You were truly excited to bring home your new Troy-Bilt riding mower to ease the lawn maintenance tasks. However, that excitement began to fade when you started running into problems with the equipment.
Your Troy-Bilt riding mower may be of great quality, but you can still experience occasional problems with it. Besides, all mowers are mechanical and mechanical parts will wear over time.
While most of these problems can be prevented with routine maintenance and care, it can be extremely frustrating to find that your equipment won’t start, the brakes won’t respond, or that the equipment cuts off once you start mowing.
Before you take it in for repair, there are a few steps you can take to troubleshoot your mower. We have put together a list of problems that can develop in a Troy-Bilt riding mower along with solutions to help you resolve those issues when they appear.
Table of Contents
How to Adjust Brakes on Troy Bilt Riding Mower
With a Troy Bilt riding mower, the brakes are located on the right side of the transaxle. Remember to refer to your user manual for specific instructions and a diagram of your mower model.
To adjust the brakes on your Troy Bilt mower, you will need to first find the right rear wheel. Put the mower’s deck in the lowest position. Under the mower, between the rear of the deck and the right rear wheel, you should see the transmission and a small disc that looks like a small rotor.
There are usually two mounting bolts and one ½ nut in the middle that you will need to adjust. Tighten it half turn at a time, hold the brake down and try to roll it until it holds.
Note that power to drive wheels must be removed before the brake is applied. This is because the brake is mechanically powered by a pedal or level.
In addition, the brake mechanism has to latch to keep it applied. There has to be an adjustment for all three of these functions. Check your manual and make all the adjustments.
Troy Bilt Mower Won’t Turn Over
When this happens, check to make sure that your brake is set, the cutting deck is disengaged, and that the safety switch is not on. Inspect the battery and make sure it is installed properly and use a voltmeter to ensure that it is fully charged.
Check the fuse box and all connections. Check whether the fuses are burned out and need to be replaced. It is also important to make sure the ground wire is intact; this is basically a black wire that runs from your engine to the frame of your mower.
Troy Bilt Mower Engine Turns Over But Won’t Stop
In this case, you will need to inspect the engine throttle choke and control to ensure it is positioned properly. Make sure you have enough gasoline in the tank. Also, check to make sure the fuel line and fuel filter aren’t clogged with dirt or debris. If you’re not sure, simply replace your fuel filter.
Check to make sure the spark plug wire hasn’t disconnected. You may want to replace the spark plug with another one.
Troy Bilt Mower Engine Vibrates and Emits Smoke
It can be challenging to diagnose the root cause of your Troy-Bilt mower’s vibrating problem. A lot of small items can cause a significant vibration including loose parts, loose engine mounting bolts, or debris stuck in your equipment.
One major cause of a vibrating riding mower is unbalanced or damaged mower blades. When damaged or unbalanced, the blades can send vibration through your mower.
Check the blade to make sure it isn’t bent. If it is bent, this will cause the machine to vibrate. Replace any faulty blades and make sure they are balanced.
Also, inspect the belt that turns the blade to make sure it isn’t damaged. Tighten and replace the mounting bolt if necessary.
In addition to unbalanced or damaged blades, bad bearings in your pulleys and spindle housing; or a worn belt cause a vibration in your Troy-Bilt mower deck that can be felt throughout the equipment including the operator’s seat.
Also, the clutch could be bad. When there’s a bearing failure, it falls out of the clutch, thereby causing vibration. A manual engagement clutch can have bushing and linkages that can fail too. To fix the problem, simply replace the clutch
Troy Bilt Mower Won’t Steer Correctly
Whether you own a riding mower or a zero-turn, you may experience problems with your steering system. Your riding mower can have loose components in the steering system causing it to not steer properly.
Also, unequal tire pressures can cause your mower to pull to one side. Check the tire pressure and make sure they are filled to the manufacturer’s spec. Tires on each side of your riding mower require equal pressure.
When one tire is moving faster than the other, then this can cause the mower to pull to one side. Therefore, you may also need to adjust the speed adjustment bolt to change the rotation speed of the tire. Refer to the user’s manual for specific guidelines.
Lastly, worn or loose steering components in your riding mower can cause the machine to steer incorrectly. Worn bushings, gears, and washers can all cause the equipment to not steer one way or the other. To resolve the issue, inspect and replace the parts that are causing failure on your steering system.
