Lawn Tractor bogging down?

[Todd]

I have a Honda 3813 Lawn tractor that I got used about 1 month ago and just finished putting new bearings in the mower deck, and I have a question.

How much does the average lawn tractor slow down when the deck is engaged?

When I engage the deck the engine slows down a lot. If it were not at full throttle it would stall. When the deck is disengaged mower is strong as a mule, and runs very well. It is a 13hp 2-cylinder water-cooled engine. After I fixed the deck it turns easily by hand, but the engine seems to strain.

How does your lawn tractor run??

Todd

[CANCEL]

[Sunflower]

Todd, we've had a 3813 since about 1984 and it's done just fine until last year. What you're describing is an older engine that's losing compression when put under strain, and that's exactly what ours has done. The engine needs rebuilding and new piston rings and probably a whole lot else. We haven't done that yet, frankly because the parts are so darn expensive. (The darn Honda stickers for the hood alone are $38 *apiece*, and when we checked into replacing the starter, it was $300. We rebuilt it instead.) We'll use it to spot mow in tight places the Kubota can't get to and to give the strip by the road a bit more of a fine cut to please the unpleasable neighbors, but the poor thing's just not long for this world. If you didn't put very much $$ into the tractor in the first place, and you can do the work yourself, it's probably worth rebuilding as they really do give great service. But, if you have to pay to have it done, it's probably gonna cost more than you paid for it in the first place.

Sunflower MS 7b

[Arrow Speed]

I have a Crapsman 25 hp with a 50" deck that bogged to a stop if not at full throttle. I could pull the choke at the same time and it would not do this, so I gave it a little richer mixture and it quit.

[davehinz]

30 year old John Deere 140, 14 horse 1-cyl Kohler engine, 48" deck. Slows down momentarily when I engage the electric clutch for the mower deck, but goes back up immediately.

Does your engine have a governor on it? Is it working properly? I would think that it should adjust the throttle position at the carb to compensate for the added load (the deck). Look for something between what you control (your throttle control) and the carb itself; if there's something between and it's just directly linked from your control to the throttle itself, that should be the governor.

Does the throttle plate linkage move (open) when you kick in the deck?

Dave Hinz