How to Repair a Ride Around Lawn Mower

Ride around lawnmowers are very useful when they are running properly. They can be very frustrating when they fail to start, do not run smoothly, or have some other problem. In this article we will look at how to diagnose and repair some of the common electrical starting problems that may occur in your ride around lawn mower.

In a typical ride around lawn mower the primary role of the electrical system is to provide energy to drive the starter motor and the high voltage to provide a spark in the the cylinder head. While there are a number of different designs most often the ride around lawn mower has a lead acid battery similar, but smaller, then a car battery. A +12 volt electric system is assumed for this discussion. Through the use of a starting solenoid the battery is directly connected to a starter motor which is used to rotate the engine during starting. The ride around mower starter motor can provide the torque necessary to spin the engine, which is typically engaged by means of a moveable gear. This gear is only engaged when the starter motor is being used.

The ride around lawn mower starter solenoid is basically a relay switch that closes some conducting contacts when voltage from the battery is applied. The voltage applied is low current since it is only engaging a small relay coil in the solenoid. In turn the magnetic field of that coil causes the heavy contacts to close. These contacts are designed to handle the heavy current used by the high torque starter motor. A heavy gauge wire from the positive pole of the battery is connected to the solenoid. Another heavy gauge wire goes from the solenoid directly to the starter motor. When the engine starts the starter motor is disengaged and the solenoid opens when the starter key is turned from the START to the RUN position.