Can You Jump a Lawn Mower Battery with a Car?

You’re back from a long winter and want to mow the lawn, unfortunately, the battery won’t start the mower, and you need to do it as soon as possible, what can you do?

can you jump a lawn mower battery with a car to save yourself the time and money of obtaining a new battery or a new lawn mower? This Lawn Advisors article shall answer you in detail.

In this guide on Lawn Advisors, I’ll explain how batteries work inside the lawn mowers, what to check before trying to jump the lawn mower battery, and the main safety precautions you’ll need to adhere to, to preserve your health, and your car’s & mowers.

We know that a flat battery can be annoying, but if you’ve already heard enough complaints about it, we’re here to fix the matter for you.

So, can you jump a lawn mower battery with a car? Yes. But how to do that is way more important than knowing if you can do it. This Lawn Advisors guide will provide you with a step-by-step detailed method.


Understanding the Issue

The Lawnmowers battery is mainly responsible for starting the engine alongside some battery-reliant devices inside the mower.

If the engine starts successfully, then the power required to run the electrical systems is produced by the alternator, powering the battery along the way too.

In other words, Batteries can provide, store, and receive electrical power once installed inside the lawn mower.

Since most mowers use 12-volt batteries, then our whole guide is made specifically for those mowers.

12V batteries are manufactured with 6 cells, each cell produces ~2.1V, amounting to ~12.6V, but it’s generally referred to as 12V worldwide.

Where can you find the battery? It depends on the mower’s model, but generally speaking, it can be found under the drink holder, behind the wheel, under the hood, or under the mower’s seat.

If this battery fails to start for the lack of power, then you’ll need to either refill, repair, replace, or jump the battery.

Can You Jump a Lawn Mower Battery with a Car

What to Check Before Trying to Jump the Lawn Mower Battery?

  1. Check that the battery is not leaking liquids of any sort.
  2. Terminals should not be damaged.
  3. Clean battery posts if they look dirtier than usual.

Can You Jump a Lawn Mower Battery with a Car? Safety Precautions

The process of jumping a lawn mower battery with a car can be both simple and complicated, it’s on you to make it the first not the latter.

Abiding by safety precautions will always make it easier, simpler, and most importantly: safe for you, the mower, and the car.

Before you start, read your mower manual for specific instructions regarding jumping the mower’s battery, as some manufacturers call against jumping the battery at all in some cases.

you may want to hold off on doing this until the environment/weather is better suited for this type of procedure, so make sure you’re in the suitable circumstances.

Now, keep in mind that you’re not dealing with a single device, you’re dealing now with a battery, a lawn mower, a car, and another battery.

Those are the main safety precautions we advise you to adhere to beforehand:

  1. Wear protective professional gloves & goggles.
  2. Purchase a good-quality set of booster cables.
  3. Position yourself carefully around batteries, don’t stand too close or too far from them.
  4. The car’s engine should ALWAYS be turned off until the cables are connected properly.

Can You Jump a Lawn Mower Battery with a Car? Getting Started

  1. The lawn mower & car should be both on level ground.
  2. Uncover the mower’s battery terminals.
  3. Move the car closer to the lawn mower, but not too close like they’re touching.
  4. Again, the car engine should be turned off until the cables are connected.
  5. Open the car’s hood.
  6. Uncover the car’s battery terminals.
  7. Follow the jumping battery instructions carefully.

How to Jump Lawn Mower Battery with a Car? Step-by-Step Procedure

You’re all set now, the car is near the lawn mower, booster cables are ready, you’re wearing protective goggles & gloves, and both batteries’’ terminals are exposed.

Start the process carefully, following the step-by-step list of procedures as followed:

  1. Connect the Red (positive) cable to the mower battery’s (+) terminal.
  2. Connect the other end of the Red (positive) cable to the car battery’s (+) terminal.
  3. Connect the Black (negative) cable to the car battery’s (-) terminal.
  4. Don’t connect the Black (negative) cable to the battery’s (-) terminal, it’ll damage both batteries.
  5. Connect Black (negative) cable to the lawn mower’s metal frame instead, away from any batteries, cables, or gas tank.
  6. Start the car’s engine for a couple of minutes to recharge the mower’s battery.
  7. Kickstart the lawn mower; it should start properly.
  8. After the lawn mower kick starts, you’ll need to remove the cables in reverse order, starting with the Black (negative) cable connected to the lawn mower’s metal frame, and finishing with the Red (positive) cable connected to the mower battery’s (+) terminal.

Bear in mind that if the lawn mower doesn’t successfully start after carrying out the step-by-step procedure properly, then you’ll need to visit a technician to solve the mystery.


How to Jump Lawn Mower Battery with a Car? Video Demonstration


Conclusion

This concludes Lawn Advisors guide on Can You Jump a Lawn Mower Battery with a Car, as the answer is yes, but you’ll have to be as careful as you can during the whole process.

Safety precautions are as important as knowing the step-by-step procedures, that’s why you should understand them as well as the jumping operations.

In case you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comments section below.

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