The Great Big Lawnmower Thread

The Continental Op

What all the time or just when they are supposed to?

fryup

when suppose to

The Continental Op

Then its working bar the bit that isn't :-) I'd keep looking elsewhere for the problem, cabling and switches.

deezell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119133936#Comment_119133936

There's no limit to the symptoms of any particular fault on a circuit board. A single dry solder joint may manifest as just one function failing, e.g, lights or buzzer or whatever, or it could take out the whole board if it occurred on a power rail. With a meter you trace the lack of signalling to the board from the grassbag full lever. Good practice to start in the middle, say at the board where the switch circuit comes in. If you're getting an open/close on the terminal, then something on the board is causing it. It should be easy to identify the buzzer pins, redo the solder on them, check there is some continuity on the buzzer. Theres a bit of logic circuitry between the buzzer and the full lever, but if the icon for bag full shows, then its only the buzzer or the circuit driving it that's at fault. This stuff is fiddly at best to fault find, especially without a detailed circuit diagram, but most times it's a bad connector, relay, or a dry solder joint before it's actually faulty hardware.

The Continental Op

The only way to sort out if it is the main board is to trace back the cabling (the colour coding might help) and see where the connection is made on the main board. Once you have done that with that specific cable disconnected you can see if the light is still on or if it comes on when you short out the cable. If the light goes goes on and off along with the buzzer with the connections shorted and then not shorted or the other way around then the main board is fine.

If there is more than one connector block to the main board then removing them one at a time might help indicate which one is or is not connected to the grass full switch. - We are still on about the grass box full indicator?

fryup

yes, its just the 'box full buzzer' that's giving me gip - the mechanic i gave it to said its not the 'buzzer' its the board itself, and the simplistic thing to do is just replace the board

(maybe he doesn't want to spend time fault finding & diagnosing?)

The Continental Op

So lets try and tease this out. The light still works and lets you know the grass box is full but you don't hear the buzzer working?

fryup

tbh i can't recall if the 'box full light' comes on but the other lights on the dash work

deezell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119134443#Comment_119134443

You got that right. He may not have the skills. Its an electronic board. If he spends two hours futility probing something he doesn't really understand, he can't add that charge to the bill for just replacing the board. Even a trained electronics tech would confine signal tracing to inputs and output to the buzzer, and some quick checks on joints. Soldered pins on cable connectors can become dry due to vibration, stress etc., or pins can become corroded. It's always a good start to go over them with a hot iron. Unless you have the exact diagram of the board components and can understand the logic of the buzzer actuation (e.g, it won't buzz unless the blade is engaged etc), its nigh impossible to signal trace. There are probably plenty of good boards from scrap machines in workshops all over the place, finding one is the problem. Have you been quoted a price for the board?

The Continental Op

What I am trying to say is that if the box full light goes on and off as it should then we aren't looking any other place for a problem than on the mainboard.

In that case either the buzzer itself has gone or one of the few components on the main board that drive it (provide the correct electrical power) are damaged or have poor soldered connections.

Comer1

I haven't had to consider even looking at a lawnmower in 24 years as my Honda HDR 536c has served me so well in that time. But now it looks like it might be dead. I came across this Victor WYZ22H locally for around €600 which I thought was a good price for a Briggs and Stratton 675 engine and an aluminum deck. Does anyone have any experience of these Victor law mowers and any recommendations or warnings? Thanks

http://www.toplineburtons.ie/ProductDetail.aspx?ContentItemId=ce023738-2cb8-4384-b84e-51fb6e10a35c

willietherock

Can "mineral oil" beused in lawnmower engines? My engine takes 10w-30 according to the manual and the only grade I see selling locally is "mineral oil"

deezell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119146857#Comment_119146857

Will you be satisfied with the step down from a highly engineered professional class mower with hydrostatic drive and blade clutch to a mid budget machine, albeit a solid and well spec'd one. There's a reason you got 24 year out of the Honda, you do get what you pay for.

deezell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119150745#Comment_119150745

Mineral oil is old school oil, probably well suited to a lawnmower engine, but the modern synthetic oils are developed for and pretty much mandatory in the newer auto engines. You can use synthetic in a mower engine, it won't disimprove performance, it will be more tolerant of longer change intervals, with a longer life (if the mower has an oil filter). Plenty of 5-30 synthetic in autoparts stores or online, in fact its getting rare to see semi synthetic on offer as the number of older engines suitable for it diminish.

Comer1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119150771#Comment_119150771

Exactly, I have to balance that against spending well over twice the price. I was also considering the Snapper NX-90v

SCOOP 64

I have been given a ride on lawnmower that needs work, got it started but problem with clutch/brake pedal, i press it in but have to bring it up with my foot, so looked underneath and a spring as come off ,spring looks intact ,it is still connected one end now I'm not sure where the other connects too, i can see what looks like a threaded nut and bolt, these seems to move freely, not sure how or if it connects to this ,see photos.

jmreire

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119134173#Comment_119134173

And I suppose that unlike modern cars which are riddled with electronic and computerized gizmos , but have OBD readers sockets to find faults, the ride on mowers do not have OBD???

joujoujou

^^ They obviously have no OBD.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119150745#Comment_119150745

Briggs and Stratton, for example, recommends both SAE30 oil (which is mineral) and synthetic 5W30.

There's a lot of synthetic 10W30 oils available online, few quick ones from google:

https://www.winparts.ie/filters-fluids/fluids/engine-oil/c734/engine-oil-repsol-leader-neo-10w30-4l/p1475827.html?a=t4u/0/0/734/1475827&gclid=Cj0KCQjwheyUBhD-ARIsAHJNM-PNGLH7d8JcFkpy3V9No3CBYK7D5bv5PJ9SsNLYUm8kGBbs-HABRXsaAv4jEALw_wcB

https://partsforcars.ie/product/ofbg10w30-10w30-engine-oil/5-ltr-mannol-synth-special-plus-10w-30-api-sn-mn7512-5/MN7512-5

deezell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119158741#Comment_119158741

Select your J92 parts diagram from here, if you figure out what year it is from the labels. It might be some help.

http://www.lawn-king.co.uk/books/parts_books_mowers/

It's just a question of hitching that return spring on to its retainer, to pull the pedal upright. The return pressure from the drive belt tensioner if its a manual model, not Hydro, or from the brake disc, may not be sufficient to push back the pedal, especially if it's joints are a bit stiff. Blow out all the crap if you have leaf blower, apply some wd40 to the hinged areas. There's a handbrake mechanism in that assortment of linked levers which locks the release pressure on the manual clutch belt and the brake, but the foot pedal is free to travel back up when released under it's own spring.

deezell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119158774#Comment_119158774

The only OBD on a ride on mower is the On-Board-Dope who has to go around in ever decreasing circles cutting grass, in perpetuam in this life and maybe the next....

Krombopulos Michael

So mowing lawn for first time in a few weeks and it was quite high. When edging I hit a stone pretty bad (not sure where it came out off) but now the right hand blade doesnt spin on the mower, but the left one does. Sthil Mt5112z is my mower, so is it easy to drop the deck etc?

jmreire

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119160189#Comment_119160189

Well in my 12 mth old Honda 2417, it has a mobile phone charger, automatic speed control, auto matic headlights and an hour meter, plus as many dash lights as a car when you turn on the key.....

deezell

Mine has holder for two cans. Deep enough to put a few ice cubes in the bottom. On Board Drinks cabinet. It has has cruise control also, I suppose next step is autonomous mowing which is kind of what robot mowers do. Could you fit a wireless web cam to the mower, and steer it from an app?

deezell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119160732#Comment_119160732

The bad news is you may have broken the timing belt, which carries the drive from the left to the right hand blade. Its easy to drop the stihl deck, no tools required, just pull two pins at the back lifters, pull and lock back the spring loaded belt tensioner, lock front wheels to the right, move the mower back a little to disengage front lifter, then peel off the drive belt, but...

Before you drop the deck, first remove the top belt plactic cover. If the timing belt is broken, it's replaceable with the deck in situ, a little bit of work. Tensioning is important, without a tension meter you'd be safe enough to reset the tensioner back to its original setting, and ypu must set the synchronous blades at right angles to each other, but if in doubt, get it done in a shop. While its possible that the blade spigot pins sheared off, the blade would not be stationary and would rotate out of sync. Good news is here's the belt at reasonable price. https://lawnmowerpartsonline.ie/product/timed-deck-belt-viking-mt5112zl-6170-764-0900-a-61707640900a

€65 is good, the one for the 6127 ZLcan be as high as €150. I done exactly this first mowing of 2020, caught a poplar root that had extended upwards over the winter. It was hell trying to get a new belt in the middle of full lockdown.

You'll need to check the blade for damage, especially if it might have bent upwards on one tip. Lift the deck high and reach in and spin it. Also observe the spigot to make sure the shaft is not bent.

SCOOP 64

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119160172#Comment_119160172

Thanks but couldn't find where the attachment on the diagram on there, it does drive but using my foot to bring pedal back up again, if anyone on here has same model wouldn't mind taking a photo of it would appreciate it, this machine was left over winter uncovered on grass outside, i clean battery terminals up and it started on 4/5 turns of the key couldn't believe it, and drives well apart from the clutch pedal not returning using my foot to bring it back, have not put blades on belt looks to bad. ps that first photo isn't actually the machine that's a library picture ,my one is same model but looks a whole lot rougher.

jmreire

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119160828#Comment_119160828

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119160828#Comment_119160828

Yeah, I forgot to mention the drinks holder...😎 As for autonomous mowing, why not? The technology is there definitely. If they can control drones with two joysticks , why not the same system controlling a mini-power steering set up in a mower? While you watch it via a dash cam, and steer / drive accordingly from the comfort of the armchair ? But cash wise, it would be prohibitive , better to buy an autonomous mower, and let it do the job for you.

The Continental Op

There have been remote control lawn mowers for a long time, mainly used to cut areas like motorway embankments

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqTv8WWjskg

Or you can DIY it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTtZlRE3Hgc

https://macsources.com/how-to-build-a-remote-controlled-lawnmower-never-push-a-mower-again/

fryup

and what if the remote plays up?

The Continental Op

On the commercial ones they stop, on the DIY ones its anyone's guess :-)

deezell

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119164983#Comment_119164983

Or goes missing down behind the sofa..