Can't pull chord on Craftsman mower

[kylegray]

I got a second-hand Craftsman push mower last year. It worked great all last Summer. This year I brought it out and after a couple of pulls of the chord it seized up.

I can turn the blade backwards easily but when I try to turn it forwards (cutting direction) it makes a scraping noise and stops after moving a few inches.

Any ideas what I should do?

I change the oil, air filter and spark plug each year so I'm not sure why it would work so great last year and then refuse to even start this year.

Thanks.

[TRANSMAN]

What Engine?

Need a little more info to narrow it down. There is one thing that i`ve seen many mowers disgarded for that fits your general description. Most mowers made withen the last decade are required to have some sort of blade safety brake. Usually on top of the handle there is a lever you have to squeeze to start and keep the mower running. It was required by O.S.H.A to make the mowers idiot proof because a few people were hurt slipping under the mower,picking them up while running, or leaving them running with children around. This lever when squeezed has a cable that runs down to the engine and is connected to the kill switch as well to a lever that relaxes or tightens a brake band that tightens against the flywheel. All the later Briggs& Stratton powered push mowers have this. If the cable brakes or becomes misadjusted when you squeeze the lever on top of the handle the brake band will not release off the flywheel and most people assume the engine is siezed. By design the band does not grip the flywheel tightly when turned counter clockwise so you would be able to turn the blade backwards freely as you described. That is why i would recommend you check the lever ,cable and all associated linkage thoroughly. If you remove the starter houseing on mowers with this system you can pry this band off and toss it if desired.It can be many other things but suggest you check what i described first.Hopefully its just a simple cable disconnected or out of adjustment.GOOD LUCK,TRANS.

[kylegray]

Tecumseh Engine

Thanks for the info,
The Engine is a Tehcumseh. I'll take a look when I get home from work to see if that's what the issue is.

[kylegray]

Problem Solved

Adjusted cable - problem solved.
Thanks for saving me from having to buy a new mower.

[jimslawnservice1]

Transman is the man, I wanna know how he knows all of these things.

[TRANSMAN]

Good For You!

You deserve a lot of credit for haveing on open mind and following through on fixing your machine. Unfortunately most people insist Briggs or Tecumseh powered anything have a 20 hour lifespan and are 1 season throwaways. I`m glad you didnt just dismiss my advice because many would think that would just be to simple and junk it. Thanks also to Jim. I appreciate the nice words ,but i`m just a regular guy who`s taken apart and rebuilt thousands of engines rangeing from the smallest gas to the largest diesels. There were even a few wankels that nobody else would touch. No magic Jim,just plain old practical experience. Appreciate the nice P.M Kyle SINCERELY,TRANS.