Please help, new lawnmower not working

DRedSky

Hi all.

gutted here. I spent 1,000 quid on a lawnmower and it doesn’t cut grass.

Honda hrn536c

it starts and everything seems fine but it doesn’t cut grass.

Once or twice I managed to get the blades to engage but it’s short lived.

I rang the shop but they were closed since Friday understandably.

any ideas? Did i just waste 1,000 quid? Please

blackbox

I presume you've read the manual on how to engage the blades, so it's probably a cable in need of adjustment.

Honda mowers are generally good, so you haven't wasted your money.

Should be a quick fix for the dealer.

DRedSky

Thank you.

yep followed instructions to a tee.

theres a yellow button that you press to engage the blades but nothing happens when i press it.

I wouldn’t be great with anything diy related so i asked a friend to try it and same result.

I’ll ring them tomorrow. Thank you very much for the reply

Triboro

Anything on youtube maybe of unboxing/setup of your own model?

Vizzy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120543118#Comment_120543118

Are you pressing the yellow button and simultaneously pushing the bar it is on towards the handlebar ?

If the mower is new it is likely that it was adjusted before it left the factory

FREDNISMO

Yes as Vizzy said you need to hold yellow button then pull the black bar towards the handle bar in that sequence or blades won't engage, once blades start to turn you don't have to keep yellow button held.

DRedSky

Thanks everyone for the replies.

I’m sure it’s something stupid I’m doing wrong but from the manual and comments here I’m doing what i should.

So i push it to the fast position and pull the chord and it starts fine. Then i push down the yellow button to drop blades and pull back the handle bar and release the yellow button.

But nothing happens. It continues to run perfectly but doesn’t cut the grass.

I changed the levels from min to max and everything in between, no difference

BENDYBINN

It doesn’t cut the grass you say..

have you checked that that the blades are there and are spinning……….

DRedSky

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120545246#Comment_120545246

Yeah that’s the strange thing. I asked herself to tilt the lawnmower up to see what was happening.

she said the blades were spinning rapidly and all looked ok

But then we put it back on lawn and it refuses to cut.

so basically it works until it contacts the grass.

Seth Brundle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120545428#Comment_120545428

...and what happens then? Does it cut out? Or is it simply set too high to cut the grass?

Lewis_Benson

Can you hears the blads stopping when you out it down?

The blades are hardly on upside down?

As in the cutting edge is not hitting the grass?

Could you take a video of it so we can help figure it out?

bemak

is the height of the mower set properly - it's hardly just spinning away above the grass?

Maybe the bolt securing the blade isn't locked. With the mower off, if you tilt it and try to spin the blade with your hand, is it free or does it take a bit of effort? It should take a bit of effort. If it spins freely it's probably not locked into the drive shaft properly.

Girl Geraldine

Contact the place you bought it from and ask them for advice.

It is under a warranty so if there is a fault with it then they will be responsible for fixing it.

Do not go tinkering with it yourself, especially if you do not know what you are doing. You could do damage, or injure yourself. Or you might invalidate the warranty.

DRedSky

Yeah i rang them and left a voicemail.

i set it to level 3 initially and it actually cut grass for a few minutes. But there was a certain sound when the blades engaged and I don’t hear that anymore.

I’ll try post a video now

Vizzy

"With the mower off, if you tilt it and try to spin the blade with your hand, is it free or does it take a bit of effort? It should take a bit of effort"

Do not do this unless the sparkplug has been disconnected - it is a sure fire way to lose your hands. ( Think of the old films where they used to start an aeroplane by spinning the propellor by hand -exact same principle)

Also, do not "tilt the mower to see that the blades are running"

Best advice is to take the mower back to the dealer and get him to sort it for you.

Where are you based?

bemak

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120545795#Comment_120545795

fair point! keep those fingers people! 🤐

RoboRat

I have used a Honda before, I was actually using one yesterday and they are finicky.

The one I used, there is a sequence to get the blades engaged. You press the yellow button on the right (should have #1 on it), then keeping #1 pressed, you pull the bandle towards you (think it's the clutch and it should have #2 on it), then you press the throttle (#3), let go of the handle and it should engage the blades. The mower will sound like it's about to cut out, then it will kick in and the blades will work.

I don't think you've wasted your money, you just need to get the sequence right - see if there are any youtube tutorials on how to get it working properly.

One final thing, make sure the grass isn't too long as it may kill the blades and cut out the engine - I generally start it on our driveway and move it to the grass is it's long. You can raise the wheels on both the front and the back and this dictates the cutting length.

DRedSky

Thanks everyone.

yes i think Roborat is right and they’re finicky and I’m missing a trick. But after doing the same thing for a million times you get frustrated.

Someone asked where i’m based. I’m a few minutes outside wexford town.

I deliberately chose a local company to purchase from and I dont want to name them to avoid them getting a bad rep.

And in fairness i left a voicemail on a bank holiday weekend and they’ll probably ring me back later.

Girl Geraldine

Of course they didn't answer - it was a BH weekend. An extra inch or two of grass in someone's garden wouldn't warrant a weekend callout anyway.

Don't be expecting a call back. Nobody hardly listens to voicemails anymore, let alone reply to them. They are a thing of the past mostly, but they are lingering on.

You have to be pro-active about it and call again.

Ring them again today, or if you are in town call in to the shop and explain the situation.

If you bought it in a proper garden machinery place, they should be helpful and get you sorted.

If you bought it in the likes of a Woodies, or B&Q type place staffed by spotty teenagers without a clue, then you might have a bit more of an uphill battle.

youtheman

Reminds me of a story a work colleague once told me. Had a run in with his Son over some issue. Was away at work for about a week and his son rang him trying to get 'back in his good books'. "I cut he grass Dad". "Did you take much off it". "Not a lot Dad". "Nor surprised Son. I have the blade here in work. Took it off to sharpen it".

cena

Did you get it going?

Ubbquittious

Does the sound from the engine change at all while you are pulling the bar towards you? Maybe the clutch is loose as a goose

DRedSky

thanks everyone for the help. Actually had a stomach complaint since Monday evening so I'll only be popping in tomorrow or Friday.

Yes it made a loudish noise as the blades engaged which was in keeping with videos online I listed to. But it isn't cutting the grass. Well, I mean it WAS for the first 40 minutes.

I had the setting at level-2, level-3, level 5. No difference.

I mentioned it to someone in work Monday evening and he said could it be that I set the blade too low for the grass and then it's a safety cut out thing? But surely then it would still start again after you increase the blade height. So Roborat might be right with what he said. I'll try it again before going back.

Ubbquittious

This one has a big blade on the bottom and a smaller slightly offset one above it right?

DRedSky

Yes that’s correct

DRedSky

Trying now and its on highest setting and no joy.

Actually the blades dont engage at all now. Just engine running.

Time to go back to the shop this morning

DRedSky

Will let you all know what they say the issue is and thanks very much everyone for being so helpful.

DRedSky

So they fixed it for free in 30 mins.

Apparently i caused it by accidentally using the mulch setting instead of the non-mulch setting which damaged the clutch due to grass being too long for mulch setting.

They knew immediately

magicbastarder

hmm, sounds like it's way too easy for that to fail. a lawnmower shouldn't break just because it hits grass that's too long?

Ubbquittious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120565864#Comment_120565864

It is possible that the cable for it wasn't properly adjusted when it left the factory or the shop and for the short while it did work the clutch was slipping constantly. The clutch on these doesn't screech or anything while being engaged so it's possible you'd be mowing away without realising it is slipping