Mower Blades Won’t Engage or Start on a Bad Boy (Solved)

If the blades won’t start, you won’t be able to mow the lawn. I have compiled a list of potential causes to investigate.

A worn or stretched mower deck belt, a belt that has fallen off the pulleys, a malfunctioning PTO switch, a broken clutch, a weak battery, a faulty safety switch, or a blown fuse may all prevent the blades from engaging or turning on your Bad Boy lawn mower.

Warnings against reaching beneath the mower deck may be found in the Bad Boy operator’s handbook and should always be obeyed. The key must be taken out of the ignition, the spark plug wire(s) disconnected, and the engine allowed to come to a complete stop.

The Blades on my Bad Boy Mower Won’t Start or Rotate

The Deck Belt of a Bad Boy Mower Has Been Worn

Check the belt on the mower deck if the blades are stuck and won’t spin. The belt that drives the mower blades might wear out and stop working.

A stale or rotten A bad boy deck belt is one that is damaged in some way, whether it be cracks, fraying, or a glossy shine. It’s possible for a worn deck belt to sink all the way into the pulley grooves.

Belts should be replaced when they show signs of wear. If your blades won’t engage, check the belt first, but replace it if it’s worn out nonetheless.

Blade speed is determined by the belt’s grip on the pulleys. To produce suction beneath the deck and raise the grass for an equal cut, a high blade speed is necessary.

A Bad Boy Mower’s Deck Lost Its Belt After It Came Off the Pulleys.

If the belt has come unhooked from the pulleys, it will no longer be able to rotate them and so propel the mower’s blades. Check for a missing spring, worn tensioner arm, worn belt, or stretched belt in addition to a worn belt.

Here’s a rundown of what’ll hinder the Bad Boy belt from staying on the mower deck.

Bad Boy Mower Idle Arm and Spring Wear

The idler pulleys are kept in place by a tensioner arm and spring. The pulley is often located on one side of the mower deck’s bracket, with the spring on the other.

Either the spring or the hole in the bracket where it is connected might get worn over time. The belt may become unfastened and shake free of the pulleys as a result of this.

Old Ball Bearing in a Rogue Pulley

Each pulley has a bearing inside of it. When the pulley’s bearing wears out, it might cause the shaft to angle away from the mower’s deck. The pulley will wobble due to the worn bearing allowing rotational movement.

The pulley’s deck clearance may vary from one side to the other. The deck belt may get dislodged from the pulley as a result of the increased rotation.

When the bearing in a pulley becomes bad, you need to get a new one.

Bad Boy Mower’s Defective PTO Switch

The PTO switch on a lawnmower is a knob that, when turned, supplies battery electricity to the clutch. The failure of the switch to activate the blades.

Verify that the switch has continuity. Substitute a break in continuity for a toggle switch.

The Bad Boy Mower’s Clutch Gave Out

By engaging the drive belt, the PTO (Power Take Off) clutch transmits power from the engine to the blades. If the clutch is worn or broken and not turning the blades, you will need to replace it.

Read A Look at Lawn Mower Clutches for additional information about clutches.

Manual Clutch Bad Boy with a Worn Clutch Cable

A Bad Boy mower with a manual engagement clutch will have a clutch lever and cable.

Make that the clutch is being engaged and that the clutch lever, cable, spring, bushings, and linkages are not worn.

Fix any broken or worn items.

Bad Boy Mower’s Weak Battery

The battery is what powers an electric clutch. Low battery power prevents the clutch solenoid from activating the mower’s blades.

Use a multimeter to measure the battery’s voltage. If you check the voltage of a completely charged 12-volt battery, you should see about 12.7 volts.

When the battery level drops below this, it has to be charged. Check out 5 Things That Are Draining the Life of Your Lawn Mower Battery if your battery keeps dying for no apparent reason.

Charge a Bad Boy Battery: Charge the battery using the battery charger. Put on safety goggles and gloves to prevent burns and electrical shocks before proceeding. Here’s how to use a charger for your riding mower or zero-turn mower’s battery:

• Get to the battery and the connectors. To get to the battery, you may need a screwdriver. The battery is either below the seat or in the engine compartment. Don’t take the battery out of its case.
• To charge a battery, the positive wire must be plugged in first. The plus sign cable, or the red cable, is this one. Connect the wire to the battery’s positive pole.
• Join the negative end of the cable to the battery’s negative post. This is the negative-sign cable, sometimes known as the black cable.
• Do not risk electrocution by touching anything that has not been coated with rubber.
• Alter the charger’s settings to get the required voltage and current. Most lawn mower batteries have 12 volts of power. More amperage means a quicker battery charge. The recommended starting point is 2 amps, with a maximum of 10 amps. It’s better to charge slowly.

A new battery should be used if you notice the old one won’t retain a charge. Batteries for 12-volt lawn mowers are available at most home improvement and auto parts stores. The neighborhood lawn mower dealer is another possible source for batteries.

Don’t forget to bring the dead batteries. You’ll probably have to pay a core fee if you don’t bring in your old battery. The typical basic charge is $20.

Mower’s Bad Boy Switched Off Its Safety Features

The Bad Boy’s operator presence system includes a seat-mounted safety switch. A seat switch is wired below the seat and activates when the operator is seated on the mower.

The lawn mower’s blades are equipped with a safety feature that prevents them from starting unless the operator is there.

The operator may not be detected if the seat switch is defective. If the seat switch fails, the safety mechanism will prevent the blades from starting.

If you suspect a faulty seat switch, you may either test it with a multimeter or temporarily disable the safety switch. For your own safety, never start a mower without first installing the safety switch.

Maintain functional safety switches at all times.

A Bad Boy Lawnmower’s Fuses Have Blown

A blown fuse might be to blame when the clutch isn’t receiving electricity from the battery. The fuse is there to keep the Bad Boy’s electricity safe.

If a fuse blows, use another of the same size to replace it. If the fuses keep blowing, you should take the mower to a Bad Boy service dealership or a lawn mower repair shop so they can figure out what’s causing the electrical failure.