Which, on the bright side, means spare parts remain easy to obtain.
I managed to find a brand new cutting deck with blade and all the pulleys mounted for a pretty reasonable £175 (given that elsewhere I’d seen the deck only for about £215, the blades are about £40 and the spindle assembly at least another £40).
I noticed trying (and failing) to get the blade off for sharpening that one of the front brackets holding the deck to the mower has rusted through completely so having a new deck is a bit more urgent than I thought
Would any one be able to help with mine? Same model. It won’t start (just turns over without sparking, nearly sparks but doesn’t). I’ve checked the fuel and emptied the carburettor. It did the same a month ago and the fuel change did the trick but this time it isn’t. I’ve tried cleaning the spark plug. I’m not a mechanic unfortunately but I can’t get anyone to come and sort it at the moment. The battery is charged
The workshop manual link is posted above but the ignition will be covered by the engine manual I would think - usually Briggs and Stratton but exact model varies so you need to dig online for the right one for your mower.
Following the plug lead back should get you in the right vicinity.
When you cleaned the spark plug, did you adjust the gap to the correct setting?
The standard way of checking the spark is to remove it from the cylinder head, reconnect it to the cap on the plug lead and hold it against the cylinder head while turning over the engine. If you do this in a shady area, you should expect to find a nice fat spark.
You will need to have someone sit on the seat to prevent the auto cut out from operating.
Gapping the plug could help, but you might need a new one.
If you are not getting a spark, it could be one of you safety cut outs. These work by creating a short in the ignition circuit and can be prevented from operating by placing a small piece of card between the contacts (for testing only!)
My first stop for mower advice is Taryl on YouTube.
Serious advice as well as being a good laugh -
They tend to be hard to get at and may require some disassembly, so if you haven’t got an assistant it is easier to put something heavy on the seat. But do check what Taryl has to say, he could save you a lot of work. Practically all mowers with a Briggs & Stratton engine are basically the same.
I have 2 ride on mowers always something wrong with one or the other. Changing the petrol filter can work wonders. ! Also un plugging behind the ignition key and cleaning it can make the difference between starting or not.
The kill switch is inside the box (arrowed) and it appears that you need to get underneath to access it.
There are likely to be three kill switches on the average riding mower. One for the seat, one to stop it if you attempt to mow in reverse and one to prevent you starting with the blades engaged. There are different types of switch. If you can get at the contacts, it is possible to insert a piece of insulating material, but in many cases they can be held open with a strip of duct tape or a cable tie. Remember, the switches have to be open for the mower to run, closing them shorts the ignition. Locating the switches can be difficult. I find car repairs easier. Things seem more logical and easier to get at. I get the impression that kill switches have been added as an afterthought to comply with safety regulations. It is beginning to get to the point where the safety features seem to be designed to frustrate anything you might reasonably expect to do. Despite all that, a neighbor lost three fingers because his blade brake failed. So it really pays to use your brain rather than rely on the safety features.
