How To Adjust the RPM Speed on a Lawn Mower

I show you how easy and fast it is to turn the rpm speed up or down on a Honda powered lawn mower. More speed equals faster cutting!

👍Please click the like button and tell me what you think of this video in the comments section below.

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[StevesSmallEngineSaloon]

You can connect with Steve here too:

Lots of guys out there think that the RPM spec is 3600 RPM! I believe it is because of the Honda factory specs that people are mis-interpreting.
There chart says:
"NET POWER 4.4HP @ 3600 RPM" right below that it says
"NET TORQUE 6.9 FT LBS @ 2500 RPM" right below that it says
"FUEL CONSUMPTION 1.1 L/H @ 3000 RPM"
None of those are Maximum RPM specs. They are specs for 3 other things!
If you do find an actual maximum spec for a Honda powered lawn mower that is higher that 3100 RPM, please share the link with us...

[Colt]

You know you have a KEEPER when she hands you a beer when you are working. April is a champ.❤

[mrBDeye]

The engine on my mower was running a bit low. My neighbor came over and suggested it was the Governor. So I called the local Governor and he had no clue what I was talking about. He suggested that I call the Mayor. 😮

[jermainecornelius]

🎯 BIG THANKS to this guy!! This was the exact solution to my mower issue. Before mowing my lawn I pulled little twig with leaves stuck on the side of my mower near the idle spring. It wasn't until I cranked it that I noticed it sounded super revved up and cutting very fast but I quickly mowed my front yard anyway. Afterwards I decided to do something about it thinking that if left it that way I might really mess it up while mowing the backyard. Pulled up YouTube and just about everyone was talking about the governor thing and doing a bunch of fix it stuff that I really didn't feel like doing at all. I kept looking hoping that there was a simple solution. Then bingo! This guy came up and tried what he suggested. It was so simple that I didn't need the little tool he used to move the part. I held the part he said to hold with one hand and with my other hand I used my index finger to nudge the adjustment part just a little in the direction needed to slow it down. After doing that my mower sounded and was cutting as it did normally. I'm so glad that found this video. Now with all that said, I'm thinking that maybe I should have it cut at a faster speed because my front lawn looked really good. My neighbors on both sides both have those electric mowers and their lawns always looked way better than mine after cutting and I always assumed it was because my mower isn't electric. Well I noticed that because I accidentally made it cut faster my front lawn turned out looking just as good as their's. So I just might nudge that idle spring just a little back to that faster speed. BIG THANKS AGAIN

[chrisgarcia]

I just happened to buy a 4pk of Grolsch pop up bottles when i came across this vid on how to adjust the idle on my Honda mower and how to clean the carburetor. This saved some time, money and frustration! Thank's🍻

[PatrickLarson]

I used to mow lawns for money as a teen, and we had throttles. Now in my 50s, I want to get the lawn done quicker without walking so slowly. I had an "aha!" moment when I remembered that I can have control of the effing mower! Thanks for this very concise, instructive, and funny video! You've gained a subscriber!

[dennismcmullen]

Hey, I’m 70 yrs young and love learning new stuff like this. Steve, you are a great resource. Thank you!

[arielban]

Thank you so much.. What I found was the spring between the governor and throttle cable was very loose. All I did was shorten the spring by bending the wire around the governor connection. This shortened the spring and made it tighter. Now am able to increase the power on the mower. Thank you for teaching me.

[mikegeer]

Thanks for all the videos, you make easy to understand. Hello from ALABAMA.

[justinjanssen]

First time seeing this Steve guy.... I YouTube pretty much everything in my life, lol. This is the first guy that just simply puts things in layman’s terms. Great job. I’m a new subscriber

[kylehughes]

Yeah I absolutely agree. This Steve dude is one of the few people who simply state things as they are. No massive Preamble no thousand other facts that have no bearing on what I'm trying to do. Nicely done Steve

[dljunior]

I've been working on a few mower lately as a pass time and I enjoy it. This same exact mower you demonstrated on had me scratching my head after I had taken apart the carb and cleaned it. I really appreciate your knowledge and sharing it with us.

[jasontorrance]

I have been a mechanic for over 2 decades and am still learning, I don't think anyone in this trade stops learning. Steve, your very thorough and informative, great job and look forward to more video's.
Thanks Steve.

[vg]

What I needed to know is how to set the RPM precisely. Now I know about the tool to use. Your Amazon Searon Digital Tach Hour Meter Tachometer RPM Counter was out of stock, so I went shopping and ended up at Harbor Freight where I bought their Cen-Tech LCD Automotive Multimeter with Tachometer for a few dollars more. Its DC Ohms per Volt is 1MΩ, so I can safely use it on my '95 Mercury Cougar, for which the OEM Shop Manual requires at least 5, 000 Ω/DC Volt. I bought a new carb for a Lawn Tractor Mower and want to be sure to set all RPM speeds to spec. Thank you, Steve, for this one. I searched for hours until finally finding this one from 4 years ago. Isn't it great that a video you posted that long ago is still helping people? You're the man! Thanks again! I'll have to search your videos to find the one on the Governor (because it no longer comes up), in case my Tractor Mower has one, but it'll also be good for my self-propelled pus mower, once I get it running again.

[philliplawerence]

As usual, good video. But a word of warning for those who increase the operation speed of their engine: the faster it runs the faster it cuts, but also the faster it wears out. And, it's not a linear relationship between speed and engine life ! For example, you may increase engine speed 5%, but in doing so, you may reduce engine life by 20%, increase speed 10% may reduce engine life 50%. A similar relationship holds true for engine operating noise level, whereas a slight increase in speed may yield a large increase increase in engine noise. So before you go making any changes, consider the advantages versus drawbacks.

[DP-hyvh]

You can also put an s-shaped bend in the straight section of the governor spring so you don't damage the governor arm by bending it. A governor spring is a lot easier to replace than the governor arm.

[jamescox]

Steve, I am in the civil construction industry. Mechanically inclined with large equipment such as dozers, loaders etc, but I never had luck with small engines. Thanks to your videos the Cut off Saws, Chainsaws, whippersnippers and lawn mowers have never worked better. Bottoms up and keep up the great work.

[jpsvideos]

I didn't even knew there was a digital tachometer. Every video you do, i pick up something i needed. You are the man!

[CapeViewInvestments]

Steve, Your advice to increase the RPMs was absolutely correct! It took 15 seconds (10 of which was getting the pliers). Thank you. Also, after this fix, I searched for advice for my Honda mower engine surging up and down. You had a video for that and after following your advice, my mower is running like new. Thanks again. I'm now a subscriber.

[Heckenlively]

I tuned up my Craftsman B&S push-mower and now it runs too good - Fast and loud! Need to lower the RPMs and now I know how - thank you Steve!