Craftsman

Experienced gardeners share their insights in answering this question :
Have you checked the belt? If it has bad spots on it or is stretched out , it should be replaced. Sounds like it’s slipping on the pulleys and won’t pull because of a bad belt. That’s the first thing I’d check. The key on the crankshaft, (where the pulley is held on). It could also be sheared off and letting the pulley slip on the crankshaft and not pull.
Garcuda

How to Identify and Fix Common Gardening Problems ?

We provide a variety of viewpoints on how to identify and fix common gardening problems. Our sources include academic articles, blog posts, and personal essays from experienced gardeners :

You Lose Power in the Middle of Mowing:

Here`s why this happens and what you can do: Dirty Air Filter on Your Lawn Mower: Clean or replace. Dirty Spark Plug: Clean or replace. Build Up of Clippings & Debris: Clean underside of your lawn mower deck as noted above.

The reasons why mower is not moving forward or reverse is that the battery is dead, or due to clogged fuel line. Additionally, malfunctioning transmission, or a broken drive belt, also a faulty spark plug, even when friction wheel isn`t in contact with the friction plate, or damaged Tires.
Loose, Dirty or Disconnected Spark Plug in Your Lawn Mower: Check it out, clean off debris, re-connect and tighten. Dirty Air Filter: Clean or replace. Fuel Not Reaching the Engine: Tap the side of the carburetor to help the flow of gas. If this doesn`t work, you might need a new fuel filter.
Failure of any mechanical component, a broken hose, or clogged filter will cause tractor hydrostatic transmission problems. But the most common issue will be the oil itself. In the transmission section of your operator`s manual, you`ll find a section that covers oil viscosity.
Lawn Mower Turns On But Won`t Move

The most common issues include a broken or damaged belt, a clogged discharge chute, a broken or damaged drive cable, or a damaged or clogged transmission. It`s important to inspect these parts and determine which one is the problem before attempting to fix it.

This issue may happen if the machine is faulty, the height between the mower deck and the blade is different, or you cut too much grass. While you may find moving in reverse easier to mow the lawn, it may cause various problems related to safety.
A clogged carburetor is most commonly caused by leaving fuel in the lawn mower for a long period of time. Over time, some of the ingredients in the fuel may evaporate, leaving behind a thicker, stickier substance. This sticky fuel can clog up the carburetor and cause the engine to stall.
A Dirty Carburetor Can Cause a Lawnmower To Start Then Die

By far, the most common issue that causes a stalled motor is a dirty carburetor. The carburetor on your engine is the thing that draws in air and mixes it with the fuel. Contrary to what the movies might make you think, gasoline itself is not very flammable.

Over time, dirt, debris and other tiny particles can accumulate in the transmission fluid, affecting its fluid properties. This can cause the vehicle to die when you shift into drive or reverse, allow a loss of power, transmission slip, rough shifts or even prevent the vehicle from shifting into gear at all.
If the engine will idle but dies at full throttle the main jet in the carburetor may be plugged. You can repair a plugged main jet by cleaning it, replacing the jet, or replacing the carburetor. If you choose to clean or replace the main jet, you will also want to clean the rest of the carburetor.
Loud popping, knocking, and stuttering noises from the hood of your vehicle are cause for concern, and could be a sign of major engine damage.
To control engine speed, a mechanical governor uses gears and flyweights inside the crankcase to detect changes in the load and adjusts the throttle accordingly.
Also known as streaking, this problem occurs when strips of grass are left uncut by your lawnmower. Although there are several reasons this might be happening, it is typically caused by blade problems or user error. Replace warped or damaged blades. Make sure blades are the correct size and are installed correctly.
Rows or streaks of uncut grass in your lawn may be the result of your lawnmower`s cutting blades being dull or otherwise damaged. Dull blades are the result of normal wear and tear from mowing. The blades can be sharpened with a bench grinder by you or a professional.
An unbalanced blade spinning that fast will cause a significant amount of vibration, which will put stress on yout blade shaft, spindle, and even the engine. So if you want to get the most life out of your mower… keep the blades balanced!
Naturally, this makes the sweet spot about 1/4-inch of pitch, depending on the mower model. In any case, the front of the deck should be pitched lower than the deck rear. Be careful not to pitch too much that you start scalping lawns.
They work by engaging a speed control lever (sometimes part of the handle; sometimes a separate bar or shifter) that causes the mower to move forward. The operator doesn`t have to push the mower, he or she simply walks behind it, guiding it around the yard. Self-propelled mowers can be front-, rear- or all-wheel drive.
You can expect to get anywhere from six to ten years out of your riding mower, or longer with proper care and maintenance.
As the fuel level drops, a vacuum begins to form in the fuel tank because air can get in to fill the space the consumed fuel occupied. After about 10 or 15 minutes, the vacuum will become strong enough that fuel will stop flowing to the carburetor and the lawnmower will die.
Condensation inside the gas tank is one culprit, but moisture can also enter the system through a loose or ill fitting gas cap. The best solution is to drain the mower`s gas tank and refill it with fresh gasoline. A clogged fuel filter can also cause a mower engine to die.
Your lawn mower runs for 30 minutes then dies if you are having issues such as a bad spark plug, air problems, a malfunctioning carburetor, or a faulty gas cap. You may even encounter the issue that your lawn mower runs for 5 minutes then dies.
With a low level of transmission fluid comes low levels of pressure. This can mean that your transmission is slow to engage when you shift gears. If you find that your transmission takes a second to engage into drive or reverse, it`s time to check your transmission fluid level.
If the transmission fluid pressure is low, it may simply be that the transmission level is too low. This may be caused by transmission fluid leaks, however, which will need fixing before you refill the transmission.
It`s labor intensive and cost prohibitive. Luckily, transmission failure doesn`t usually happen without warning. There are several warning signs that your transmission`s going out.

Discover Relevant Questions and Answers for Your Specific Issue

the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue

Lawn mower cranck but wont start…
ANSWER : Since you already checked for spark and air I would drain all the fuel out of it and check that fuel for water. Over time some lawn mowers end up with contaminated fuel. You can see the water sitting on the bottom of the fuel if you let it stand for a bit in a small plastic bowl.

Be sure to empty and dry out you fuel can as well. Especially if the mower stopped running right after a refuel. Which is a good sign your gas can is contaminated too.

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I have trouble starting a toro walk behind mower
ANSWER : All, I thought my carb was shot, so I replaced it. Still, start but no run (and had to use starting fluid). THEN!!! I noticed the spring to the “rev limiter” (just below and towards rear of carb) was not “tight”. The stupid bracket that holds the end of that spring had been bent down ~1/16″ and that caused all this heartache. CHECK YOUR REV LIMITER!!!

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Carb problems wont stay running unless i unplug and plug in the anti diesel switch the plug on the fuel bowl
ANSWER : Check and see if all your carb jets or clean sound like some dirt got into one

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Wont stay running – Mtd 22" Yard Machine Push Mower
ANSWER : Under neath the carby is a single brass bolt, undo it

that one bolt is a multi jet, find four holes use a fine pin and carby cleaner ,hint one is at the top were the thread starts , one is in the inside center and two in the sides
put it back in and prim and start, hope it helps

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I have had a poulan pro 550 series push mower for almost 1 year at the end of the season last year the mower would start briefly and then stop. i have cleaned out the air filter and that did not help.the mower started, i made one revolution around the yard 3/4th of the way the mower quit. I then primed the mower it started then quit and now it will not start at all. Does anyone have any suggestions of what to do. Thanks
ANSWER : There is a little spring that works the carburetor arm. If that popped off then the mower will not run.

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Why wont my mower start and gas comes out of muffler
ANSWER : Carb is flooding out ether bad plug or your carberator needs rebuilt

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Why wont my blade engage
ANSWER : Bad pto clutch shorting out

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Mower starts and immediately shuts off and wont start again if i let it sit for five minutes it does the same thing checked oil and air filter carb is clean attempting to find correct socket to remove plug
ANSWER : Pull the fuel line from the carb & see if it is running steady, If so the next check is the carb bowl to see if maybe the float needle is partly plugged, and then it could be the valve lash clearance which will require more mechanical knowledge.

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