Lawn Mower Issue - Easy Fix?

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › Lawn Mower Issue - Easy Fix?

1 | 2 | 3

tdgeek

30048 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 9455

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2577027 1-Oct-2020 10:00

networkn:

Unfortunately, this thing has been not that great since new. We only mow about once every 2 months so it's getting used 5-6 times a year, maybe 50 times ever :) The shop assembled it and sharpened the blade the day I bought it. Grass also catches in odd places like on the body near the exit chute, the catcher often "falls" off and yeah, overall it's a really average design.

The new model has about 1/2 again as much torque and an extra 50cc so I am hoping it should be a lot better. It's a stupid amount of overkill for a lawn my size really.

I assembled it last night so will have a go this weekend with it.

Fair enough. Nothing worse than catcher issues, but a new mower and gruntier should be good

networkn

Networkn
32871 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 15466

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2577032 1-Oct-2020 10:07

I should have been more assertive when I took it home and it wasn't much better than the 10 year old mower it replaced, but I was busy and and just seemed too much work. I'll report back on the new Hyundai mower. It's an absolute monster though.

nbroad

320 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 39

#2577218 1-Oct-2020 13:29

Do try this suggestion from a previous post - I've also had the same thing. Blocked fuel cap vents creates a vacuum in the tank, motor dies after a while. Easy to test by running it with no fuel cap or slightly loose.

New fuel cap solves the issue.

I had a similar problem with my mower. The problem was caused by the fuel cap not letting air into the tank as the tank emptied. Try loosening the cap as the engine starts to conk out. If it continues to run OK then the fuel cap may be the cause of the problem.

djtOtago

1181 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 605

#2577424 1-Oct-2020 19:42

networkn:

Unfortunately, this thing has been not that great since new. We only mow about once every 2 months so it's getting used 5-6 times a year, maybe 50 times ever :) The shop assembled it and sharpened the blade the day I bought it. Grass also catches in odd places like on the body near the exit chute, the catcher often "falls" off and yeah, overall it's a really average design.

The new model has about 1/2 again as much torque and an extra 50cc so I am hoping it should be a lot better. It's a stupid amount of overkill for a lawn my size really.

I assembled it last night so will have a go this weekend with it.

My bold.

IMHO
No rotary cut lawnmower is going to handle the volume of grass it will be required to cut, lift and throw into the catcher if you only mow every 2 months.
You would really need to do multiple passes cutting about 30mm of height off each time.

If you hate your lawn so much, weed spray it and replace it with something artificial.

networkn

Networkn
32871 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 15466

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2577448 1-Oct-2020 20:23

Our lawn has never grown particularly quickly. 2 Monthly is an average. Over winter it wouldn't barely need it, over summer, more often.

I don't hate mowing lawns, I am just busy and find it hard to find the time. I dont like mowing lawns with a mower I hate.

networkn

Networkn
32871 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 15466

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2577487 1-Oct-2020 20:59

Slightly fracturing but hopefully still some knowledge I can gain here:

So my new Hyundai 196cc Monster

https://www.tradetested.co.nz/gardening/outdoor-power-garden/lawnmowers/petrol/hyundai-lawnmower-510mm-173cc-self-propelled-electric-start.html

When I purchased it, it said, don't forget to buy oil, and gave me a link to ONE option. So I purchased that, assuming it was the right kind of oil. The oil they sold me is

https://www.tradetested.co.nz/gardening/outdoor-power-garden/fuel-cans/provis-15w-40-multigrade-motor-oil-1l.html

Says compatible with all 4 stroke mowers. But online I saw that they were suggest SAE 15W/30

Not sure if I have the right stuff.

Dell

Shop now for Dell laptops and other devices (affiliate link).

Bung

6734 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2927

Subscriber

#2577512 1-Oct-2020 22:30

When all else fails the user manual says "6.29 Drain engine oil and replace with new SAE15w40 engine oil, fill to the upper mark on
the dipstick."

networkn

Networkn
32871 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 15466

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2579413 5-Oct-2020 09:21

Mowed with the new 196cc Hyundai Mower in the weekend. What a fantastic thing the electric start is! Also self-propelled on something this freaking heavy is very good. Also, very pleasant is the sensation of heading into long grass and not wincing in anticipation of the mower stalling. This thing just mows right through it, didn't slow down or stutter once. On the downside, this thing is freaking unbelievably heavy feeling and is about as manoeuvrable as a aircraft carrier. Stupidly difficult. I used the side shoot, but that removes a lot of the flexibility in mowing since you can only mow in 1 direction which doesn't suit every situation. I will likely either mulch or catcher mow now. Overall, I am happy.

Thanks again to those who provided advice.

tdgeek

30048 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 9455

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2579421 5-Oct-2020 09:41

48Kg wet thats massive, mine is a similar type mower, 53 cut, non self propelled, and at 37Kg thats noticeably heavier than my pervious bog standard mower. Good that it goes well for you

Re mulching, I do that always. Non stop mow (plenty here to do), no catcher to mess with or the weight. BUTTTT you have to mow frequently, you can't do the cut when it gets too long. If its too long it will bog the mower down as the cut grass elevates and gets cut again, basically to a coarse powder, literally. Too much length and it will overfill inside the mower, bog and spit lumps as you mow. My dealer says 5 to 7 day mows in the growing season. New blade you can get away with more length, but bear it in mind.

networkn

Networkn
32871 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 15466

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2579422 5-Oct-2020 09:44

Yeah I read about more frequent mowing when mulching. Not sure I'll manage to mulch often, especially since right now we need to round up the lawn and re-lay it. Unfortunately, water restrictions in Auckland likely prevent this right now.

MikeAqua

8031 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 3820

#2579475 5-Oct-2020 11:54

networkn:

Yeah I read about more frequent mowing when mulching. Not sure I'll manage to mulch often, especially since right now we need to round up the lawn and re-lay it. Unfortunately, water restrictions in Auckland likely prevent this right now.

If you're getting into mulching it's important to have the microbes in the soil surface working well.

To do this use blood and bone and/or seaweed fertilisers,get your pH right and avoid sprays and other 'chemicals'. This approach encourage the right microbes, which break down the mulched fragments. It also helps if you can wet down the lawn after mowing (if possible). I used to keep the lawn quite long (>6omm), mulch-mow two evenings per week in summer and wet it down after. It broke down the mulching's very well. That was on about 1/3 acre of irrigated lawn near Blenheim.

Mike

Lenovo

Shop now for Lenovo laptops and other devices (affiliate link).

networkn

Networkn
32871 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 15466

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2579478 5-Oct-2020 11:57

My lawn is covered in that horrible creeping stuff with the thick tuber thing. We were waiting for our Dog to pass (RIP Thunder last month) before trying to basically nuke and readylawn it.

I don't feel our current lawn is recoverable without months of dedicated work.

networkn

Networkn
32871 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 15466

ID Verified

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#2624910 21-Dec-2020 11:27

What a big difference in having a good mower makes. We have been mowing weekly/fortnightly since getting it, and it's just so much easier overall. A more expensive model would have done the same job better and been less cheap and more manoeuvrable, but for what I paid, I can't complain. I wish I had done it earlier.

1 | 2 | 3