riding lawnmower, blades dont engage

[NYGiants]

i was mowing the lawn the other day and i ran over a stick nothing huge, but after i ran it over the blades stopped working. now normally if something is jammed in the blades the lawn mower dies when the blade switch is on, nothing happened. You didnt feel the slower pace and the different tune from the mower. I checked belts and they seem fine. i removed any debris from the blades. Any Help?

 

[mike64]

Re: riding lawnmower, blades dont engage

The belt itself may be undamaged, but maybe it jumped a pulley or something. Did you check your owner's manual to see how the belt should be properly routed? Maybe obvious, but that's where I would start looking.

 

[ehenry]

Re: riding lawnmower, blades dont engage

How do the blades engauge? By a lever, electric clutch?

 

[NYGiants]

Re: riding lawnmower, blades dont engage

they engage by handle
its an early 90's honda
and one of the belts jumped a pulley, but i put it back on

 

[T-O-Double-D]

Re: riding lawnmower, blades dont engage

I have a Honda HT3810 and the same thing just happened to me, the clutch material came unglued from the metal part of the clutch disk.
But the hard part is finding parts for these things.
Good luck in your lawn mowing experiences.

Todd

 

[NYGiants]

Re: riding lawnmower, blades dont engage

well
i didnt think to check the rear pullies, and sure enough a belt popped off. was a ***** to put back on though had to pull it off the front, then push the front pully high up so i could reattach the belt. forgot to tighten the belts with the knob and it came off, tightenede knob and everything worked fine

 

[wajajaja02]

Re: riding lawnmower, blades dont engage

MAY have seized a spindle,and it wont turn, of course that will be obvious as the belt will promptly burn off

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: riding lawnmower, blades dont engage

Glad i am not the only one with lawn mower problems.

My 16.5 hp Craftsmen bit the dust the other day and is going to the land fill.
Only about 6 years old....Cheap made junk i tell ya!

Looking at the new Cub Cadets and Husqvarna mowers but have not decided..
Never will i buy another Sears mower...

 

[kmk_7110]

Re: riding lawnmower, blades dont engage

Husqvarnas are nice mowers. But Deere runs in my blood. father build them about 10-15 years ago... but i did use a husky riding mower and they are nice also.

 

[Splat]

Re: riding lawnmower, blades dont engage

Husqvarnas are nice mowers. But Deere runs in my blood. father build them about 10-15 years ago... but i did use a husky riding mower and they are nice also.

John Deere aren't bad machines, but you have to get one from a actual John Deere dealer They ARE NOT THE SAME as the ones sold at Home Depot and such. Trust me, been in the business for years.

Personally I hate traditional tractors with a steering wheel. I would seriously look into a Zero Turn. Gravely/Ariens, Dixon all make VERY good zero turns, in both the Homeowner, and commercial markets.

Bill

 

[mike64]

Re: riding lawnmower, blades dont engage

Glad i am not the only one with lawn mower problems.

My 16.5 hp Craftsmen bit the dust the other day and is going to the land fill.
Only about 6 years old....Cheap made junk i tell ya!

Looking at the new Cub Cadets and Husqvarna mowers but have not decided..
Never will i buy another Sears mower...

Great, I have a 3 year old Sears lawn tractor.

Seems to be holding up pretty well so far, and I use it all 4 seasons.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: riding lawnmower, blades dont engage

True on the John Deere mowers at Home Depot and Lowes...Way less quality than the REAL John Deeres at the dealer.

The problem with the Sears mowers are the stamped hollow front axles...junk.
The steering gear wears out fast too although i kept it greased.
The decks are too thin.

Found a nice 6 speed Poulan Pro on Craigslist for 150 bucks!
It needed an engine but the mower and deck are in perfect shape.
Cast iron front axle,everything has grease fittings..Its a 2004 model.
My engine bolted right up and it mowes perfect!
Its feels really solid compared to my old Craftsman..

 

[triumphrick]

Re: riding lawnmower, blades dont engage

Good job, Gary. Just for info, my '06 Husqvarna YTH 2448is either made by Sears or makes Sears mowers, as the model I have uses all Sears parts, right down to the pulleys and bagger. It does have the cast iron front axle.
So far with about 245 hrs it's been ok mowing our 2.5 acres....

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: riding lawnmower, blades dont engage

Good to know Rick,
I have a neighbor that does landscaping and he swears by the Husqvarna equipment. I think the quality is well above the regular Sears mowers.

My brother bought a new Cub Cadet and loves it.I checked it out and it looks much more solid than many other brands.

Heck,I'm glad i'm back mowing for just a few bucks..
It cuts so much more even than the old Craftsman and has the wheels and front roller kit on the deck.

 

[mike64]

Re: riding lawnmower, blades dont engage

The problem with the Sears mowers are the stamped hollow front axles...junk.
The steering gear wears out fast too although i kept it greased.
The decks are too thin...

I did make sure to buy a craftsman mower with a cast iron axle. I got a good deal on a "limited" model so hopefully it's better built all around.

 

[jackangel]

Re: riding lawnmower, blades dont engage

Has everyone forgot about Toro, sure a little pricey, but well worth it, I have a Groundmaster that is about 15 years old and still cuts and rides like new.

 

[lowkee]

Re: riding lawnmower, blades dont engage

I have a 23 y/o wheel horse (Toro) which will likely outlast me. Sometimes older is still better. I do long for a zero turn, though. Maybe if I ever find an Exmark for a good price. Those things are built like tanks.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: riding lawnmower, blades dont engage

The old Toro are great mowers.I think the newer models are another MTD built mower..
Hang on to that old Wheel Horse Lowkee...

I ended up with 240 bucks in my new mower...replaced all the belts and its smooth as can be.

Something i learned about the over head valve Briggs motors.The head gasket will leak between the push rod section and the cylinder.It will start using oil and smoke off and on.
We had 3 other motors in my neighbors garage.We pulled the head on all 3 and the gasket was leaking in the same exact place on every engine.

I pulled the head on mine and sure enough it was almost gone too.
My neighbor has a 2 year old Craftsman so we pulled the head on his and found the same thing..

Talked to a Briggs and Stratton Rep about it.He said the head needs to be re-tourqed after about the first 10 hours of use.
Funny no dealer knows or tells the customer about it.

The gasket was 6 bucks and the whole job took less than an hour.

 

[mike64]

Re: riding lawnmower, blades dont engage

...Something i learned about the over head valve Briggs motors.The head gasket will leak between the push rod section and the cylinder.It will start using oil and smoke off and on.
We had 3 other motors in my neighbors garage.We pulled the head on all 3 and the gasket was leaking in the same exact place on every engine.

I pulled the head on mine and sure enough it was almost gone too.
My neighbor has a 2 year old Craftsman so we pulled the head on his and found the same thing..

Talked to a Briggs and Stratton Rep about it.He said the head needs to be re-tourqed after about the first 10 hours of use.
Funny no dealer knows or tells the customer about it.

The gasket was 6 bucks and the whole job took less than an hour.

That's very interesting Gary. I have a Briggs engine in my Craftsman mower. Don't know if it's an overhead valve model though. Haven't noticed any oil loss or smoking, and I have over 40 hours on it. But will definitely investigate now. So what's the process... remove the bolts holding the head in place, replace the gasket, use a torque wrench to replace it? How do you find the torque specs? I'm guessing that's not in the owner's manual.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: riding lawnmower, blades dont engage

The specs are 210 inch pounds.( I wrote it down but i think that was it )
The Briggs guy told me to run it and check them again.
He was a rep that just happened to be at the parts house when i was there.
The gasket is so common the parts guy did not even have to look it up.
The motor will have a square cover on the top of the head that has the rocker arms and push rods in it.
I had never been into one of those engines before so i loosened the rockers and pulled the push rods out..then found out that was not needed to remove the head.
Setting the valve clearance was a major pain....very touchy.just a couple thousands off and it will not run..
If you ever do one leave the adjustments alone on the rockers..Remove it all as one unit then when the head is off remove the valve cover.That way you can get the push rods lined up and turn the rocker arms back into place without any adjustment.Then tighten the head down.