How to Start a Lawn Mower: Steps for 15 Engines From the Manuals

That is the push-mower routine. The numbers inside it change by engine, and we set 11 manuals and 3 maker pages side by side to get them: older Toro primer engines want 5 presses at 55°F or below, Honda’s Auto Choke wants 3 minutes of running after a cold start, and riding mowers cap the starter at 5 to 15 seconds and will not crank until the seat, brake and blade switch are set.

Start steps for 15 mowers and engines, from their manuals

Swipe the table sideways to see every column.

Mower or engine	Starting system	Set before starting	Cold start	Warm restart	Limit or trap	Source
Briggs & Stratton ReadyStart push-mower engines	Recoil, automatic	Oil level checked	No choke, no priming: hold the bar and pull	Same as cold	There is no primer or choke to find	Briggs ReadyStart page
Briggs & Stratton Prime ‘N Pull engines	Primer bulb	Oil level checked	Prime 3 times, then pull; skip the choke	Not stated on the page	3 presses, not more	Briggs Prime ‘N Pull page
Toro 20071, 20072 Recycler (2006 manual)	Primer bulb	Blade control bar held	3 primer pushes, each held 1 second; 5 below 55°F (13°C)	Not stated	No start in 1 or 2 pulls: 1 or 2 more pushes	Toro Form 3357-437, p. 8
Toro 20036, 20037 Super Recycler (2002 manual)	Primer bulb	Plug wire on, bail held	3 pushes 1 second apart; 5 at 55°F or below	No primer after a brief shutdown	Warm up at least 1 minute; after 3 failed tries, prime again	Toro Form 3328-678, pp. 9 to 10
Honda HRN216 (GCV170, Auto Choke)	Recoil, automatic choke	Fuel valve ON, blade control lever held	Pull lightly to resistance, then briskly	Same as cold	Run at least 3 minutes after a cold start before stopping; longer below 70°F (21°C)	Honda HRN216 manual, p. 8
Kohler XTX650, XTX675, XTX775, manual choke	Recoil, choke	Fuel valve ON, engine switch ON if fitted	Throttle FAST, choke ON	Throttle RUN/FAST, no choke	Pull slowly just past compression, stop, return the handle, then pull firmly	Kohler 14 590 26, p. 4
Kohler XTX Smart-Choke models	Recoil or key, automatic	Fuel valve ON if fitted	Smart-Choke sets the choke	Same as cold	Electric start: stop after the key step	Kohler 14 590 26, p. 4
Toro 21464 Personal Pace Electric Start (2025 manual)	Push button, or recoil	Bar held, start button inserted	Push the button until it starts	Same as cold	Charge 24 hours first, then monthly or every 25 starts; 40 A fuse	Toro Form 3444-703, pp. 15, 23
EGO LM2130, LM2130SP, LM2150SP 56V	Battery	Pack latched, cover closed, handle locked	Press the safety button, pull the bail to the handle, let go of the button	Same as cold	Rated 32 to 104°F; do not switch off and on rapidly	EGO manual, pp. 13, 34 to 35
John Deere S100 to S180 tractors (2025 manual)	Key, choke in throttle lever	Seated, attachment off, brake pedal fully down	Throttle into the choke area and hold; key to START	Full throttle; key to START	5 seconds of cranking at most; never stop the engine with the choke	John Deere OMUC44974, pp. 30-7, 30-8
Kawasaki FR651V, FR691V, FR730V	Key, choke	Loads off, fuel valve open, half throttle	Full choke	Half choke or open	5 seconds of cranking, then wait 15; warm up 3 to 5 minutes	Kawasaki FR manual, pp. 17 to 19
Kohler 7000 Series with Smart-Choke	Key, automatic	Equipment in neutral	Starter switch; release when it fires	Same as cold	10 seconds of cranking, then a 60-second cool-down	Kohler 32 690 03, p. 41
Husqvarna TS 242 tractor (2019 manual)	Key, choke knob	Seated, brake and parking brake set, attachment clutch off, throttle fast	Choke knob out	Choke may not be needed	Starter 15 seconds per minute at most; at 50°F and below, ease the choke in by steps	Husqvarna TS 242 manual, p. 12
Cub Cadet riding mowers	Key, choke	Seated back in the seat, parking brake on, PTO off	Choke on, key to start, let it return	Not stated	Sitting too far forward can stop it starting	Cub Cadet riding mower page
Toro TimeCutter 75749 zero-turn	Key, choke	Motion-control levers locked in PARK, blade switch OFF	Choke	A warm or hot engine may not need choke	5 seconds of cranking, then wait 10	Toro TimeCutter 75749 manual

Read across the cold start column and three routines appear: prime and pull, choke and pull, or just pull. Doing one engine’s routine on another makes a good engine look dead: priming a warm Toro 20036 is the step its manual rules out, and a Honda HRN216 owner hunting for a choke will not find one, because its Auto Choke sets itself.

Which starting system is on your mower?

Look at the engine before you follow any steps. A rubber bulb about the size of a thumb is a primer; a lever or knob marked with a choke symbol is a manual choke; a key or a removable button is electric start. A walk-behind with none of the three uses an automatic system such as Briggs & Stratton ReadyStart, Honda Auto Choke or Kohler Smart-Choke.

1. 1Does it run on a battery pack with no gas cap?

   YesBattery mower: latch the pack, close the cover, press the safety button, pull the bail to the handle, release the button (EGO LM2130, p. 35).

   NoGo to the next question

2. 2Do you sit on it?

   YesRiding mower: seated, blades off, brake down (zero-turn levers in PARK), throttle set, choke if cold, key to START for 5 seconds at most (John Deere; Kawasaki; Toro TimeCutter).

   NoGo to the next question

3. 3Is there a rubber primer bulb on the engine?

   YesPress it 3 times (5 at 55 F or below on older Toro engines), skip it on a warm engine, hold the bar, pull (Briggs; Toro).

   NoGo to the next question

4. 4Is there a choke lever or knob?

   YesCold: throttle FAST and choke ON, then ease it off as the engine warms. Warm: choke off (Kohler XTX, p. 4).

   NoGo to the next question

5. 5Is there a key or a start button on the handle?

   YesHold the bar and push the button until it starts; the recoil works if the battery is flat (Toro 21464, p. 15).

   NoAutomatic system (ReadyStart, Honda Auto Choke, Kohler Smart-Choke): fuel valve ON if fitted, hold the bar, pull lightly to resistance, then briskly.

Source: Briggs & Stratton start-system pages; Honda HRN216; Toro Forms 3357-437, 3444-703 and TimeCutter 75749; Kohler 14 590 26; Kawasaki FR; John Deere OMUC44974; EGO LM2130

How to start a gas push mower, step by step

1. Check the oil on the dipstick. Briggs & Stratton prints “always check your oil level before starting” on both of its start-system pages, and Honda puts it under Before Each Operation (HRN216 manual, p. 6). Grade and capacity are in our lawn mower oil guide.
2. Use fuel no more than 30 days old. Toro calls old fuel “the leading cause of hard starting” (Form 3444-703, pp. 11, 25); ethanol limits by maker are in our guide to what gas a lawn mower takes.
3. Roll the mower onto a mowed patch or a clear hard surface. On a Honda HRN216 the blade turns as soon as the engine starts (p. 8).
4. Turn the fuel valve to ON if your engine has one (Honda HRN216; Kohler XTX).
5. Set the starting control: 3 primer presses, or 5 at 55°F or below on older Toro engines; or throttle FAST and choke ON for a cold manual-choke Kohler; or nothing at all on ReadyStart, Auto Choke and Smart-Choke engines.
6. Hold the blade-control bar against the handle and keep holding it. On the Honda HRN216 and Toro 20036, releasing it stops the engine.
7. Pull the starter grip lightly until you feel resistance, then pull briskly, and let the rope return gently (Honda HRN216, p. 8; Toro Form 3328-678, p. 10).
8. Once it runs, move a manual choke back toward OFF gradually as the engine warms (Kohler 14 590 26, p. 4). On a cold Honda Auto Choke engine, let it run 3 minutes before you shut it off.
9. If it has not started after 3 tries, Toro’s 20036 manual says to prime and pull again. After that, work through our lawn mower not starting checklist rather than pulling until the rope frays.

Kohler words the pull differently. Its XTX manual says to pull slowly until just past compression, stop, let the handle return, then pull firmly straight out to spare the rope guide (Kohler 14 590 26, p. 4). Both begin the hard pull at the compression point, not from a slack rope. One widely shared guide tells owners to pull the cord rapidly for 10 to 15 seconds; none of the 11 manuals describes that.

Primer bulb or choke: how many presses, and when to skip them

Briggs & Stratton’s Prime ‘N Pull engines take 3 presses and no choke (Briggs). Toro’s 2006 manual for the 20071 and 20072 Recycler says to hold each press for a second and to press 5 times when the air is below 55°F (13°C), then add 1 or 2 presses if 1 or 2 pulls fail (Form 3357-437, p. 8).

Do not prime a warm engine. Toro’s 20036 manual rules out the primer “after a brief shutdown” but adds that cool weather may call for it again (Form 3328-678, p. 9). So the restart after you empty the grass bag on a primer mower is a pull with no presses, unless the morning is cold.

A manual choke follows the same cold and warm split. Kohler: cold engine, throttle FAST and choke ON; warm engine, throttle RUN/FAST with the choke off (p. 4). Kawasaki’s FR riding engines use full choke cold and half or open choke when warm or in hot weather, and warn that cranking a very warm engine with the choke closed floods it (Kawasaki FR manual, p. 17). If that happens, Kawasaki says to open the choke fully and start it.

Why the engine dies when you let go of the bar

Federal law. Under 16 CFR 1205.5(a)(1), a walk-behind rotary mower must keep the blade still until you work the control, need continuous contact to keep it turning, and bring it to a complete stop within 3.0 seconds of release. The rule lets the bar stop the engine too when the starting controls sit within 24 inches of the top of the handle, which is how most pull-cord mowers comply.

So the bar is part of the starting procedure, not an option. With the bar released, those mowers are built not to run. CPSC’s plain-language summary adds that reel mowers are exempt from the blade-stop performance test; EGO’s battery mower meets it with an electric brake that stops the blade within 3 seconds of letting go of the bail (EGO manual, p. 35).

Electric-start and battery mowers

An electric-start walk-behind still needs the bar held. Toro’s 21464 manual: hold the blade-control bar, insert the start button, push it until the engine starts; the recoil handle works as a backup (Form 3444-703, p. 15). Charge the battery 24 hours before first use, then monthly or every 25 starts, and replace the 40 A plug-in fuse if the starter will not turn the engine (p. 23).

Battery mowers have no choke, primer or warm-up. On the EGO LM2130 series: latch the pack and close the cover, press the safety button, pull the bail to the handle, then let go of the button (p. 35). It will not start unless the handle is locked in one of its 3 operating positions, and EGO rates it for 32 to 104°F (pp. 13, 34). Toro’s 60V Recyclers also pair a button with the bail, in an order that differs by model, as our Toro starting guide by model number shows for the 60V Recyclers.

How to start a riding mower or zero-turn

Riding mowers use interlock switches, so the order matters more than strength. The John Deere S100 to S180 manual, Husqvarna’s TS 242, Kawasaki and Toro’s TimeCutter share this sequence, with the differences noted:

1. Sit on the seat, all the way back. Cub Cadet says a rider sitting too far forward may not get it to start (Cub Cadet).
2. Turn the blades off: PTO lever or switch, or attachment clutch, to OFF.
3. Press the brake pedal fully (John Deere OMUC44974, p. 30-7) and set the parking brake (Husqvarna TS 242, p. 12). On a zero-turn, lock both motion-control levers out in PARK (Toro TimeCutter 75749).
4. Set the throttle: full on the John Deere, fast on the Husqvarna, half on a Kawasaki FR engine.
5. If the engine is cold, choke it: push the John Deere throttle lever into its choke area and hold it; pull the Husqvarna choke knob out.
6. Turn the key to START and release it as soon as the engine fires. Crank for 5 seconds at most on the John Deere, Kawasaki and Toro TimeCutter.
7. Ease the choke off as it smooths out, then let it warm: Kawasaki says 3 to 5 minutes at a mid throttle setting (p. 19).

If the engine does not catch, rest the starter before the next try. The makers’ limits differ by a factor of 6:

1. Toro TimeCutter 757495
2. Kawasaki FR series5
3. Kohler 7000 Smart-Choke10
4. Husqvarna TS 24215

Source: Toro TimeCutter 75749 manual; Kawasaki FR manual p. 17; Kohler 32 690 03 p. 41; Husqvarna TS 242 manual p. 12; accessed November 2026 Husqvarna gives 15 seconds of cranking per minute; the 45-second rest is our arithmetic. John Deere's S100 to S180 manual sets 5 seconds of cranking but no rest time, so it is not charted.

Show the numbers

	Crank at most	Wait before retrying
Toro TimeCutter 75749	5	10
Kawasaki FR series	5	15
Kohler 7000 Smart-Choke	10	60
Husqvarna TS 242	15	45

Engine or mower	Crank at most	Then wait	Source
John Deere S100 to S180	5 seconds	Not stated	OMUC44974, p. 30-7
Kawasaki FR651V to FR730V	5 seconds	15 seconds	Kawasaki FR manual, p. 17
Toro TimeCutter 75749	5 seconds	10 seconds	TimeCutter manual, Starting the Engine
Kohler 7000 Smart-Choke	10 seconds	60 seconds	Kohler 32 690 03, p. 41
Husqvarna TS 242	15 seconds per minute	45 seconds (our arithmetic: 60 minus 15)	TS 242 manual, p. 12

If the key does nothing at all, suspect an interlock before the battery. Toro’s TimeCutter safety test says the engine should not crank with the blade switch ON or with either lever out of PARK, and should shut off if you rise from the seat with the blades engaged. Kohler adds that after a false start you must let the engine stop completely before cranking again, or the starter pinion can clash with the flywheel (32 690 03, p. 41).

First start of the season

Spring starts fail on what happened in fall. Toro calls old fuel the leading cause of hard starting and says not to keep it unstabilized past 30 days (Form 3444-703, p. 25), and Honda advises running the carburetor dry if the mower will sit 3 to 4 weeks (HRN216, p. 9). If you did not, drain and refill with fresh gas before you pull at all, and change the oil if it is due; our oil change guide lists the tip side for each engine.

Then start it by the cold-engine column of the table, even on a warm April day. Kohler’s cold-weather hints are oil suited to the temperature, all external loads disengaged and fresh winter-grade fuel (14 590 26, p. 4). On electric-start mowers, check the battery first: Toro’s 21464 wants a 24-hour first charge, and Cub Cadet’s setup steps for its riders connect the red positive cable first, then the black negative.

If it still won’t start

Stop after 3 correct attempts on a push mower, or 3 cranking cycles on a rider. If a choked engine has flooded, Kawasaki says to wait 15 seconds, open the choke fully and start it again (FR manual, p. 17). Never shut a John Deere off with the choke; its manual warns of backfire, fire or engine damage (p. 30-8). The full diagnostic order is in our lawn mower not starting checklist; Toro owners can use the Toro no-start guide by model number, and shop prices are in our lawn mower repair cost survey.