Newbie - Honda petrol lawnmower help

(New gardening in general and new to the forum. I'm not sure if I'm posting this in the right place but here it goes...)

Due to my Dad passing away recently I've had to take on the responsibility on cutting the grass at my parents house as I wouldn't expect my mother or isters to do it.
I've had very little experience in cutting grass as my Dad used to do it all and it used to look perfect.

I'm using a Honda DRD 535 mower. I can cut the grass but it doesn't look tidy. I do know how to go up and down the lawn in order to get the desired pattern but there just seems to be something wrong with the way the mower is cutting the grass.
The blades spin and the mower moves forward by itself but once the blades start cutting grass the mower will cut out. The best way to cut the grass seems to be if i put a bit of weight on the mower so that it goes into a "wheelie" position so that the blades are tipped up from the ground. The main issue with this is that the mower will then spit the cut grass out and back onto the lawn...making it look untidy.
I've fiddled around with the cut height but it doesn't really make a difference.
I manage to cut the whole lawn...then I try to go back over it again when it's shorter and try and tidy it up but it doesn't really make a difference.
The mower has plenty of fuel in it....I'm not sure if it is something I'm doing or something that needs tweaked with the mower....or both.
All I know about the mower is how to fill the petrol up.

Thanks in advance

 

Does it have a manual choke? When I used my parents old Mountfield you started with the choke when the engine was cold but did not have the power as when in one of the hare / tortoise modes.

 

Welcome to Gardeners Corner NorthernGreen.

Is it the first cut of the season? I'm wondering whether the grass is very long and you need to raise the height of the mower. There should be a height adjuster on the side of the deck. If it can't cope with the length of the grass it will cut out.

 

As youve adjusted the height my guess is the fuel in it is old and from last year so the engine is struggling to fully power up giving the blades little chance in cutting the grass.

New petrol,dont tip the mower as it will tear the grass rather than cutting it hence the messy look.

When doing the last cut of the year run the engine till it runs out of petrol and stalls,try to start it again,let it stall again. This way no petrol will stay in it over winter clogging up the carb.

Also give it a new spark plug and fresh oil every season so it will last you ages.

 

Rear roller models are a true pain when it comes to cutting damp grass that is just a tad long or very long. I take it its a HRD.
The chute is very narrow due to the roller design and coupled with a cloth bag that soon gets blocked up you get the old chuck out of grass.
Couple of tricks, check bag is clean and that air can pass through, wash if need be and allow to dry.
Clean deck, remove spark plug lead from spark plug, don't lean the mower on to the side with the filter , exhaust as oil will run into it and create more problems, best way is tip it back and clean.
You can spray WD40 on the deck underneath to make the grass less likely to stick, I know a few who do this but I find it only works for a limited time.
Cut the grass high and do several passes.
Slowly cut the grass, no speed running over the lawn. This allows the grass to leave the deck and less chance of blocking up as quickly.
Empty the bag more often, it often fails to fill on damp long grass and it pays to empty before blockage. You can hear the sound changes just before a block and chuck.
Sharp blades help to not only allow a clean cut but to help keep the speed of the blade up and cut down on the pressure on the machine and it's working parts.
Over here we like lines, in Europe it's not so desired. Rear rollers do leave a nice look but it's the problems with damp, long grass is that they just can't cope with it when you are working with a walk behind.
Then factor in your lawn condition, if you have a thick moss lawn and go low it will just kill the rpm of the blade and block quickly.
You may find the deck fills up with grass as you cut, some mowers are more prone to this, if you do notice a build up you have to remove spark plug lead and clean. Always remove the spark plug lead when messing with the deck.