How to Repair Your Black and Decker Electric Lawn Mower

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Jeffrey Tung on Jan 1, 2024

Sunset image of well cut grass

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Electric lawn mowers are good, environment-friendly alternatives for older lawn mowers; usually, gasoline or petrol are the power sources for these older units. Given that electric lawn mowers always require connection to a power source or electrical supply, it’s much more suitable for yards in the smaller side of the spectrum. If you have a small property you regularly tend to, electric lawn mowers are for you!

Black and Decker are one of the most well-known brands of electric lawn mowers you can find. They have produced a series of corded-electric lawn mowers, which are both lightweight and powerful at the same time. You can use them on any yard as they offer deck sizes of varying sizes – from 15 to 20 inches. Black and Decker have gone way back to 1910 producing reputable outdoor yard care equipment; they are also the first to produce portable electric drills equipped with a trigger switch and pistol grip as well. If you’re looking for something to get your appliance work done, you can look to Black and Decker to have the right tools for you.

However, just as much as they are great, these units also have their weaknesses. It’s inevitable for outdoor equipment such as electric lawn mowers to have some problems at some point. For that reason, here is a guide on what to do on how to repair black and decker electric lawn mower!

Why is my electric lawn mower not working?

Generally, electric lawn mowers operate in a simple manner. With a Black and Decker electric lawn mower, there are actually only two moving parts such as its electric motor and electric switch assembly. You would find this type of motor in a treadmill, which is a brushed, permanent-magnet DC motor; it runs at about 120 Volts DC. While the lawn mower’s power input is 120 Volts AC, which is the standard household power, its conversion from DC to AC occurs through a bridge rectifier. The electric switch assembly has two components, which are the push-button switch and power input socket.

The Black and Decker electric lawn mower usually has two main problems or failures: bridge rectifier failure and switch assembly failure; two of the most important components of these types of models.

The switch assembly can fail in two ways. One way is when the switch itself melts or its contacts have failed. This would usually occur out of its old age. Moreover, if you’re using a mediocre switch, this would happen as well. The second way is the melting or loosing of the wiring between the switch and socket, and the input cord socket. This would happen if you had cheap extension cords or a plug prongs corrosion. Because electric lawn mowers require high current flows, the chances of these issues from happening increases.

On the other hand, the bridge rectifier can be problematic due to heat, power surges, or excessive arching or flash-over of the motor’s commutator. Heat is one of the most likely suspects behind your bridge rectifier failure; it’s beside the motor which heats up a lot during operation. The chances of heating to occur increases especially when the mower is bogged down frequently. You will also notice this when your lawn mower struggles to cut dense or wet grass.

Troubleshooting Tips

Given that a Black and Decker electric lawn mower can occasionally have problems, especially given the nature of its model, it’s high time that you find out more about it!

Electric lawn mower won’t start

There are a number of reasons as to why your electric lawn mower won’t start. Before you proceed with any kind of step, check first if the power supply is connected properly. This may seem like an obvious reminder, but it’s also because of that it’s often overlooked. Make sure to double-check your lawn mower and if it’s connected to a working and appropriate power supply!

Another possible reason is if it has tripped breakers or a blown-out fuse. You can test your outlet by plugging something else, like a lamp. If it doesn’t light up, this means that you would need to reset or replace your fuse and breakers. In terms of your electric lawn mower, it may have a full cuttings bag. Empty the bag especially since it won’t start if you have a full one. Moreover, you may also check if you have debris stuck up the blades. Just clean them up and you’ll be good to go (if you don’t have any underlying problems).

What to do when electric lawn mower won’t start

Issue 1

Make sure that your power supply is connected. Especially with corded electric lawn mowers, there is a high tendency that the power cables may be pulled from the outlet as your lawn mower works around your yard. Try switching outlets or adding an extension cable to restart or repower your lawn mower.

Issue 2

To reiterate, you may have a busted fuse or breaker. The outlets you have may not work if your mower has blown a fuse or tripped a breaker. Give extra attention to your fuses and breakers especially if other appliances will not work as well. Especially that you’re using electric lawn mowers, you would need to put more effort and care into it.

Issue 3

Empty your cuttings bag. Sometimes, we might forget that this bag is full from time to time. Lawn mowers usually have a system that detects whether or not the cuttings bag is full. If it is, then the lawn mower won’t start. Take notice as well that even as you are in the middle of mowing your yard, it will stop when the cutting bag reaches its limit.

Issue 4

There may be instances where the lawn mower’s safety mechanism may prevent the motor from actually starting. This safety feature is designed for children in situations where they may start it by accident. Given that, there are some electric lawn mower models that have a special lever or button that you will have to hold down as you press the start button.

Issue 5

If your electric lawn mower won’t start, it may simply have some debris or other foreign object disrupting its blades. Make sure that there are no sticks, grass, leaves, or any of the like that lodges in between the blades. Electric lawn mowers will not start if the blades are not able to move or engage.

Electric lawn mower blade won’t spin

Issue 1

This particular part of a lawn mower works with the power takeoff mechanism that is responsible for the engaging and disengaging of the blades. Consequently, when the belt becomes damaged or worn, the blades will not spin. To solve this, replace the drive belt entirely. Make sure that it is properly installed as well.

Issue 2

When your electric lawn mower blade won’t spin, you might have a frozen pulley. This is responsible for adjusting the tension in the drive belt, which engages the blades. So given that, if the pulley becomes frozen, the blades will not be able to rotate. Replace the puller when this happens in order to resolve the issue.

Issue 3

Another aspect that is often overlooked is the electric lawn mower battery; you have to make sure it is charged as well. Lawn mowers have a PTO, or power takeoff clutch mechanism which engages the blades. In the case of an electric lawn mower power takeoff clutch, it would require electricity for it to start and work properly. Consequently, if the battery has a weak charge or is dead completely, it will not power the blades to engage. Check the battery’s level with a voltmeter. If it won’t charge, replace your battery completely with a new one.

Issue 4

Your electric lawn mower might have debris clogging up the blades. When a foreign object, such as a rock or any other object, lodges into the lawn mowers power takeoff clutch and shaft, it will not be able to engage the blades. The power takeoff shaft is responsible for transferring the power to the blades from the engine of the mower in order for them to turn. If there are obstructions such as what was mentioned, simply remove them and your electric lawn mower should be good to go.

Issue 5

You might also have a faulty blade engagement cable. This is attached in between the blade clutch and blade bail. Most of the problems involving this particular part have to do with the metal cable itself; it may break and rust will increase the chances of it fraying as well.

Wrapping Up

There are many amazing electric lawn mowers out there and one of which is the Black and Decker models. However, remember that these are not exempt from encountering some issues, whether basic or complex. Should you face the issues that have been discussed above, you will now have the knowledge to actually solve them! Learn these steps on how to repair your Black and Decker electric lawn mower and you won’t have any problems in the future.