Petrol mower not picking up
 

Hi all, I'm hoping to avoid paying for a service on my Honda mower by
benefiting from your experience. The mower has been great for about
three years (we bought it second hand) but in the last two months it
refuses to pick up a great deal of grass - it fills the collector to a
third and then starts causing problems. The grass gets caught between
the rotars and the case and the engine cuts out. I then have to turn
it on it's side and clean it out and then start it...every 10 feet or
so!! If I take the grass collector off the back then it works better.
I've checked that the mesh of the collector is still 'porous' because
I'm assuming it has to be to get the 'hoover effect' but I can't see
what else might be wrong.

It's as if the motor isn't producing enough power to cut, move along
and blow the grass into the collector all at once.

Any ideas anyone?

Cheers,
Crom

crom wrote:
Hi all, I'm hoping to avoid paying for a service on my Honda mower by
benefiting from your experience. The mower has been great for about
three years (we bought it second hand) but in the last two months it
refuses to pick up a great deal of grass - it fills the collector to a
third and then starts causing problems. The grass gets caught between
the rotars and the case and the engine cuts out. I then have to turn
it on it's side and clean it out and then start it...every 10 feet or
so!! If I take the grass collector off the back then it works better.
I've checked that the mesh of the collector is still 'porous' because
I'm assuming it has to be to get the 'hoover effect' but I can't see
what else might be wrong.

It's as if the motor isn't producing enough power to cut, move along
and blow the grass into the collector all at once.

Any ideas anyone?

Cheers,
Crom

how sharp are the blades? if the blades are blunt they are bruising the
grass instead of cutting and blowing them into the bag.

steve

crom wrote in message ...
Hi all, I'm hoping to avoid paying for a service on my Honda mower by
benefiting from your experience. The mower has been great for about
three years (we bought it second hand) but in the last two months it
refuses to pick up a great deal of grass - it fills the collector to a
third and then starts causing problems. The grass gets caught between
the rotars and the case and the engine cuts out. I then have to turn
it on it's side and clean it out and then start it...every 10 feet or
so!! If I take the grass collector off the back then it works better.
I've checked that the mesh of the collector is still 'porous' because
I'm assuming it has to be to get the 'hoover effect' but I can't see
what else might be wrong.

It's as if the motor isn't producing enough power to cut, move along
and blow the grass into the collector all at once.

Any ideas anyone?

Cheers,
Crom

I once had a problem with my ride on mower and I found that the plastic
"fan" was broken. I replaced it and solved my problem.
Check the "fan" first
Blair

Blair wrote:
crom wrote in message
...
Hi all, I'm hoping to avoid paying for a service on my Honda mower by
benefiting from your experience. The mower has been great for about
three years (we bought it second hand) but in the last two months it
refuses to pick up a great deal of grass - it fills the collector to
a third and then starts causing problems. The grass gets caught
between the rotars and the case and the engine cuts out. I then have
to turn it on it's side and clean it out and then start it...every
10 feet or so!! If I take the grass collector off the back then it
works better. I've checked that the mesh of the collector is still
'porous' because I'm assuming it has to be to get the 'hoover
effect' but I can't see what else might be wrong.

It's as if the motor isn't producing enough power to cut, move along
and blow the grass into the collector all at once.

Any ideas anyone?

Cheers,
Crom

I once had a problem with my ride on mower and I found that the
plastic "fan" was broken. I replaced it and solved my problem.
Check the "fan" first
Blair

No.....check the blades first! :-p

steve

"r.p.mcmurphy" wrote in message
...
Blair wrote:
crom wrote in message
...
Hi all, I'm hoping to avoid paying for a service on my Honda
mower by
benefiting from your experience. The mower has been great for
about
three years (we bought it second hand) but in the last two months
it
refuses to pick up a great deal of grass - it fills the collector
to
a third and then starts causing problems. The grass gets caught
between the rotars and the case and the engine cuts out. I then
have
to turn it on it's side and clean it out and then start
it...every
10 feet or so!! If I take the grass collector off the back then
it
works better. I've checked that the mesh of the collector is
still
'porous' because I'm assuming it has to be to get the 'hoover
effect' but I can't see what else might be wrong.

It's as if the motor isn't producing enough power to cut, move
along
and blow the grass into the collector all at once.

Any ideas anyone?

Cheers,
Crom

I once had a problem with my ride on mower and I found that the
plastic "fan" was broken. I replaced it and solved my problem.
Check the "fan" first
Blair

No.....check the blades first! :-p


Why not try raising the height of cut?
If one tries to take too much off at one go that will for sure
overload the mower.

--
ned

http://www.bugsandweeds.co.uk
last update 24.08.2005

On Wed, 7 Sep 2005 22:44:47 +0100, "r.p.mcmurphy"
wrote:

crom wrote:
Hi all, I'm hoping to avoid paying for a service on my Honda mower by
benefiting from your experience. The mower has been great for about
three years (we bought it second hand) but in the last two months it
refuses to pick up a great deal of grass - it fills the collector to a
third and then starts causing problems. The grass gets caught between
the rotars and the case and the engine cuts out. I then have to turn
it on it's side and clean it out and then start it...every 10 feet or
so!! If I take the grass collector off the back then it works better.
I've checked that the mesh of the collector is still 'porous' because
I'm assuming it has to be to get the 'hoover effect' but I can't see
what else might be wrong.

It's as if the motor isn't producing enough power to cut, move along
and blow the grass into the collector all at once.

Any ideas anyone?

Cheers,
Crom

how sharp are the blades? if the blades are blunt they are bruising the
grass instead of cutting and blowing them into the bag.

Also, have you hit any stones etc. ? The blades are usually shaped so
that they are flat at the cutting edge but rise up behind (so in
cross-section they look a bit like the hands of a clock at ten past
nine) . If the blade has been twisted by hitting a solid object then
the cutting edge may have risen up and the back gone down (so it now
looks more like the hands at ten to three). This will greatly reduce
the "throwing" power of the blade.

Cheers,

John

Brilliant, thanks very much for the suggestions. I don't think mine
has a fan but I will certainly check the blades (I'm sure it could do
with a new one) and I could raise the height of cut

Thanks for all the suggestions,
Crom