can a lawnmower explode from strain?

My neighbor helped me put 2 new blades on my old riding lawn mower, a Craftsman 1000. The old blades were very worn and dull so when I took off to test the new blades I was so pleased with how nice and even and low it cut, BUT after I made just one round,the engine exploded and ripped a hole in the side of the engine, right in front of the front steps. I'd imagine that the low setting and slightly tall grass created excess lug on a weak old engine and caused it to blow up. Anyways another neighbor had the same model mower that wasn't working but was able to "marry" them together and make it work again - back from the dead and a big score for recycling/reusing! Yeah!!!

It will Stall way before it would "explode" ,If the engine oil ,say leaked out over time .Thats the only time i have ever seen a Briggs and Straton engine literally "explode" blowing a hole on the side of the crank case and that was on big ole "stone" brand cement mixer and let me say it was about as loud as a M100 fire cracker .blowing a hole about the size of a tennis ball in the side of the engine .It blew pieces about 20 feet away from the mixer So as long as it has lubrication it will not explode , Its not impossible but very unlikely Your mower will explode ,or even stop running for that matter

Unlikely but possible: many small engines are made from lightweight aluminum castings and do not have iron/steel cylinder liners. But more likely that the engine would seize rather than explode.....and the "explosion" is usually just a piston knocking a hole in the cylinder casting.

@ Dollar Bill: and the governors on such engines never fail ?

@ Fox: what gears?

@ RIck B: just like airplanes, ships, zeppelins, boilers, microwaves, houses, guns, etc etc won't explode?

A lot of mowers mow their grass with the blade setting low - low figuring they won't have to mow as often and in the process stall the engine. Set the blade up, walk a little slower.

The motor will seize up if it's really low on oil or you run strait gas in a 2 cycle engine, but they don't actually blow up.

However, you can tempt them to blow up if you rig it so the engine runs at full speed and just running w/o the govonor hooked up and no oil, if you want to see what will happen. Best take off the blade it you do this just in case!

Have you ever seen a car engine explode? No. Neither will a lawn mower.

It will not explode, The mower engine has a governor that tries to keep the engine running at the same speed by increasing fuel flow when the engine runs slow, so that is why it makes more noise it is working harder.

You have to adjust the blade on the lawnmower for thick grass. That is your problem.

Stall.

Of course it will not explode

Stall. The gears lock too fast to cause an explosion.