Rover Mini Rider Questions & Answers

No. The mulcher cover prevents the grass flying out and allows the grass to be finely shredded back to the lawn.

Any luck on the mower mate? Mines doing the same thing all of a sudden.
Cheers Chipz.

Can't discount electrical but have heard of no problems.
My problem was caused by a tiny sliver of what looked like straw stuck in one of the holes in the bolt holding the float bowl. This is the inlet to the mixture jet and there are 2 holes for inflow of fuel and I missed seeing the sliver in one until I blew out with compressed air.
The bowl seems to collect sediment and I've been advised never to use E10 fuel and suggest using fresh 95 octane.

Thanks again Neil, I will check it out again. Could find nothing there last time. Cheers Norm.

It's not quite as daunting as first seems.
1 Remove seat (2 bolts). 2 remove plastic rear cover(4 studs). 3 remove engine cover (allows access to air cleaner bolts). 4 drain fuel tank (as there's no tap) and disconnect fuel line from filter (carby side of filter). 5 remove air cleaner and unbolt from motor. 6 disconnect the 2 leads to solenoid. 7 loosen and remove the 2 nuts holding carby onto the inlet manifold( the captive rods can stay). 8 undo the inlet manifold at the inlet to motor this allows removal of carby.
Caution- take care (even a photo) with throttle and choke linkage so as to make re instal easier
All this to remove carby as mine got a tiny sliver of what looks like grass which blocked the fuel pickup hole in float bowl bolt causing fuel starvation.
If you access the float bowl for sediment or blocked float needle or the float bolt you can remove support brackets and plate over the transmission as that will allow you access to remove float bowl only. Caution that you re align bowl properly on the o ring mounted in a groove in the carby when installing
With bowl removed I tried blowing out the fuel line to clear needle but didn't notice or even think at the time to check the holes in the bolt that allow fuel pickup
All fixed but caution as you will appear to have a fuel problem and still have probably 1/2 litre of fuel in the tank and seems to suffer very poor fuel flow when tank is low

Hi Neil, Thank you very much for your welcome response, Re mini ride on mower. Being a mug at this sort of thing your info was of great help. Hope the "NEW YEAR" brings what you wish for. Cheers Norm Lloyd. Moruya South Coast N.S.W.

Thanks a Million Neil for your great help. regards Norm.

I have over 3/4 of an acre and about 2500sqm of yard with gardens and this mower copes well in 2 hours. Not as quick as say 38" or bigger deck, but it does do a good job, considering it's size and it's as good as my 21" self propelled mower.
Mine is over 18 months old, it's designed for established yards and providing your not trying to clear land or level uneven dirt, you will get more service than the 5 year warranty.
Can't comment on this manual. Considering the cost however, the automatic with a mulch kit is easy to operate and gives a good tidy look. The proviso is, you have to mow more often during growing time.
No mower I've ever had, is comfortable and I also have back issues, however this mower seems as good as any. One hint is keep tyres pumped to about 10-12 psi and that helps the ride. Any higher and uneven ground with this relatively light weight mower will give you a rough ride
Can't complain about servicing other than to say parts are quite reasonably priced. Suggest you get an hour meter installed as that gives you a more accurate servicing schedule.

Thank you so much Neil. I really appreciate your feedback. It's soon hard to choose from so many products. This does get quite a good review though. Thanks again, Kylie g

I've only got 45 hours on mine and while it's done a bit of branch chopping I'm surprised on how good the blade has stood up compared to earlier JD ride on.
The friction is the brake pad on the pulley designed to stop fairly quickly when disengaged and is normal.
Maybe spindle is bent, bearing is damaged or mountings on the deck are loose

Thanks Neil for your time. Just got back from taking the deck off (not too hard actually) and THEN saw the brake pad in the spindle pulley" When disengaging the pad- the blade turns beautifully smooth. Now I have to put the deck back on and look for another source of the problem!

To anyone interested- I put the cutting deck back on, made sure the front edge was lower than the read edge and test mowed with success. I didn't do anything other than rip off the deck and refit it. I think in the process the angles and heights readjusted themselves in theor slides to proper alignment. As you are aware- the cutting decks on most ride-ons are quite flexible in their mounts and take a knock or two.

G'day Gordo, yep the lever seems very sloppy and like you I tried to tighten without success. Doesn't seem to effect operation.

Thanks Neil. You’re right it still works fine, next time I’m in town I’ll pop into the dealership and have a look at a new one and see if it’s the same Gordo

Hi Dianne. Congrats for trying to do the job yourself, one that I have never personally had to do - so far.
But may I suggest you down-load the extensive manual from the Rover web-site on-line.
It really is IMHO far better than the manual that I got on purchase and this will certainly cover the belt idler-pulley question you have.
Maybe also look at the "historical wear" on the pulley/old belt for pointers on positioning.
Consider doing a 'trial and error' both ways .
But please take care & consider getting some back-up assistance over lifting/tilting a heavy machine.
[Also consider getting professional dealer/repairer help/advice - if all else fails.]
Cheers - Rob.

Hi Tim.
[If it is a HYDRO model ( *sounds like it is not) - make sure the pin clip for the incapacitation of the auto-box (used for manual movement of machine) is in the correct position. It is at the rear of the fan housing, low down, with a spring-clip.]
Otherwise you have probably fallen foul of the numerous (4?) safety-switches on this machine that have been installed due to a spate of ride-on accidents world-wide.
Are the cutters dis-engaged with the side lever up ; is the brake on and locked (NB seat has a safety switch too), is the chute or catcher in the proper position and secured with the 2 wing-nuts, is the ignition key properly inserted and in the 'start' position, is petrol level OK ?
If all else fails, reference your Manual..... (or see your friendly Rover dealer of course.)
Cheers - Rob.

Neil - I would consider maybe to get the carby taken off & blown-out/cleaned completely, then run fuel to and from filter, replace filter if any doubt as IMHO they are relatively cheap.
But before all that - are all the air-vents to the fuel tank open and spider-less?
Is the fuel 95 OK and fresh?
As this is a US product, is the start/run function for cold climate use kicking in error? Is the plug sooty ?
It may be akin to one of those annoying "safety features" we all love so much (not).
"When in doubt" go to the dealer and throw money at the problem ! (I jest...)
Sorry, I have no further ideas on this one. While it sounds like simple fuel starvation problem - it may even be an electronics/ignition CDI defect.
[I had the loan of an early Yam 550cc XT that did exactly that. All I could do was sit by the roadside and have my lunch of sandwich and soup. Then in 15 mins when the motor etc had cooled - then take off again. It was the CDI "black box" apparently - affected by age and heat.]
Rob.

Neil - try fitting a new fuel line with the clear filter fitted as close as possible to the fuel tank. Fill with fresh fuel allow time for the air to escape, give the fuel cap a wash then mow the lawn. You may need to do some work on the fuel cut out solenoid. Peter

I had same problem, was crap in the carb took several strip downs by me the a mechanic, he did it several times and eventually a slug of fibrous material came out.

Hi Steve, I assume you have the 2-pedal 'Hydro' model like mine. If not - it may be different.
On the 'Hydro' reverse-cutting is prevented unless the key is back in the second position, mower in mowing mode, then press the flush button near the ignition key, red LED goes on.
You are now free to cut (slower) in reverse.
If in cutting mode (seated) and you do not do this - the engine will splutter and refuse to pull/cut. [Of course if NOT in 'mowing/cutting' mode the reverse/forward gears work as usual.]
To get out of the reverse-cutting mode, turn the key to '3rd' position (electrics on, starter not engaged) or vacate the seat....or simply turn off the engine with key and then - you can start the procedure again when desired.
[I have heard that some owners have by-passed this 'safety' feature particularly on lower models of MRs, but this is not recommended by Rover.]
Cheers - Rob.

Awesome. Thanks Rob. I was thinking I needed to disconnect the wiring somewhere

Yes Daryl, there is a detachable ducted catcher on special order for around $680 (2016 price quote).
It is pretty complicated and bulky piece of kit. It has to be convoluted too, as it has to go around to the rear behind the seat after exiting via the chute opening.
Not a popular choice IMHO, as the included Rover chute extension is used for thick grass - the mulcher for all others. Mulching is probably better for your lawn overall, but there can be spotting/mould problems if the grass is wet/humid. This can affect some new growth immediately underneath this "mush".
My advice is that this catcher is bulky, expensive & un-popular....[irrelevant for most owners ?]
Cheers Rob.