I need to know about a solenoid for a mower, are both poles on the solenoid supposed to be hot all the time? Mower has no power to the starter and the battery is charged, try to find out to test the starter and the starter solenoid.

Can you first confirm power to the ignition switch in and then out of the switch? Do you show power at the solenoid with the igniton switch turned?

Hi,
A solenoid will have two large teminals, one of which attaches to the battery and is hot. It will have one or two small terminals. If it has one, that is the trigger and it receives battery voltage once it has passed through the ignition switch and whatever safety switches may be involved (brake and blade.) If it has two small terminals, that complicates things as the other one is the ground for the trigger (the first one grounds internally) and the safety features can be either the hot or ground wire. Some solenoids have the trigger hot at all times; I answered a question where that was the case about a week ago.
That is the general info; we can go from there if need be.
Peace,
Clarke