Troubleshoot and Resolve Greenworks Lawn Mower Problems

The weather’s nice and you’re ready get outside and cut the grass. But after a long winter’s storage you’ve discovered a problem with your Greenworks lawn mower. Let’s go over the most common problems owners run into, and how you can fix them quickly.

Problem 1: The mower won’t start

The most obvious reasons why a mower won’t start is lack of power. If you’ve plugged in the cord or inserted the battery, put in the key (not all models have keys), pushed the button, and nothing happens, there are just a few reasons why.

The battery is dead

Put the battery into the charger and see if the light is green. Lithium-Ion batteries maintain most of their charge for a long time in storage, but if you put it away nearly empty, it may need a recharge. (Prolong its life by charging it just to 50% before storing it.)

Greenworks batteries last up to about 2,000 charges and have a 2-year warranty. If your battery is more than three years old, or if it has been exposed to extreme heat (like the dashboard of a car in the summer), it may not be performing the way it did when it was new. High temperatures kill the battery, and could make it leak or explode.

If you have access to another Greenworks battery, try swapping it with your old one to see if the mower starts, and also if your charger is working properly.

The power is off or the cord has a problem

If you have a corded electrical mower, see if the outlet you’re using is working. Sometimes the power gets shut off or a breaker has tripped. Test the outlet with a different electrical appliance.

 

Check the extension cord for wear. Test it with a different electrical appliance, too, to see if power runs through it properly, or if it has a short. Try to start the mower with a different extension cord. Make sure the wire has the correct gauge (see below for more information).

The starter switch is broken or defective

Once in a while the starter will have failed. If the two prior steps of checking the battery and charger and cord and outlet aren’t resolving your problem, it’s time to call for help. Greenworks has a toll-free helpline: 1-888-909-6757, or 1-888-90WORKS.

Problem 2: The mower vibrates and makes weird noises

These are not noisy gas lawn mowers, so if your mower is shaking and making unusual noises, turn it off. Unplug it or take out the battery. Then tip it on its side and take a look underneath.

The blade is damaged

The blade could be unbalanced if it was sharpened too much on one edge. Remove the blade. Buy a cheap little conical plastic balancer at a lawn and garden center and lay the blade onto it. That makes it easy to see if you’ve sharpened it correctly. (You can also hang the blade on a nail through the center hole.) If one side hangs lower than the other, your blade is out of balance. You can file or grind the edge that hangs lower until the blade hangs level.

The blade may be incorrectly mounted. Check the orientation in case someone mounted it upside down.

Worst case scenario is that the blade is bent or badly dinged up enough that you’ll need to buy a new one.

 

 

The motor shaft is bent

If the blade looks okay, see if the motor shaft looks damaged. If that’s the case, it’s time to call Greenworks or a lawn mower mechanic for help. This is a rather rare problem if you don’t usually run over rocks, branches, tools, or toys while you’re mowing. Give the blade a closer look if you know you haven’t been maltreating your mower.

Problem 3: The mower is not cutting or mulching well

There are a few things that can cause your mower to behave badly. Not enough electrical power, dull blades, very tall grass, and wet conditions are some of the challenges you might face.

Extension cord

If you’ve not had to do much with extension cords and power tools, you might not know that you need increasingly thicker wires to carry enough electricity over longer distances. If your cord can’t get enough electricity to your mower, your mower will not work properly.

For example, the Greenworks 21” electric mower requires 13A of current. If you have a tiny yard, you can use a 50-foot cord with 16-gauge wire. But if you use a 100’ cord, you’ll want 14-gauge. The maximum cord length they recommend using is 150’ of 12-gauge wire. It sounds backward, but the smaller the gauge number (AWG), the thicker the wire is.

Dull blade

All work and no sharpening will have your lawn mower tearing out the grass instead of cutting it. Use a metal file to hone the cutting edges every couple of weeks, or at least once a month if you have a small lawn. You can also use a grinder, but take it slow if you don’t have a lot of practice sharpening blades.

It’s easier if you have a second blade so you can swap them. One goes into the shop for sharpening while you mow with the other.

The ground is too soft or wet

Mother Nature doesn’t always consult our schedules, so the ground may be too wet for you to mow when you have time to do it. Wet grass will stick to the underside of the deck and the mower won’t mulch nicely. If it’s not mulching at all, you may have forgotten to insert the mulch plug.

Soft, muddy ground or a full bag of clippings will make the mower much harder to push. If you can put off mowing till the yard dries, your grass and your back will thank you. If you absolutely must cut the lawn, raise the height of the deck and see if that helps.

Smooth running

Greenworks mowers are best-sellers partly because they are easy to use and maintain. Keep the battery charged, check your extension cord, sharpen your blade, and give the underside of your mower a good cleaning once a month and before storing it for the winter. Happy Mowing!

 

 

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What to consider, buying the best cordless lawn mower?

If you are the owner of a house with the garden area, well, you are lucky already! You could go for gardening to seed some trees and flowers. But it takes time and efforts of course. Therefore, smooth and green grass in front of your house might also create cozy and fresh look for your place. One more thing that you need to do, but not that often and not that effort consuming, is cutting that grass.

If you have small yard area, probably you should consider buying cordless lawn mower. It is designed for working on the yard that requires about an hour and very mobile. But before purchasing the best cordless lawn mower for the money, you should consider all its features, pros and cons.  

Corded lawn mower on the other hand works when you are connecting it with the electric outlet in your house, which means you do not need to worry about the power source or think about charging issues. Usually corded electric lawn mower is used for big areas that require a lot of time.

Some main features of the cordless lawn mowers are following:

-          Noise reduction. Because no gas or petrol engine use is involved, noise of working equipment will be reduced significantly.

-          Pollution reduction. Again, without using gas or petrol, cutting your lawn will not require lubrication for the device or headache about gas and oil refilling. It is also environmentally safe.

-           Mobility. Because it is powered by the batteries you will not face the limitations of area. You can move the mower easily thanks to light weight.

-          Lower cost. The cost to charge battery with electricity is actually lower that the cost of gasoline, oil, sparkplugs and air filters in comparison with corded lawn mowers.

-          Easier usage. This type of mower is lighter and easier to use. Additionally, it is easier to control so your lawn can be cut be within shorter time.

There are some disadvantages on the other hand as well:

-          This type of mowers is not as powerful in comparison with gasoline powered models. Therefore, you need to cut lawn more often, because long grass turns out is harder to cut.

-          Charging time. Depending on each model, sometimes it might take from 8 to 16 hours to recharge the battery and it will be only for 1 hour operation.

-          Another reason why need to do mowing more is because in comparison with gas powered devices the width of mower’s blade is shorter.

-          Also cordless mowers have a bit of limitation in models choice.

So what do you need to consider for getting a perfect cordless lawn mower?

-          Battery. Because battery is the main source of power for cordless lawn mower, it obviously becomes the main issue to think about. It should be durable, produce more volts for longer usage and easily rechargeable. Is it removable, so you can change the battery when first one is finished? And does it have a gauge that shows battery level? How much the new battery costs?

-          Push or self-propelled. Push type of mower requires you to push back and forth. Whereas self-propelled one has rear wheels that allow you to drive the mower, so you can control its speed and direction.

-          Mulching and bagging. Mowers with the mulching mode add nutrients to the soil by mulching clippings. Bagging mode allows gathering cut grass and mulch the garden occasionally.

-           Cutting quality. The cut of lawn should satisfy you by the quality.

-          Handle comfort and adjustment. The handle should be comfortable for usage and adjustable, so size and height definitely matter.

-          Maneuverability. It should be easily pushed and controlled.

-          Weight. Lightweight is one of the cordless lawn mower features. The weight determines mobility of the mower.

-          Price. There are different products on the market. The price shall be affordable by you, as well as satisfy in terms of features that you have in priority.

-          Warranty. Look at the warranty provided by manufacturer, just in case you need repairs and fixing.

Considering all advantages and disadvantages above with the features that you have to choose, you have the basic knowledge about the cordless lawn mower. So start comparing and choosing to optimize the look of your yard.

Test Post from Lawn Tools Guide

Test Post from Lawn Tools Guide http://lawntoolsguide.com

Handy Repair Tips for Lawn Mower Tires

Don’t let a flat tire put a hitch in your plans. You can still mow the back forty once you follow these simple tips for fixing your lawn mower tire.

Remove the tire (if needed)

You may be able to repair the tire without removing it once the tire is off the ground. If not, loosen bolts or lug nuts while the mower is still on the ground, but don’t take them all the way out. Then raise the mower and remove the bolts or nuts to pull off the tire.

Find the leak

Once you’ve removed any objects like nails or screws sticking out of the tire, you’ll want to check for other hidden damage. Mix up some dish detergent and water into a nice soapy consistency and apply it to the surface of the tire. See where bubbles appear from air leaks.

Plug the big hole

If the hole you find is over 1/16” in size, you can use a tire plug. These come in a kit with a large needle and rubber cement. You’re about to do surgery on your tire, and it’s never as easy as videos and instructions make it look. But with a little patience and some muscle power, it’ll all work out just fine.

The basic idea is the insert the rubbery plug through the eyelet of the needle, dab it with cement, and then force the threaded needle into the hole in the tire. The rubber cement helps it seal together. Don’t worry about extra rubber poking out, you can trim that off when you’re done.

Seal the little holes

For damage less than 1/16” in diameter, use a can of tire sealant. Hook the hose that is attached to the can to the tire’s air valve stem. The sealant will fill the cracks from the inside. Once you’ve inflated the tire, roll it around or spin it to spread the sealant around evenly inside.

Note that this type of repair works on small holes in the tread, not holes in the sidewall. Holes in the sidewall usually mean you’ll have to replace the tire.

Puncture-proofing against future damage

Some owners have used multiple cans of tire sealant or expanding foam to completely fill up their lawn mower tires. No air, no leaks! The down side to this is that you may find yourself repeating the process again soon because the foam or sealant settles and the tires sag a bit. Some tire shops may fill tires like this for you if you don’t want to do it yourself.

Strap ‘er down and fill ‘er up

Finally, if you haven’t decided to fill the whole tire with sealant, you’ll need to put in air. If your tire has come off the rim, you need to seat it properly again. The ‘Net is full of interesting videos of people setting tires aflame to magically set the bead. If you’re looking for a way to pass the time, watch a few. (But we can’t recommend this process.)

Meanwhile, a safer way to seat the tire is to use a strap or rope to compress it as you fill it with air. The extra pressure will force the tire into place on the rim. There, you’re all done!