If you don’t have an electric starter on your lawn mower, then you’re left with a pull cord. So, if you are like me, you want to be able to give the cord just one pull and be off. Nobody wants to get a workout when trying to start a lawn mower. Or at least I don’t. So, is there a particular technique for starting a lawn mower with a single pull of the starter cord? Let’s take a look at how to increase your odds of starting your lawn mower on the first try so you can avoid tiring yourself out before the job even begins.
The Key to Starting Your Mower in One Pull (The Short Answer)
To start your lawn mower with a single pull you need to ensure your mower is properly serviced, has gasoline, is primed, choked, has the correct throttle and piston positions, is switched to the ON position, the bail lever is engaged, the blade is unobstructed, and finally, a strong clean pull of the cord. If you achieve all these items, there is no reason your lawn mower shouldn’t start on a single pull.
How to Start a Lawn Mower in Just One Pull (My Top Tips)
Here’s how to start a lawn mower in one pull. If you can make sure that all of these are covered, you should easily start your engine with a single pull or at least no more than two.
Correctly Serviced
Servicing your lawn mower is super important. This is where you make sure that each serviceable component in the engine is in good working order. If you’re aiming to start the mower with a single pull, then each of these items must be in tip-top shape.
- Spark Plug
- Air Filter
- Fuel Filter
- Engine Oil
Gas in the Tank
It sounds simple, but I’ve seen people fight with their lawn mowers, trying to get them to start on an empty fuel tank. So before you reach for the pull cord, check the fuel tank and make sure it’s full or at least not empty.
Set the Mower to ON
Before pulling the cord, make sure the lawn mower is switched ON. If you pull the cord a few times before switching it on, you’ll potentially flood the engine. A flooded engine is when there is liquid fuel in the combustion chamber, and the spark plug becomes wet with fuel. Trying to start a flooded engine in a single pull will never happen. It’s going to take several pulls if it starts at all.
Priming the Carburetor
Priming is the process of getting fuel into the carburetor. Unlike your automobile, not all lawn mowers have electric fuel pumps. This means you have to help the mower get fuel to the carburetor before the engine starts.
This is done with the help of a priming bulb. Priming a lawn mower involves giving the primer bulb two or three presses to suck fuel into the carburetor. If you forget to do this, the engine will rely on each cord pull to pull the fuel through.
Choking the Engine
Some lawn mowers have a choke on the carburetor that alters the air-to-fuel mix. This is to help the lawn mower’s engine start when it is cold. If you have a manual choke, make sure to use it when you are cold-starting your engine.
Setting the Throttle
Take a look at the throttle on your lawn mower. You may notice your mower has a picture of a rabbit for fast and a turtle for slow. It may even have a specific position that says START. You’ll need to place the throttle in the correct position if you want to get the mower to start on the first try. Of course, all mowers are different, so do some extra research and look in your manual for what the manufacturer recommends.
Engage the Bail Lever
Bail levers are a safety device on walk-behind lawn mowers that cut the engine when they are released. The lever is located on the mower’s handle and requires you to hold it in to start the engine and to keep it running. If you don’t hold the lever in, then you’ll never be able to start the mower, no matter how many times you pull the starter cord.
Unobstructing the Blade
When you go to start your lawn mower, make sure that the blade isn’t obstructed. This can happen when the mower is positioned on long grass and is restricted. If you want to get your mower started in one pull, start the mower somewhere like a driveway where the blade is clear of any obstruction.
Correct Piston Position
When starting the engine, it’s always best to have the piston at the top of its compression stroke. This means that the engine will use the full energy of the pull cord to attempt to start.
If you have ever pulled a starter cord and noticed that the line is slack for the first section, then this is because the engine is between strokes.
To overcome this, some engines allow you to pull the cord until you feel resistance and then let it recoil into the mower. This process is building up compression in the engine. Repeat this until the resistance is right at the start of the pull.
Strong Pull of the Cord
Once everything is set up and ready to go, the final job is to pull the cord. I find the best way is to have one hand on the bail lever/handle and the other holding the starter handle/cord. Then, when I pull the cord, I make sure it’s one long, hard pull that comes straight from the mower. If you pull at a funny angle or with a weak pull, the engine will struggle to start.
Why Your Mower Takes Multiple Pulls Now
Due to the different lawn mower designs, it’s not always going to be possible to start a mower in a single pull. Standard factors can affect the mower, such as the fuel delivery system and engine compression buildup, and nothing you do will overcome this.
So, it’s not uncommon that the first pull of the starter cord doesn’t start your lawn mower since this pull sets up the engine for the main, second pull. But, if you have missed one of the steps or the mower has a problem, even a second pull won’t be able to start the engine.
Here are some common problems that could be preventing you from starting your lawn mower in a single pull.
- Lack of Fuel/Bad Fuel
- Old Spark Plug
- Poor Engine Compression
- Low Oil
- Clogged Fuel Filter
- Blocked Air Filter
- Poor Pulling Technique
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