Many mowers are designed to sputter and shut down if there isn’t enough fuel to handle the work needed to cut the grass. Another way to fix lawn mower power issues is to clean the blade. However, a tipped mower is, in most cases, the reason why your mower could be producing the fumes. Scrape the grass off using a paint scraper. Sometimes when blades strike with some hard material (stone, rock, or hard root) on the ground, it can also disbalance the blades or any other damage to them. Follow our repair guide to help you better identify and fix your problem accurately. Someone mentioned that it may not be recharging the … Why Lawn Mower Loses Power When Cutting? Hire some professionals to service your engine and the lawnmower to avoid excess damage. Over time, some of the ingredients in the fuel may evaporate, leaving behind a thicker, stickier substance. The carburetor might be clogged. I have a YardMachine riding lawnmower. Is Your Lawn Mower Sputtering? Here’s what to do: Motor safety switches are there to help prevent serious accidents from happening. Reinstall them properly using a spanner and the user manual. Everything seems to run fine until the blades are engaged. Sometimes, motors just get a lot of buildup from all the grass, mud, dirt, and grime they push through. Leaving gas in the tank for months can result in the accumulation of moisture, especially if you use fuel with high ethanol content. That’s why a sputtering mower can be a nightmare for people who get attached to their lawncare equipment. You can transform the look of any room in your home with recessed lighting. Engine Stops When Mower Is Engaged. But in a critical situation, our guide will help you to fix and overcome the shaking issue in the future. It may have drained a battery. Vibration or shaking is not a big deal when blades are moving with the speed of 200-240 mph and they are not sharped quite well, or it might be a possibility that after sharpening, they are not reinstalled properly. You want to be sure to clean or replace dirty air filters. Cub Cadet RZT-42 has a PTO switch for the same purpose, and it has labels on it for engaging and disengaging; Pull the switch to engage the blades. Ethanol attracts moisture that exists as a suspension in the gas, so if you leave the mower sitting for months, the water settles to the bottom of the tank making your lawnmower sputter and die. You can simply repair or fix the damaged crankshaft by following the mentioned steps; We hope this guide will help you out in identifying the symptoms and causes of excessive vibration in your lawnmower. So, if your lawn mower sputters, the culprit can usually be found within these three processes. Although a little rumbling and shaking of the engine is to be expected on some lawn mowers, especially when moving over a bumpy lawn, excessive vibration from the engine can be dangerous. Seems like it bogs down the engine when blades are engaged. - Riding Mower If you let your guard down and allow dirt or bad fluids into the system, your engine will not only sputter but in time it may fail to even start or eventually die completely. If a lawnmower sputters when blades are engaged, the most common issues include low gasoline levels, damaged belts, stuck pulleys, and broken safety switches. The major causes behind this vibrating issue can be the blades or a crankshaft. com. Both tractor mowers and push mowers can have belts that go bad. Still not having much luck? Refer to the owner’s manual and use the manufacturers instructions to clean the mower blade. Viewed 525 times 0. You also have to keep your body fully centered on the seat when operating in rough conditions. Sometimes when blades strike with some hard material (stone, rock, or hard root) on the ground, it can also disbalance the blades or any other damage to them. Tilt the lawnmower to prevent fuel leakage and to keep the carburetor up. Use a torque spanner of accurate size to install new blades and to harden them well. (Find Out Now! However, there’s always a chance that it could be a more advanced problem. Over time, shaking may cause the crankshaft of the engine to bend. A relatively rare lawn tractor symptom is having the engine die when the blades are working. Otherwise the mower will hesitate or shut off. Remove the first possible cause of vibration, which is blades. Excessive grass under the deck will make the mower sputter. For this purpose, you might need some devices to check and to keep them evenly balanced. Check the underside of the unit for caked on grass. So, the cases may vary in some way but the reasons are pretty much the same. In some cases it may only happen under certain conditions, for example only after the mower gets hot, or only when the fuel level gets low. Most of these causes can be easily fixed through DIY repair means—if you want to fix it. Replace the damaged or unbalanced blades immediately. Turning the blades on seems to cut the fuel to the engine and the mower turns off. A bad cap on the gas tank is the first place to look. Some of these causes can include…. It causes the blades to get imbalanced which produces noise, vibration and makes the lawnmower shakes and rattles. The blade engaged fine the other day before I purchased the mower. Much like the belt’s positioning, having poorly positioned or faulty pulleys can easily cause a motor to sputter the moment a mower hits grass. Though “the Big Four” are the most common reasons for a sputtering motor, there are other causes that could make a motor run foul. If it is, inspect it from damage. Does your lawn tractor work perfectly until you start the blades? However, if you are new to a mower, it could be that you’re operating it in a way that triggers an automatic shutoff or that places undue stress on its motor. Doing timely maintenance really does pay off in the long run. After removing the blades, it is necessary to check the crankshaft runout by using a dial indicator. Lawnmowers, for many homeowners, are like a best friend. Maintaining a lawn before 1930, when the first rotary mower came onto the scene, must have been a chore. Lawn Tractor: Engine Dies When Blades Are Engaged . They’re tools we rely on! Dirt can be present in the apertures that lead from the carburetor and the fuel filter and interrupt the flow of fuel supply to the combustion chamber. The heavy side will drop lower than the other side. Whether you're looking for advice on furnishing your living room or the next outdoor DIY project, we've got you covered. However, if you’re comfortable with your repair skills, then here are the steps you should take: Disassemble the carburetor. Make sure to clean them thoroughly by water, brush, and cloth if needed. ). Paper air filters will need to be replaced. First, we need to identify the exact causes and the reasons behind the vibration and the shaking of the lawnmower so that we can able to tackle the main cause and then head towards fixing. If the lawnmower is again vibrating then it can cause by the damages crankshaft. So, if you’re not too attached to your mower, maybe it’s time to check out what new models would work for your home’s needs. That’s why a sputtering mower can be a nightmare for people who get attached to their lawncare equipment. If your lawnmower makes you feel trembling, there can be several reasons behind it. Sometimes, during mowing sessions, mud, clay, or clump of grass can stick on the blades of the lawnmower. Any ideas? Power take-off (PTO) switch in the mower is to engage and disengage the blades and deck of the mower during the mowing session. Though it’s rarely the primary reason why motors die, it can be a contributing factor. When you turn one blade, the others should turn with it. Gas is fresh, oil fine, checked air filter, pulled red plastic cover/cowling off engine and got rid of all loose grass, fuel line seems fine and fuel filter had gas in it, spark plug wire seemed okay. Lawn mower dies when blades are engaged. If any of these are true, you may need professional help: Having a lawnmower that sputters out the moment blades start being put to use is annoying, but it’s a common and fixable issue. You can simply fix the pollute blades by; After having long mowing sessions several times, blades need to sharpen properly and they need proper maintenance. Generally speaking, seeing a motor that sputters out isn’t that uncommon. It works for a minute then stalls.....It starts up runs well, ... sometimes it chokes out and stalls or runs for a couple minutes then sputters and stalls and or backfires. Why Lawn Mower Shakes Violently When Blades Engaged, 1. Drain the excess fuel if needed, just to prevent fuel or oil from leaking through gaps. Whether you are planning a remodel or are just changing your lighting, you should plan the design first. Otherwise, hire some professionals to tackle, handle, and fix the issue without making it severe. This often signals to people that it may be time to get a new mower. There’s nothing like a relaxing soak in a hot tub. Though there are measures to prevent grime from getting into key parts of your mower, it’s possible for grit to still show up from time to time. However, not all mowers are going to be fixable on a DIY basis. It interrupts the movement of blades and extra weight makes it difficult for the blades to move properly. The reasons outlined above are some of the most common reasons why your lawn mower could be blowing white smoke. Most of the time, the lawnmower vibration is the cause of this bent crankshaft.