[Rustifer]

From time to time my Hustler sport will not crank. I can pop the side of the mower, where the keyed switch is located with a rubber mallet a time or two and it'll fire right up. Makes me think that there is a loose connection. But everything appears to be tight. Where should I go from here ?

 

[lenaitch]

I have no idea what type of machine that is, but it is possible that the key switch, or any of the safety switches, are dirty. Perhaps you can get in there with some compressed air or contact cleaner. Or perhaps the internal contacts are failing.



I had a similar problem with both my lawn tractor and real tractor. They would sometimes 'click' like the battery was low (but it wasn't), other times fire right up. I ended up putting relays in both ignition circuits because both had multiple safety switches, some of which weren't easily accessible. If it just the ignition switch you might be able to solve it easier by cleaning or simply replacing the switch.