lawn mower won't start

copaceticincali

My riding lawnmower won't crank, the lights won't come on. I swapped out the old battery for a new one, and still nothing. I left the bolts at the store with the old battery, and, found 2 bolts that fit, but, I don't think that's the problem. This is the second time I've had to swap batteries. It hasn't been cranked in 3-4 months. The last time this happened, a friend checked it out, and said it was the battery. It did crank after I replaced it, but, not this time.

What can I, as a determined novice check?

Thunder Chicken

Does it make any noise at all when you try to start? It could be the starter solenoid or the starter motor. It might be possible to bridge the connections and basically direct connect your battery to the starter motor. This can be done in some mowers with an insulated screwdriver held across the leads. If your motor cranks when you do this then the switch is bad; if it doesn't then your starter motor is bad.

If you're not familiar with this, a local power equipment repair place could probably sort it out pretty quickly. Be safe.