How To Ground A Ride On Mower Battery

Our ride on mowers operate very similarly to our cars – they are both powered by batteries that are connected to the electrical systems of the vehicles. Unlike our cars, however, some of the electrical devices in our mowers connect to the chassis rather than directly to the battery. It is for this reason that the battery must be grounded (or electrically connected) to the chassis of our mower. This is a fairly simple process, providing you know what you are doing.

Step 1: Drill a small hole into the chassis of your mower. It doesn’t matter where, as the entire chassis will conduct electricity.

Step 2: Take some wire and run it from the negative terminal of the battery to the hole you have drilled. Cut the wire to length, and strip about half an inch of insulation off either end. Crimp a ring terminal onto each end of the wire.

Step 3: Loosen and remove the nut on the negative terminal of your battery and place the ring terminal over the screw. Replace and tighten the nut so that the wire is held firmly to the battery.

Step 4: Take a sheet metal screw and place it through the ring terminal on the other end of the wire. Put the screw through the hole you have drilled and tighten it so that the wire is held firmly against the chassis.

Your ride on mowers battery has now been successfully grounded. When you start the mower, you should be able to check whether you have connected the wires correctly by trying to use some of the electrical devices that you know connect to the chassis (such as the alternator). If they don’t work, check that you have attached the wire to the negative terminal and not the positive.

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How To Fix A Mower’s Pull Cord

If you own a walk-behind or a push mower, chances are you need to use a pull cord in order to start it up. The friction created by trying to get your mower to start can cause the cord to break or deteriorate over time, but it is a problem that can be quickly fixed.

Begin by disconnecting the spark plug, as you don’t want to accidentally turn your mower on whilst you are working on it. You will then need to loosen the bolts that secure the starter shroud to the top of the mower’s engine (there’s usually 3). Lift the starter shroud off of the mower and place it, upside down, on a flat surface.
Holding the mower’s starter shroud with one hand, turn the centre pulley counter-clockwise until it refuses to turn any further. Use a pair of wide-jaw vise-grip pliers to hold the pulley in place. Use a pair of needle nose pliers to take hold of the knot in the hole near the centre of the pulley and pull out the damaged section of mower pull cord.

Take the new pull cord and insert the end (ensuring that the handle is on the opposite end) into the hole in the mower’s starter shroud. Guide the end of this cord into the pulley and towards the knot hole; when you see it in the hole, use the needle nose pliers to take hold of it and pull out about a foot of cord. Tie the end of the cord into a knot, singeing the end with a flame to stop is from fraying.

Pull on the cord from the outside of the mowers starter shroud until the knot is seated firmly into the knot hole. Remove the vise-grip pliers, allowing the cord to recoil around the pulley. Replace the starter shroud onto the engine and retighten the bolts that secured it to the mower. Once you have reconnected the start plug, your mower’s pull cord should be good as new and ready to go once more. 

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How To Remove A Mower’s Grass Collection Bag

Many mowers are fitted with collection bags that are used to catch grass clippings instead of leaving them spread out across your lawn. After each use of your mower, however, it is important that you empty this bag to prevent the grass from decomposing. Whilst it may look difficult to remove the collection bag, it really is easy once you know what you are doing.

Make sure that the mower is parked on a level surface, that it is switched off and that the park brake has been engaged. If your property doesn’t have any level surfaces, simply park the mower against something solid that will prevent it from moving.

Locate where the collection bag is attached (either on the side or the back of the mower) and lift the plastic flap that covers the top of it. You will need to place both of your hands beneath this flap, on either side of the mower, to locate the metal poles beneath the bag that hold it in place.

Take hold of this metal frame firmly at both ends and gently pull the collection bag up and away from the body of the mower. Be very careful, however, otherwise you risk making a mess with all of the grass clippings. Tip the clippings into a bin, compost heap or use another means to dispose of them.

You can now return the collection bag back to its seat on the mower by carefully re-positioning it and snapping the metal frame back in place. Make sure that the plastic flap is laid back down over the top of the bag, and your mower is now good to be used again or put away. know more about mowers Click Here

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How To Start A Flooded Mower

One of the biggest pet peeves that homeowners have with push mowers is that they, on occasion, decide that they don’t want to start. In frustration and thinking that they need more fuel, the homeowner will repeatedly push the prime button or pull the cord – and all this does is flood your mower’s carburetor, giving it even more cause not to start. If this has happened to you, how do you fix it?

Firstly, you will need to adjust your mower’s throttle so that it is on the lowest setting. Pull the starter cord 8 to 10 times, which will force all of the excess gas out of the carburetor (as the valve is closed).

Then, you can unscrew the air filter cover on the side of the mower with a screwdriver. Remove the air filter and leave it out to air dry, as it will probably be soaked from all the fuel that flowed in when you flooded the mower. If you notice that your air filter is overly dirty or damaged, now is a good time to simply replace it.

Locate the carburetor hole, which should be just behind where the air filter was sitting, and stick the screwdriver in. Use it to push the butterfly valve in the carburetor sleeve open, which allows for maximum airflow through the mower.

Now you can pull the mower’s start cord until it starts. You will need to run the engine for a minute to burn off all of the gas that flooded into it, then shut the mower off. Remove the screwdriver from the carburetor sleeve, put the air filter back in and replace the cover. Your mower should now be fixed. 

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How To Change A Mower’s Battery

There can be little more annoying than preparing for an afternoon of cutting your grass, only to pull out your mower and discover that its battery is completely flat. You might try to jump it with your car but get absolutely no response. The only thing to do in a situation like this is to replace your mowers battery.

First, make sure that your entire mower is switched off. This includes lights and any other devices that can be used without the engine running. Then, you will need to locate the battery and unscrew the bar that is holding it in position. You should also check the battery’s positive and negative terminals for corrosion, as this could lead to damage in the mower (if you find any, simply scrape it off with a stiff wire brush).

To remove the flat battery, loosen the negative cable clamp, which should be marked with a minus (or subtraction) symbol on a mower, using an adjustable wrench. You will then need to loosen the positive cable clamp, which should be marked with a plus (or addition) symbol on a mower. The battery should then be able to be pulled out of the mower’s metal holder.

You can then place the new battery into the mower’s metal holder, replacing the cable clamps over the terminals and tightening them with the wrench. Be sure that the negative cable is connected to the negative side of the battery before tightening. To finish, you can screw the bar back in to hold the battery in position whilst the mower is in use.

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