How To Fix Lawn Mower Slows Down When Cutting [2 Easy Ways]

Did you experience that your lawn mower slowed down while mowing the lawn? It will irritate you; surely you want a quick solution to continue your job. But do you know how to fix lawn mower slows down when cutting?

Arrange the tools for help first, check the drive control cable and then RPM speed. Make adjustments if required. If there is no issue with adjustments, check for clogging, fuel level, fuel quality, battery, and lawnmower blades. Fix them if needed.

It is simple to fix the lawn mower that slows down while cutting. However, you need to read its step-by-step guide till the end to master the techniques.

Possible Reasons that Can Slow down Lawn Mower When Cutting:

Here are a few other possible reasons that cause the lawn mower to slow down when cutting.

1. Clogging

There may be a clogging issue in the fuel filler cape, carburetor, fuel line, or air filter.

2. Battery

You may have a bad battery that slows down the lawnmower speed.

3. Fuel

You may not use the correct type of fuel in your lawn mower, which affects its speed.

4. Dirty Blade

Check the blades may damage or mess with long grass residuals

5. Sparked Plug

A spark plug can also disturb the power supply, which may slow down the machine’s speed.

How to Fix Lawn Mower Slows Down When Cutting? Two Methods That Work

If your lawn mower slowed down while cutting the grass, there could be two quick solutions. 

• Adjust the Drive Control Cable
• Adjust the RPM Speed

Both techniques are easy and may not take more than 5 minutes to fix.

Things you Will Need: 

• Straight Screwdriver
• Long nose Pliers
• Lawnmower clamps
• Safety Sliders
• Cap open-end sliders
• Safety Gloves
• Drill machine

It will be an effective choice if you get a Blind Cord Safety Slider. They ensure not only hassle-free winding but are also compatible with multiple cords. You can find them easy to slide on the heavyweight lawn mower.

Method 1- Adjust the Drive Control Cable

It is an easy technique that requires no tool except a small drill machine. Most of the time, it happens that your bale is retracted to engage the drive. Follow these two steps to adjust the drive control cable.

Step 1- Work with Drive Hole

Access to the drive control hole, it will be at the bale of your lawn mower. Look below the original hole on the bale.

What would you do? Just took the drive control cable out from the original hole. Dig a new hole a little below the original one. Insert the cable in the new hole.

It will increase the tension to increase the speed. But still, you need more adjustments to decrease the cable tension.

Step 2- Lose the Cable

There may be a turn or bend in the bend that may increase the tension in the cable, which slows down its speed. 

Come back down along with the handle and check the cable. If there is a turn or bend, remove it. Or simply loosen it a little to decrease the cable tension. 

Then check the bale handle. You will see the cable is now comfortable to hold. It will also boost the lawn mower speed.

Method 2-Adjust the RPM Speed

You have adjusted the drive control cable but did not see an increase in lawn mower speed? No worry, there will be a problem with RPM speed. 

It happens when you cut thick and long grass. Follow the below easy steps to adjust the RPM speed to get the correct performance.

Step 1- Ready Your Lawn Mower for Troubleshooting

First, bring your lawn mower to a smooth surface. But it will be easier if you place it over a smooth table. It will be easier for you to access each lawn mower part.

Step 2- Adjust Arm Drive Spring

Look a little lower with the drive arm; you will see a tiny spring on the bottom. It controls the machine’s speed. Sometimes it’s an adjustment that disturbs the lawn mower’s speed.

Now switch on the machine and access that spring area. Get two pliers and hold the drive arm from both ends.

Now forcefully bend the drive arm towards the lawnmower base. When you do it, the tension in the spring will increase. While bending, keep noticing the machine sound. You will see an increase in speed. 

Do not go too fast; it may increase the lawn mower speed than required. High speed also damages the lawn mower performance. So be patient while bending it. 

But do not worry if it increases; follow the reverse method. You can slow down lawn mower speed by bending it away from the lawn mower base.

Step 3- Test the Machine

Before setting on your lawn mowing job, ensure your machine is working fine. Switch off the machine. Wait a couple of seconds and switch it on. If the sound is okay, it means all is set now.

What’s the major thing to notice when checking its speed? It is only the sound, so carefully notice the machine sound to estimate its speed. Make sure the speed is average, not too slow or too fast.

What are Possible Quick Solutions to Speed up the Lawn Mower Speed?

• Use sharp blades to easily cut the grass without disturbing the lawn mower’s speed
• Ensure the lawn mower tires are correctly inflated to maintain high speed. If needed to replace the tires, old tires also affect the speed.
• Never compromise for fuel; always use high-quality gasoline to ensure 100% performance
• Increase pulley size to decrease the load on the machine. It will increase the lawn mower speed
• Do not be lazy to cut the lawn grass regularly; long grass also causes trouble for lawn mowers
• Check the leakages in lawn mower parts such as fuel line, tank, etc. It also decreases the performance.
• Ensure you have an adequately lubricate lawn mower

Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs):

Final Verdict

Lawn mower performance disrupts mostly because of incorrect drive control cable adjustment or RPM speed adjustment. 

Some other possible reasons can be low quality fuel, slow blades, corrosion, long grass, clogging, and bad battery. 

You can easily increase lawn mower speed by fixing each issue in a couple of minutes by following the above-mentioned ways. 

However, if you still feel any confusion or you haven’t enough time to manage the fixing procedures, you can take professional help. 

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