My hayter lawn mower has jammed so no-one can use dthe rotary pull cord to start the engine. I've taken off the top cover and there are no obvious ways of looking to see if the cord mechanism can be solved manually and then put the machine back together. I am not really a mechanic but have mended lots of things in the past.

DD, July 2009

Is the engine seized? Lack of oil would be the reason-if the blades rotate freely then it IS the starter that needs repair. This involves removing the rope when starter is upside down, checking starter spring is not broken. Replace the rope (if necessary) and wind rope loosely. The tension is then obtained by feeding the rope around the pulley,this gets tighter as you do so until rope pulls/retracts

Mowerman, July 2009