How to Change the Handle on a Murray Briggs & Stratton Lawnmower

Pull the wire cap off of the spark plug on the front of the engine, as a safety precaution, before removing the old handle.

Remove the engine starter cord from the metal loop on the right side of the handle. The cord retracts automatically into the pull starter on the top of the engine.

Turn the L-shaped metal rod on the end of the kill-switch cable to disengage it from the top of the handle on the underside. The metal rod controls the kill-switch lever that must be held upright against the main handle for the engine to operate. Lower the cable to the ground, off to the side.

Pull the cotter pins that secure the old handle to the lawnmower deck with a pair of pliers. The pins fit through holes in the steel rods welded to the mower deck.

Squeeze the two handle tubes together near the mower deck to push in the tubes and disengage them from the steel rods on the deck. The old handle can now be removed and discarded.

Set the new handle into position at an angle behind the lawnmower with the kill-switch lever hanging downward.

Push the tubes at the bottom of the handle inward to fit them onto the steel rods on the back of the mower deck. Insert a cotter pin through the hole in each steel rod on the mower deck to secure the handle. Pull the cotter pin down with the pliers until the pin's wire loop rests on top of the steel rod.

Insert the tip of the L-shaped rod on the end of the kill-switch cable into the hole on the right side of the kill-switch lever near the top of the new handle. Turn the L-shaped rod downward to lock it in place.

Pull the starter cord from the top of the engine and guide the cord along the right side of the handle. Slip the cord into the metal loop on the right side of the new handle so the rubber handle on the end of the starter cord rests against the loop. This places the starter cord within easy reach.

Reconnect the engine wire to the spark plug.