My dad gave me this mower years ago, still running strong. Dad had disconnected cable and set clutch for always on, after hitting a rock the cable must have slipped a bit. Re-tightened and its working great. Was going to use this until it died then get one of those auto mowers, I have a feeling this thing is never going to actually die.
Great Job Bruce!!! I have used honda push mowers for years and they are my favorite push mowers. I have had very good luck with them in my landscaping business never had a problem with a clutch or clutch cable we do have to adjust the self propel cable about once a year and I have to replace the spring and woodruff key in the rear wheels every once and a while maybe every 2 years but mine get used in a month more than most people use them in a year. Have a great day and God Bless
Honda’s are very well built indeed. They’re a challenge to work on. This is the first time I’ve seen one with a clutch being worked on. Thanks Bruce for the how to video!
Hi Bruce, great video! I have 2 of these mowers at home as my main machines. Clutch cable broke in the fall, corroded. (Almost 50 dollars to replace at the dealer) I will tackle the replacement in the spring. Hoping I dont have to remove the clutch, that looked like too much fun! Its a smoker too, looking forward to when you take this one apart. Thanks!
Yes I agree with what you are saying. Honda parts are expensive but they are worth fixing as well. It seems the HRA214 mowers smoke when they get older. Good luck with your repair.
I'm a big honda fan. This showed me the value in servicing ( lubing ) the cables, and the importance of keeping your machine covered from the elements. Thanks again Bruce.
I didn't know they had a clutch on the blade on a push mower, of course a zero turn and some lawn tractors do, my push mowers are all direct drive. Most woodruff keys are tight fit but when I find a loose one, I put a dab of grease on it to glue it on. Great video as always, I have some small engine projects to record real soon. Thanks Bruce.
Great diagnostic work Bruce. Wow, fill up the oil, and check the fuel while you're at it, she's an old smoker for sure. But being a Honda, it'll just keep on going. My first old SP Honda 19" was like that. Start the mower then wait five minutes till the smoke cleared and you could see the lawn you wanted to mow. A GXV120 powered that one, from memory.
These are supposedly a commercial grade machine, but they have the world's smallest bagger LOL. We had one at our national guard armory. It worked great up until someone decided it should run on diesel rather than regular gas LOL. Took some cleaning and fresh fuel and got it going again. The infinite hydrostatic transmission in these machines work great, they're rear wheel drive which makes them better for rough terrain. The clutch system for the blade is nice, you can run the engine and drive system without the blade spinning, makes it easy to transport the mower using its own power, they're quite heavy. I've never seen one of the clutches apart.
You are absolutely right on the build quality of the older Honda's. They were and still are pricey. I don't know how the newer ones compare. I imagine not quit as good because of cost pressure from other brands.
Good mower you have there Bruce, IMH the Honda"s are some of the best but if they need repair like yours did prepare for most of the day. I know when you reinstall a carb on one you have to hold about 4-5 pieces in place while you guide the bolts back in so much fun it makes me getty Surprised to see the one you have just had a single blade on it.
Toro uses belts to facilitate the blade brake as opposed to that spring/clutch mechanism. It's a much simpler design and is easier to work on. Tried to post a pic but I guess you can't do that in the Comments.
Bruce Pender That did look like a good place to start. Sadly that bracket seems like it will not come completely out without dis-assembling the entire clutch assembly. Also have not been able to figure out how to extract the "barrel" cable end from that lever it's attatched to unless I just bend the lower tab til it comes out. It just does not seem reasonable to me that Honda would design this machine to make it a half day job to replace a simple cable. Also the cable I found online (with blown up schematic), and ordered, is definitely not the clutch brake cable. It's a throttle cable. So yikes, it looks like this great running mower is headed to the bone yard because I can't find/install a simple cable. I was hoping to find a how to video on this in hopes that maybe I'm missing something and it's not really that hard! Thanks for posting this vid though, I always learn something!
The cable is difficult to remove, but as long as you are replacing it, you might as well just destroy it while taking it out. This is what I did. You do not need to remove those two 10mm bolts. Once you remove the cable from the hand control on the mower handle you have enough slack to remove the entire thing. Grab some of the cable near the ball end (the connects to the clutch) using some sturdy needle nose pliers. Start twisting the wire and you should free up enough slack to loop some of the wire around the c-shape metal piece that secures to metal ball-end of the cable to the clutch. Once that is done, you can pull the cable down.....you can see that the metal is slotted so the cable can drop down. As long as you plan on replacing the entire thing, it doesn't matter how aggressive you are. I destroyed most of the conduit and part of the actual cable when removing mine. The actual part is referred to as a roto-stop cable, clutch cable, or blade brake cable. The cable is 65" in total length but the conduit is a bit shorter than that. My mower is marked HR214 SM (not SMA) and I believe it to be one of the earlier models. 54530-VB3-802 appears to be the part number for the clutch cable or "roto-stop" cable.
I just changed the roto stop cable. It was easy once I figured out that a lock washer was holding the cable onto the bracket under the mower. I pried it off with a screwdriver and hammer through the split on the bracket. The new cable comes with a replacement lock washer. Only thing I removed was the mower blade. No other disassembly. Took about half an hour.
Me too. My cable looks a bit different but is supposed to be the right one although it's too long it seems. Not sure if I'm missing something or simply have the wrong part.
Awesome mowers built to last, that's for sure. Japan really got the Honda brand right from the get go. I should know with 5 Honda motorcycles eh? lol Cheers my Friend! I hope you're staying warm. That snow looks like even it is freezing haha! Sean~
Got that. Thanks Sean. They are great mowers. I think valve guides for this one next round. It will come back as the owner got it from her dad years ago. Winter in Canada eh! It looks like everybody who gets winter is getting a lot of it this year.
I have its descendant, the HRX217HYA. Expensive, but the positives outweigh everything else. Honda calls that blade clutch setup their 'roto-stop' system. It's nearly identical today. It's a bit complicated, but I've had no trouble assembling it. I have the factory manual, which helps considerably, but it's not a difficult machine to work on. Tedious, yes, and different, but not hard. And mine's a non-smoker...
That should make an interesting video, since these engines are so different from the usual; they separate diagonally, so the cylinder and the 'head' are all one unit. I'm not sure how you'd lap the valves, for example, except by reaching into the bore with a long tool. Variety!
I have the opposite problem with the same mower - i can't pull the start cord unless i engage the blade. If i take the blade off the mower, it can pull... go figure! I've been fiddling with the same cable and it's not really getting anywhere.
Bruce Pender so it can pull until I start tightening the blade, then as soon as it has a bit of torque it's locked. I noticed as I tightened, the blade would touch the output shaft bolt! The blade is upside down??? I flipped it, now it pulls, and I can torque the blade bolts. New blade coming anyway then I'll know for sure if that was all.
I just found one of these in Salt Lake City, on the sidewalk abandoned... All 3 cables snapped, so what? I'll replace them. All I read is good things about this model, and it starts :)
back in the 80's when they came up with the law that all lawn mowers had to have some kind of safety brake on the blades,, Tecumseh had a system like that Honda, it was a complicated mess, I only worked on one of them and not long after that they followed B&S and just put a brake on the flywheel.. the idea was to not have to shut the engine down to pick up a stick or other things that might be in the yard,,
Bruce, good video. Any tips on how tight the spring loaded screws holding the clutch plate should be? I cant find the sweet spot between too tight (locks up engine) and too loose. I cant get my blades to disengage. I think greasing the three ball plate would help, but be a bad idea in the long run. Any help would be great!
Hi Bruce I have a similar problem with my older Honda 215 hydrostatic lawn mower. When I engage the blades when in the high (bunny) setting back off the choke. The lawn mower loses power but stays on. When I have it on the low (turtle)setting and engage the blades the lawn mower stalls and turns off . Any idea why? When I just need to adjust the cable for the blades? Thanks for your time and help
On my honda lawnmower when i engage the blade it bogs then dies. I cant get the blade to run. Could it be the cable that runs up to the blade button by the handle. I wanted to make sure since your video discussed that part
Hi i have a hrb475 honda, and have a similar thing to the hra mower in the video, where the blade wouldn’t spin, but my other issue is I can’t get the drive to work on the roller. Any suggestions would be appreciated? Thanks Ian in the UK
@@BrucesShop Hi bruce, the mower I’m talking about was outside for some time before i brought it with several other Honda’s including a brand new deck and spare engine fir the 423 with all the parts to fit onto it to get it working as a mower, also with the mowers were spare’s.
I’m a disabled person that was a mechanic since the age of 13 yrs as my late father taught me the basics, then i went onto tires and exhaust fitting along with the more mechanical stuff, and from there i got a job in a garage, but moved onto to a change of job in security, but had a car accident on my way to work one night and here i am unable to work but my hobby is fixing small engines and two cycle/stroke engines. I really enjoy working with engines as its also good for my mental health.
Bruce Pender No I dont know something you dont. I have worked on honda machines before and I think I would remember if I had a problem w/clutch. BUT I have a tendency to block out things that give me problems. Just ask ex wife #1 and #2. 😱
This is still my main lawn mover.....Excellent quality stuff from the 80's
Yes Thanks for the comment
My dad gave me this mower years ago, still running strong. Dad had disconnected cable and set clutch for always on, after hitting a rock the cable must have slipped a bit. Re-tightened and its working great. Was going to use this until it died then get one of those auto mowers, I have a feeling this thing is never going to actually die.
They really never die. A person can fiddle with them until you've had enough. LOL
Great Job Bruce!!! I have used honda push mowers for years and they are my favorite push mowers. I have had very good luck with them in my landscaping business never had a problem with a clutch or clutch cable we do have to adjust the self propel cable about once a year and I have to replace the spring and woodruff key in the rear wheels every once and a while maybe every 2 years but mine get used in a month more than most people use them in a year. Have a great day and God Bless
They are well made. Some people think they are over engineered but that is a good thing I think.
Honda’s are very well built indeed. They’re a challenge to work on. This is the first time I’ve seen one with a clutch being worked on. Thanks Bruce for the how to video!
Thanks Matthew. Yes it was fun to film it. (a bit challenging too)
Ingenuity as always Bruce ! Good to see lawn mower fixes again, guess they'll have to wait till all that snow melts to use it though !
Yes. I don't quite have enough snow-blowers to do one a week. But this one came in late for a mower.
Hey Bruce, that's a nice piece of work. Great job! Have a great weekend!
Thanks Tony
Hi Bruce, great video! I have 2 of these mowers at home as my main machines. Clutch cable broke in the fall, corroded. (Almost 50 dollars to replace at the dealer) I will tackle the replacement in the spring. Hoping I dont have to remove the clutch, that looked like too much fun! Its a smoker too, looking forward to when you take this one apart. Thanks!
Thanks Andrew
Yes I agree with what you are saying. Honda parts are expensive but they are worth fixing as well. It seems the HRA214 mowers smoke when they get older. Good luck with your repair.
I'm a big honda fan. This showed me the value in servicing ( lubing ) the cables, and the importance of keeping your machine covered from the elements. Thanks again Bruce.
Very good job Bruce. Those clutches are tough. Those old Honda's are one of the best mowers ever made
Thanks Dave. I still think they are too heavy. If they weren't that heavy you wouldn't need the self propel!!! haha
I didn't know they had a clutch on the blade on a push mower, of course a zero turn and some lawn tractors do, my push mowers are all direct drive. Most woodruff keys are tight fit but when I find a loose one, I put a dab of grease on it to glue it on. Great video as always, I have some small engine projects to record real soon. Thanks Bruce.
I am looking forward to your videos.
Great diagnostic work Bruce. Wow, fill up the oil, and check the fuel while you're at it, she's an old smoker for sure. But being a Honda, it'll just keep on going. My first old SP Honda 19" was like that. Start the mower then wait five minutes till the smoke cleared and you could see the lawn you wanted to mow. A GXV120 powered that one, from memory.
I think the smoke is from valve guides. Maybe not.
Yeah, they have a bit of a name for it ,I think. Ohh well, so be it.
Nice fix - never seen the clutch been taken apart - thanks for sharing
There aren't to may of these self propel mowers with a clutch on the blade. A few high end ones.
Interesting. Never saw a clutch like that before. Learned something new again. Thanks Bruce!
It is fun (and scary ) to do something for the first time on camera.
I have heard of that white tipped grass ,never knew it could be cut until now lol!!
Nice work around to get the spring, clutch,
back together
I enjoyed the result but it was a tough squeeze.
These are supposedly a commercial grade machine, but they have the world's smallest bagger LOL.
We had one at our national guard armory. It worked great up until someone decided it should run on diesel rather than regular gas LOL. Took some cleaning and fresh fuel and got it going again. The infinite hydrostatic transmission in these machines work great, they're rear wheel drive which makes them better for rough terrain. The clutch system for the blade is nice, you can run the engine and drive system without the blade spinning, makes it easy to transport the mower using its own power, they're quite heavy. I've never seen one of the clutches apart.
Well now you have seen one with the clutch apart!!!!! Thanks for the fun comment.
You are absolutely right on the build quality of the older Honda's. They were and still are pricey. I don't know how the newer ones compare. I imagine not quit as good because of cost pressure from other brands.
I think you nailed it. Thanks George
Excellent mowers, a newer Honda doesn’t even compare how the older ones were built to last. Quality!
They are heavy. Which makes them last
Good mower you have there Bruce, IMH the Honda"s are some of the best but if they need repair like yours did prepare for most of the day. I know when you reinstall a carb on one you have to hold about 4-5 pieces in place while you guide the bolts back in so much fun it makes me getty Surprised to see the one you have just had a single blade on it.
Right I have seen the double blades. These are sure heavy beasts eh!! The have to be self propel just to move them around.
Filming and working is hard to do, you got that right Bruce! Great informative video 👍
Thanks 👍
Awesome job with that clutch on that Honda mower. And the -13 temp also
Thanks John
First time I have seen a clutch on one. Great stuff interesting.
Thanks as always Davey
Who discovers that their mower doesn't work in January? Good video. I feel sorry for
my old darlin in the shed.
She brought it to me and I said I would get to it after the snowblower rush.
Nice - I never did one of those before .
Time for a ring job on that Honda, great job Bruce.
I think it is the valve guides.??? It clears up after a few minutes like and old chev 350
Bruce Pender that should be easier to fix then.
That was awesome Bruce! Might need to get a Go Pro chest or head camera. Keep up the good work.
My neck is too stiff. All you would see it the lights. haha
good info,i had the exact mower and sold it last year,but i still have the newer model with the plastic deck
A great machine eh!!!
I have one identical to that one in my shop for my spring line up to find a new home. Nice powerful engines.
They are sure made well eh!!!
Toro uses belts to facilitate the blade brake as opposed to that spring/clutch mechanism. It's a much simpler design and is easier to work on. Tried to post a pic but I guess you can't do that in the Comments.
Well Thanks anyway. It is all just fun right!!!
Honda makes good stuff. I just bought a used Honda lawnmower,,, I love it....
I have 2 :-)
Any chance of a video showing how to change the blade clutch cable? I'm having a bear of a time figuring it out.
I looked at the video at 3:09 and there are 2 10mm bolts can you start there?????
Bruce Pender That did look like a good place to start. Sadly that bracket seems like it will not come completely out without dis-assembling the entire clutch assembly. Also have not been able to figure out how to extract the "barrel" cable end from that lever it's attatched to unless I just bend the lower tab til it comes out. It just does not seem reasonable to me that Honda would design this machine to make it a half day job to replace a simple cable. Also the cable I found online (with blown up schematic), and ordered, is definitely not the clutch brake cable. It's a throttle cable. So yikes, it looks like this great running mower is headed to the bone yard because I can't find/install a simple cable. I was hoping to find a how to video on this in hopes that maybe I'm missing something and it's not really that hard! Thanks for posting this vid though, I always learn something!
The cable is difficult to remove, but as long as you are replacing it, you might as well just destroy it while taking it out. This is what I did. You do not need to remove those two 10mm bolts. Once you remove the cable from the hand control on the mower handle you have enough slack to remove the entire thing. Grab some of the cable near the ball end (the connects to the clutch) using some sturdy needle nose pliers. Start twisting the wire and you should free up enough slack to loop some of the wire around the c-shape metal piece that secures to metal ball-end of the cable to the clutch. Once that is done, you can pull the cable down.....you can see that the metal is slotted so the cable can drop down. As long as you plan on replacing the entire thing, it doesn't matter how aggressive you are. I destroyed most of the conduit and part of the actual cable when removing mine.
The actual part is referred to as a roto-stop cable, clutch cable, or blade brake cable. The cable is 65" in total length but the conduit is a bit shorter than that. My mower is marked HR214 SM (not SMA) and I believe it to be one of the earlier models. 54530-VB3-802 appears to be the part number for the clutch cable or "roto-stop" cable.
I just changed the roto stop cable. It was easy once I figured out that a lock washer was holding the cable onto the bracket under the mower. I pried it off with a screwdriver and hammer through the split on the bracket. The new cable comes with a replacement lock washer. Only thing I removed was the mower blade. No other disassembly. Took about half an hour.
Me too. My cable looks a bit different but is supposed to be the right one although it's too long it seems. Not sure if I'm missing something or simply have the wrong part.
Awesome mowers built to last, that's for sure. Japan really got the Honda brand right from the get go. I should know with 5 Honda motorcycles eh? lol Cheers my Friend! I hope you're staying warm. That snow looks like even it is freezing haha! Sean~
Got that. Thanks Sean. They are great mowers. I think valve guides for this one next round. It will come back as the owner got it from her dad years ago. Winter in Canada eh! It looks like everybody who gets winter is getting a lot of it this year.
Top job . Them Hondas are great mowers . And the clutch can be a pig to get back on.
You are so right
I have its descendant, the HRX217HYA. Expensive, but the positives outweigh everything else. Honda calls that blade clutch setup their 'roto-stop' system. It's nearly identical today. It's a bit complicated, but I've had no trouble assembling it. I have the factory manual, which helps considerably, but it's not a difficult machine to work on. Tedious, yes, and different, but not hard. And mine's a non-smoker...
Yes this one is going under the knife next year.
That should make an interesting video, since these engines are so different from the usual; they separate diagonally, so the cylinder and the 'head' are all one unit. I'm not sure how you'd lap the valves, for example, except by reaching into the bore with a long tool. Variety!
I have the opposite problem with the same mower - i can't pull the start cord unless i engage the blade. If i take the blade off the mower, it can pull... go figure! I've been fiddling with the same cable and it's not really getting anywhere.
Is there a ground shutting it off from somewhere?
Bruce Pender so it can pull until I start tightening the blade, then as soon as it has a bit of torque it's locked. I noticed as I tightened, the blade would touch the output shaft bolt! The blade is upside down??? I flipped it, now it pulls, and I can torque the blade bolts. New blade coming anyway then I'll know for sure if that was all.
srarcade I have the same problem. I have to engage just to start the mower.
I just found one of these in Salt Lake City, on the sidewalk abandoned... All 3 cables snapped, so what? I'll replace them. All I read is good things about this model, and it starts :)
Good luck!
Great job Bruce.
Thanks. I like it when they come back for a second visit.
back in the 80's when they came up with the law that all lawn mowers had to have some kind of safety brake on the blades,, Tecumseh had a system like that Honda, it was a complicated mess, I only worked on one of them and not long after that they followed B&S and just put a brake on the flywheel.. the idea was to not have to shut the engine down to pick up a stick or other things that might be in the yard,,
Right. Funny how we made it through all those years with no brakes at all
Bruce, good video. Any tips on how tight the spring loaded screws holding the clutch plate should be? I cant find the sweet spot between too tight (locks up engine) and too loose. I cant get my blades to disengage. I think greasing the three ball plate would help, but be a bad idea in the long run. Any help would be great!
I thing they are tight. Do you have something under there backwards? This video is 1 .5 years old. It is hard to remember
wow bruce i got a honda like that thanks for video now im ready if my clutch gives me trouble
Great. Take your time.
Hi Bruce
I have a similar problem with my older Honda 215 hydrostatic lawn mower. When I engage the blades when in the high (bunny) setting back off the choke. The lawn mower loses power but stays on. When I have it on the low (turtle)setting and engage the blades the lawn mower stalls and turns off . Any idea why? When I just need to adjust the cable for the blades?
Thanks for your time and help
I think the clutch needs to be removed and checked. It should still self propel (without the blade turning.
Thank you very much for your time and the reply. I will try the clutch . Cheers
@@joegabriel6001 OK 🙂
Nice job Bruce
Thanks Joe.
On my honda lawnmower when i engage the blade it bogs then dies. I cant get the blade to run. Could it be the cable that runs up to the blade button by the handle. I wanted to make sure since your video discussed that part
Well as I am not there, it sounds to me that the clutch is stalling the engine. I would check it out as in this video. Remember i am not there.
@@BrucesShop I appreciate the help
@@sproles88 😀
I have the exact one, and it doesn't do anything self propel doesn't move. I wonder if it's the same problem. .
I think the drive is a different operation. I would google the exact issue.
Hi i have a hrb475 honda, and have a similar thing to the hra mower in the video, where the blade wouldn’t spin, but my other issue is I can’t get the drive to work on the roller.
Any suggestions would be appreciated? Thanks Ian in the UK
I am sorry. I don't think I can help without being there. Sorry
@@BrucesShop
Hi bruce, the mower I’m talking about was outside for some time before i brought it with several other Honda’s including a brand new deck and spare engine fir the 423 with all the parts to fit onto it to get it working as a mower, also with the mowers were spare’s.
I’m a disabled person that was a mechanic since the age of 13 yrs as my late father taught me the basics, then i went onto tires and exhaust fitting along with the more mechanical stuff, and from there i got a job in a garage, but moved onto to a change of job in security, but had a car accident on my way to work one night and here i am unable to work but my hobby is fixing small engines and two cycle/stroke engines.
I really enjoy working with engines as its also good for my mental health.
Bruce, let your client know it's still snowing! 😉
Well they are smart people. They will probably get their snowblower fixed in July. :-)
did you clean the deck and sharpen that blade since it was apart? the deck looked pretty grungy..and the blade was to good either...
Yes. I always sharpen the blade. Sometimes i don't show it as other things take up time in the video. Thanks for noticing.
thanks bruce ... have a good weekend .. †
You too Thanks Mr. Kool
Does it make a difference if the blade engaged handle is on or off to help put the clutch back on?asking for a friend😉
It may help. Good idea I would try both. This was my first one of these to remove the clutch.. Thanks aka
Do you know something I don't???
Bruce Pender No I dont know something you dont. I have worked on honda machines before and I think I would remember if I had a problem w/clutch. BUT I have a tendency to block out things that give me problems. Just ask ex wife #1 and #2. 😱
I use large plumbers grips to just pinch the assembly at clutch end of the cable which makes it easy to remove
Bruce , check out a few videos on that clutch set-up, it will help.
Now thats a nice mower.🤩
They are sure made well eh!!!!
Are Honda mowers over-engineered?
No. These ones are great. Very reliable.
In case of this clutch ? yes, useless. All other mower work great without this complicated system. But Honda are still great machines !
I work on stuff all the time,first thing I do is make d... sure I have good lighting,
Right on. Lighting makes all the difference,.
Either to much oil or u have some serious issues with the honda
Rings I think. This is a 3 year old video. I think it has gone away. LOL
That looks like a Nightmare to work on...It looks over engineered to me !!!
Well they are quite reliable but too much metal stuff.
stupid design but it works good fix
I am not a fan of self propelled mowers just due to weight. You need the self propel to move them around
I Will never get rid of mine
They are a legend of mowers.