports car, a coupe, or a convertible. And as for those contraptions . . . give me a nice lawn mower any day.
:-)
|
|
And you live in a great place to enjoy that mindset Tyro.
|
"The mower you've decided on with be a cracking model. "
Thank you, sir. And thanks also for your gentle pushes.
|
How about one of these? Set-and-forget, and won't eat the flower beds like a sheep would. You can also set it up to text you if it gets stuck (again, not like a sheep)...
tinyurl.com/dxrgwb
|
" there are times when I wonder what I am doing on this forum"
err, contributing? In a good natured & friendly way?
Incidentally, nice mower. You spoil that wife of yours :-)
JH
|
|
Idling by a local High Street mower shop - saw a Mountfield mower, steel or alloy deck, with a Honda motor - £330 - seems cheap enough that.
|
>> None of their cars really appealed though
I thought that until I drove one.
|
Lawn-mower question: Dead engine? - RichardW
