Whether you’ve picked up an old self-propelled mower sitting on the curb on your way home from work, or have just been having problems with your own self-propelled mower, you might be wondering how to turn a self-propelled lawn mower into a push mower. The process to do so isn’t actually as complicated as you might think.
Self-propelled lawn mowers have wheels that are turned by a belt, pulley, and transmission system that takes power from the engine. If your mower isn’t propelling itself, one of these components is broken or malfunctioning. Let’s talk about why you might want to convert your self-propelled mower into a regular push mower, and what it actually takes to make that happen.
Why You Might Want to Convert a Self Propel Mower
Well, if you’ve ever tried pushing a self-propelled mower that isn’t working correctly, you know how much of a pain it can be. Luckily, if you’ve got some relatively basic tools, and a bit of time on your hands, you can figure out how to turn a self-propelled lawn mower into a push mower without too much hassle. The main reasons why people do this conversion are due to: fixes that are too expensive, trouble identifying faulty parts, and repurposing old mowers. Let’s dig a bit into each reason why.
Expensive Repairs
If you’ve taken your lawn mower to the mechanic and received a really high quote to fix the self-propulsion system, you might begin to doubt whether you even need the feature. Because self-propelled lawn mowers are a little bit more complicated than your average push mower, repairs can be more costly. Plus, when mowing season comes around, nobody wants to get behind on their lawn maintenance. This might not be true for everybody, but it is a common incentive to get rid of your mower’s self-propulsion system.
Troubleshooting Gone Wrong
Maybe you’ve tried and tried to figure out what has gone wrong with your self-propelled mower but you can’t seem to find the issue. If you don’t feel like consulting a mechanic to try and pinpoint which part of the propulsion system has gone wrong, you might want to take it out altogether. In some cases, it’s best to solve the problem any way you can so that you get mowing right away.
Old Mower Repurposing
I know I can’t be the only one who keeps their eye out for free things on the curb. Every once in a while you might find a used lawn mower looking for a new home. If it’s a self-propelled mower, who knows, maybe the previous owner had some problems and decided to get rid of their mower and go for a new one instead. If this is the case, and the mower’s engine still runs, taking off the parts that turn the wheels might give the old lawn mower a brand new lease of life.
What You’ll Need
The exact wrench sizes that you’ll need will vary depending on the manufacturer of your lawn mower, but there is some basic equipment required to turn a self-propelled mower into a push mower. Fortunately, the required tools are usually ones that most people will have access to. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Socket Wrenches (though you might be able to get away with open-ended ones)
- Locking Pliers
- Hex Key (Allen Wrench) Set
- Flathead Screwdriver
- Milk Crate (or something else to prop the mower up with)
How to Turn a Self Propelled Lawn Mower into a Push Mower: Step By Step
Now, let’s go into detail about how to turn a self-propelled lawn mower into a push mower. I’m going to list and explain the steps that you can follow even though the intricacies of each type of self-propelled mower might be a little different.
1. Disconnect the spark plug and locate the self-propulsion system
Anytime you’re doing work on your lawn mower, you should disconnect the spark plug hood to prevent any accidental starting. After doing this, take a look at your mower and find the drive system. Usually, it can be found on the top of the mower deck near the front or rear set of wheels and is contained under a plastic cover.
2. Remove the drive cover and drive belt
To get at the drive belt, you’ll probably have to remove the plastic cover on top of the mower’s deck. Most of these are fastened with one or two bolts, but sometimes there are additional bolts on the underside of the mower deck. Also, a lot of the time you’ll have to bend the deck height adjustment levers out of the way to remove it. If this doesn’t work, you might be able to access the drive belt underneath the mower deck behind the blade.
Once you find it, go ahead and take it off. You can use your screwdriver to apply some leverage to the system and create slack in the belt. Alternatively, if the belt is shot or you’re sure you won’t need it, you can simply cut the drive belt off. Sometimes just removing the drive belt makes a big difference in how easy it is to push a self-propelled lawn mower. But to do a full conversion, you need to take the transmission and its gears off as well.
3. Take off the wheels that drive the mower
The first thing you’ll have to do to access the transmission is remove a couple of wheels. Once finding the drive system, it should be clear which wheels are connected to the transmission and which ones aren’t. This could be the front or back ones depending on your mower. Lawn mower wheels are typically mounted with a single nut at their center, so grab your wrench and loosen them up. Sometimes the nuts holding the wheels in place are behind hubcaps. You can pry the hubcaps off with your flat end screwdriver. After loosening the wheels you want to take off, it’s a good idea to prop up your mower. Milk crates work great for this but scrap wood or anything on hand could be substituted. Now pull the wheels all the way off and take a look at the transmission axle assembly.
4. Disassemble the axle and transmission
The exact process of taking apart the axle and transmission could vary depending on the type you have, but most are designed similarly. The first thing you’ll need to do is attach your locking pliers to the transmission axle to hold it in place. Then, remove the screw that is holding the gear that turns the wheel in place. This can typically be done with an Allen wrench. Do the same on the other side of the transmission axle. Now, slide the transmission and its axle out of the wheel axle assembly.
5. Reinstall the wheels, drive cover, and spark plug hood
Once you have the drive belt and transmission assembly out of the mower, it’s time to put everything back together. Start with the wheels. You’ll basically reverse the processes in step 3. If you have a little grease you can put onto the wheel axle, go for it. Then, slide the wheels back on and fasten them with the nuts you removed earlier. Snap your hubcaps back into place (if you have some) and then you can put your mower back on all fours. With all your wheels secured, screw your plastic drive cover back into place so that there isn’t a gaping hole on the top of your mower deck. Lastly, reattach your spark plug and you’re good to go. Now that all of the self-propulsion components are out, you should be able to push your mower without any added resistance.
Things to Keep in Mind
When you’re getting prepared to dig into your lawn mower, there are a handful of things that you should be aware of. Also, once you get going on the project it’s good to keep an eye out for some of the reasons why your self-propulsion might not be working. I’ll list some of the best things to keep in mind below.
- Using socket wrenches will make your life much easier.
- If you turn your lawn mower on its side to take a look underneath the mower deck, be sure to tip your mower the right way.
- Wear on the inside of the wheels or to the drive belt are the most common causes for a failing self-propulsion system.
- Converting your self-propelled mower to a push mower will help shave a few pounds off.
- In some cases, just removing the drive belt can make the mower easy enough to push without needing to disassemble the transmission system.
- You may also need to disconnect the cable that connects the handle of the mower to the transmission.
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