Rebuilt lawn mower motors. How Many Hours Do Riding Mowers Last? Mechanic & owners view

How Many Hours Do Riding Mowers Last? Mechanic owners view

My own mower is 16 years old with a 14.5hp Briggs unit, I don’t know how many hours, there’s no counter, but guessing, I’d say about 1000 hours.

So how many hours do riding mowers last? A typical riding mower that’s well maintained will last 1500 hours plus. A riding mower that’s meticulously maintained will last 20 plus years.

In the 20 years, I’ve owned mine, I’ve replaced/fixed – 2 belts, 1 battery, 2 pulleys, 1 starter solenoid, 1 carburetor, 1 head gasket, several punctures. It still purrs like a kitten and pulls like a dog, it always lived indoors and I take special care to winterize it properly.

I thought about replacing it, but she runs great, still looks good and I’m sentimental, it’s part of the family.

Lawn Mower Care Tips

Check your riding mower battery cables and terminals for damage and corrosion. Corrosion will look like a white crusty build-up on the terminals.

This creates resistance to the flow of power from your battery to your starter, and in return prevents the recharging of the battery by the alternator. It’s a common cause of no start accompanied by a clicking sound.

Mower Maintenance

How well a mower is cared for will determine its life expectancy. Timely maintenance using quality parts will keep it in great shape for many years.

Low oil level is the number one way to shorten the life of the mower followed by poor quality oil. So just changing the oil at the start of each season will extend its life. A sharp blade will make life a lot easier on the mower and the lawn.

But my top tip for caring for your mower – use a gas stabilizer. It prevents damage associated with stale gas. I replace lots of carburetors at the start of every season because of gumming.

Gumming is basically stale gas that solidifies in the carburetor over the winter months, it’s nasty and can be expensive to repair. If you need video help on the subject, check out “Adding gas stabilizer video”.

I’ve listed a quality gas stabilizer on the “Small engine repair tools” page.

Before starting your mower, take a couple of minutes to:

• Check oil level
• Clean air filter
• Clean debris from engine cooling fins
• Check tires
• Check for gas/oil leaks
• Check for loose components

Full Engine Tune-up

A tune-up should be done once a year – at the beginning of the season, this will ensure trouble-free cutting and less stress on the mower and the lawn. A full tune-up isn’t difficult and can easily be carried out by the inexperienced, check out “Tractor mower maintenance”.

A Tune-up will include:

• Oil and filter change
• Air filter change
• Fuel filter change
• Plug change
• Belt inspection
• Blades sharpened
• Deck levelled
• Axle lubed
• Tires check
• Battery check
• Loose component check

Mower Engines Types

Single cylinder, air-cooled engines are the most popular. They’re cheap, simple, and durable. Briggs and Stratton, Kohler, and Kawasaki are the three main players, Briggs is the most common, but all engines are of good quality. Diesel engines are available but are only fitted to the commercial-grade mowers.

If the budget allows, opt for a mower with an oil filter, it means it has an oil pump which means the engine will last longer, especially if you have a hilly yard.

Twin Cylinder air-cooled engines are better suited to the large hilly more challenging terrain, twin cylinders equal more power, smoother running, longer life, and higher running cost. You may have a Toro, John Deere, Cub Cadet, or whatever, and it will likely be fitted with Briggs, Kohler, or Kawasaki power plant.

Mower Transmissions Types

Riding mower transmissions are either Hydro-static (auto) or manual gear driven. Nearly all are driven by a long belt that runs from the engine crankshaft pulley, all the way back to the transmission also called a trans-axle (axle and transmission combined). This post covers a trans-axle in more detail.

The Hydro-static unit is preferred, it’s more expensive but you won’t regret it, it’s just much nicer to use. In terms of durability, I favor the Hydro unit.

The main player in transmissions is Tecumseh, parts for repairing these can be more miss than hit, so if your transmission fails, a dealer will likely quote you for a new one, which isn’t cheap.

Ride-on Mower Hours to Miles

Converting hours to miles is kind of like apples to oranges. Twin-cylinder engines will typically last longer than a single-cylinder, same as a v6 truck engine will last longer than a 4 cylinder mini car engine.

A typical mower could clock up 1.5 hours cutting once a week, for 8 months – that’s just 48 hours a year, and a mower well maintained will live 15 years. And now consider the average car travels 14000 miles in a year, and will typically have a life-span of 10 years. You could therefore make the comparison that each hour on a mower is roughly equivalent to 200 miles.

As a rough rule of thumb, a single-cylinder mower with 500-750 hours would be considered a high miler, but that’s not to say it’s all worn out. A well-maintained mower will go on and on, as said earlier, my own ride-on mower has about 1000 hours and still pulls its weight around here.

Ride-on Hour Meter

An hour meter is typically a digital clock, located on the dashboard which measures in hours, how long the engine has been running. This can be useful information for scheduling your oil changes and keeping tabs on your maintenance records.

If you’ve got a large yard and you’re cutting for more than 2 hours a week – you’ll need to change the oil mid-season, engine oil needs to be changed every 50 hours. Using the hour meter reading alone is not an indication of a good or bad mower, like all equipment, it’s about the condition and how well it was maintained.

You may find the following posts helpful:

Ever wonder what a riding mower weighs? Check out “Riding mower weight comparison”.

Hey, I’m John, and I’m a Red Seal Qualified Service Technician with over twenty-five years experience.

I’ve worked on all types of mechanical equipment, from cars to grass machinery, and this site is where I share fluff-free hacks, tips, and insider know-how.

And the best part. it’s free!

Don’t Google small engine repair near me the next time your lawnmower sputters. Learn how to do it yourself. Small engine repair is all about a clean carburetor.

Family Handyman

Introduction

Solve most lawnmower or other small engine starting problems with a simple diagnosis and a carburetor cleaning or rebuilding. It will only take a few hours, and you’ll avoid the minimum 80-plus-parts repair bill.

Materials Required

If you can’t get a small engine started, it takes too many pulls to get it going, or it runs poorly, ask yourself this: Did it sit for a long time with gas in it? Like over the winter? If so, your problem is most likely a corroded or gummed-up carburetor. Small engine repair shops earn about 50 percent of their revenue by cleaning or replacing carburetors sidelined by old gas. Look at your lawnmower carburetor next time you sharpen the blades or complete a lawn mower tune-up.

Before you start taking things apart, take a minute to confirm the carburetor is the problem. We’ll show you how to do that, as well as how to clean, rebuild or replace a lawnmower carburetor. Either way, you’ll save about an hour of shop labor (about 80). You can complete the carburetor rebuild project in a single morning, including the time scouting for parts.

How to Find Lawn Mower Carburetor Parts and Prices

Whether you buy parts from a local small engine repair shop or online, you may need all this information:

• Machine brand (Toro, Snapper, Honda, etc.), model and serial number.
• Engine brand and serial number (Tecumseh, Briggs Stratton, Honda, etc.). The engine model and serial number are usually located on a plate above the spark plug.
• You may also need numbers from the old carburetor itself, usually stamped onto the carb body or its mounting flange.
• You can buy locally, or try smallenginepartswarehouse.com or psep.biz.

Where is the Carburetor on a Lawn Mower?

The carburetor is usually located towards the top of the engine, and is connected to the gas tank.

Lawn Mower and Tractor Insight

Humphreys Outdoor Power give you insight to make your tractor or lawn mower last with best practices to get the most out of your machine.

Signs its Time to Retire Your Lawn Mower

It’s the beginning of the mowing season, you’ve mown your yard a few times and you’ve seen how you’re mower is acting after a long winter. Now you have the hard decision of deciding whether or not its time to retire you’re faithful cutting machine or see if you can fix it up (or have us fix it up). We can’t speak to the sentimental bond between a man and his lawn mower but we can talk about economics and whether a lawn mower is worth being repaired. Here are five things that typically spell the end of the line for your mower. These repairs are usually more costly than the machine is worth. Of course there are exceptions to every rule, but in general here some signs its time to scrap your lawn mower.

You hear a knocking sound

If your engine is knockin’ you better be shoppin’- most of the time knocking in the engine is a result of a bent crankshaft or a broken or bent rod. This is a terribly expensive lawn mower repair and most of the time you’re better off looking for a new mower. One of the main causes of this is running the machine out of oil. Make sure you’re always checking your oil level!

Your Engine is vibrating too much

How much is too much? You’ll know. When it seems like the engine might vibrate right off your machine, you’ve got an issue. This is yet another sign of a bent crankshaft or broken/bent rod. Double check your oil!

Smoke is coming out of your exhaust

In some cases this can be repaired by a head gasket which isn’t usually that expensive, but in other cases your rings may be worn out causing your engine to use too much gas and scoring your cylinder. This can be caused by not cleaning your air filter (debris gets in the cylinder and wears down your rings), or your rings could just be worn out. Regardless, depending on the severity of the scoring it might be time for another engine and at that point you should be looking at a new lawn mower.

You’re using too much oil

This usually goes with smoke coming out of the exhaust. The oil has to go somewhere and it’s usually into the cylinder. If you have to add oil after each mow job, you’re either mowing way to much or you have a problem. Not to mention oil is in itself expensive.

This is one thing on this list that is external on the machine. If you have a rusty deck you’ve lost most of your support and you’re running the risk of the blades flying off while you’re mowing, among other things. In some cases the mowing deck can be the most expensive part of the lawn mower, so it sometimes means it’s time to find a new lawn mower.

Bonus Section: Fixable Issues (But you need to get your lawn mower repaired now)

Won’t Start: This seems pretty basic and can be caused by a lot of different things. One of the most costly is that you’ve lost compression. This means the fuel you’re running wont ignite. A lot of times this can be fixed with a head gasket or new set of valves

Losing Horsepower in heavy grass: This is another sign that you’re losing compression. Not only is it annoying, it can be a serious problem and its important to get it fixed soon.

Your engine is missing: This is most often caused by fouled plugs due to above average oil use. It can be caused by damaged rings, bad air filter or scored cylinder among other things. It can also be caused by debris in your gas tank which is a pretty easy fix. The moral of the story is that this can cause a serious problem down the road and you need to have a professional take a look at it immediately.

Don’t want your lawn mower die just yet? Avoid these common maintenance mistakes!

This article is intended for use with riding lawn mowers. Push mowers and handheld power equipment is different because minor repairs can quickly add up to the cost of a new unit. Riding lawn mowers and zero turn lawn mowers can be a little more tricky when it comes to deciding to replace them, simply because they’re a larger investment. If you’re experiencing one or more of these side effects with your mower contact us today.

Why is My Lawn Mower Blowing Blue Smoke?

The most important piece of equipment you own to take care of your lawn is your mower. Mowing your grass regularly at the right height and at the right interval will keep it healthy and looking its best. So if you notice your mower smoking, it’s easy to be concerned. Mowers can be expensive to repair or replace. The good news is that usually blue smoke isn’t as bad as it looks. Lawn mower blowing blue smoke?

Let’s identify the problem and tell you what you need to know to fix it.

It Can Happen to Anyone

Sometimes, even if you use your lawn mower with extra care and caution, follow my recommendations for spring lawn mower maintenance, and winterize your mower properly, you might encounter issues.

That may leave you scratching your head and asking, “What could be wrong with my lawnmower?”

It’s important not to blame yourself – these things happen. Look at it as an opportunity to learn, so you can avoid the same issue in the future.

There are many indicators that your lawn mower needs a tune-up or perhaps needs to be retired and replaced. Maybe your mower isn’t starting properly, or you notice a vibration or wobble during use.

But this article focuses on one issue, and that’s what to do when you see blue smoke coming out of your lawn mower. What’s the cause, how do you know for sure, and what should you do to fix it?

What Causes Your Lawn Mower to Blow Blue Smoke?

Seeing your lawn mower blowing blue smoke can be concerning.

This is especially true if it’s something that you haven’t encountered before, or you don’t consider yourself a pro at fixing stuff. The good news is it’s probably a simple, minor issue:

If blue smoke is coming from your lawn mower, it typically means that your machine is burning excess oil. If you wait it out for 10-15 minutes, the blue smoke should soon dissipate. You probably just need to wait until the extra oil burns off.

Often, this is something that you should not worry about, nor does it require any repair service.

However, it is also essential to understand what caused your lawn mower to billow blue smoke so you can take the necessary measures to prevent it from happening again.

Let’s not make this a habit, eh?

Below are some of the common reasons your lawn mower blows blue smoke, and what you can do to make sure it doesn’t keep happening.

Oil Spill on the Engine

Excess oil may spill onto the engine when you change the oil in your mower. Then, when you fire up the mower, the spilled oil will burn on the hot engine and generate smoke.

The simple solution to this is to let the spilled oil burn off, which will take just a few minutes (and a few concerned looks from your nosy neighbors).

The same thing can happen if you’ve overfilled the mower’s oil reservoir.

Checking the Oil Level

To check the oil level, use the dipstick in the reservoir. Just remove the dipstick, which is attached to the bottom of the cap, then wipe it dry with a clean rag. Insert the dipstick back into the reservoir. Remove the dipstick once again and check the oil level against the “fill” line on the stick.

It’s important to do this check when your mower has been sitting still and before starting the motor. Otherwise, you will not get an accurate reading because the oil will have sloshed around.

If the oil level is too high, you can drain the oil by tipping the mower on its side.

Drain a small amount of oil into a safe container, then check the level again with the dipstick. You can repeat the process until the oil reaches the correct level, as seen on the dipstick.

Finally, run the mower to burn off the excess oil. When the smoke clears, your lawn mower is good to go.

Another way to drain oil from the reservoir is by unbolting the sump plug. However, note that not all lawn mowers are built with a sump plug (check your manual to be sure).

If your lawnmower doesn’t have one, you can use an oil extractor pump to drain oil. Oil extractor pumps are available in most mower shops, and you can buy them online as well (here’s one on Amazon).

Mower has been Tipped on its Side

Sometimes, engine oil can make its way to the cylinder if you tip your mower at a 15-degree angle.

This can happen if you tilt the mower when inspecting under the deck or when you’re replacing the blades. Using your lawn mower on a steep slope may also cause the oil to spill.

You can solve this problem by letting the engine run idly to allow the spilled oil to burn off and smoke to clear.

If you tip your lawn mower for cleaning or maintenance, it is also always a good idea to check the owner’s manual to determine the best ways to reduce oil leaks. Most mowers are designed to tip to one side, but not the other, so consult your manual for best results and to avoid oil getting where it isn’t supposed to go.

Usually, you only want to tip walk-behind mowers toward the oil cap. This is how many of these mowers are designed to have the oil drained.

Oil Residue in New Lawn Mowers

Perhaps you’ve recently bought your first lawn mower (or upgraded from an old one), and when you started the engine, it smoked.

Don’t panic. Sometimes, residual oil may be found in brand new lawn mowers. This is usually the reason why your brand new mower is smoking.

Just let your mower run for up to 15 minutes, then the smoke should clear.

The above issues should not be a cause for alarm. However, if after 15 minutes, smoke continues to billow from your new mower, then you might be dealing with a more serious problem.

Returning and exchanging it for another mower may be your best bet.

Bigger Problems Causing Lawn Mower to Blow Blue Smoke

Here are a few problems you should look out for when troubleshooting blue smoke from your mower.

Typically you’ll only see these issues with older mowers.

Damaged Head Gasket

The head gasket is usually in between the cylinder head and the cylinder block of the mower’s engine. Its main purpose is to keep the engine blocked off from oil or other elements.

If your lawn mower has a blown head gasket, the smoke won’t likely disappear even if you try to drain oil from your mower’s reservoir. Since it’s not sealing the cylinder as it should, oil can leak into it. That oil will burn and give off smoke.

If your lawn mower’s head gasket is damaged or cracked, you’ll need to replace it with a new one.

This is a job for a pro, and it can be expensive. Check to see if your mower is under warranty. If not, get a price from a local small engine repair shop – that’s where you’ll probably get the best deal.

Defective Crankcase Breather

The crankcase breather, also known as the PVC valve, traps gases that escape during combustion to relieve pressure and reduce buildup of corrosive material in the lawn mower’s engine.

If it doesn’t work properly, it may cause damage to other parts of your lawn mower. It may also allow pressure to increase, causing blown seals and gaskets which result in oil leaks.

Replacing the crankcase breather is the best solution and it is relatively fast and easy, without need to tear your lawn mower’s engine apart.

Worn Out Piston Rings

The piston rings of a lawn mower seal the combustion chamber, keeping the oil engine from accessing it. Piston rings may get worn out from frequent use or if the mower is poorly controlled. They may also get damaged if your lawn mower’s air filter is dirty and unable to block dust and other debris.

Not replacing the engine oil in your lawn mower frequently may also result in poor lubrication and cause the piston rings to dry and crack.

Unfortunately, there’s no quick and easy fix if your lawn mower’s piston rings are worn out, damaged, or faulty. Your best option may be to have the entire engine replaced, and depending upon your mower’s value, it may be time to go shopping.

Why Your Lawn Mower is Blowing Blue Smoke

Your lawn mower blowing blue smoke is usually caused by an oil spill or leak. If the smoke clears in less than 15 minutes, then the oil spill is small enough not to cause any major damage to your lawn mower.

The tips and information I’ve shared in this article should help most people diagnose their problem, and prevent any reoccurrence.

However, if your lawn mower continues to blow blue smoke after 15 minutes, you might want to call in a professional small engine repair service for help. Alternatively, if your mower is still covered by warranty, then you can have it checked by the manufacturer.

Either option will probably be less expensive than getting a new one. The biggest cost will be time lost while your mower is in the shop, but you can always ask a neighbor to borrow their mower for a week if needed.