If you’re into gardening, you’d know how often the swatches of your garden become significant, and you need to cut them down using your lawnmower. However, sometimes, starting a lawnmower becomes a struggle, especially after a period of hibernation or if you’re new to this field of operating one. To help you out with this struggle, we have combined all the steps regarding how to start a riding lawn mower to make your experience a lot easier.
But before moving to that, let us remind you that it is essential to get your hands on the best lawn mower, so you don’t get to face these problems very often. This will make your mowing experience quite smooth and save you the struggle of getting it started with the hassle.
[acf field=”how_to”]How to Start a Riding Lawn Mower? Main Steps
Can you start a riding lawn mower without any hassle? The answer is a yes! All you have to do is follow these simple steps to start your riding lawn mower with absolute ease:
Step 1– Sit firmly on the mower seat
Some riding lawn mowers come with a built-in safety system that will allow the user to only start the mower while sitting on the mower seat. Therefore, the first thing that you will have to do for that kind of mower is to sit firmly on the mower seat so that the engine doesn’t turn off. Before you get your mower started, make sure you are properly seated on the seat and can reach all the levers and pedals.
Step 2 – Press the brake pedal
Once you are firmly seated, look on the left or right side of your mower (the pedal/lever is mostly on the left side) and start pushing the pedal or the lever down to engage the brake. You will have to hold the brake in this position for a while.
Step 3 – Reach the parking brake
Although the location of the parking brake in each model does vary, however, you will definitely know where the parking brake of your lawn mower is located. The parking brake is basically a lever or a knob located near you, which in this step you will have to pull up while slowly releasing the other brake pedal/lever.
Step 4 – Shifting the gear
Your lawn mower is definitely going to have a gear shift lever, and for most of the models, it is either located below the seat or near the steering wheel. In this step, you have to shift this gear to the neutral position, which must be mentioned as an “N” on the gear side. If your mower doesn’t have a parking brake, it will require you to hold the brake while you are shifting the gears.
Step 5 – Pull the throttle
The lawn mowers come with a throttle lever that you will have to locate for your model. These throttles are identifiable easily since they indicate the speed levels you want to run your mower on. Most of them come with a turtle and rabbit picture to make it easy for you to identify and use it. In this step, you will have to move this throttle, so it engages the choke. The choke option is either given beside the throttle or set the position between fast and slow.
Step 6 – Insert the key
Now that you are done with all the steps mentioned above, it is time to put your key into the ignition switch. Depending on the mower model you are using, the ignition switch may be located next to the seat you are sitting on or on the dashboard that is ahead of you.
Step 7 – Start turning the key
Once you have inserted the key into the ignition switch, now start turning the key all the way to the right. You will hear a voice indicating that the engine is coming to life. But don’t just leave the key. For now, you will have to hold this key in the same position for around ten to fifteen seconds or maybe even more until you are sure that the engine has finally started.
Step 8 – Move the throttle
Now is the time to go back to the throttle again and change its position. In this step, you have to release the choke and move the throttle to the position where the fast speed of the mower is mentioned. The rabbit pictured often indicates the faster option. For the newer mowers, the mower must be now ready to operate. If you have an older model, this may require you to wait for the engine to warm up before you start operating it.
Step 9 – Run the Mower
You are finally done with all the steps and are ready to run your mower and do the job!
Conclusion:
Involved in gardening, you must have had a fair share of experience of buying the best lawn mower. However, sometimes these mowers don’t get started easily, and to sort this issue out, you can follow the steps mentioned in this how to start a riding lawn mower guide to get it done.
