I have emerged from a long Buffalo, NY winter and went to start my mower. Not a single peep out of it.
I got it used from a friend of a friend with no manual or instructions beyond, "sit here, step on this, and turn that." I am completely at sea with it. Is there somewhere I can find out the simplest of things without feeling like a moron? I don't know if I should charge the battery or change the plug or where I should start.
Thanks

BuffaloGal, April 2009

Result!! Delighted that you're up and running again - enjoy the gardening season! Everything started off OK here, but now the temperature has plunged to a mere 14 deg C. Grrrr.....:-)
Cheers John

John, May 2009

Hey there...
All's well on this end. After much charging of the battery and cursing of various things around the yard, house, neighborhood, my little Deere is up and running and the yard is looking a bit neater.
Thanks for the help and moral support.
And yes, have a good day. :-)
A

BuffaloGal, May 2009

Thank you and I hope you get your machine going real soon - or at least before the grass reaches window level! Have a nice day! Thats what you say over there, isn't it?? Cheers John :-)

John, April 2009

LOL! It's your friends over the Pacific that have a tendency to get a little miserly with the sun allotment. There are no lights--headlamps, but that's about it--on the dash. Headlights aren't working. I guess I'd better grab someone with a battery charger and see what there is to see.
Thanks much for the attention and I hope you get to enjoy some sun a little more often than now and then.
:-)

BuffaloGal, April 2009

I guess it depends on the age of the battery - an old one could easily go to the big battery bin in the sky over winter, but a recent one should certainly hold most of its charge...presuming that it was put to bed well charged that is! So, you have to see if your battery has any juice in it - on machines over here there is often a light or two to be seen on the dashboard when you turn the ignition key on. If your machine has headlights, maybe they could be used to test your battery? Enjoy the Spring! We actually saw the sun today - a rare sight, considering it is usually pinched by our friends over the Atlantic....

John, April 2009

I appreciate the quick response. Is it common for a battery to die though the winter? I don't know why I'm laboring under the (mis)conception that it would have at least turned over sluggishly, not just sit there like it's waiting for a ride, itself.
Welcome to blue skies and green leaves once again.

BuffaloGal, April 2009

The first thing you need to do is to ascertain if the battery has any charge in it at all - without this, nothing will happen. However, many machines have things called interlock switches fitted to them, which prevent starting if there is a hazard. For example, my own tractor won't start unless you are actually sitting on the seat, due to its seat interlock...until I disconnected it, of course! Cheers John....emerging from a long English winter...!

John, April 2009