1590No-Till Drill. Drill start lawn mower

7th June 2023

90 No-Till Drill

With seed on the rise, producers want the ability to monitor and control seed populations on the go.

Electronic population rate control (EPRC), in base equipment on the 1590 Drill, allows producers to adjust the population rate right from the convenience of their tractor cab.

Features an in-cab rocker switch to adjust the electric motor that controls the population rate
Is manually adjusted – the operator must hold down the adjustment switch until the desired rate is met
Can be overridden by pushing back on the motor to allow the producer to make a manual adjustment to the rate if needed

NOTE: To give producers the ability to monitor the population rate on the go, it is highly recommended they equip the unit with a ComputerTrak monitor or SeedStar population monitoring.

NOTE: One system is used with 3.05-m (10-ft) and 4.6-m (15-ft) drills. The 6.1-m (20-ft) models require two systems.

Productive seedbox capacities

Seedboxes have large capacity for longer intervals between stops for refilling.

Plain grain or combination grain/fertilizer seedboxes are available to match the producer’s needs and crops.

The versatile grain/fertilizer box with 19-mm (7.5-in.) row spacing can be set for 100 percent grain or 60 percent grain/40 percent fertilizer.

The bulkheads in the seedbox reduce material shifting in the box for increased seeding efficiency.

The sight glass located near the end of the box on combination grain fertilizer drills allows the operator to view seed level at a glance.

Combination grain/fertilizer

60 percent grain/40 percent fertilizer

Plain grain box	Combination box
Total box. 3.05 m (10 ft)	1233.4 L (35 bu)	1317.9 L (37.4 bu)
Total box. 4.6 m (15 ft)	1850.1 L (52.5 bu)	2026.2 L (57.5 bu)
Total box. 6.1 m (20 ft)	2466.7 L (70 bu)	2635.9 L (74.8 bu)

Capacities with grass seed attachment

3.05 m (10 ft)	4.6 m (15 ft)	6.1 m (20 ft)
Grass seed box with plain grain box	105.7 L (3 bu)	169.1 L (4.8)	211.4 L (6 bu)
Grass seed box with combination box	52.9 L (1.5 bu)	84.6 L (2.4 bu)	105.7 L (3 bu)

1590 Drill seed/fertilizer delivery system

A long, internally smooth seed tube with a molded elbow is supported at the seed tube support. From there, it is connected to a short convoluted seed tube, allowing product to flow smoothly to the openers and still flex.

The tube flexes to avoid crimping for consistent seed flow. It is made of non-corrosive nylon material for long life. Long tubes are 55.4 cm (21.8 in.) and short tubes are 10.8 cm (4.25 in.).

Elbow at meters to angle the seed tube directly to the openers.

The smooth inside diameter provides smooth seed flow from the meters to the furrow openers.

The combination grain/fertilizer drill with 19-cm (7.5-in.) row spacing features a convoluted tube directing fertilizer from the discharge hole to the top of the steel seed tube at the seed boot. From there, a special Y-adapter lets seed and fertilizer mix before going into the furrow.

Proven no-till openers provide excellent penetration with rugged durability

Seed placement with ProSeries Opener

1590 Series down pressure

ProSeries single-disk no-till openers are included in base equipment. The single-disk openers are mounted on one rank on the 38.1-cm (15-in.) row spacing single rank units and on two ranks on the 19-cm (7.5-in.) and 25.4-cm (10-in.) row-spacing units. The single-disk openers provide consistent and accurate seed placement.

The single-disk openers are gang mounted and are hydraulically raised and lowered. The hydraulics also work to provide a wide range of downforce settings for the openers.

The active hydraulics work in conjunction with the opener spring to provide an adjustable range of 74.8 kg to 181.4 kg (165 lb to 400 lb) of down pressure per opener to penetrate hard soils and heavy residue.

The down pressure is easily adjusted with the pressure valve located on the front of the mainframe, giving the operator the ability to quickly adjust, or dial in, the down pressure as operating conditions change.

For additional ballast in hard-to-penetrate conditions, tractor suitcase weights may also be added to obtain maximum down pressure per opener. On the 3.05-m (10-ft) and 4.6-m (15-ft) machines, up to 10 weights can be added. On 6.1-m (20-ft) machines, up to 20 weights can be added (10 per side).

The no-till openers work not only in no-till conditions, but also in clean-till conditions. There are 5.1 cm (2 in.) of free travel in the opener before spring down pressure takes over, allowing the opener to move over individual rocks and minimizing the chance of the gauge wheels bulldozing soil in soft or mellow conditions.

Secondly, the opener spring will then travel a maximum of 20.3 cm (8 in.) up or 15.2 cm (6 in.) down before the hydraulics react to uneven seedbeds.

Lastly, the cylinders will allow the openers to travel up or down an additional 40.6 cm (16 in.) with active hydraulic down pressure to follow the ground. The hydraulics will give the openers additional pressure when needed or allow the openers to go into relief if the pressure becomes too high.

ProSeries Opener enhancements

Narrow seed boot

Right-side view of seed boot

Left-side view of seed boot

On the ProSeries Opener, the seed boots are made of the same material as the older high-wear boots previously offered, which is a highly abrasion-resistant white iron. However, this seed boot is narrower, causing less soil throw on neighboring rows. It also sits up tight to the disk blade, resulting in less wear on the boot.

Seed boot

Below are two diagrams showing the seed boot comparison from the 90 Series Opener (highlighted in green) to the ProSeries Opener (highlighted in red). In these diagrams, the ProSeries seed boot is narrower and sits up tighter against the disk blade.

Two inside views of seed boots (90 Series in yellow and ProSeries in green)

The inlet/entrance diameter is 33 mm (1.3 in.) on the 90 Series and the ProSeries. The seed tube internal diameter is 27.4 mm (1.08 in.). The cross section is larger than the inlet for the 90 Series and ProSeries.

Serrated closing wheel

The serrated closing wheel offers an improved closing system when seeding into hard soils or high residue conditions. The notches help break up the top layer of soil covering the seed trench. The notches also reach through residue to seal off the trench better, rather than simply moving residue over the trench. Consistent soil over the seed bed provides optimal germination and emergence. The serrated closing wheel has performed well in all conditions but truly shines in high residue or hard soil conditions.
The smooth closing wheel is still offered for producers who seed into loose soil conditions with little residue. The smooth closing wheel has performed well over the years and has a long-lasting service life, keeping replacement costs down.

Narrow and flexible press wheel

90 Series press wheel

ProSeries press wheel

The narrow and flexible press wheel has improved overall seed-to-soil contact. The improvement is in the shape and diameter of the press wheel. The ProSeries Opener press wheel profiles the trench better, partly due to the narrower and more flexible wheel itself, measuring 1.8 cm x 25.4 cm (0.71 in. x 10 in.). The 90 Series press wheel is 1.9 cm x 22.9 cm (0.75 in. x 9 in.).

Front view (left) and side view (right) of press wheel

Growers that have consistent seed depth have a greater opportunity for uniform emergence, uniform tillering, uniform flowering, and uniform maturity. This leads to increased yield potential, easier management of crop, and typically lower harvest loss on canola.

Improved seed tab

ProSeries Opener seed tab

90 Series Opener seed tab

The ProSeries Opener has an upgraded seed tab that compliments the furrow much better. This seed tab, with an angled edge that profiles the trench better, also allows for consistent seed placement due to the flexible material that was designed to make it less brittle. This also minimizes seed bouncing, which increases overall seeding accuracy.

Spoked gauge wheels

Spoked gauge wheel

Growers have historically had to make some difficult planting and seeding decisions due to weather. Operators have been forced to plant in wet conditions that are far from optimal in order to plant within the optimum planting window. Those operators have experienced poor performance from wet soils working in between the depth gauge wheel and the opener disk and not having a way out. This creates the possibility of the depth gauge wheel or opener disk to seize up and drag through the soil.

The spoked gauge wheel is a solution for operators who plant in these conditions to allow the mud and debris that get caught behind the depth gauge wheel to easily flow through the wheel and continue providing superior depth performance.

The spoked gauge wheel is designed for optimum performance. Its features include serviceable, stamped inner and outer rims. The wheel also has cast spokes and bearing hubs for increased strength. This allows for smaller spokes, creating larger open surface area for mud and debris to flow more easily than competitor’s wheels. Another improvement over the closed gauge wheel is a snap-ring bearing retention. Simply remove the snap ring, replace the bearing, and place the snap ring back.

Narrow gauge wheels leave more stubble standing

Optional 76.2-mm (3-in.) narrow gauge wheels

The 76.2-mm x 406.4-mm (3-in. x 16-in.) depth gauging wheel:

Compatible with all 90 Series and ProSeries Openers
Provides more clearance between openers for residue flow
Leaves more stubble standing and disturbs less residue than the 114.3-mm x 406.4-mm (4.5-in. x 16-in.) gauge wheel

Gauge wheel snap ring

Replacing the bearing on the gauge wheel

Heavy trash fields from no-till environments have also tested very well with the spoked gauge wheel. Some growers provided feedback of crop residue getting inside and jamming up the gauge wheel and opener. This spoked gauge wheel has shown exceptional performance within these areas as well. These wheels are compatible with both 90 Series openers on seeding tools and planter row-units.

Below is a chart that demonstrates a competitive advantage over MudSmith wheels for mud and residue flow:

MudSmith	John Deere	Percent improvement
Open area	329 cm 2 (51 cu in.)	471 cm 2 (73 cu in.)	43 percent
Rim height	1.9 cm (3/4 in.)	1.4 cm (9/16 in.)	25 percent
Spoke width	3.5 cm (1-3/8 in.)	1.9 cm (3/4 in.)	45 percent

The wheel is serviceable along with other parts.

Not compatible in dual gauge wheel applications.

MudSmith is a trademark of MudSmith, LLC.

There are a number of reasons, mechanical and otherwise, why a mower won’t run. The good news is that fixing most all of the issues is easy enough for a DIYer to handle.

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Lawn care can be tedious, but once the grass starts growing in the spring, mowing becomes a fact of life in most neighborhoods. When you finally muster the strength to tackle that first cut of the season, there are few sounds as disheartening as that of a lawn mower engine that turns over but doesn’t start.

Before you drag the mower in for repairs or invest in costly replacement parts, first make sure that a clogged air filter, soiled spark plug, damaged safety cable, clogged mowing deck, or contaminated gas isn’t to blame. Work through the following steps, and you may be able to get your puttering grass guzzler up and running again in no time.

A lawn mower repair professional can help. Get free, no-commitment repair estimates from pros near you.

Change the lawn mower carburetor filter.

Your lawn mower’s air filter guards the carburetor and engine from debris like grass clippings and dirt. When the air filter becomes clogged or too dirty, it can prevent the engine from starting. To keep this from happening, replace paper filters—or clean or replace foam filters—after every 25 hours of engine use.

The process for removing the filter depends on whether you are operating a riding or walk-behind lawn mower. For a riding mower, turn off the engine and engage the parking brake; for a walk-behind mower, pull the spark plug wire from the plug. Then, lift the filter from its housing.

The only choice for paper filters is replacement. If you’re cleaning a foam filter, wash it in a solution of hot water and detergent to loosen grime. Allow it to dry completely, and then wipe fresh motor oil over the filter, replace it in its housing, and power up the mower—this time to the pleasant whirring of an engine in tip-top condition.

Check the spark plug.

Is your lawn mower still being stubborn? The culprit may be the spark plug, which is responsible for creating the spark that ignites the fuel in the engine. If it’s loosened, disconnected, or coated in water or carbon residue, the spark plug may be the cause of your machine’s malfunction.

Locate the spark plug, often found on the front of the mower, and disconnect the spark plug wire, revealing the plug beneath. Use a socket wrench to unscrew the spark plug and remove it.

Check the electrode and insulator. If you see buildup, spray brake cleaner onto the plug, and let it soak for several minutes before wiping it with a clean cloth. Reinstall the spark plug, first by hand, and then with a socket wrench for a final tightening. If the problem persists, consider changing the spark plug.

Clear the mower deck of debris.

The mower’s deck prevents grass clippings from showering into the air like confetti, but it also creates a place for them to collect. Grass clippings can clog the mower deck, especially while mowing a wet lawn, preventing the blade from turning.

If the starter rope seems stuck or is difficult to pull, then it’s probably due to a clogged deck. With the mower safely turned off, tip it over onto its side and examine the underbelly. If there are large clumps of cut grass caught between the blade and deck, use a trowel to scrape these clippings free. When the deck is clean again, set the mower back on its feet and start it up.

Clear the vent in the lawn mower fuel cap.

The mower started just fine, you’ve made the first few passes, then all of a sudden the mower quits. You pull the cord a few times, but the engine just sputters and dies. What’s happening? It could have something to do with the fuel cap. Most mowers have a vented fuel cap. This vent is intended to release pressure, allowing fuel to flow from the tank to the carburetor. Without the vent, the gas fumes inside the tank begin to build up, creating a vacuum that eventually becomes so strong that it stops the flow of fuel.

To find out if this is the problem, remove the gas cap to break the vacuum, then reattach it. The mower should start right up. But if the lawn mower won’t stay running and cuts off again after 10 minutes or so, you’ll need to get a new gas cap.

Clean and refill the lawn mower fuel tank.

An obvious—and often overlooked—reason your mower may not be starting is that the tank is empty or contains gas that is either old or contaminated with excess moisture and dirt. If your gas is more than a month old, use an oil siphon pump to drain it from the tank.

(It’s important to be careful as spilled oil can cause smoking, but there are other reasons this might happen. Read more about what to do when your lawn mower is smoking.)

Add fuel stabilizer to the tank.

Fill the tank with fresh fuel and a fuel stabilizer to extend the life of the gas and prevent future buildup. A clogged fuel filter is another possible reason for a lawn mower not to start. When the filter is clogged, the engine can’t access the gas that makes the system go. If your mower has a fuel filter (not all do), check to make sure it’s functioning properly.

First, remove the fuel line at the carburetor. Gas should flow out. If it doesn’t, confirm that the fuel shutoff valve isn’t accidentally closed. Then remove the fuel line that’s ahead of the fuel filter inlet. If gas runs out freely, there’s a problem with the fuel filter. Consult your owner’s manual for instructions on replacing the filter and reassembling the mower.

Inspect the safety release mechanism cable.

Your lawn mower’s reluctance to start may have nothing to do with the engine at all but rather with one of the mower’s safety features: the dead man’s control. This colorfully named safety bar must be held in place by the operator for the engine to start or run. When the bar is released, the engine stops. While this mechanism cuts down on the likelihood of horrific lawn mower accidents, it also can be the reason the mower won’t start.

The safety bar of a dead man’s control is attached to a metal cable that connects to the engine’s ignition coil, which is responsible for sending current to the spark plug. If your lawn mower’s engine won’t start, check to see if that cable is damaged or broken. If it is, you’ll need to replace it before the mower will start.

Fortunately, replacing a broken control cable is an easy job. You may, however, have to wait a few days to get the part. Jot down the serial number of your lawn mower, then head to the manufacturer’s website to order a new cable.

Check to see if the flywheel brake is fully engaged.

The flywheel helps to make the engine work smoothly through inertia. When it isn’t working properly, it will prevent the mower’s engine from working.

If it is fully engaged, it can make a mower’s pull cord hard to pull. Check the brake pad to see if it makes full contact with the flywheel and that there isn’t anything jamming the blade so the control lever can move freely.

If the flywheel brake’s key sheared, the mower may have run over something that got tangled in the blade. It is possible to replace a flywheel key, but it does require taking apart the mower.

Look out for signs that the mower needs professional repairs.

While repairing lawn mowers can be a DIY job, there are times when it can be best to ask a professional to help repair a lawn mower. If you’ve done all of the proper mower maintenance that is recommended by the manufacturer, and gone through all of the possible ways to fix the mower from the steps above, then it may be best to call a pro. Here are a few signs that indicate when a pro’s help is a good idea.

You see black smoke. The engine will benefit from a technician’s evaluation, as it could be cracked or something else might be worn out.
Excessive oil or gas usage. If you’ve changed the spark plugs, and done all of the other maintenance tasks, and the mower is consuming more than its usual amount of oil or gas, consult a professional for an evaluation.
The lawn mower is making a knocking sound. When a lawn mower starts making a knocking sound, something could be bent or out of alignment. It may be tough to figure this out on your own, so a pro could help.
A vibrating or shaking lawn mower can be a sign of a problem beyond a DIY fix. Usually something is loose or not aligning properly.

How Do You Start a Lawn Mower? 6 Simple steps

Starting a mower is a straightforward procedure. But before you start your mower, it’s always a good idea to check the fuel and oil levels. Do a quick check over, looking for any loose or damaged parts. Turn the mower over, carburetor side up, and check for grass build-up and blade condition.

How do you start a lawnmower? To start a lawnmower successfully, you need to:

In my experience, many nonstarts are caused by a simple issue, something a homeowner can easily take care of.

This post should have you covered, but if you need video help, check out “Common causes of a no start mower video”. The video walks you through the lawnmower starting process and how to check all the common simple causes of a no-start mower.

Simple Starting Procedure

First, pick a suitable location to start your mower. You don’t want tall grass catching the blade as your try to pull start the mower. If you have a throttle lever-type system go ahead and move the lever to full choke. If you have the primer bulb type, press three times.

1 Check Oil – Best to check the oil before starting the engine. A low oil level will often prevent the engine from starting. The upper mark is the correct oil level. Check out this guide to help check oil level.

2 Gas – Is there enough gas in the tank? A low gas level may cause hard starting.

3 Gas “On” – Gas valves are not fitted to all mowers. They are used to stop the flow of gas to the carburetor. The gas tap should be turned off when the mower is in storage. Click here for help finding your gas tap.

4 Choke – If you have a throttle lever-type system go ahead and move the lever to full choke.

If you have an Auto choke, you can go straight to yanking on the pull cord.

Primer bulb – Your mower may have a primer instead of a choke lever. If so press it 3 times.

5 Bail Lever – Now hold the Bail lever also known as the dead man’s lever, this is the bar at the top of the handlebars usually marked with a stop symbol. The other lever is the self propel lever.

The Bail lever is a safety feature that modern mowers must have. Its function is to stop the blade from spinning and kill the engine within 3 seconds of bail lever activation.

Pull Cord – Now grab the pull cord handle and give it a good yank, the engine must turn over at 350 rpm minimum in order to produce a spark strong enough to ignite the fuel.

If you find the pull cord very stiff to pull, make sure the blade isn’t obstructed by dry grass on the deck, and check that the bail lever is working properly.

Try Again – Most mowers don’t run with the first pull so don’t be disappointed. It may take two or three pulls. If it takes more than three pulls you may flood the engine with too much fuel. If this happens, just leave it to sit for thirty minutes and try again, but this time don’t apply the choke.

6 After Starting – As soon as your engine has warmed up, move the throttle lever to fast/run (If manual choke fitted). A warm engine running continually on a choke will give off black smoke, run poorly, and will shorten its life.

Oil Check Adding Oil

Oil is best checked on a cold engine, I check the oil level every time I fill the gas tank. Most mowers will be happy with 10w30 car engine oil and from empty, take about.65 of a quart (.6lt). Why not go ahead and give your mower a tune-up, a lawnmower should be serviced at least once a year. The beginning of the new season is the best time to tune up your mower. This guide will help you service your mower in under an hour – “Lawn mower tune-up”.

Add Oil – Add small amounts and then check. Too much oil is almost as bad as too little.

Common Lawn Mower Fuel Problem

If this is the first start of the season, consider the fuel quality. Gas that’s been in the mower since last year is probably bad. So if your mower is hard to start or won’t start – try draining the gas tank and filling it with fresh gas. If the problem persists then a carburetor clean will fix the gremlins. This easy-to-follow guide will walk you through the whole process – “Carburetor cleaning”.

Fuel Stabilizer – Last season’s gas is the number one reason for lawnmower no starts. We all do it – put the mower away, not knowing for sure if that was the last cut.

Before you know it, it’s spring, and guess what? The mower won’t start, now you’ll need to clean out the fuel system.

To prevent this from happening next spring – add a stabilizer to the gas before the season’s end. I use Sta-bil gas treatment,1 ounce treats up to 2.5 gallons, it prevents gumming and cleans the fuel system. It can be used in all gas-powered kit including 2 stroke engines. Check out the video on fuel stabilizers, it covers mixing and adding.

What Is A Choke?

The Function of a choke or priming bulb is to enrich the fuel mixture, so a cold engine starts smoothly. Gas engines run best when the ratio of air to fuel is 14.7 to 1. Meaning 14.7 parts air to 1 part fuel, also known as an air-fuel ratio (AFR). Using the choke or priming bulb enriches the fuel mixture which counteracts the lean condition caused by the dense cold air. Engine manufacturers commonly use two system types to achieve smooth cold starts.

Choke Plate – The Choke Plate type, usually controlled by a lever. Some of the latest choke plates are thermostatically operated meaning they are an automatic system. This choke plate reduces the amount of air and increases the amount of fuel supplied to the engine.

Primer Bulb – The second type is the Primer bulb. This is very simple and easy to use, it creates a fuel-rich condition by squirting extra fuel into the engine. You do this by pressing a rubber primer bulb, mounted at the carburetor

Choke – Choke set to full to start a cold engine, after the engine warms up move the choke to the fast setting.Some mowers use a snowflake symbol for the choke.

How to Charge Your Lawn Mower Battery, Power Tools and

Behind every healthy lawn is a healthy lawn mower battery.

Actually, every house project relies on batteries. The drill you used to hang the TV runs on a battery. So does your cordless sander. Batteries take your tools farther than any cord, as long as they’re healthy.

Here’s how to get more life out of your batteries.

Why you should charge your lawn mower battery before spring

You can get years more out of your lawn mower battery, if you follow two simple steps:

Your riding lawn mower comes with the same essential parts a car has. It has an internal combustion chamber, an alternator, a 12-volt lead-acid battery, etc. A riding lawn mower with an especially small engine may have a 6-volt battery. The lawn mower’s alternator keeps its battery charged. A few hours of mowing recharges it the same way hours of highway driving can keep your car battery mostly charged.

That means your lawn mower battery may be totally drained.

Lead-acid batteries drain themselves when they’re not used. That’s bad news. They need to stay charged or they’ll lose the ability to hold electricity. You can try to charge them if that happens. Still, they may be too weak to start an engine.

How much longer will your lawn mower battery last?

Let’s check! Bring your lawn garden battery to any Interstate Batteries location for a battery test. Let’s see how many summers your battery has left.

Lithium-ion batteries drain themselves, too, when they’re not in use, just not as quickly. Keeping your rechargeable lawn mower fully charged for months isn’t healthy for the lithium-ion battery inside. Letting it drain to zero percent damages it, too.

Whether your lawn mower uses a lithium-ion battery or a lead-acid battery, charge it in January or February. Charging your lawn mower battery keeps it healthy for years.

Leave the battery in the mower. You don’t have to uninstall the battery to charge it.
Clean the terminals. Use baking soda and a dry cloth.
Check the voltage and amp settings. Your battery’s label will say if it’s lithium-ion or if it contains lead. You’ll also see if it’s 12 volts or 6 volts. Set the charging amps to less than 2 amps if the charger has the settings for it. Charge slowly to protect the battery.
Follow the charger’s instructions. The manual gives you any other steps your charger needs.
Last-minute safety check. Take off jewelry. Put on gloves and safety glasses. Make sure there’s decent airflow around you.

steps to charge your lawn mower battery

A trickle charger makes it easy to keep your lawn mower battery ready. It charges lead-acid batteries for days at a time to protect the battery’s lifespan. You could leave your lead-acid lawn mower battery on the charger all winter long if it has a float setting. The charger will top off its charge for months and keep it from losing power while it sits on the shelf.

A Smart charger will recharge a lawn mower battery in hours. Adjust the voltage and amp settings if you’re charging a 6-volt lawn mower battery instead of a 12-volt one.

Want to protect your lead-acid lawn mower battery? Keep it 100 percent charged.

Want to protect your lithium-ion lawn mower battery? Leave it 70 percent to 80 percent charged while in storage. Being fully charged or totally depleted hurts lithium-ion batteries. Check the manual for charging instructions.

Need mower power? Start with Interstate /h3>

We’re the reason the grass is greener. Pick up an Interstate lawn garden battery to power up your lawn mower, clipper or tree trimmer.

The nice part is you can just recharge your lithium-ion lawn mower if it doesn’t start. You’ll never need to jump-start a riding lawn mower with a lithium-ion battery.

Now, you can jump a lawn mower if it has a lead-acid battery. Here’s how.

How you can safely jump-start your lawn mower battery with your car

You can jump your lawn mower with your car. It’s the same steps as a regular jump-start — with three big differences.

Turn off the car before connecting cables to your lawn mower. The car’s alternator generates too many amps and can damage the mower’s parts, including the battery. Never jump-start a lawn mower battery from a running car. Don’t even leave the key in the ignition.
Protect the positive cable from touching anything but the battery terminals in the car and mower. The positive cable is usually the red one. You’ll connect it first to the mower, then the car. Otherwise you could damage your car battery.
Run the mower for at least two hours after disconnecting the cables. John Deere, Ryobi, Cub Cadet — all gas-powered riding lawn mowers have an alternator. Mowing will charge their starting battery.

Jump-starting should be the last resort. Wait if you can. Connect your lawn mower’s battery to a charger. Then do a different home project with your other power tools.

Time to talk about your other power tools.

Tips to make your power tool battery last longer

Take care of your power tool batteries, and your tools will be ready any time you need them.

Power tools run on three different types of batteries:

Nickel cadmium or NiCd batteries
Nickel-metal hydride or NiMH batteries
Lithium-based, including lithium-ion or lithium-polymer batteries

Now, each battery type needs different care. It’s easy to assume one tip for one battery type will work for all batteries. The truth is each battery type needs something different.

Attention! This is not a drill!

Is your cordless drill is turning into a screwdriver? Don’t toss your power tool. Let’s rebuild its battery instead. Available at select Interstate All Battery Center locations, we put the power back in your power tools.

You might be reaching for a screwdriver sooner than you expect if you give your cordless drill the wrong kind of TLC.

The right way to care for your NiCd battery

A NiCd battery needs to be run hard. Charge it up and drain it to zero percent every month or two. Then store your NiCd battery when it’s fully drained.

NiCd batteries are one of the few types that like being stored on empty. They also drain themselves quickly when they’re not in use. Don’t bother recharging it if you only used it for two minutes.

Fast charging doesn’t stress a NiCd battery. So put it on the charger right before you run your leaf blower or cordless sander. Then use every bit of energy before putting it back.

Sitting on a charger can damage a NiCd battery. Its insides can crystalize and resist turning back into electricity. That might be why your NiCd battery doesn’t last as long as it used to. A pulse charger can heal your NiCd batteries if you’ve kept it charged too long. You might not get the battery back to perfect health, though.

Instead, keep fast-charging your NiCd battery and draining it to zero.

Exercising it protects the material and gives your cordless power tool batteries a much longer lifespan.

The right way to care for your NiMH battery

A NiMH battery needs to stay out of the heat, to charge with its original charger and to be drained to zero percent every few months.

If you’re using your power drill for a few hours every day, a NiMH battery is perfect. NiMH batteries are handy for power tools. They weigh less, carry more power and last longer between charges than a NiCd battery.

They don’t do well in storage. NiMH batteries will drain themselves. It’s not as quick as a NiCd battery. All the same, you’ll want to use your NiMH-powered drill every other day to get the most life from the battery.

Recharging NiMH batteries uses a special algorithm. Don’t use a NiCd charger on a NiMH battery. It can hurt the battery’s lifespan if not overcharge it. Keep the charger that came with the power tool. You can replace it, but make sure it’s specifically made for NiMH batteries.

Mow power to your lawn mower and weed whacker battery

You just jumped your riding lawn mower? Might be time for a new battery. Go for lawn garden batteries and power tool rebuilds, available at select Interstate All Battery Center locations.

NiMH batteries struggle with heat. That’s a problem because a NiMH battery will heat up as it runs power or charges. Be gentle with it. Take it off the charger early if the case feels warm. Also, let it cool down before you recharge after it charges.

You can expect a long, full life out of your NiMH battery by keeping it in use and near its original charger.

The right way to care for your Li-ion battery

Lithium-ion batteries weigh the least and offer the longest life overall, but they’re sensitive to getting dropped, overheated or overcharged. How you protect your phone battery would work on your lithium-ion power drill:

Store a li-ion battery at 80 percent power, not 100 percent. This battery type doesn’t drain itself that quickly. It’ll hold charge for weeks.

The way to take care of your lithium-ion battery is to charge it before it drops to 20 percent. Keep it charged between 40 percent and 80 percent. You can top it up to 100 percent before you sand the deck or trim the hedges. Just don’t leave it fully charged.

Staying at 100 percent corrodes the active materials, which means the battery can’t hold as much electricity as before. The same happens if it ever drains to zero, but faster. Check the power level while you work. Stop and recharge it if you’re close to 25 percent left.

Take care of your lithium-ion battery, and it’ll keep powering on.

Leaving your power tools on the charger does not help the battery.

Trying to charge a battery that’s already full can damage it. Most battery chargers will stop charging if the battery is full.

The built-in protection means it should be safe to leave it on the charger, right? Not quite.

Only lead-acid batteries like to stay fully charged. The other battery types need exercise. They’ll drain themselves, even if sitting on a shelf. That’s okay, depending on the battery type. All battery types need exercise. Leaving them on the charger robs batteries of that exercise.

A battery on the charger will go through short run-and-recharge cycles. It’ll drain to 99 percent, recharge, drain again and recharge again. Those short cycles hurt most batteries. Instead, your power tool batteries need to keep the electrons flowing.

Consider it another good reason to do those house projects today.

Revive your power tools.

All rechargeable batteries wear down. But you don’t have to throw out your favorite tool! Rebuild its battery at select Interstate All Battery Center locations.

How To Use A Drill: Tips From The Pros

Knowing how to use a drill is like Power Tools 101 – just pull the trigger, right? That’s how a lot of people use this tool, and they do just fine. You can, however, get more out of your tools with a little knowledge. Our Pro readers can skip this article, but for beginners and those wanting to learn more than the very basics—read on!

How to Use a Drill: Basic Functions

Let’s start with a basic overview of the drill’s essential functions. Before you get started, the tool needs power. If you have a corded drill, make sure you have enough cord to reach your entire work area. If you have a cordless model, put the battery on the charger and make sure you start with a full charge. Lithium-ion batteries don’t have the “battery memory” that other battery chemistries do, so don’t worry about charging them even when they still have some charge left.

How to Insert a Bit Into a Chuck

The part of the drill that holds the bit is called the chuck. It has teeth that extend out as they come closer together to clamp down on the bit. Turning the chuck collar clockwise opens it up and counterclockwise closes it.

Most chucks are either 3/8-inch or 1/2-inch, referring to the maximum diameter of the shaft it can accept. You might have a 1-inch spade bit with a 1/4-inch hex shaft. Because the shaft is less than the capacity of the chuck, it fits even though the business end is larger than the chuck size.

To insert the bit, slide the bit into the chuck, hold it in the center, and twist the collar counterclockwise until it clamps down. Most modern drills have a ratcheting function and you can feel, and sometimes hear, it ratcheting down as the teeth clamp tight.

Pro Tip: Once you have the bit secure, give the trigger a light pull and look to see if the bit is spinning straight. A little bit of wobble (called runout) is normal. However, a big wobble means your bit is off-center. Loosen the chuck, re-center the bit, and tighten it back down to fix it.

How to Select Gears and Modes

Some drills have multiple speeds. The important thing to remember is that for a drill, speed and torque (rotational power) are inversely related. When the motor is in a faster gear, it has less torque. When it is in a slower gear, there’s more torque.

Use high gear for lighter drilling and driving tasks and use low gear for bigger bits. It’s okay to try high gear first. If it’s too much, the motor will stop on its own. When that happens, switch to a lower gear and finish the application.

Note that some drills are single speed with no gears to choose.

Selecting the right mode for the job is different than selecting the gear. Most modern drills have two modes: drive and drill. Driving is for screws and involves using the clutch (more on that in a minute) and drilling is for creating holes.

The major difference between those modes is that using the clutch in driving mode limits the torque and drill mode does not.

A special kind of drill called a hammer drill has a third mode. In hammer mode, the drill adds an up-and-back impact to help the bit chisel as it drills. You should only use this mode in concrete, brick, stone, and other masonry.

How to Use the Variable Speed Trigger on a Drill

Most drills have a variable speed trigger. That means the more you pull it, the faster it goes. A partial pull, called feathering, lets you have more control as you drill. It can be helpful for controlling the start of a hole that needs to be perfect, ensuring the bit doesn’t slip in and out of the fastener head (called cam out), or a wide range of other reasons.

Fathering the trigger works no matter what gear or mode you’re in.

How to Shift Between Forward and Reverse

Just above and behind the trigger, there’s a switch you can hit to toggle forward and reverse. Most drills have directional arrows embedded in them to help you remember that pushing in the right side is forward and pushing in the left side is reverse.

How to Set a Drill Clutch

A drill’s clutch functions in drive mode—we’re driving screws instead of drilling holes. Drill clutches are usually a mechanical system. When the rotation exceeds a certain torque, the clutch begins to slip to help you avoid overdriving a screw.

To set the clutch, twist the clutch collar to the position you want. The lower the number, the lower the torque the drill applies.

Some drills separate the mode selection from the clutch setting on different collars. If that’s the case for your model, make sure it’s in drive mode and the clutch is on the setting you want.

How to Use a Drill to Make a Hole

When you’re drilling holes, you want to make sure you’re in drill mode and not driver mode. The exception is if you’re drilling in masonry and you have a hammer drill. In that case, you want to be in hammer drill mode.

Start by marking the spot where you want to make your hole and select the correct bit for the job.

Place the tip of your bit on your mark and feather the trigger to give you a controlled start. As the bit begins to sink in, pull the trigger fully until you punch through or hit the depth you’re aiming for.

Make sure the bit is going straight into the wood
Consider using a jig for angled drilling
Keep two hands on the tool for control
Use the side handle (if available) for drilling with large bits in low gear
Use a few drops of oil when you’re drilling in metal
Feel for the end of the hole and stop the drill chuck from slamming into the material and leaving a mark

How to Use a Drill for Screws

As you’re learning how to use a drill for driving screws, you’ll need to get comfortable with the clutch settings.

Knowing what setting to use requires a little experimenting. Using the same screw and some scrap material from what you’re working on, start with the clutch in a low position and see how far it drives into the material when you pull the trigger. Adjust the clutch up or down until you get the screw flush or sunk the way you like it.

In some cases, the clutch doesn’t have a high enough setting for larger screws. When you run into that, switch into drill mode to bypass the clutch completely. If it’s still not enough and you’re in high gear, shift into low gear to get more torque.

Pro Tip: Most lumber has a lot of variance in it, and many Pros choose to drive screws in drilling mode and feather the trigger to get the right screw depth. There are also screw depth accessories you can buy that are helpful when you’re driving a lot of screws, such as a deck build.

With larger screws and harder materials, you often need to drill a pilot hole first. It helps eliminate splitting wood, cracking masonry, or damaging metal. A pilot hole removes material so that the screw threads can grab the sides without pushing material away. The general rule is to use a drill bit that’s the same diameter as the neck of the screw you’re using.

Start slow and make sure the screw is going straight into your material
For larger screws, keep two hands on the drill once you get the screw going
Use the driver bit that matches your screw—too large and it won’t engage, too small and it is more likely to slip
Use self-tapping screws for metal fastening when you can to avoid having to drill pilot holes

How to Use a Drill: Bonus Pro Tips

Use Two Hands

Hold the drill with your dominant hand and place the other one on top to steady the tool and give you more control. Be careful not to block the vents which help cool the motor while the tool works.

Use the side handle (if available) when you’re using larger bits that are more likely to bind up. You have better leverage with it and can avoid painful injuries to your wrist and elbow if the bind binds.

Chuck Like a Pro

Instead of manually turning the chuck collar, many folks hold it and feather the trigger to close it down gently before hand tightening it to save some time and effort. Be careful not to run it too fast, though. Something has to give when the clutch bites down, and it’s usually one hand or the other!

How to Use a Drill Safely

You’ve got the basics of how to use a drill and it’s time to make some holes! Here are some tips from our Pro Team to make it easier:

Wear safety glasses every time—no excuses
Know what’s behind the drywall before you start drilling
Use two hands
Use the side handle for large fasteners when available
If the outside of the tool or the battery gets hot, give it a rest to avoid burning up the motor or damaging the battery cells
Consider wearing a respirator when you’re drilling in masonry
Don’t use bits outside the range for your drill (check the manual or guidance)

Like the drills we used for the photos? They’re models from HART Tools and you can find them at your local Walmart.

Have any additional tips or tricks to share? If so, please feel free to leave a comment below, and as always, thanks for reading!

Sources:

https://www.deere.com/en/seeding-equipment/1590-no-till-drill/
https://www.bobvila.com/articles/lawn-mower-wont-start/
https://www.lawnmowerfixed.com/how-do-you-start-a-lawn-mower/
https://www.interstatebatteries.com/blog/how-to-charge-your-lawn-mower-battery-power-tools-and-more
https://www.protoolreviews.com/how-to-use-drill/

Lawn Mowers drill, lawn, mower, start