Export thread

Not sure if its the right section, mods can feel free to move it.

Since I rebuilt the Brute I got off CL its sort of rekindled my childhood hobby of tinkering with lawn mowers, except now I'm armed with much more knowledge and tools. It's a fun hobby that also turns a profit for some extra cash. This will be an ongoing thread, especially if people are interested. I like photographing and documenting my projects and their progress.

First up my pride and joy, my $35 Brute 7800583 22" 3-in-1 Self-Propelled mower:





The free donor and MTD with a Briggs Quantum on it.:













I'm a bit OCD with keeping tools clean and nice things looking nice. Considering it's by far the nicest mower I've ever had, I clean it after every use. I love this thing. It starts first pull every time, is fairly light for a self propelled so I can push it if I want (I usually do and use the self-propelled feature for going around corners or under low bushes where I can't get directly behind it), mulches great, bags great, and just looks cool with its long, sleek, black deck.

Over the winter I may undercoat the deck with Bed Armor to ensure under the deck stays rust free. In fact come winter this is coming inside and going the the warm basement, winterized and on a pallet to keep it off the floor.

I've hung onto the green MTD deck, it serves as a good test bed and cleaning station for engines while they are off the deck I'm working on.

Next up were these two mowers I got for $10. Both had good, running Tecumseh Vantage engines. One had a bad deck (11A-031A000) , so I took the good parts and scrapped it. The other I fully restored, for fun and practice.









Green deck serving its purpose (better life than being scrapped).



Restoration of the salvageable 20" MTD 114-031F000.





















Really happy with how it turned out. That one I sold to a friend who will hopefully take care of it, and I'll be able to see how the bed liner holds up.

This Yard Man 11A-106C401 was given to me. Managed to get it it to run with a good carb cleaning. For whatever reason it would always start on the fourth pull but no sooner when cold. Sold it anyway though.



The other Tecumseh from the rotted out MTD deck found a home on this MTD 11A-508C022, which was a partial trade on the Yard Man. I made a quick sale off of. Looked good I think.





That one had an older Briggs Quantum which I still have to work on.

This MTD is the same as that green deck with a Briggs Quattro. It have me a hard time but I finally got it to run by borrowing the carb/gastank/filter unit off another. Runs great but smoked a lot when I first ran it. Ten minutes of running the smoke got less noticeable but still there. Worn rings? Not sure. I need to get some parts for its own carb and a better gas tank. If I can get it to stop smoking I'll give the top of the deck a repaint and clean up the engine and sell it. Any thoughts on that one are welcome.



This Craftsman with a Tecumseh Eager1 engine was also given to me. Would only start with starter fluid and wouldn't stay running, but a good carb cleaning and tun up fixed that. Sold it.

I scored a pair of free lawn mowers off CL.

This Yard Man 11A-54MB055 1602923 with a giant OHV engine.





Apparently the spark plug blew out and took the magneto with it. Sheared one of the bolts that held it down right off. Biggest problem is the lack of parts. They tried taking it apart and lost pieces. Considering the recoil alone is $45 it's not going anywhere anytime soon. In the short term I'll probably throw another engine on it since the deck is very dirty but in good shape. Massive engine.

From the same guy I got this MTD 11A-414F35. They said it had carb issues, lost parts on it too, had a loose front wheel and both were bent. Missing pieces and very dirty as well.





Some spare parts, a good cleaning, tune up, a bath, and some of my $0.95 Meguiar's Rubbing Compound brought it back to life though.















I got a very similar Weed Eater 96136000100 given to me by a coworker. Absolutely filthy and didn't run, but this one actually cleaned up very well, looks almost new, especially after hitting it with my rubbing compound.





















Needless to say I had no problem selling it.

Then I got this guy as a partial trade for the red MTD. Same deck as those $10 MTDs. It actually ran just not very well. Cleaning out the fuel tank, carburetor, and installing a new diaphragm solved that problem. Put a new wheel axle in to solve the wobbly rear wheel.









That little guy sold quickly too.

My latest acquisitions is a Craftsman 917-383740 3-in-1, although I can't figure out how it would discharge. This thing was a partial trade on the Weed Eater. Had super loose front wheel adjusters that wouldn't hold the mower up, and carburetor issues.



Funny thing is the inside of the carburetor itself wasn't all that dirty, far less so than some of the others I've worked on, yet it gave me quite a hard time. First it wouldn't get fuel, then it wouldn't stop leaking from the bowl. I also discovered that the oil was really thin and smelled like gas, so the first thing I did was drain it out and put fresh oil in it. Figured out that I hadn't installed the new seat all the way so the flow wouldn't let fuel in, and I hadn't cleaned the gasket surface n the carburetor good enough. It finally seems fixed, no more gas leak and it does get fuel. Will test it tomorrow and see if it can cold start without help from carb spray.

I've fixed the wheels already, and given it new oil, filter, and spark plug, so all it needs now it, assuming it starts good tomorrow, is a good cleaning and a blade sharpening and its ready to go to a new home.

As an aside, I cannot stand the backwards mounted engine. Drives me nuts!

The other new acquisition is this Wheeler Grand Prix WM-20 mulching mower. Not sure exactly how old it is, but what little information I could find puts its build date between 1978 and 1980. Hard to find any more info than that on this thing.



Right now its quite dirty, has too much oil in it, and no spark. I figure the points might need to be cleaned and adjusted, although I'm wondering about upgrading it to a Magnetron, although I'm not sure how one goes about doing that or which kit to get. Does anyone have experience with this?

Once I get it running I think I'll do a full restoration on it and keep it for myself. I've been wanting an older mower to have as part of my permanent fleet, they just seem neat.





What I'm wondering is how do I save the decals and/or get new ones made, especially for the manufacturer labels?

As far as future stuff goes, who knows, but I know for my permanent fleet I want one of those newer Toro Recycler mowers, they just look sleek and cool, and RWD, which means it can powerslide! :laughing:

I'd also like to acquire a 2-Stroke Lawn Boy. They seem quirky and different, kind of a like a Saab.

I'd also like an even older mower than the Wheeler at some point.

I'd also like to acquire a 2-Stroke Lawn Boy. They seem quirky and different, kind of a like a Saab.

Click to expand...

That's what I was thinking as I scrolled through your posts. You do beautiful work but all that effort seems to me wasted on low-end mowers.

The Lawn-Boys (and if I were investing a lot of time I'd go pre-1980) are not only "quirky and different" but designed better and made from better materials. The AL/MG alloy decks will last until broken and you don't have to worry about leaving them wet. The Lawn-Boy two-stroke engines are a delight to anyone who admires fine machinery. And they don't make them any more. :wink:

I might add that a really well restored Lawn-Boy can score big bucks on eBay. You might want to check that out. All that effort making a mower look beautiful ( :laughing: which none of mine do :laughing: ) can pay off when you start with something more collectible.

It seems they have a bit of a cult following in certain circles. Although not everyone seems to like them. There's one at the small engine shop with a blown motor. One mechanic wants to fix it the other hates it. :laughing:

When I was a kid I remember one of my neighbors had two old Lawn Boys sitting in their back yard. At the time I didn't know what they were but remember the odd wheel layout and the green decks. Shame I never asked for them.

So far I've been able to flip these mowers for $60-$100 with little investment beyond carb cleaner, diaphragms (for the Class Briggs), and bowl, float, and gasket kits for some the Tecumsehs and tune up items. So I put in $10-$20 and make an easy 50+ profit. They may not be high-end but I work with what I get. I've always got my eye out for something more intriguing. :wink:

My best one is my mower, which retails for $307.99 at the store. I could get pretty good money for it I bet but it's not for sale. :tongue:

Sweet Jesus!

Those mowers look like brand new now! :thumbsup:

hanyoukimura said:

It seems they have a bit of a cult following in certain circles. Although not everyone seems to like them. There's one at the small engine shop with a blown motor. One mechanic wants to fix it the other hates it. :laughing:

When I was a kid I remember one of my neighbors had two old Lawn Boys sitting in their back yard. At the time I didn't know what they were but remember the odd wheel layout and the green decks. Shame I never asked for them.

So far I've been able to flip these mowers for $60-$100 with little investment beyond carb cleaner, diaphragms (for the Class Briggs), and bowl, float, and gasket kits for some the Tecumsehs and tune up items. So I put in $10-$20 and make an easy 50+ profit. They may not be high-end but I work with what I get. I've always got my eye out for something more intriguing. :wink:

My best one is my mower, which retails for $307.99 at the store. I could get pretty good money for it I bet but it's not for sale. :tongue:

Click to expand...

You're right about the cult following for old Lawn-Boys. :laughing: There are a few of us here on LMF in the LB section. For me it's: two-stroke engine, alloy deck and non-self-propelled. The LB brand is actually the more common one -- I've been looking for a 1960s two-stroke Jacobsen rotary for a couple of years but without any luck.

I see your point about working with what you can get. It takes time to find the desirable old mowers.

Keep up the good work. :thumbsup:

BTW, do you switch to another hobby for the winter?

Nice mowers but the picture above the description "eally happy with how it turned out. That one I sold to a friend who will hopefully take care of it, and I'll be able to see how the bed liner holds up."
Looks like the blade is on upside down or is it just the picture?

Two-Stroke said:

You're right about the cult following for old Lawn-Boys. :laughing: There are a few of us here on LMF in the LB section. For me it's: two-stroke engine, alloy deck and non-self-propelled. The LB brand is actually the more common one -- I've been looking for a 1960s two-stroke Jacobsen rotary for a couple of years but without any luck.

I see your point about working with what you can get. It takes time to find the desirable old mowers.

Keep up the good work. :thumbsup:

BTW, do you switch to another hobby for the winter?

Click to expand...

I'd like to tackle snow blowers, although right now there's not much on CL. Otherwise I'm hoping come late fall I'll find more mowers and just work on them in the winter so they will be ready to sell come spring.

webuyanymower.com said:

Nice mowers but the picture above the description "eally happy with how it turned out. That one I sold to a friend who will hopefully take care of it, and I'll be able to see how the bed liner holds up."
Looks like the blade is on upside down or is it just the picture?

Click to expand...

Nope, you're correct, I realized it after I took the picture and fixed it the next day. :laughing:

jmurray01 said:

Sweet Jesus!

Those mowers look like brand new now! :thumbsup:

Click to expand...

Thanks! Its amazing what a good cleaning and some rubbing compound will do for most of them.

I am impressed! Nothing wrong with fixing up cheap mowers, you do great work.

Well the Craftsmman is now ready to go and up for sale. I really don't like this mower. I think its ugly and I hate how the pull string isn't taut, but it should fetch a decent price and maybe land me a interesting trade if I'm lucky. Runs great though, should make its new owner happy.

jamesslcx said:

I am impressed! Nothing wrong with fixing up cheap mowers, you do great work.

Click to expand...

Thanks, and nope, nothing wrong with cheap ones!

The loose pull cord was bugging me so I moved its placement.

I'd also like to acquire a 2-Stroke Lawn Boy. They seem quirky and different, kind of a like a Saab.

Click to expand...

I had another thought about the Saab/Lawn-Boy analogy: at one time both brands produced unique, innovative designs that were, in many ways, superior to other brands at the time. However, both brands declined and now produce products which are essentially interchangeable -- except for the nameplate -- with the rest of the market.

It's a shame for both Lawn-Boy and Saab -- their better years are behind them and are never coming back.

Pity GM spun Saab off just as they were getting their best product in years. The new 9-5 is a stunning car and the 9-4x looks to be a very nice CUV.

Two-Stroke said:

I had another thought about the Saab/Lawn-Boy analogy: at one time both brands produced unique, innovative designs that were, in many ways, superior to other brands at the time. However, both brands declined and now produce products which are essentially interchangeable -- except for the nameplate -- with the rest of the market.

It's a shame for both Lawn-Boy and Saab -- their better years are behind them and are never coming back.

Click to expand...

Yeah since the EPA has been cracking down on us small engine mechanics old lawn boys are gone because of the law that states any ground supported equipment such as a snow blower or lawn mower has to be four cycle per emissions regulations. Any ground supported two cycle machines produced today are illegal. So no more lawn boys or two cycle snow blowers (which I hated anyway) too much noise for a snow blower.

Edwards Saw Service in Glen Mills PA

Scored big Tuesday. Picked up a free mower. Owner said it wouldn't start. Checked the oil and it was low, though not empty. When I got home I went to pull it over and it was very stiff, but not seized. Added some oil, it freed up and started 3rd pull!

It's a Poulan Pro PR6Y22CHB 22" Self-Propelled mower.

Don't know much about the brand, but it is Made in USA so that's always a plus. It's also quite heavy, heavier than my Brute. However the self propelled feature works really well and the large rear wheels have ball bearings so it moves well. It runs and cuts excellent, and overall it's in really good shape, even under the deck. Should clean up really well. I'm pretty thrilled I didn't have to really do anything to make it run besides add oil.

Too bad it didn't come with the bag, but nevertheless it should sell for good money next spring.

If the engine was ran with low oil and partially seized or stiff double check the engine operation. Some engines that have seized up and freed with some oil have been known to develop a rod knock. Just check to be sure all is well before selling. Don't want the mower to have a rod knock and possibly throw a rod. I've seen it before its like shrapnel.

Edwards Saw Service in Glen Mills PA

I actually used it to cut the lawn yesterday. I give all mowers a test before selling them. This one got the full yard workout to make sure the engine was ok. Like a champ.

Hello everybody, congrats hanyoukimura, thats my kind of deal!:biggrin:

There's a couple of cheap, interesting mowers for sale on CL I want to look into.

One is this Simplicity mower. I don't really know much about them but it looks like a Lawn Boy deck with a Briggs engine. For $25 the price seems right.



The other one is a Lawn Boy. No idea what model ( I don't know much about Lawn Boys in general) but its 2-stroke and it's also $25.

hanyoukimura said:

There's a couple of cheap, interesting mowers for sale on CL I want to look into.

One is this Simplicity mower. I don't really know much about them but it looks like a Lawn Boy deck with a Briggs engine. For $25 the price seems right.

The other one is a Lawn Boy. No idea what model ( I don't know much about Lawn Boys in general) but its 2-stroke and it's also $25.

Click to expand...

I'd go for any two-stroke LB for $25. The self-propelled mechanism is a minus IMO -- but those mowers have lots of valuable (as in salable on eBay) parts.

The other mower has such a bizarre look to it that I'd be tempted. It looks pretty old -- can you tell how old?

The sellers don't really know anything about either mower. The Simplicity, based on the engine, I'm going to guess late 70's-earlly 80's.

hanyoukimura said:

The sellers don't really know anything about either mower. The Simplicity, based on the engine, I'm going to guess late 70's-earlly 80's.

Click to expand...

I think you're right about the Simplicity. That's a very stylish mower. Maybe some hipster/artist would buy it if you got it running.

Lawn-Boy mowers have a model number either on rear of the deck or (on newer models) on a sheet metal piece near the top of the handle. With that number you can find lots of info online. It looks like 1990s vintage but I can't tell for sure.

I would like to have both those, they are cool and unique looking and seem like great deals to boot!:smile:

We'll see, if I have time tomorrow I'm going to go check out the Simplicity.

In the meantime I got the Poulan Pro cleaned up.











Cleaned up well. I may clean it further on my next day off.

I've notice that one of the spokes on the right rear wheel is cracked all the way through. I wonder if Plastic Epoxy will sufficiently repair it? Otherwise it's running great and cleaned up nicely. I might even get lucky and get the bag for it.

I also got our snow blower tuned up and ready for duty. It's a Craftsman rebranded MTD 31A-3CDE799. It works well for what it is. It fired right up but didn't idle smoothly. New synthetic oil and a shiny new spark plug fixed that.

Good work hanyoukimura! Nice job and you should be proud, a little epoxy can work wonders sometimes you never know until you try.

jamesslcx said:

Good work hanyoukimura! Nice job and you should be proud, a little epoxy can work wonders sometimes you never know until you try.

Click to expand...

Hanyoukimura does do good work. This is an excellent thread you've started here. You are a good reason to have a website like LMF.
I hope your good fortune continues.
Great contribution, thank you
:thumbsup::thumbsup:

I've notice that one of the spokes on the right rear wheel is cracked all the way through. I wonder if Plastic Epoxy will sufficiently repair it? Otherwise it's running great and cleaned up nicely. I might even get lucky and get the bag for it.

Click to expand...

To boost the strength of the epoxy:
Apply one coat of epoxy.
Then, with that still wet, press on a patch of fiberglass cloth and allow it to dry.
Finish with another coat of epoxy.

If the crack is near the hub, trying to repair it this way may be a losing battle.

BTW, I got the Lawn-Boy ($25 on CraigsList) that I mentioned earlier in this thread and I'm very happy with the deal that I got -- a very good parts mower for the money.

jamesslcx said:

Good work hanyoukimura! Nice job and you should be proud, a little epoxy can work wonders sometimes you never know until you try.

Click to expand...

Mower manic said:

Hanyoukimura does do good work. This is an excellent thread you've started here. You are a good reason to have a website like LMF.
I hope your good fortune continues.
Great contribution, thank you
:thumbsup::thumbsup:

Click to expand...

Thanks guys! It's a fun hobby I'm glad I got back into. It's great that there are sites like this to share the interest. :smile: Since its the end of the season I probably won't sell any more, but I should be able to get some more end of season deals and be ready for spring.

Two-Stroke said:

To boost the strength of the epoxy:
Apply one coat of epoxy.
Then, with that still wet, press on a patch of fiberglass cloth and allow it to dry.
Finish with another coat of epoxy.

If the crack is near the hub, trying to repair it this way may be a losing battle.

BTW, I got the Lawn-Boy ($25 on CraigsList) that I mentioned earlier in this thread and I'm very happy with the deal that I got -- a very good parts mower for the money.

Click to expand...

Sweet deal. I haven't heard back about the Lawn Boy I posted, but I have heard from the simplicity mower owner, and I'll probably take a look at it and get it tomorrow. It's an hour and half away but as it happens there is another seller nearby who is selling a Poulan Pro identical to mine. I should be able to get it for cheap, not free, but $15 isn't bad. I may keep one and sell the other. It's a heavy thing but it cuts really well so I kinda want to keep one.

As for the wheel, the crack is kind of near the hub. Wal Mart has the same style wheel in gray for $17 which is a good deal cheaper than anywhere else. It's not the right color but I may go that route if epoxy doesn't work.

Picked up both (the Simplicity and the Poulan) this evening. Haven't had a super good look at them since its dark, but the Simplicity one is really neat..and quite light. I'll have to get photos tomorrow.

hanyoukimura said:

Picked up both (the Simplicity and the Poulan) this evening. Haven't had a super good look at them since its dark, but the Simplicity one is really neat..and quite light. I'll have to get photos tomorrow.

Click to expand...

The Simplicity mower could be a keeper. Is the deck alloy or steel? How's the engine?

Two-Stroke said:

The Simplicity mower could be a keeper. Is the deck alloy or steel? How's the engine?

Click to expand...

It's definitely either aluminum or magnesium...not sure how to tell which, but its light and there's no rust, at least on the outside where the paint is missing. Haven't looked under it yet.

Engine's got compression, that's all I checked when I got it home. Owner said it ran when he used it last a couple years ago, then drained the gas and stopped using it because he has 3 other mowers.

If I have time I'll see if it starts up.

It's a neat mower.

hanyoukimura said:

It's definitely either aluminum or magnesium...not sure how to tell which, but its light and there's no rust, at least on the outside where the paint is missing. Haven't looked under it yet.

Engine's got compression, that's all I checked when I got it home. Owner said it ran when he used it last a couple years ago, then drained the gas and stopped using it because he has 3 other mowers.

If I have time I'll see if it starts up.

It's a neat mower.

Click to expand...

The deck is probably an AL/MG alloy. That's my favorite material for a mower deck -- steel decks eventually rust unless they're perfectly maintained -- which is unrealistic for most people.

Good luck with your fine acquisition. Keep us informed.

Two-Stroke said:

The deck is probably an AL/MG alloy. That's my favorite material for a mower deck -- steel decks eventually rust unless they're perfectly maintained -- which is unrealistic for most people.

Good luck with your fine acquisition. Keep us informed.

Click to expand...

Which is what I do with my Brute.

Matter of fact this winter I will probably coat the under side of the deck in either POR-15 or Bed Armor. Haven't decided which will work better yet.

So here are my latest acquisitions:



As it turns out the Poulan Pros aren't identical. The one I just got isn't self propelled Front wheels are loose and it only briefly runs (but runs and is a good sign) with carb cleaner sprayed in the carb. It' should just need a good carb cleaning.





While I haven't decided yet if I'll be keeping the first Poulan Pro for myself or not this one will be sold. Pity, I have two similar mowers and neither had a bag!

And now on to the interesting one:

























If I'm reading the tag correctly it's model ID is 857 044933 but I dunno. I can't find any info on it. What I can say is its very cool, definitely a keeper. I did actually get it running with the aid of some carb spray. It actually stayed running and the self propelled feature works. It will need a carb cleaning and a tune but, but overall I'm really happy with this seemingly rare mower. :biggrin:

If I'm reading the tag correctly it's model ID is 857 044933 but I dunno. I can't find any info on it. What I can say is its very cool, definitely a keeper. I did actually get it running with the aid of some carb spray. It actually stayed running and the self propelled feature works. It will need a carb cleaning and a tune but, but overall I'm really happy with this seemingly rare mower.

Click to expand...

I think the model number is 857 and the rest of the ID is the serial number. I did a little searching (hoping to find some background on the company -- not much luck there) and did get a couple of hits on the model number. There is a manual for sale on eBay and also a drive pulley.

It's a cool looking machine.

The engine looks virtually identical to the one on a Jacobsen mower that I've had for about 10 or 15 years (and it was free to me and about 20 years old at the time :laughing: ). The Jacobsen has an alloy deck and is not self-propelled.

That Grand Prix mower I picked up has the same engine, although its interesting how its got a boot for the spark plug. Most older mowers I've seen didn't have that, and it it's from the factory.

The model number still confuses me since it what I found is a different number than what is on the mower, but as near as I can figure it's a 1021

Free Simplicity 1021 Lawn Mower User Manual | ManualsOnline.com

Still not sure how old it is though.

Those are very cool mowers, I think I'm getting the mower "sickness" and I have to blame it on this website! I was ok with my five until I found LMF, my problem is where can I go for help?!!:laughing:

The only cure is more lawn mowers! :tongue:

Fixing and flipping is a fun (and profitable) way to obtain a bunch of them without having too many clutter up the garage.

I've got at least two which have found permanent residence, the Brute and the Simplicity. I'm still debating about the self-propelled Poulan Pro. I'd like to add a newer Toro Recycler (I like the way they look) and an older Lawn Boy and something really old to my permanent fleet.

hanyoukimura said:

The only cure is more lawn mowers! :tongue:

Fixing and flipping is a fun (and profitable) way to obtain a bunch of them without having too many clutter up the garage.

I've got at least two which have found permanent residence, the Brute and the Simplicity. I'm still debating about the self-propelled Poulan Pro. I'd like to add a newer Toro Recycler (I like the way they look) and an older Lawn Boy and something really old to my permanent fleet.

Click to expand...

I would also have decided to keep the Simplicity. It has such an interesting look that I couldn't give it up. Having the Briggs engine that was installed on so many mowers is another plus.

I have a Toro (powered by a two-stroke Suzuki engine) that I wrote about in this thread. It doesn't look pretty but it's the most powerful push mower I've ever come across.

I've heard about Suzuki engines being really good engines, including the OHV ones Toros used later on.

Hey everyone! There a lot worse hobbies than mowers! I never thought I would get "addicted" though, gambling, alcohol, sex, drugs nah, mowers yes!:laughing:

wow. What beautiful work. Makes me sad I recently threw away my old lawnmower I used when I was 15, now 50. I am inspired to work on my current lawnmower. Thanks

New toys to play with!

I got two given to me by the scrap guy. Both are Murrays. One's got a 3.5 hp Classic Briggs on it. I knew this was going to be a real cherry by the duct tape all over it. Sure enough there's a massive crack along the deck and the duck tape is basically keeping the engine from falling through. It did start briefly and there's plenty of good parts to nab before the deck gets sent to the crusher.





The other the has a Quantum on it. Needs a cord , air filter cover, and a shroud to make it presentable but the deck is solid. Will put a cord on and see if it starts soon.

What's interesting is the side discharge design. It opens like a door to discharge and closes to mulch. It's a pretty nifty feature.









Then tonight I got another Murray from a friend. I'm a bit disappointed because the deck is actually in really good shape with the notable exception of a piece of metal missing from one of the places the engine bolts to. Is there a way to repair it?

Pics tomorrow.

Before I work on those though I have a slightly bigger project.





Repainting a fork lift!

I've seen lots of those old Briggs mowers with steel decks that have rusted but with salvageable engines. I have at least three of those engines. It's funny to think of trying to fix the deck with duct tape.

How's the Simplicity? Please update us in this thread.

The Simplicity does run, once its warm it'll start on its own. Used it to cut the lawn the other day. Works really well even in the thick grass. It'll definitely need a carb cleaning, that way it starts on its own when cold and won't want to stall when the throttle is adjusted quickly.

It's definitely going to get some TLC, I think parts will be the hardest thing to find. I've located what type of belt it takes, which is good. I'd like to replace that cover.

The only problem with it is there's a piece of the deck missing underside. Does effect how it mows though.

The only problem with it is there's a piece of the deck missing underside. Does effect how it mows though.

Click to expand...

You meant that it does not affect the mowing -- right? That kind of thing can happen with alloy decks. Somebody must have hit a rock or something and cracked off that piece. It looks like it wouldn't show when viewed from the top.

Two-Stroke said:

You meant that it does not affect the mowing -- right? That kind of thing can happen with alloy decks. Somebody must have hit a rock or something and cracked off that piece. It looks like it wouldn't show when viewed from the top.

Click to expand...

Yeah I meant doesn't. :tongue:

Can't see any damage from the top.

Hanyoukimura: "The only cure is more lawn mowers!"

So i should be set with my 27 lawntractors then? Actually id like more just for spare parts, but the wife put her foot down on that subject....

Well in some cases its chronic. :tongue:

They're reproducing!

This little guy showed up when I got home a couple days ago. 3





It's a MTD 11A-0210352. Not sure if it runs yet, need a recoil cord.

This is my latest acquisition -- a 1979 Lawn-Boy model R7268.

Cooler than mine.

So despite the fact that we have a winter weather advisory and its snowing out I worked on lawn mowers today.

I've decided to take the Quantum off of that Murray and put it on the Yard Man with the useless OHV engine on it. Carburetor actually wasn't too dirty, mostly a clogged main jet, but it was missing the bowl gasket, something I discovered when I first tipped the Murray on its side and it began pissing fuel out of the bowl.

The recoil had a broken spring so I replaced that, reassembled the carburetor, got a new gasket that sits between the air filter housing and the carb, replaced the muffler with one in better shape, put in a new spark plug and put it on the Yard Man. Started right up and seems to run well.

So what I need now is install t air filter, change the oil, swap blade mounts and mount the correct blade, sharpen it, find an engine cover, preferably a Yard Man cover, and find a shoot to fir it. Good progress overall though.

The Murray will get the Briggs Classic from that duct tape deck.

Hanyoukimura, sounds like a great way to spend the day! Stress relief or "Therapy" is what I call working on my mowers now.

Today was actually a pretty nice day with highs around 50 and most of the 2 feet of snow melted, so in addition to giving my car a well deserved bath I got the Poulan Pro push mower running (and well) and finished what I can of the Yard man. It needs an engine cover, ideally a Yard Man on, and the mulch plug assembly. I may have to break down and buy a new one, since its different from the other MTDs I have, being a 20007 I guess its a newer design. Still it runs well now and I took a couple mock-up photos borrowing the engine cover from my uncle's mower.





Not bad.

Tomorrow I will wash the Poulan and the Simplicity off, then put the SP Poulan, the Brute, and the Simplicity in the warm basement for the winter. I'll also strip down the duck tape Murray and put its engine on the other deck and get it running.

Wish I had some snowblowers to work on for winter, but I can at least get these mowers ready to go for Spring

Hanyoukimura, nice mower sound like you made the best of the day!

Had the last couple days off, and with gorgeous weather in the mid 60's I figured I would ticker with some of the mowers and do some much need leaf removal.

I cleaned off the Murray deck and put the end from the duct tape special on it. Engine actually ran, albeit not very well and only for a minute or so. Disassembly revealed that someone had made a piss poor attempt at servicing the carburetor before, as the carburetor itself was missing 2 screws and the diaphragm spring, and had the wrong type of bolt holding the tank on, and its missing the governor spring. So the necessary parts on on order.







So that was yesterday.

Today in addition to washing my car I washed off the dirty mowers.

I then set to work on the yard, which had tons of leaves in it. My Brute is already in storage and I don't want to subject it to that sort of work anyway, so I figured I'd use t the Craftsman bagger. Sure it leaks gas slowly (still) but it'll do the job...or so I thought. I ran fine at first then started chugging and kept dying and would only start up for a few seconds then die again. That engine is really grinding my nerves.

So I switched to the Poulan Pro push mower, and wouldn't you know the Craftsman bag fits right on it. Gotta say that thing is an absolute beast. Never bogged down for a second and ran wonderfully. I'll have to clean it again but it did an excellent job at bagging up the leaves. Even though its a heavy deck, those big ball bearing wheels made it really easy to mush and maneuver, I just need to fix fix the front wheels so they aren't loose.

I put the bag on my Suzuki-powered Toro last weekend to see how it would do picking up leaves. It did very well except that it was necessary to dump the leaves every five minutes or so. I don't have a photo of the mower with the bag -- here is one without:



The bagging system is very well designed. It's easy to unload the leaves -- you just lift the bag (without detaching it) and the ground-up leaves fall out.

I've been trying to get in touch with the seller of another of these mowers (two-stroke Toros) for the last couple of days. These Toro two-strokes are harder to find than Lawn-Boys, so it's kind of a big deal to see one for sale.

I would really like to get a hold of one of those Toros as well. There's an older Craigslist ad for one, I emailed him tonight, see if anything comes of it.

cool mowers guys, at least we have a hobby we can get some use out of!

So I've got a good haul today!

I came across an ad on CL by a guy selling mowers for $5 a piece. Claims he has like 30 of them. It was an hour's drive but seemed well worth it. Come to find out the guy normally grabs them and sells them cheap to anyone who wants them. I managed to grab four: a basic Weed Eater, a Craftsman 22" SP side bagger, a Briggs powered, aluminum deck Toro, and a Lawn Boy! For $20! I'm pretty thrilled. Haven't had a super close look at them yet, but the LB is a 2 stroke and said "gold" on it. I will get more info on these later. He also had a Toro wit h a Suzuki 2-stroke. Hopefully it's there next time (he wants $30 for it because it runs) as I really want it. Definitely going back there again!

I'll get photos when I can.

In the meantime I got this Murray running great and ready for Spring.

hanyoukimura said:

So I've got a good haul today!

I came across an ad on CL by a guy selling mowers for $5 a piece. Claims he has like 30 of them. It was an hour's drive but seemed well worth it. Come to find out the guy normally grabs them and sells them cheap to anyone who wants them. I managed to grab four: a basic Weed Eater, a Craftsman 22" SP side bagger, a Briggs powered, aluminum deck Toro, and a Lawn Boy! For $20! I'm pretty thrilled. Haven't had a super close look at them yet, but the LB is a 2 stroke and said "gold" on it. I will get more info on these later. He also had a Toro wit h a Suzuki 2-stroke. Hopefully it's there next time (he wants $30 for it because it runs) as I really want it. Definitely going back there again!

I'll get photos when I can.

In the meantime I got this Murray running great and ready for Spring.

Click to expand...

:thumbsup: You got a super deal. :thumbsup:

I'm curious about both the Toro and the Lawn-Boy.

If the Toro has an alloy deck, it's worth $5 no matter how bad the engine is. There's a thread in the Toro forum about swapping decks. Somebody said that you can swap decks among many (push) Toros over the last 30 years or so. That gives you lots of flexibility in re-powering that mower.

What's the model number on the Lawn-Boy? I'd like to see a picture. I hope it's an old two-stroke.

If the Suzuki-Toro is in good shape, it's a great deal for $30, IMO.

Yes you got a bargain, some people have all the luck!:thumbsup:

Didn't get much time to look them over when I got home from work (it was already dark), but here's a few photos to tide you guys.













The Weed Eater is what it is, but the deck is in great shape and for all I know just needs a recoil handle. Should clean up well and sell easily. The other three I find quite interesting.

The Lawn Boy is a keeper, can't wait to work on it. LB experts I'd love some troubleshooting tips, never worked on a 2-stroke before.

The Toro is in good shape, really light, I probably won't keep it if I snag the 2-stroke Toro next time, but should fetch a nice price once its all up and running.

I personally find the Craftsman to be neat as well, it sits low and wide and is a really thin deck which seems to be in very good shape.

hanyoukimura, they are look to be worth fixing, like you I think the craftsman is very interesting and worth keeping. A very smart purchase indeed!

hanyoukimura said:

Didn't get much time to look them over when I got home from work (it was already dark), but here's a few photos to tide you guys.

The Lawn Boy is a keeper, can't wait to work on it. LB experts I'd love some troubleshooting tips, never worked on a 2-stroke before.

Click to expand...

I think this LB is 1990s vintage. The model number should be on the underside of the big sheet metal piece on the handle.

It looks a lot like a model 10415 (1994) that I have. I've written about that mower in the LB forum -- that would be the place to go with any LB questions that you have. I'll bet that all this needs to get started is a carb cleaning.

hanyoukimura said:

Didn't get much time to look them over when I got home from work (it was already dark), but here's a few photos to tide you guys.

The Toro is in good shape, really light, I probably won't keep it if I snag the 2-stroke Toro next time, but should fetch a nice price once its all up and running.

Click to expand...

That's a fine mower for a four-stroke. :laughing:

No kidding, this is a high quality machine. The bagging system is one of the best on the market.

If you get the Suzuki-Toro, you might want to check to see if the decks are interchangeable and, if so, which deck you want to pair with a particular engine.

There's a thread about the Suzuki-Toro in the Toro forum.

You mentioned that it's light. Maybe it is relative to almost all mowers sold in the US in the last 20 years. You want to see really light? Check out a pre-1980 Lawn-Boy.

There's a thread in "General Mower Discussion" called "Mower Christmas". I think your latest find qualifies for that, hanyoukimura.

About the Toro -- the model number is probably on the deck, under the big plastic piece on the front of the bag. You can use that to look up the engine -- I'm curious about who makes the engine.

Still need to take a closer look but judging by the air filter box and muffler I'd guess its a Tecumseh.

It been a little while and I haven't gotten as much done as I would have liked but regardless I have some stuff to post about.

Of the four I acquired in my last post, I've only really tackled one, the Weed Eater, since I know that's getting sold and its in good shape. It needed carb cleaning and whoever owned it had jerry rigged the governor spring and linkage. Somehow the original became stretched so they put another small spring on it and bent the linkage. This made it idle very high, so I fixed the linkage and the original spring. It runs great now. Considering it doesn't even have rust under the deck this should sell for decent money.

Meanwhile I've made a few more acquisitions. Two of them are Craftsman push mowers. One has a Quantum on it which seems to be in good shape besides the not running party. Carburetor is very dirty, so It should be up and running once I finish cleaning it. The other has a Tecumseh which I'm afraid may be junk. It doesn't feel like it has any compression. If that the case it kinda sucks, but I do have an older Tecumseh which should work once I reassemble the carb. If that's the case I'll put the nicer, new shroud and parts on it to make it look more presentable and put it on the deck which is in good shape.



The final acquisition is a real gem, so I've heard. It's a Toro with a Suzuki 2-stroke on it. Its a self-propelled, RWD mower, quite a beast. Got it for $20 (the other two were 5 a piece).



The guy claims it runs, although pulling it over a few times got me nothing. Maybe bad gas? It was sitting outside all winter. I'd actually like some tips with both this and the Lawn Boy. I've never worked on a 2-stroke so I don't know how to troubleshoot them beyond don't use starting fluid or carb cleaner because they have no lubricants. Any advice on getting these two going would be most welcome.

hanyoukimura said:

The final acquisition is a real gem, so I've heard. It's a Toro with a Suzuki 2-stroke on it. Its a self-propelled, RWD mower, quite a beast. Got it for $20 (the other two were 5 a piece).

The guy claims it runs, although pulling it over a few times got me nothing. Maybe bad gas? It was sitting outside all winter. I'd actually like some tips with both this and the Lawn Boy. I've never worked on a 2-stroke so I don't know how to troubleshoot them beyond don't use starting fluid or carb cleaner because they have no lubricants. Any advice on getting these two going would be most welcome.

Click to expand...

It's good to hear from you.

Here's the first thing I'd try on the Suzuki-Toro: remove the air filter element (clean if dirty) and test the choke mechanism. It should choke fully when the control lever is in the choke position and "un-choke" fully when the lever is in any other position. One nice thing about these engines is that you can fiddle with the governor adjustment by moving the spring to different positions -- you'll see what I'm talking about when you get it apart.

While you shouldn't use starter fluid, you can "prime" the engine with two-cycle gas. With the air filter element removed, pour a small amount (maybe 1/2 a teaspoon) of two-cycle gas into the carb and then see if it will kick over. If it does, then you probably don't have an ignition problem and probably DO have a clogged carb (a very likely situation.)

You got a great deal on this mower (I hope... unless something is radically wrong.) The bagging system is excellent and the engine very strong.

Let us know how it works out.

Thanks for the info, Hopefully Sunday I'll get to take a look at it.

Regarding the fuel mixtures for these two strokes, is it 32:1 for Lawn Boy and 50:1 for the Toro?

hanyoukimura said:

Thanks for the info, Hopefully Sunday I'll get to take a look at it.

Regarding the fuel mixtures for these two strokes, is it 32:1 for Lawn Boy and 50:1 for the Toro?

Click to expand...

I run all my two-cycle engines at about 50:1. The technology of the oil has improved in the last couple of decades. It burns cleaner and you can use it at a higher dilution ratio.

I guess there's some risk but I haven't had a problem. I have a few Stihl chainsaws that are more valuable than my mowers and I run them at 50:1.

So it was a beautiful day today and I decided to get some work done on these mowers. First one up was the Craftsman with the Briggs engine.

Cleaned out the carburetor, replaced the gaskets, and put in a new spark plug. It starts right up but the idle is erratic and I'm not sure why.

I also repaired the wobbly front wheel. Either the wheel or the axle was pretty worn because it had a lot of play in it. However, the replacement axle is like $16 ordered, which is more than three times what I paid for the mower :tongue: So instead I bought a steel sleeve that fit snugly over the axle and bored out the plastic wheel. greased it up, and now its good as new. I just came up with this idea today, and it works so well I'm going to implement it in future axle/wheel repairs. :biggrin:

Taking a break from that mower, I decided to play with the other Craftsman with the Tecumseh engine. This thing has no compression, so I decided the easiest thing to do would be to use parts from it to get the engine on this mower running...



Then put the more modern shroud and gas tank on it and put it on the nicer Craftsman deck.

So far so good with one exception. It appears that the 3.5 hp engine is slightly different, enough that the wider shroud of the Craftsman gets in the way of the exhaust. I'll either have to bend the corner of the shroud back to make clearance, or see if a round muffler will fit.

While I was taking apart the 6.5 hp engine a friend stopped by to say hi. He asked what that hole was on the engine and I was like "what hole?" I turned it around and found the reason it had no compression:



Needless to say this engine is definitely toast. Still, plenty of good parts on it, and so long as I can get the 3.5 hp engine running (and running well) it's no big deal.

Well I'm pretty bummed. Spent yesterday evening and this morning getting the 3.5 Tecumseh together and ready to run and...nothing. I'll have to check and see if it has spark this evening.

The only thing I can think of is the linage for the governor seems really tight, lots of tension in the spring, more so than the other working Tecumseh I have. The engines are different so I dunno if that's how it should be or what.

On a side note, I hate these carburetors. This is the second one I've worked on that will not stop leaking. I'll have to get a new seat and pin and hopefully that'll fix it, but there's still the whole "it doesn't run" issue.

I'm waiting for news about the Suzuki-Toro. I guess you would post it if there's anything new.

About the motor with the hole that you showed in the above photo: where is the hole and how do you think it got there? I'm curious -- it seems strange.

On Tecumseh engines: I've never thought much of them and I'd never waste my time on one. Just IMHO. :wink:

Two-Stroke said:

I'm waiting for news about the Suzuki-Toro. I guess you would post it if there's anything new.

About the motor with the hole that you showed in the above photo: where is the hole and how do you think it got there? I'm curious -- it seems strange.

On Tecumseh engines: I've never thought much of them and I'd never waste my time on one. Just IMHO. :wink:

Click to expand...

Haven't tackled the Toro yet, need to get a gas can for mix fuel before anything. That and its going to be a keeper so fixing it isn't as a high a priority.

The hole, I haven't had a good look inside but maybe the connecting failed spectacularly, which would explain both the whole and no resistance when pulling the rope.

I'm "wasting" my time on them because they're what's on the mower and if they can be brought back to life that means money for me. :wink:

Some good progress today. The reason for no spark was that the ground wire had been been spliced together with a butt connector, but one end wasn't actually crimped. Swapped over the coil and ground wire from the busted engine, and with a shot of carb spray it started up briefly. It'll need more carburetor work but at least now I know it runs.

Speaking of the other engine, I took a closer look at it. Sure enough, the connecting rod broke where it meets the crankshaft.

So some good news. I took the carburetor apart and cleaned it out some more, including the metering jet. It still leaks so I'll need to pick up a seat and pin, but it ran great, if at too high rpm so I shut it off...

...which is where I ran into a new problem.

Releasing the blade brake resulted in a terrible screeching sound but not a shutdown. I had to pull the wire off the plug to stop it.

Is that sound caused by not enough pressure on the flywheel due to a worn spring? I ask because whoever owned this little gray mower last jammed the blade brake in the released position with a piece of wood, because they were too cheap to replace the broken cable.

Fix one problem and you get another! Still, good to know it runs and will stay running now. Progress. :smile:

Turns out the blade brake was all messed up. Lucky for me I happen to have a spare.

It's made the move to the Craftsman deck now. I need to attach the blade and get a seat and pin, but otherwise things are coming along.

It sounds like you've been productive. I'm still waiting to hear about the two-stroke Toro. Also, you mention a Lawn-Boy in your profile -- what's the model number? I've got a couple LBs that I need to work on.

I had a great weekend mowing. The grass is growing at a good clip here in the South. :biggrin:

My beloved Lawn-Boy model 7266 was hard to start and didn't run quite up to par even when warmed up. The problem seems to be the air filter element -- I'm going to try another one.

The Suzuki-Toro ran great and did all the tough mowing (tall grass, uneven terrain) so I'm very happy with it.

And we have success! Turns out that big leak was from the bowl itself, must have a pinhole in the bottom of it because when I removed it there was no gas at all in there and the gasket was dry. I ended up putting a new seat, float, and pin in there anyway. Starts first pull and runs great, and besides the lack of a dipstick, it looks just like it originally did.

So long as it doesn't leak overnight, all that's left to do is find a longer blade mount to compensate fr the shorter crankshaft, clean it up and change the oil and it'll be good to go.

I'll get some photos once its cleaned up.

The next thing on my list will be to get the Craftsman with the Briggs engine running correctly. It'll start up but idles erratically.

After that a round of tune ups for all the working mowers, cleaning them up, and they'll be ready for Springtime sale.

Once they are ready I will finally take a look at the 2-cycle Toro and the Lawn Boy. :smile:

Your doing a great job and thanks for taking the time to post the info and the pictures.

If you have time, post more info on the wheel/axle fix. I'd like to know what material you used as the sleeve and what size bore for the wheel.

Two-Stroke said:

It sounds like you've been productive. I'm still waiting to hear about the two-stroke Toro. Also, you mention a Lawn-Boy in your profile -- what's the model number? I've got a couple LBs that I need to work on.

I had a great weekend mowing. The grass is growing at a good clip here in the South. :biggrin:

My beloved Lawn-Boy model 7266 was hard to start and didn't run quite up to par even when warmed up. The problem seems to be the air filter element -- I'm going to try another one.

The Suzuki-Toro ran great and did all the tough mowing (tall grass, uneven terrain) so I'm very happy with it.

Click to expand...

Good question, where is the model number located on it? All I see are some warning stickers on the deck.

RobertBrown said:

Your doing a great job and thanks for taking the time to post the info and the pictures.

If you have time, post more info on the wheel/axle fix. I'd like to know what material you used as the sleeve and what size bore for the wheel.

Click to expand...

Sure thing!

Here is the what I used: a 1/2 x 5/8 x 1-1/2 steel spacer.





It should slide right over the existing axle, at least it has on two different mowers so far for me.





Grease it up, I use marine grease.



Drill a hole in the wheel slightly larger than the spacer. I'll have to go see which bit I used later.



Install the wheel. Because the spacer is a bit longer than the original axle, I used a washer as a spacer to prevent side to side play.



Then just install the nut and she's better than new!



Assuming you have the drill bit total cost of parts is about $3. This, compared to axles which can go anywhere from $4 to $15 maybe even higher and wheels that can go from $15 to $25 or more and this is a cheap, effective solution I think. In fact, if your wheels have center caps you'll never even know it wasn't original. :biggrin:

hanyoukimura said:

Here is the what I used: a 1/2 x 5/8 x 1-1/2 steel spacer.


Assuming you have the drill bit total cost of parts is about $3. This, compared to axles which can go anywhere from $4 to $15 maybe even higher and wheels that can go from $15 to $25 or more and this is a cheap, effective solution I think. In fact, if your wheels have center caps you'll never even know it wasn't original. :biggrin:

Click to expand...

That's funny, I just did this same exact thing. I got a free used mower that had a busted wheel. Rather than buying 2 brand new ones, I found 2 used ones on eBay for $22 total including shipping. But I failed to realize they didn't have bearings. Had to buy spacers and some other misc hardware and just used plenty of lithium multi-purpose grease. Plastic hubs riding on a steel axle isn't the best setup but with lube and proper cleaning once a year, I should get the $22 out of these wheels

Back to the OP; I love this thread. I've read every post and will keep up on it. It inspires me to do similar work. Some of these mowers may be considered junkers by others but if it functions and looks good after $30, there's profit to be made as well as the enjoyment and knowledge learned with tinkering.

*EDIT*
Here's a pic of it:
http://twitpic.com/8v52z3
New spark plug, new pull cord, new handle, new rear wheels, total carb cleaning with new gaskets & o-rings and new air filter. Surprisingly cold-started with 1 pull the other day in 40F weather, and that was right after I drained the float bowl out!

Sorry if it sounds like I'm trying to hi-jack. I'm just inspired by this thread

Good question, where is the model number located on it? All I see are some warning stickers on the deck.

Click to expand...

On a Lawn-Boy, if the model number isn't on the deck, look on the underside of the sheet metal piece near the top of the handle.

Here is a link to a page with lots of links to Lawn-Boy manuals.

Two-Stroke said:

On a Lawn-Boy, if the model number isn't on the deck, look on the underside of the sheet metal piece near the top of the handle.

Here is a link to a page with lots of links to Lawn-Boy manuals.

Click to expand...

Ok cool, I'll check that out and report back.

natenkiki2004 said:

That's funny, I just did this same exact thing. I got a free used mower that had a busted wheel. Rather than buying 2 brand new ones, I found 2 used ones on eBay for $22 total including shipping. But I failed to realize they didn't have bearings. Had to buy spacers and some other misc hardware and just used plenty of lithium multi-purpose grease. Plastic hubs riding on a steel axle isn't the best setup but with lube and proper cleaning once a year, I should get the $22 out of these wheels

Back to the OP; I love this thread. I've read every post and will keep up on it. It inspires me to do similar work. Some of these mowers may be considered junkers by others but if it functions and looks good after $30, there's profit to be made as well as the enjoyment and knowledge learned with tinkering.

*EDIT*
Here's a pic of it:
New project; pull string, lubed recoil, removed rust off of a... on Twitpic
New spark plug, new pull cord, new handle, new rear wheels, total carb cleaning with new gaskets & o-rings and new air filter. Surprisingly cold-started with 1 pull the other day in 40F weather, and that was right after I drained the float bowl out!

Sorry if it sounds like I'm trying to hi-jack. I'm just inspired by this thread

Click to expand...

Not hijacking at all. Personally I love to see other people bringing these things back to life. Sure they may not be collectable, but there's something to be said about saving a machine from being turned into scrap and hiving them a new lease on life. I enjoy posting photos, I like to document what I do, especially before and after.

With that said, here are some quick photos taken before the sun went down. They got a quick wash, more thorough cleaning later.

Here is the Briggs Craftsman.





This one I got running the other day however it would not idle right and sometimes wanted to rip the pull cord out of my hand. I figured broken flywheel key since it was still doing it after I recleaned the carburetor.

So I went to put the blade lock on and what do I find? No blade! Found my problem. Put a blade I had on it and now it runs excellent. Very quite too.

Next up is the Tecumseh Craftsman.







As you may recall, this one's engine had a threw a rod right through the crankcase. So I using parts from it I rehabilitated the engine on the gray MTD mower, then put the newer shroud parts on it. Ended up using the blade brake assembly, ignition coil, ground wire, shroud, gas take, carburetor, and air filter. Then, to compensate for the shorter crankshaft I used a longer blade mount from the MTD OHV engine I have no parts for. The result is a mower that looks just like it would have if it were all original except for the dipstick, because this engine has a threaded oil cap.

I finally, FINALLY finished this Craftsman from last fall.





This one kept leaking no matter what I seemed to do, but I finally figured out that the tab on the float for the pin needed to be adjusted, so it's all set. The only thing I may do is swap the shroud with another one because I want that one for another mower I may keep.

The other one I worked on today was this Weed Eater, which i just cleaned off since I fixed it over the water winter. This little guy is in great shape, probably a couple years old. Still has paint under the deck!





Its been a productive couple days, besides two oil changes and two blade that need to be sharped and a thorough under deck cleaning for all, these are ready to go. They all start first or second pull and run great.

Very nice, you guys and this thread are an inspiration. The satisfaction I get from resurrecting an old mower is good therapy! Thanks.:thumbsup:

Today I decided to have a look at this mower:



Opened up the carburetor to find some of the worst gas I've personally seen. It was black and all gelled up. Very nasty. The primer bulb was ripped and the rubber was sticky and deteriorating.

I've cleaned it out as best as I can, which it looks much better. The mower will fire first pull then die, I'm guessing there's some crud in there somewhere but I can tell where. It getting fuel because when I pulled it apart a second time there was gas in the bowl.

This carburetor is a little different than the Tecumseh carbs I've worked on so far. Maybe someone who has seen this style can fill me in on any hidden passages or reason why it won't stay running. Otherwise I'll play with it more tomorrow.

Here's what I started with:









And after some heavy cleaning:



For those of you wondering about that Toro, worry not. I finally got a small gas can and 2-cycle oil for it, and a new starter rope. Once I'm done with the Craftsman I'm planning on working on it.

Thanks for putting in that note about the Toro. I thought of my first Suzuki-Toro as I read your description of the Craftsman's carb -- the gunk in my Toro's carb had not only solidified but had turned into a hardened coating. I finally got it off with carb cleaner but it was quite a challenge.

I did about three hours of mowing with it this past weekend and it ran like a champ. :thumbsup:

Well a little progress. I got the Craftsman running. I gave up on its funky carburetor. I far as I can tell its clean but while it'll fire first pull with ease it'll die within a few seconds. So I cleaned up and installed the carburetor from the little gray MTD whose engine ended up on the green Craftsman.

When I first installed it it would start then die but got progressively better with each start. Then it wuld run but die when a load was put on it. Now it seems to run fine. It still doesn't start first try, but that may actually be because the primer bulb is extremely hard and may not be priming very well. Now that I know it works I'd swap out the bulb. I may give it another cleaning with this new spray I got called Gum Cutter, which I hear works a lot better than other carb cleaners.

After that What I need is a shroud or gas tank that will match each other so it can be complete. Most likely I'm keeping this one because I like the way it looks. :biggrin:

Anyway, onto the fun stuff. With that mower basically done, it;s finally time to set to work on the Toro. First things first is it needs a new rope and the spring adjusted so the rope will retract on its own. Then It'll probably need the fuel system dumped and cleaned out, maybe a carb clean, clean/replace the air filter and put a new spark plug in. Hopefully that gets it going.

To be honest though I've been thinking about seeing if I can swap it's engine with the Tecumseh engine on the push Toro I have. I don't know how the drive system is set up and if it can be done, but I'd kind of rather keep the push mower (all of the ones I have are self propelled except the Lawn Boy which I haven't worked on yet). We'll see. Got to get it running first!

So as posted in another thread I acquired another mower!

This guy is a Poulan Pro 96146001 self propelled mower with a Briggs Quantum.





The guy who sold it to me (for $10) said that it blew oil out of the exhaust and stopped working, saying he though it was a "bad head gasket"

After a couple pulls it fires up and seems to run well. There's some black puffs at first then it cleared up.

It seemed to be making a lot of vibration noise despite the fact that the mower was running smoothly. So I tipped it over (muffler facing down of course) and come to find out

A few minutes later as it was running it suddenly idled down, then began to sputter to the point where it almost died. As it was sputtering it puffed out black smoke. I shut it off and then started it back up again. Started right up but idled slow and then started sputtering. After that I pulled the new spark plug out which was black. I cleaned it off, put it back in and started it up. No difference.

I left it for a few minutes check the grill (BBQ chicken!). When I came back I started it up again and for about 30 seconds it ran fine, but then it once again it started to sputter.

Today I decided to work on it. I figured the carburetor would be the issue, and it was, in a way. It turns out that someone attempted to "service" the carburetor...or something. I took the small bolt that holds the air filter assembly and the whole carburetor came off. Turns out the 2 bolts which hold the carburetor to the engine weren't there! Further inspection showed it was also missing the o-ring that goes between the carburetor and the engine.

The carburetor itself was pristine, although I cleaned it anyway.

The other problem I discovered is 3 of the 4 mounts for the shroud were broken, so the shroud was really only attached with 1 bolt.







I had a spare shroud but the recoil was broken. I hate replacing the recoil springs/assemblies because it never seems to go well. Instead I opted to pop out the rivets and swap recoil assemblies. Man I hate rivets. Got it done though.

Back together, it fired right up doesn't puff black smoke out now! At first it doesn't idle smooth, but it smooths out as it warms up. However, it seems to not idle as smooth as some of the other Briggs engines I have. What else should I look into to smooth it out?

I did give it a quick wash, cleaned up pretty well.

Excellent photography... particularly the close-ups.

I'm always pleased to see another entry in this thread. Thanks.

Glad to know you're enjoying them. :smile:

Got a new blade today ($5.25 on clearance!), put it on, man what a difference. Runs nice and smooth now.

However it doesn't idle at a constant rpm yet. It "surges" but only a bit, however I'd like to know if there's any way to make it smoother. Any thoughts?

hanyoukimura said:

However it doesn't idle at a constant rpm yet. It "surges" but only a bit, however I'd like to know if there's any way to make it smoother. Any thoughts?

Click to expand...

If the surging is on that Poulan Pro you just showed (awesome) pictures of, I had one with a similar engine and there were no adjustments on the carb. So, I don't think there's a whole lot you can do about the surging other than maybe some carb cleaner run through the carb and intake and perhaps a little on the governor arm/spring to remove gunk and maybe make it a little less sticky.

I'll try that, thanks!

I'm going to investigate the governor spring next time the weather is good.. After all, the guy who owned it last had the spring attached to a screw he jammed in the mower.



Meantime, the Craftsman 917-383740 finally sold today for $85. Nice guy though, plsu what I got as trade was well worth the $20 off.

I haven't had a close look yet, but one is a self-propelled Scotts mower with what appears to be a OHV Tecumseh and two bags and the other is a Honda Harmony self-propelled mower with bag. Pretty sweet deals I'd say!

Wow! You turned 1 mower into 2 plus $85? That's awesome :thumbsup:

natenkiki2004 said:

Wow! You turned 1 mower into 2 plus $85? That's awesome :thumbsup:

Click to expand...

Not only that but the Honda works! All I did was spray a little carb cleaner in the combustion chamber and put fresh gas in. It fired right up! It runs terrific. I couldn't believe it. I mowed the front lawn with the thing. Everything works. It runs super smooth and quiet (no wonder people like Hondas). It started up on its own first pull after I shut it off. I wish they were all so easy! Even the spark plug looked like what a spark plug should after normal use (no oil on it at all), rare for the mowers I work on.

So I think I'm just going to put some Seafoam in it and do a tune up and call it a day (that and a good cleaning).

I have to say though, I really like it. It's going to be tough to part with it. :laughing:

The Scott fired up then died, so it'll need some carb work. It is a Tecumseh after all. Shouldn't be too bad though.

Cleaned them both up a bit. I don't like working on dirty mowers. :tongue:

Honda makes a quality engine. I'll bet you can tell the difference working on those vs the other brands that you deal with. That mower should should fetch a premium price.

Most definitely. The whole mower is a well made product.

Worked on the Poulan Pro a bit. After fiddling with the governor spring I've got it to the point where it idles pretty smooth now after running for a 30 seconds or so. Not quite perfect but much better than it was. Starts first pull too.

you scored big time with those two mowers, both are quality mowers, the Scotts is a heavy duty frame and nice drive system, the Honda should have a composite deck or cast aluminum. both$150.00 plus mowers when ready for sale.

twinfords said:

you scored big time with those two mowers, both are quality mowers, the Scotts is a heavy duty frame and nice drive system, the Honda should have a composite deck or cast aluminum. both$150.00 plus mowers when ready for sale.

Click to expand...

Yeah I really did, I almost feel bad that he traded down! :laughing:

I'm curious to see how the OHV Tecumseh will run, I've never heard one before. The Honda does have a composite deck, which is very cool.

Well the 22" Craftsman sold for $100 and I also got..another $22" Craftsman!

The good: Engine starts right up, cables and stuff all work good. It can't be that old.

The bad: The owner hit a lot of hard objects with it

The ugly: 2 of the 3 mounts are broken. The deck, unfortunately, is junk. Lots of good parts though. What I'm hoping is that the damage wasn't caused by a bent crankshaft just the force of the impacts. I spun the blade and the shaft looked like i was spinning straight, but it was hard to tell with the motor being loose on the deck.





Also, I went to start the Poulan Pro after doing an oil change and the rope snapped! That irked me. On the plus side, it runs great now. I'll just have to replace the rope tomorrow. I want to finish it up so I can put it up for sale.

Tomorrow I also want to look at that Scotts mower and maybe, finally, that Toro.

Got the Scotts mower running. Had to do pretty much do a complete rebuild. New seat, pin, float, gaskets, and o-rings for the main nozzle. I managed to salvage the bowl at least. Runs really good now though. Fires up first pull, runs smooth and fairly quiet.

It's all set besides an air filter and a new spark plug. Gave it a thorough cleaning today after adjusting the carb float.

One feature I like about this mower is that the bag door is also a molded mulch plug, so there's no need for a separate plug, which most people lose.

For reference:



Now:







Cleaned up really well, almost looks new!

The Scotts looks really good. I like the huge rear wheels. That would be a handy feature coupled with a very strong two-stroke engine (I'm thinking Suzuki) for working in rough areas -- sort of halfway between a brush mower and a regular lawn mower.

BTW, nice photography. :thumbsup:

A little Goo Gone goes a long way:





I also got the Toro started today using fresh fuel mix to prime it. It did fire up and ran for a few seconds so that's good. Tomorrow or Tuesday I'll empty out the old gas and replace the fuel line and filter. I may have to clean the carburetor too but we'll see.

Today I spent most of my afternoon actually using a lawn mower rather than fixing them though! Ended up using the Honda. Have to say, I really like this mower. It so much quieter than most mowers, the blade clutch is really handy and it bags very well. For a mower that hasn't been serviced at all since I acquired it, it sure does a good job! For now at least I'm going to keep it I think. Maybe next time I'll get to try the Toro though. :smile:

Well I got my first repeat business today. :smile:

I came home to find that one of the first lawnmowers I fixed and sold last year had come back for servicing.

This little guy:



Owner said that at the end of last year the rope had broken (lucky for me the spring hadn't) and he wanted it tuned up.

So instead of working on the Toro I worked on this. As it turns out it had a few problems. The cylinder was full of oil and there was water in the gas. I had to pull teh carburetor off and clean it out. It wasn't too bad, but I did notice something I had missed the first time I had cleaned it. The vent hole was clogged.


(this isn't the actual carburetor)

Also the gasket sealing the air filter/primer element was in poor shape. So I replaced it and cleaned the vent hole and the rest of the carb.

All back together now, and it seems to run better than it did when I sold it, lol. Idles nice and smooth and starts up first pull (used to take 4 pulls). All I need now is to pick up an air filter and finish cleaning the deck.

Service cost: $45. I think he'll be happy with it.

I'll try to snag a couple photos before it leaves tomorrow.

You should get repeat business. You do good work and people appreciate that.

You mentioned quiet mowers in a previous post... the two-cycle Lawn-Boys with the muffler under the deck are not only quiet but the sound make is very smooth and pleasing. It's one of many things I like about those old mowers.

Busy day today.I got an email from a buyer for the Craftsman yesterday. He really wanted the Scotts but it was out of his price range. He asked if I could deliver it and throw in some extra money for gas. A bit of a drive at an hour, not something I normally do, but he seemed nice and the ride was lovely (I love going on drives through small towns and country side, especially in Spring). Right as I was about to go he changed his mind and decided to Spring for the Scotts for $160 (I took $15 off the price).

So I drove it down and we talked for a bit. He had an electric mower prior and I explained to him use and care, washing the deck, using high test gas, using fuel stabilizer (marine not the useless red stuff), especially when storing it, etc. I went over the Scotts mower and hung around while he mowed tall grass in the front yard. It was very pleasing to see my project go to work and work very well. So he loved it, and I enjoyed seeing it go to work, powering through the grass. Hopefully it gives him years of happy service. :smile:

He also had something for me, the electric mower he had been using. He said one day it died and wouldn't work afterwards. It's a Black and Decker CMM1000. Apparently he said it has a recall out, so I might get luck and get it fixed or replaced. Who knows but if that came to be it would be sweet. :biggrin:

While I was down there I got an email about someone interested in the very mower I was originally going to deliver. So this evening he came by and picked that up for $120 and says he'll drop off his old one at some point. I guess he paid like $200 for it last year from someone who fixes mowers, it wouldn't start shortly afterward, and the seller refused to do anything. Unlike that guy, I don't have a problem standing behind products I fix, but I did explain to him that its important to maintain equipment and winterize them.

Finally, I had just enough time to pick up the elusive 497725S air filter front that Yard Man, and a new recoil spring assembly for the Poulan Pro (it snapped the other day when the rope broke). I finished up the Yard Man, although I need to test it tomorrow and make sure it cold starts before letting the customer know its ready. Here's a few quick pics.







So busy and fruitful day overall.

Today I picked this gem up:



Unfortunately it may end up being merely a parts mower. The engine has no compression and the deck's rust is more than surface. If there's only the one small hole I found it may be salvageable, but I dunno.

Still, there's some good parts on it. A set of hub caps, two good wheels, drive components, engine parts, handle bars, cables, bag (although the design is weird), etc.

A mower I sold last year returned for service. He told me that at some point last year it wouldn't start without holding the governor and eventually not at all.

So after my failure with the Toro I decided to have a look at the carburetor...

Is that gunk buildup from one year? Amazing!

Less than 1 year and the thing is that's not gunk, its rust.

hanyoukimura said:

Less than 1 year and the thing is that's not gunk, its rust.

Click to expand...

It's amazing to me that people think that it's OK to leave a mower out in the rain.

All of the mowers I have are in the garage, and in the winter my mowers go in the warm basement. :tongue:

Of course I spoil them. They get washed after each use and detailed regularly. Just like my car!

How are you matching the paint? I noticed that your not cleaning over the labels, but the paint looks perfect in the pics. I have a feeling your a painter in you real life I have a troy bilt that needs some red paint from one of those that left their mowers outside

Thanks for the tour!!

EdG said:

How are you matching the paint? I noticed that your not cleaning over the labels, but the paint looks perfect in the pics. I have a feeling your a painter in you real life I have a troy bilt that needs some red paint from one of those that left their mowers outside

Thanks for the tour!!

Click to expand...

I've actually only applied paint to two mowers so far. One was that little MTD mower I completely restored for fun, and the other is the 21" Poulan Pro where I applied black Rust-olium to the lower portion of the deck.

All of the other I restore the paint using automotive care products, chiefly rubbing compound and a drill attached buffing pad leftover from when I restored my headlights. Even the cheap compound (like Turtle Wax) works wonder on weathered mowers, just takes a little elbow grease. :smile:

A busy day today.

I finished up the Poulan. For your enjoyment, before and after photos:

Before:





Now:











Almost looks new, even the wheels cleaned up well. :thumbsup:

After that I washed the Honda (used it a couple days ago), the push Poulan Pro which for now is my "beater" mower, as well as the Toro. Didn't have time for photos of those though.

My other project for today was swapping the Briggs engine from that red Craftsman to the green Craftsman with the blown Tecumseh motor. The green one was nasty. All kinds of oil soaked dirt and grass all over the underside of the deck and under the belt shroud.

I managed to get the hybrid mower together enough to try starting it before I had to clean up for work. First pull it fired up, and to my delight the crankshaft is, as I suspected, straight. Idles very smoothly. Good thing it fired up first pull though, as the rope snapped when I pulled it. >:/

Tomorrow if I have time I would like to hook up the drive system and see if it works. If so then I'll have a good mower to sell. :smile:

Photos tomorrow.

So the little Murray I got last year has finally gone to a new home...work! They bought the mower off me to mow the lawn round the building. They didn't need a huge mower so this little mulcher works perfectly.

This mower is a combination of a 20" Murray deck with the 3.5 Briggs Classic off a larger, rotted out Murray mower held together with duct tape. The Quantum engine found a home on a larger Yard Man (which I still need to finish).

Here it (and the duct tape mower) is last year when I got it.







And this morning right before I loaded it up to take it to work.







The paint's not perfect, but much better than it was!

Gotta say for a 3.5 horsepower motor that little Briggs is pretty ballsy. It managed to cut down weeds that were like 3 feet tall (first time this year the lawn has been mowed).

Since my work now owns it my boss put me in charge of maintenance, so it'll at least be well cared for. :smile:

Meanwhile, I got a whole bunch of Tecumseh carburetors in the mail today! These things are way cleaner than the stuff I've had to deal with, lol. I put one on the the Craftsman and sure enough, it fired up and stayed running. Tomorrow I just have to adjust the governor (it idles too high for my liking), change the oil, and its all set to sell again.

I think I'm going to continue to do what I've started doing lately and instruct buyer on how to care for their machines so things like rotted out carburetors don't happen. At least one person (the guy who bought the Scotts) seemed to be very grateful to learn about.

As an aside, it's nice to see these things being put back to use. Those two Murrays were on their way to the scrap yard, I just happen to be there to ask the scrap guy for them in exchange for some rotors I had from doing my brakes.

Well, the Poulan actually just sold for $135. :smile:

Nice guy, seems like he'll take good care of it, he said he uses Star Tron in all his gas and plans to store it inside, so that's good to hear. He and his wife liked it a lot. Both were impressed (and so was I when I finished fixing it) of how easy it is to start. A gentle pull of the rope is all it takes to get it going. It's come a long way, lol.

The Craftsman is now finished. The governor arm was out of adjustment, good now. Cleaned it up and now its ready to sell again.











I'm still amazed by the damage that was done to the carburetor considering that he seemed to take good care of it otherwise. The deck was pretty clean (although I shined up the paint), the oil had just been changed, so had the air filter and spark plug. Oh well. The new carburetor did the trick!

Well that was fast! The little Craftsman is gone for $84 (he forgot to bring an extra dollar lol).

Meanwhile...

I few a weeks ago I acquired a Craftsman self propelled bagger for $15. Owner said she heard a loud bang and the engine died. It's got no hole in the block that I can see but no compression either, so its probably toast. I'd like to know more about this engine though. It's a Tecumseh flat head but different from all the ones I've worked on before.





The deck itself is solid although around around the edges.

I've been playing with it the past few days, performing a heart transplant from this mower:



Pity how it looks nice at a glance but is thoroughly trashed. He was trying to mow boulders or something. The deck has big dents in it underneath, the blade is bent to hell, and two motor mounts are completely gone and the other was barely holding the engine on. I fear the worst bust decided to try transplanting it because it started right up.

So onto the green Craftsman it went. Luckily, Craftsman mowers are pretty similar in design, and everything bolted right up. The green one's blade is in great shape so I put it on and was rewarded with the an engine that not only fires right up but runs super smooth. Amazing the crankshaft wasn't damaged. I'll have to get some photos of the red deck before I scrap it to show just how bad it was.

The deck itself was filthy and oil covered underneath, and the paint was pretty on the left side, so I decided to see what I could do. I had hoped to get OEM paint, but they only place I can find it is SearsPartsDirect and they want $15 for that sh｡t. I ended up settling with Dark Hunter Green by Rust-olium I found at the hardware store, and blending the paint. Honestly, I don't think it came out too shabby. If I had done more prep work (I only sanded the rust and loose paint off, didn't smooth everything), it would have been even better. All things considered though, I think its a definite improvement, and it'll help keep the rust at bay.

So I've got a couple new members.

One of them is a friend's Toro Recycler he asked me to service. Had water in the gas and is pretty dirty. Carb bowl is corroded and the gaskets will need to be replaced, but it would eventually run before and should run well when done.







I also picked this up for $10 from a very nice person. He said he put 2-stroke in the tank and probably ran it still it died.



In good shape though. Assuming I can get it running it'll be a nice on to sell.

So the Yard Machines mower is a 11A-414F352. I've had one of these before, same exact same model. This one however, was in much better shape to start with (it also came with a bag). Now it looks practically new, especially after touching up the paint on the gas tank.

Turns out he put 2-troke oil in the gas tank. All I had to do was rinse out the tank, clean the carburetor, get the oil out of the combustion chamber, empty the oil out of the muffler, and replace the spark plug. Starts first pull now and runs great. All ready to find a new home.











I got the Yard Man all cleaned up. I'm kinda bummed that I never found a matching engine cover for it, but its not like anyone looking to buy it will care. I need to get bolts to mount the mulch plug (didn't come with them), and a bolt for the air cleaner shroud. I found a spare blade that will fit the deck, as the temp one that's on there isn't really any good. This one is good, just not pretty, So after sharpening/balancing it I spent a couple minutes with my wire brush attachment for the angle grinder and a coat of paint later and it goes from looking similar to this one...



...to this:





The mower as a whole has come a long way I think.





Especially considering from where it started.




I also got my friend's Toro back together, which started first pull. So now I just have to change the oil and do my special detailing and its all set.

The Craftsman is gone, for $145

Well the Toro is finally done. I took lots of photos because it turned out well, but also because I love the way these Recyclers look.























:biggrin:

I wouldn't think two-cycle gas would make much difference to a four-cycle engine as long as the mixture is the common 50:1. That's not much oil in the gas and the modern oils are engineered to burn completely.

The Toro Recycler does look good. My two-stroke Toro got a workout his past weekend. :biggrin:

Yeah the 2-cycle oil didn't seem to bother the engine once it was cleaned out and burned it off. starts up first pull and runs great.

The Toro, my friend was thrilled when I brought it to work. He said it wasn't his, looks too clean. :tongue:

Very happy with how it starts up first pull now as well.

The Yard Machines mower sold today, as partial trade I got a Craftsman 917.388961 mower. Same thing in essence as what he just bought except this is more powerful and has bigger wheels. It's in pretty good shape, just very dirty. It does need the recoil assembly worked on, the governor spring replaced, the wobbly left front wheel fixed or replaced, and the fuel system cleaned out, but should clean up well.

I have a Wheeler Grand Prix 22" model WDR 22H Looks like date code 32471 It runs but I need to replace the nylon gear in the vertical pull starter. Also need to find some kind of blade retainer to prevent the blade from just free spinning on the shaft. This mower was originally metallic gold as it's still visible under the stickers. Someone painted it green. It has a B&S 3.5 HP engine model 92908-1427-02 I think it's from the early 70's. Pictures attached
JW

hanyoukimura said:

Then I got this guy as a partial trade for the red MTD. Same deck as those $10 MTDs. It actually ran just not very well. Cleaning out the fuel tank, carburetor, and installing a new diaphragm solved that problem. Put a new wheel axle in to solve the wobbly rear wheel.

That little guy sold quickly too.

My latest acquisitions is a Craftsman 917-383740 3-in-1, although I can't figure out how it would discharge. This thing was a partial trade on the Weed Eater. Had super loose front wheel adjusters that wouldn't hold the mower up, and carburetor issues.

Funny thing is the inside of the carburetor itself wasn't all that dirty, far less so than some of the others I've worked on, yet it gave me quite a hard time. First it wouldn't get fuel, then it wouldn't stop leaking from the bowl. I also discovered that the oil was really thin and smelled like gas, so the first thing I did was drain it out and put fresh oil in it. Figured out that I hadn't installed the new seat all the way so the flow wouldn't let fuel in, and I hadn't cleaned the gasket surface n the carburetor good enough. It finally seems fixed, no more gas leak and it does get fuel. Will test it tomorrow and see if it can cold start without help from carb spray.

I've fixed the wheels already, and given it new oil, filter, and spark plug, so all it needs now it, assuming it starts good tomorrow, is a good cleaning and a blade sharpening and its ready to go to a new home.

As an aside, I cannot stand the backwards mounted engine. Drives me nuts!

The other new acquisition is this Wheeler Grand Prix WM-20 mulching mower. Not sure exactly how old it is, but what little information I could find puts its build date between 1978 and 1980. Hard to find any more info than that on this thing.

Right now its quite dirty, has too much oil in it, and no spark. I figure the points might need to be cleaned and adjusted, although I'm wondering about upgrading it to a Magnetron, although I'm not sure how one goes about doing that or which kit to get. Does anyone have experience with this?

Once I get it running I think I'll do a full restoration on it and keep it for myself. I've been wanting an older mower to have as part of my permanent fleet, they just seem neat.

What I'm wondering is how do I save the decals and/or get new ones made, especially for the manufacturer labels?

As far as future stuff goes, who knows, but I know for my permanent fleet I want one of those newer Toro Recycler mowers, they just look sleek and cool, and RWD, which means it can powerslide! :laughing:

I'd also like to acquire a 2-Stroke Lawn Boy. They seem quirky and different, kind of a like a Saab.

I'd also like an even older mower than the Wheeler at some point.

Click to expand...

That's a neat old mower that needs some TLC!

Man I forgot what the garage looked like not full of mowers. :laughing:

johnwargo said:

I have a Wheeler Grand Prix 22" model WDR 22H Looks like date code 32471 It runs but I need to replace the nylon gear in the vertical pull starter. Also need to find some kind of blade retainer to prevent the blade from just free spinning on the shaft. This mower was originally metallic gold as it's still visible under the stickers. Someone painted it green. It has a B&S 3.5 HP engine model 92908-1427-02 I think it's from the early 70's. Pictures attached
JW

Click to expand...

Those old Briggs engines tend to keep going. I have a few of them that outlasted their decks. BTW, it looks like the right rear wheel (looking from the front) is sagging -- probably the deck is rusted out -- a common problem.

Good stuff, i am going to go get 2, 4hp briggs mowers. they may already run that would be great considering there for free. i just use add buying mower 5 dollars each. still learning too. thanks alot for this thread you made.

The one thing i have tought myself doing this small engine thing is everything is for sale, another one will come along soon enough just when you think you will never see another like it. Happy tinkering.

just got them few hours ago both murrays. one black, one red. hope its just bad gas will see.

This one was more a labor of love than anything. I replaced the two junk front wheels with good spares I had, did a tune up, although it already had a new plug and new blade, serviced the carburetor and fuel system, and replaced the rope. Wouldn't want to run, until I replaced the governor spring, now it runs perfect. What a difference a new, correct spring makes!

The rest of the work was just cleaning the thing. Tons of grass underneath, very dirty on top as you can see, and the paint was very faded once it was clean. At least until I worked my magic. :biggrin:

Tomorrow if the weather is decent, I'm going to work on this one:



I think its a Craftsman, I forget. Guy emailed me asking if I could look at it for him and give him a price on repairing it. He dropped it off then told me the next day that his neighbor gave him one, so I could have it if I wanted. Sweet.

It turns out he bought this last year from another guy who sells mowers on the other side of town. I guess it ran fine at first but then wouldn't run correctly. As it turns out, somehow that intake tune have broken in half. I have to pick a new one up tomorrow.

The mower itself has been repainted, it looks decent except the guy never bothered to patch the small rust hole, I will.

I'm going to steal its wheels for one of my mowers and replace them with different ones that are in good shape, just not what I want for the mower I want these wheels for.

Well my Poulan Pro push mower now has a new set of wheels. I quite like the white on black, and not only are the wheels nice, but I fixed the axles so there's no more play in them either. It works so much better now. Promptly put it to work mowing the shop next door's back yard and the island between us, where some of the crap back there was four feet high! No sweat for this thing though. I love this mower. It's a real tank. Never once did the engine bog down. I originally had plans to sell it when I first got it, but this has become my "beater mower" to tackle the big stuff I wouldn't want to subject my nicer ones too. Not that it does get well cared for of course. :biggrin:



Meanwhile, the donor mower didn't make out completely empty handed. I took the wheels off an old Murray with a bad deck, so it got ball bearing, metal wheels all the way around.



That's about all I've had time for.

Today I picked up a lovely new tool to make boring plastic wheels easier and more precise, a Ryobi DP100 drill press. Very happy with it. :smile:



I have the weekend off, but besides mowing the lawn I doubt I'll get to an lawn mowers. This weekend's big project is replacing the evaporator core in my car.



Fun, fun, fun!

Well its been fun (not really, this took about 15 hours spread over 4 days) but now its done. I now have air conditioning! :biggrin:





Back to mowers :tongue:

Today was a productive afternoon.

I finally, finally finished the 11A-54MB055. It's been sitting around since last fall! My long shaft blade adapters came in and work perfectly to make the blade be at the proper level. It's already to go to a new home.











After I got that finished I turned my attention to the gray Craftsman mower. Replaced the intake manifold, replaced the spark plug, replaced the handlebars and blade brake cable, cleaned the carburetor, replaced the diaphragm, and primer bulb. Started second pull. I have to adjusted the throttle and governor springs, touch up small hole in the deck, and do a tuneup and it'll be all set to go.





Finally, I got this thing. It's a Yard Machine that was given to me. The engine is good (needs some work but runs), but the deck is beyond salvaging. The rear axles are even messed up. Note the wing not on the right axle. Good for parts though. I already stole the cable for the Yard Man. I'm thinking the engine may find a home on that Toro I have with the dead Tecumseh...

ok well i just got one like your ate up yardmachine. first thing noticed is the engine looks to big for the deck, not used to that one. the other 2 i have are running weak for some reason ill have to see what that could be.

You do a great job there!!! Looks like you have a thriving side business.:thumbsup:

Yeah it's not bad. :smile:

A man came buy today to look at the Yard Man and Craftsman. He didn't care for either as they didn't seem heavy duty enough for what he wanted. He then saw the Poulan Pro and asked about that. Long story short I reluctantly sold it for good money. I'll miss it though. It was a real tank that powered through waist high weeds without breaking a sweat, especially after putting those new wheels on.



Farewell old friend. Oh well I still have a self-propelled version in the basement.

I've decided to start tackling a project now that most of the current mowers are finished.



The engine's junk, sounds like thrown connecting rod, and while the paint looks ok in the photo, most of it is bubbled and no longer bonded with the metal.

Closer inspection today revealed that there's actually corrosion on the aluminum deck and it has some small holes in it.

So the first step was removing the engine and getting it cleaned up a bit the the pressure washer. After that I patched the holes. I've elected to use Quick Steel which seems to work great.



Before calling it a day I got 3 of the 4 wheels removed and most of the paint off, and the underside of the deck cleaned up. I might be able to finish prep tomorrow and if so I'll prime and paint it over the weekend when its less humid.

The new heart will come courtesy of this thing.



I'd love to find a Toro engine cover for it.

Great job on the auto air conditioner. That has to be one of the most difficult mechanical jobs -- working under the dash of a modern car (the old ones aren't so bad, generally.)

Do you know if the Suzuki engine will bold onto the Toro deck that you're restoring? I've heard that the different engines are interchangeable. I'm interested because I'd like to get a side-discharge deck for my Suzuki-Toro.

Keep up the good work.

Yeah it was a pain but it was worth it, especially today. We hit 97 degrees and I was perfectly comfortable in my car. :biggrin:

Bolt pattern wise it probably is. The Toro I'm working on now has patterns for what appears to be both side and front facing mounts. I can't stand side or rear facing engines so this one will face front.

Thing is the Suzuki Toro has a blade clutch plus the self propelled system so I'm not sure I could swap them. It'd be nice. I'd rather have the push Toro with the Suzuki for myself and sell the self-propelled model.

Got a bit more done today before work. I've gotten all of the loose paint and corrosion off. There's a few small areas to patch and then I have to sand it to make it look nice for paint.

A busy day today!

This morning a woman who was interested in the gray Craftsman called back wanting to come pick it up.

So with an hour's notice I went out and made sure everything was ready.

I got an email from a guy wanting the Yard Man. I told him I was avilable and he could come anytime.

About 20 minutes a woman pulled into teh driveway asking if I serviced mowers. I said yes and she had her daughter push it over (they live just up the road).

A little after that both peopel showed up and bought mowers.

Unfortunately something happened to the Yard Man and I got a call from the guy saying it wouldn't stay running halfway through mowing his yard. So he came back and I refunded $40 and gave him the red Craftsman. He never called back after that so I'm guessing it worked out.

After that was all sorted, I finished tuning up the woman's mower, which is a Toro 20432. It's clearly been reasonably cared for, as the chrome handle bars weren't severely rused and it ran pretty well. She just wanted it tuned up and cleaned because someone borrowed it and left it a mess. So I worked my magic and tried out some Killer Chrome I got for $1.95. Works well as you'll all see.

















The old girl cleaned up well!

So for one Craftsman I got another, it appears to be nearly new. She said it wouldn't stay running. A quick look shows someone tried very poorly to work on it. It's got a drywall screw where the 1/4 bolt the help hold the (loose) tank should be.







I didn't work on it at all today, too tired, but I did rinse it off.

This evening I also acquired yet another one of these Yard Machines. This will be the third one! They couldn't get it to stay running and sold it to me for $15. Very dirty but cleaned up well.









I also finally got around to working on a Honda HRM215 that the gentleman who I bought the drill press from dropped off. It wouldn't stay running and the the drive wouldn't stay engaged. A good carburetor/fuel system cleaning and cable adjustments took care of those issues.





It needs tires and new blades, as can be seen with this nifty close-up.



Unfortunately I discovered a bigger problem while inspecting the blades:





Not sure what to do about that. I wonder if this mower qualifies for Honda's lifetime warranty on Nexite decks. The owner bought it new.

I'm wiped. A productive day though. Sold 2 mowers, acquired and washed two, tuned up one, and got another running. Whew!

Good progress made.

Both the Craftsman and Yard Machines are finished. Both run great now. The Craftsman had a broken intake manifold. Replaced it and it started right up.







The MTD had a dirty carburetor and missing blade brake handle and cable. I ended up swapping the upper section of the handlebar with one from another mower since I didn't have a matching handle for the one that came with it. Went ahead and repainted the replacement handlebar and brake handle. Came out pretty nice. The paint on this one was pretty well faded, but nothing a good detailing couldn't fix!

still have not got to mine yet, thanks for your insight and good job.:thumbsup:

Thanks!

Yeah when I did my headlights I sealed them with 3M Scotchguard film. Alternatively you could use clear coat, or wax often. They still look as good as they day I did them.

Been pretty busy lately.

The HRM215 is all done with the exception of an air filter that's on order. Looks and works practically new.







The Yard Man finally sold (and hasn't come back!) to a man who left me this guy:





It actually runs, but the plastic throttle body for the blade brake cable broke. I have a new one for it. It's a Craftsman I guess, but I don't seen a model number on it anywhere, which is a bit of a problem because it could really use new rear drive wheels.

Someone brought two mowers (a Craftsman and a Troy-Bilt) as well as a chainsaw to be looked at.

The Caftsman had a seized control cable, broken recoil spring, rotted fuel line, and water in the carburetor.





It's all fixed and cleaned up now, it cleaned up well (forgot photos).

The Troy built had old gas in it, rotted fuel line, seized control cable, and the drive system doesn't really work. It's running now but I have to look at the drive system more closely, perhaps it needs a belt, I'm not sure. The deck's not in great shape. It's still solid but a lot of paint has peeled off, especially up front. Only going to get worse...





The last one I worked on today is an older Toro. Carburetor needed to be rebuilt. Starts first pull and runs great now. Drive system doesn't work but at least its light.



Cleaned it up a bit...paint's not in great shape so I went easy on it.







Oh and the Craftsman push mower sold.

Another productive day!

I got the Troy-Bilt running well I think, it'll need an extended test to be sure. It turns out that it was leaking oil from the head. Upon inspection I discovered that all of the lower head bolts were loose! Tightened them up and we'll see what happens.

I also got a black Yard Machines that was given to me running. Had an oil soaked air filter and oil in the carburetor, which as very dirty. Cleaned it up, put it back together, runs great. Didn't even have to replace the diaphragm.

I washed both mowers, the Yard Machines cleaned up very well and will shine like new one I work my magic on it. The Tory-Bilt cleaned up well enough, but there's only so much that can be done with paint that's peeling quite badly.

The Toro was finally picked up, glad to get some space back.

Today my order for the HRB215/HRM215 filters finally came in. I was pretty pleased to see these MaxPower air filters also come with the pre-filter. Put it in the HRM215, gave it a good test and let the customer know it was done. She seemed very pleased, complimented that it looks like a new mower now.

Busy busy!

I got four mowers from a friend who works removing rubbish. One of them was this Yard Machines. I didn't get any before photos but you can probably imagine what a typical lawn mower being thrown out looks like. Cleaned up great though! To get it running I really only had to clean out the carburetor and fuel tank and give it a tune up. Only spent $11 on it!

[/IMG]





That one sold quick.

In I got two Brute mowers identical to mine.



This poor thing sat all winter like this. Engine's not seized amazingly, but the flywheel key is sheered and the flywheel is cracked...need to find a flywheel for it.

This Brute also seems to have a sheered key but I haven't taken the nut off to see the extent of the damage yet. Hope the flywheel is ok. Weirdly both have seized drive wheels. Even stranger this makes 3 for 3 Brute with sheered keys and at least 2 broken flywheels (mine had a badly damaged one).



He also dropped this Poulan off yesterday. Missing some parts but hopefully the engine is still good since I have all the spares needed to make it whole.



I replaced the throttle body on the ServiceStar mower and topped off the oil. That thing runs like a champ and I love the one lever height adjust. Very handy when I used it to mow the neighbor's overgrown yard. I may repaint the deck, I'm not sure yet. At the very least it needs new rear wheels and a new belt (drive system is weak).

The other day a acquired two more freebees, a Lawn Chief and a Murray. Simple little things, the decks are solid and the Murray probably just needs a good cleaning.





Today I sold the red Yard Machines and got something interesting, an older 18" Toro...needs a wheel assembly and several engine parts...



Finally, my project with the other Toro has been coming along. After getting most of the old paint I primed it, sanded the primer, and gave it 4 coats of Rustoilum.









Not bad for spray paint and lots of surface imperfections! For fun I may wet sand and clear it, see how nice I can get the finish. Not sure yet. It'd be nice to finally start putting it back together again.

Its been a real pleasure to go over this post, may not be the top end mowers, but A who cares, to see someone who love's doing what they're do, and to receive satisfaction at the end of the each day. lovely photo's, lovely work, just reminds me of the old day's. good work keep it up.:thumbsup:

Thanks! I do enjoy working on them and giving these machines second chance.

Speaking of which, I had some time after work to tinker, so I cleaned out the carburetor and fuel tank of the Murray. The gas was very old in the tank, but at least it didn't leave varnish. Put it all back together with a new spark plug and it fired right up. I love this style Briggs engine, so easy to work on. Oh and I pulled the shroud off and removed all of the dried up old grass that had collected in there.

All I need to do now is change the oil, sharpen the blade, and clean it up and it'll be ready for a new home.

Productive if disappointing day.

The Toro's deck is mostly back together and looks not too shabby. I repainted various bolts
as well as the wheel height adjusters.







I then cleaned up and repainted the planned donor engine..











Not bad. But to my disappointment, when I went to test fit the engine I realized that will not, in fact mount front facing, only sideways or maybe back.



I don't like the look at all, so I'm going to save that engine for something else and use either a square Quantum or a Tecumseh engine similar to what was originally on it. Oh well.

In the meantime, I got the little Murray all cleaned up and ready for sale.

Great job you're doing man, don't ever stop!
I would however like to know how you manage the solid waste from these mowers. Old chassis and blown engine blocks.
They do tend to pile up and become an eyesore.

Grassbandit said:

Great job you're doing man, don't ever stop!
I would however like to know how you manage the solid waste from these mowers. Old chassis and blown engine blocks.
They do tend to pile up and become an eyesore.

Click to expand...

I give them to the scrap guy who picks up scrap from the shop next door. :smile:

hanyoukimura, I like how you post the pictures straight into the message rather than as an attachment. If I didn't see the pictures, I wouldn't have spent time reading every one of the postings and then deciding to join this forum. The pictures made all the difference. It's great to see all these old mowers coming back to useful lives. Very interesting to read as well!

I recognized the 18" Toro in one of your postings and my father-in-law has the same one. The reason he can still use it is because it is so light and easy to maneuver (he's almost 80). The mower's vintage is around 1985-1989, he thinks. I mow his lawn occasionally with it and notice that the emissions are a bit worse than typical -- not sure if that's because of the age or condition of the engine. As a result of your postings, I've come to appreciate this and other old machines more. Thanks for this thread and keep up the great work! :thumbsup:

sweet, i actually sold every walk behind mower i had ready for sale last weekend, i need more decks!! so much fun. I also donate my scrap to the local scrap guy, he loves the aluminum decks and when i dismantle the engines so he gets full scrap price for them.

Jimbo67 said:

hanyoukimura, I like how you post the pictures straight into the message rather than as an attachment. If I didn't see the pictures, I wouldn't have spent time reading every one of the postings and then deciding to join this forum. The pictures made all the difference. It's great to see all these old mowers coming back to useful lives. Very interesting to read as well!

I recognized the 18" Toro in one of your postings and my father-in-law has the same one. The reason he can still use it is because it is so light and easy to maneuver (he's almost 80). The mower's vintage is around 1985-1989, he thinks. I mow his lawn occasionally with it and notice that the emissions are a bit worse than typical -- not sure if that's because of the age or condition of the engine. As a result of your postings, I've come to appreciate this and other old machines more. Thanks for this thread and keep up the great work! :thumbsup:

Click to expand...

Glad you enjoy the thread and the photos. I love taking photos (I do it on the side semi-professionally) and I like to document my work to see before and after photos.

twinfords said:

sweet, i actually sold every walk behind mower i had ready for sale last weekend, i need more decks!! so much fun. I also donate my scrap to the local scrap guy, he loves the aluminum decks and when i dismantle the engines so he gets full scrap price for them.

Click to expand...

Business has been slow lately, first it was due to the dry weather in July and also because I've only had time to fix and have that little Murray for sale.

Today that changed as I moved got two mower running, one of them finished, and moved out 3 mowers and a chainsaw. I've got some space in the garage again!

First up are these two mowers from a month or so ago, a Troy-Bilt 12AV566N711 an d a Craftsman 917.388510. These and a chainsaw were brough to me to work on, none of them worked, one was a friend of his.



The Troy-Bilt was/is in sad shape. It's not that old, yet the paint is peeling badly, it had a nest under the recoil shroud, was filthy, seized blade brake cable, bad gas and filthy air filter as well as rusty spark plug and of course ditty oil. It clearly spends its days left outside, maybe under a pile of dirt, oh knows. With that in mind, I only did so much cosmetically because the paint is so bad.

When I first got it running it sputtered and ran poorly and the self-propelled system was weak. Some through cleaning and a good dose of Seafoam later and it's still not pretty, but it is clean and works great mechanically.



The other one was his.



It also suffered from bad gas, gummed up carburetor, and a general lack of maintenance, but it is at least in decent shape.



Runs great now as well.



The other thing he had was an "Eager Beaver" chainsaw.



Never worked on one before. All I did was empty out the tank and put some fresh mix in (with Seafoam) and adjust the carburetor. Seemed to work pretty well. Cut some wood with it.

After he picked those up today I was feeling productive, so I pulled out my neighbor's cheap Weed Eater that was given to him. I didn't get any photos of this one I don't think, but the issue with it was that the crank was really bent, and oil was in the gas tank and carburetor.

I swapped out the engine for one from the MTD I had kicking around. It burns oil but ran well, he doesn't care. So I swapped the Weed Eater shroud, tank, carburetor, and air cleaner (after cleaning them really well and replacing the diaphragm). Still smokes some but runs great and he was happy.

Finally, I decided to tackle this Poulan that was given to me.



This is one of those interesting case studies that makes you wonder what on earth the owner did to it during its life. I figured it was just missing the shroud from an attempt to fix it and they just threw it out without the shroud, but it must have been off for a while.



On both sides of the engine where the shroud would normally bolt down, were pieces of folded sheet metal, with broken away edges, like someone tried to make a home made shroud or something.



Around front, we see that it has the wrong spark plug, and that the governor spring was stretched out and wrapped around the throttle control spring!





Because I didn't have an extra handy, I did what I could to make this one useable.



I also found that it has the incorrect blade installed crooked on the blade adapter, there was water in the gas tank and carburetor, and the oil came out gray-ish. What a mess!

Its not done and currently the blade is off until I get the right adapter. However, I did get it to fire right up before I removed the blade. Started second pull. Not bad for a neglected and abused machine originally on its way to the scrap heap. Gotta love these little Briggs engines! I've got enough spare parts that this should hopefully looks pretty decent when its finished. I just need to get a new blade brake cable for it.

Good work, hanyoukimura. In particular, the close-ups of the engines are very clear. If only people with questions about non-running mowers would post good pictures like that.

Did you notice that this thread has over 10k page views? It's got to be one of the most popular ever. :thumbsup:

Macro is a wonderful camera setting. :biggrin:

10k? Wow that's pretty neato, explains why photobucket always unhappy with my bandwidth usage! :laughing:

Glad people enjoy it!

Making progress...

Well the day has come to call this Poulan finished.

I had to get a new blade for it because the one that was on it wasn't the correct type, and therefore wouldn't correctly mount. It is in good shape and fits MTD mowers, so its been sharped, painted, and put aside for another mower. Got a universal 20" blade for pretty cheap though.

I did quite a bit to this mower, just because I wanted to see the sort of turnaround I could perform.

This included painting the underside of the deck, the blade adapter, and mounting bolt.





I also painted the lower sides of the deck, as well the engine (high heat paint), and the tank. It's got a brand new air filter assembly too.

The shroud I used came from this MTD mower whose smoking but usable engine went onto my neighbor's Weed Eater.



The shroud has a 2-piece cover, a metal silver lower piece and a black plastic upper piece. Since the engine;s gone and the deck is unused, I decided I might as well put them on this Poulan. First thing was first though, to make it looks presentable, so I sanded it and used some Rust-oilum silver metallic. First time using that paint, gotta say it covers super well.









--









Not bad!

Finally it all came together and this is what it looks like all done, remember that it started out looking like this:



The end result:





















I'm pleased with it overall. I think the repainted cover makes the engine looks nicer too.

I don't think I'm going to use the plastic cover, partly because it says "Yard Machines" on it, but mostly because its in pretty rough shape. Lots of gashes in the plastic. Although I do like the look.







Time to find it a new home!

I gave the mower a test run, the engine's very powerful and didn't bog down at all even in the thick grass. It did sputter some blue smoke occasionally, although I'm thinking that may be from residual oil that might not have gotten out of the gas tank when I cleaned it. Forgot to mention it had both water and oil in the tank! I put some Seafoam in there and it improved the smoothness and the it stopped hiccuping for the most part. Love that stuff.

I do notice a metallic noise that seems to becoming from the recoil, so I think I'll pull it off and make sure everything is lubricated and in good shape. Other than that, she's a tough one!

Didn't get as much done as I wanted today, but I did make some progress.

I pulled the carburetor off of the lawn chief. It's got varnish all over the inside, the butterfly valve is stuck. I replaced it with another carburetor, it will start but dies after, so still some work to do.

Meanwhile. a string trimmer showed up at my house the other day with no note on it, so I guess it mine now! It's a Mcculloch Mac 65. Nothing fancy I guess. I don't know much about brands and such, but the price was right and I don't have a gas trimmer. So one $9 carb kit later and about 2 hours of tuning the carburetor and I now have my very own gas trimmer! First one I've ever worked one too.

Had some time to do a little work today. Placed the starter rope on the string trimmer, it was frayed at the based of the rope and would have broken soon. What a pain those are. As far as I can tell the only way to remove the old rope and install a new one is to take the pulley off, which makes the spring unwind (and those are a real PITA to recoil). Replace the rope, recoil the spring and carefully set it in the cup, then carefully slide it on the shaft and carefully slide the pulley over it, and put the retaining bracket back on. A pain for sure, but now I don't have to worry about the rope breaking.

I also finished the Lawn Chief. The carburetor that was on was so badly covered in varnish I just threw it away and put a spare one on. Starts first pull and runs great. It seemed to run at a low rpm even at full throttle, but it never bogged down even in thick grass so I guess its fine. Must have a lot of torque.

So here we are before.




And all done. I repainted the shroud and discharge shield (its metal).

I'd like to know what year it is but I don't know how to read the date code (39G). I don't understand why companies don't just put something like 01-25-86 or something understandable to a normal human.

Need an update!!! Love this thread!

Funny you should say that, I just finished up a mower. It's been quiet with the season winding down and I've been on vacation, but I acquired a free Craftsman 917.388553 mower. It was being throw out, bag included. I went to pull of the carb only to have the plastic bracket for the butterfly valve break. Never had that happen before.



I'll have to get a photo, but what I ended up doing was using plastic epoxy to hold it (barely) together, then use a heated paper clip to melt the plastic together, followed by melting sections of paper clip together to brace it. The result isn't pretty but seems to be solid. I hate plastic.

The carburetor may not have even needed to be serviced, as it looked totally clean. I cleaned it anyway though. The spark plug was covered in oil as was the inside of the muffler. I replaced the plug and cleaned out the muffler with carb cleaner and let dry. Started right up and after a couple minutes the smoke was gone and hasn't come back.

Here it is all done, its in really good shape.

Great looking mower, You have inspired me to take do a little repairing, saving mowers from the trash heap and reselling them. I came across a guy last week trying to get rid of 2 mowers that were not running sitting in his garage-one is a Yard Machines by MTD 11A-504C062 and the other is a Snapper LP21550V both with Briggs and Stratton engines. I gave him $20 for them. Already got the Yard Machines running with a Carb diaphragm/gasket and primer bulb replacement. The Snapper when I took the carb off it is so corroded I am going to have a hard time cleaning it, but that is ok. This past weekend I found 2 mowers (1 Ryobi 961160002 02 with Briggs and Stratton and 1 Yard-Man by MTD with 1P65M0 MTD Engine) and a walk behind Bolens gas edger with Briggs and Stratton for sale for $35. Neither mower was running, got the Yard-Man running with carb clean and the Ryobi will need and carb overhaul (been sitting for awhile). The Bolens edger starts and runs fine but needs the blade angle lever and spring ($12 parts). I think I am off to a good start. I plan on keeping the edger and selling the mowers. This is very enjoyable! Thanks for the updates on all your projects!!!!

kyoshofan1 said:

Great looking mower, You have inspired me to take do a little repairing, saving mowers from the trash heap and reselling them. I came across a guy last week trying to get rid of 2 mowers that were not running sitting in his garage-one is a Yard Machines by MTD 11A-504C062 and the other is a Snapper LP21550V both with Briggs and Stratton engines. I gave him $20 for them. Already got the Yard Machines running with a Carb diaphragm/gasket and primer bulb replacement. The Snapper when I took the carb off it is so corroded I am going to have a hard time cleaning it, but that is ok. This past weekend I found 2 mowers (1 Ryobi 961160002 02 with Briggs and Stratton and 1 Yard-Man by MTD with 1P65M0 MTD Engine) and a walk behind Bolens gas edger with Briggs and Stratton for sale for $35. Neither mower was running, got the Yard-Man running with carb clean and the Ryobi will need and carb overhaul (been sitting for awhile). The Bolens edger starts and runs fine but needs the blade angle lever and spring ($12 parts). I think I am off to a good start. I plan on keeping the edger and selling the mowers. This is very enjoyable! Thanks for the updates on all your projects!!!!

Click to expand...

Glad you enjoy it and that its inspired you!

I recently got a chance to get some work done on the machines.

First up was that Craftsman. For some reason it would not prime no matter how many times I pressed the primer. I'm not sure how or why, but the problem ended up being the bracket that holds the primer bulb and mounts to the carburetor. It looks perfectly fine, but even after replacing the bulb it still wouldn't work. I borrowed one from an unused engine and it worked. While I was working on it I finally figured out how to replace that broken piece.



This is the repair, and after much work it did seem to be strong, though ugly. However, I've been concerned about its long term durability and didn't want it coming back to me broken. I had the carb off and was just looking it over (I though it was the reason it wasn't priming at first), when I realized that the butterfly valve is just shoved through a slit in the plastic shaft. All it too to remove it was a gentle tug with a pair of pliers. All that time I spent trying to figure out how to remove it and then trying to fix it, and the solution took only a couple seconds! I replaced it with a good one from another carburetor, put it all together, and she's as good as new.

Today was really nice out, so I did some more work. I decided to tackle that 2-stroke Toro today. I figured out that the grinding noise it would make when the recoil was fully tightened down was coming from the bolts being too long and rubbing the flywheel, so I put spacers on and shorter bolts. Replaced the worn blade and put the shield back on and mowed the lawn with it for the first time. Sometimes it would seem like the blade would stop spinning and would clog up, but I guess the reason was because the thing bags really well and fills the big bag up quickly and since the blade is belt driven, it'll slip when there's blockage, I guess. I'm not really family with how these older Toros work. I do really like the drive system, which when in gear doesn't move until you start pushing, so when you make a turn the wheels aren't spinning and digging into the ground.





Wish I had a mulch plug for it though.

After that I decided to tackle a Craftsman push mower I got as trade for hat small Murray I sold. I didn't get any before pictures, which is too bad, but this poor thing was beat to hell. I was prepared to declare this thing a total loss. The brackets that hold the handlebars and wheels on were both so loose that the handlebars couldn't stay upright and the whole assembly would just rotate freely. All of the movement had caused the tabs that help hold the bracket in place to tear into the metal deck, and on one side the metal was so worn around the main bolt it was almost big enough for the nut to come out.

The problem seems to be that when it was assembled, he neglected to put the secondary retaining bolts in to keep the bracket secure. I used 1/4 bolts with locking nuts, straightened the deck, replaced an axle bolt after it sheered, and used a big washer to help compensate for the enlarged hole where the axle bolt goes through. I have to say I'm pretty pleased with the results. Once I got it all back together the brackets were nice and tight with no play, and the wheels and handle bars had no play either.

Here's a look at the repair.



And here it is after the repairs were completed.





Next up is to see if I can get it to run. As you may have noticed, it has no muffler and must have been running rich. At first I thought the genius had taken the muffler off for whatever reason, but closer inspections hows that the base of the muffler is still threaded in, it blew off someone! It took a several tries with vise grips but I managed to get it off.



So now it has a replacement muffler on it. I still need to get an air cleaner assembly, clean out the carb and tank and replace the plug to see if it'll fire. We'll see!

Finally, I wiped the Brute down and put it in the basement for the winter. I have enough in the garage to use for the rest of the season.

hanyoukimura said:

Sometimes it would seem like the blade would stop spinning and would clog up, but I guess the reason was because the thing bags really well and fills the big bag up quickly and since the blade is belt driven, it'll slip when there's blockage, I guess. I'm not really family with how these older Toros work.

Click to expand...

My older Toro does the same thing. Even with a new blade belt, sanding of the belt surfaces, cleaning and lubrication of the whole mechanism. Good feature to have though, so someone doesn't hit a rock and ruin the whole engine.

On a side note, I love reading the updates on your thread. It is quite inspiring

I'm glad to hear that your two-cycle Toro is running well. I really like mine and it gets lots of use. For me it occupies a place between a regular lawn mower and a brush mower.



It's good to see this thread going strong. :thumbsup:

My one real problem is it that the "C" height on one the rear wheels is worn so it collapses. I have to either have it in B or D, a shame since I usually set my mowers to the middle (C) setting. Since the slot is cast into the deck, I don't see how I could fix it.

hanyoukimura said:

My one real problem is it that the "C" height on one the rear wheels is worn so it collapses. I have to either have it in B or D, a shame since I usually set my mowers to the middle (C) setting. Since the slot is cast into the deck, I don't see how I could fix it.

Click to expand...

If you really wanted it fixed, you could find a guy that does tig welding out of his garage to add a bit of metal to it. I had a decent oil leak fixed in a piece of cracked cast aluminum on my motorcycle. Took it to a shop and it took a long time because the porous aluminum had soaked up oil and was releasing it as the guy was welding. Had to completely fill in a 3" x 1/2" by 1/2" area. Worked great and cost me $32. I'm sure that a little pea-sized weld wouldn't cost but $5-$10.

However, I think some of those Toro decks were magnesium, I'm not sure if that can be welded. My Toro is aluminum but it's one of the later models.

Today I did some work on that Craftsman, cleaned the carburetor fuel tank, and replaced the diaphragm. The good news is that it fired right up. The bad news is that it has a death shake. Turns out that the crank is bent and there is a crack near one of the bolts. Very disappointing, especially after getting the wheels/handlebars back together.

Still, with little to lose besides time, I decided to try a trick I once saw. Tipping the mower on its side, I rotated the crankshaft until the bent angle was facing up, then whacked it a few (several) times with a 2.5 lb. sledgehammer. To my delight it, while not perfect, did lessen the severity of the bend, and even with a crack the engine runs without vibrating.

As for the crack, it's about 3 inches around the outer edge of the engine mount, right before the metal dips to form the channel. I'm wondering if JB Weld will work to reenforce it.

Personally, I would be really concerned about safety with that, especially selling it to someone. I've seen the sledgehammer trick and wonder how it affects things inside the engine like bearings and whatnot. The crack could probably be fixed with JB Weld but after using some of that to fix a shroud on an engine and seeing it re-crack partially, I don't have much confidence in JB Weld in high vibration situations. If it were me, I would take a long look at this mower and figure out if it's worthwhile to sell to make a quick buck. The crankshaft could come back to bite you later on. With that said, it's still great that you go to so much effort to recycle these mowers and make some spending money doing it. Just my thoughts

the last 2 numbers on the middle number on the briggs plate is the yr.:smile:

man i have to bow to you its nice to see people like you take something and give it a new life :thumbsup::drink::cool2

I know its off season but I am in Florida and I am still buying, repairing and selling mowers. Anyone else out there.

Just thought I would put a link to my YouTube page where I post the videos of the mowers I have repaired and sold.

TheLawnmower72 - YouTube

Well its been a quite, cold, and snowy winter, so not much got done. However, Spring is finally here and that means its time to get busy!

The red Craftsman has been sold and the Lawn Chief is pending Thursday pickup. Yesterday I went and replenished my inventory. Here's what I got:



Everything you see fit in that little car, all doors closed, windows up, trunk closed. Yes, I have skill. :tongue:



I'm hoping to get at least one weed wacker and one leaf blower going, since I want them for myself. That Homelite is pretty neat. I've never seen one with the engine mounted at the base, and can stand up on its own.

I've got a Briggs Quantum, wheels, and big wheel brackets from a rusty mower.

As for mowers, I got Weed Eater.



A newer Lawn Chief.



An older Craftsman.



This very solid looking Toro.



And most interesting of all, one I may keep, this Jacobson. I know nothing about it besides it looks neat and the deck is aluminum.



Oh, and a coworker's Lawn Boy, model 7229.



I've already got it running.

It's good to hear from you. :thumbsup:

You've got a couple of gems in your latest haul. The Lawn-Boy (with F-series engine) is a great mower and you can't buy those new anymore. I wouldn't be too quick to let that go.

I also like the old Jake. Those alloy decks last forever... and that's often the first thing to go on a Briggs-powered steel deck mower. If it gets used only on level ground, that mower could last a lifetime with routine maintenance.

The trimmer with the engine on the bottom is interesting but a bad place to put the heavy part => makes it tough to handle.

Two-Stroke said:

It's good to hear from you. :thumbsup:

You've got a couple of gems in your latest haul. The Lawn-Boy (with F-series engine) is a great mower and you can't buy those new anymore. I wouldn't be too quick to let that go.

I also like the old Jake. Those alloy decks last forever... and that's often the first thing to go on a Briggs-powered steel deck mower. If it gets used only on level ground, that mower could last a lifetime with routine maintenance.

The trimmer with the engine on the bottom is interesting but a bad place to put the heavy part => makes it tough to handle.

Click to expand...

Thanks!

The Lawn Boy is my coworker's, I'm fixing it for her so I can't keep it. :laughing: But that's ok, I have one (which I still need to work on) in the basement.

I think I will keep the Jacobson, its pretty neat. The person I got these from had a couple other ones I wanted, including an older Snapper. Weighs a ton! Couldn't fit it on that trip, maybe next time if its still there.

hanyoukimura said:

Thanks!

The Lawn Boy is my coworker's, I'm fixing it for her so I can't keep it. :laughing: But that's ok, I have one (which I still need to work on) in the basement.

I think I will keep the Jacobson, its pretty neat. The person I got these from had a couple other ones I wanted, including an older Snapper. Weighs a ton! Couldn't fit it on that trip, maybe next time if its still there.

Click to expand...

A female co-worker with great taste in mowers... nice. :cool2:

Here's a photo of my old Jake. It's got the Briggs engine like yours, alloy deck, and wheels made to last forever (if you keep them greased.)

The engine is pretty well gone since I used it a lot on sloped areas (oil goes to one side... bad :thumbdown: ).

I've got to fix it one of these days since I can't let it go. It was my main mower for many years in Atlanta before I subjected it to the tough terrain of Cleburne County.

Two-Stroke said:

A female co-worker with great taste in mowers... nice. :cool2:

Here's a photo of my old Jake. It's got the Briggs engine like yours, alloy deck, and wheels made to last forever (if you keep them greased.)

The engine is pretty well gone since I used it a lot on sloped areas (oil goes to one side... bad :thumbdown: ).

I've got to fix it one of these days since I can't let it go. It was my main mower for many years in Atlanta before I subjected it to the tough terrain of Cleburne County.

Click to expand...

They sure don't make them like they used to!

In all honesty my coworker knows nothing about lawn mowers, if I had told her it was dead she was just going to get a cheapo new one. Maybe I should have said it was dead. :tongue:

Oh, maybe you can help me with this one. It's a shroud on an older Briggs Quantum. The recoil spring is broken and I want to replace it but it's not held one with a screw like the newer models. How does it come apart?

hanyoukimura said:

They sure don't make them like they used to!

In all honesty my coworker knows nothing about lawn mowers, if I had told her it was dead she was just going to get a cheapo new one. Maybe I should have said it was dead. :tongue:

Oh, maybe you can help me with this one. It's a shroud on an older Briggs Quantum. The recoil spring is broken and I want to replace it but it's not held one with a screw like the newer models. How does it come apart?

Click to expand...

I can't help with the recoil except to say that I'd look around for a good used replacement. There are lots of those old Briggs engines around.

Has your co-worker had the LB for a long time? It's a great mower -- definitely worth fixing.

This thread is amazing! you have inspired me to start doing the same and I'm already looking around for mowers that people are throwing out. By far my favorite thread on any of the forums I belong too:thumbsup:

afoulk said:

This thread is amazing! you have inspired me to start doing the same and I'm already looking around for mowers that people are throwing out. By far my favorite thread on any of the forums I belong too:thumbsup:

Click to expand...

Thanks! Glad people enjoy this thread. :smile:

The older Lawn Chief just went to a new home, they seemed very happy with it. The Toro is now up and running. I was expecting a real can of worms in that carburetor but to my surprise it wasn't bad at all. Someone had drained all the gas out at some point, it was bone dry. All it took was a little cleaning on the inside (and a lot on the outside) and it started on the second pull! I was even able to reuse all of the parts except the needle, which had a but of rust on the tip, even the gaskets were in good shape. All it needs now is for the air cleaner assembly tog o back together, then a good cleaning and tune-up.

Two-Stroke said:

A female co-worker with great taste in mowers... nice. :cool2:

Here's a photo of my old Jake. It's got the Briggs engine like yours, alloy deck, and wheels made to last forever (if you keep them greased.)

The engine is pretty well gone since I used it a lot on sloped areas (oil goes to one side... bad :thumbdown: ).

I've got to fix it one of these days since I can't let it go. It was my main mower for many years in Atlanta before I subjected it to the tough terrain of Cleburne County.

Click to expand...

Two stroke,
Want me to ship you a toro/Suzuki 2cyl engine for that jake? Then you can do all the hills you want. You cover shipping and I'll seriously do it. Will need an air filter, primer bulb and a blade.

By the way, Lawn Boys like the one I'm working on use 32:1 oil/gas mix right?

Parkmower said:

Two stroke,
Want me to ship you a toro/Suzuki 2cyl engine for that jake? Then you can do all the hills you want. You cover shipping and I'll seriously do it. Will need an air filter, primer bulb and a blade.

Click to expand...

That's a very generous offer... thank you. :thumbsup:

However, I don't think the Suzuki engine will work on the Jake deck that I have. There is one unusual thing about that deck: the engine sits very low so the bottom part of the crankshaft is very short. I have a couple of those Toro/Suzuki mowers and I'm 99.99% sure that those engines would not work on the Jake because the [Suzuki] crankshaft is too long (measuring from the deck mount to the blade mount.)

My plan to fix the Jake is to use the present crankshaft along with some parts from some other old Briggs engines to make a reasonably good engine that will fit that deck. It would be great to have such a fine engine as the Suzuki on the mower but I don't think it's practical -- at least without some fairly expensive machine shop work.

hanyoukimura said:

By the way, Lawn Boys like the one I'm working on use 32:1 oil/gas mix right?

Click to expand...

I run them at 50:1 since the newer, high-tech oils are better and can protect the engine very well even if diluted more. BTW, running 50:1 seems to reduce crud buildup in the exhaust system.

Don't forget to grease the wheel bearings -- that seems to be the thing that wears out first on the old LBs.

The Lawn-Boy F-series could be the best consumer push mower engine ever made and those alloy decks will last forever -- or until they get hit by something heavy and hard. :confused2:

Two-Stroke said:

I run them at 50:1 since the newer, high-tech oils are better and can protect the engine very well even if diluted more. BTW, running 50:1 seems to reduce crud buildup in the exhaust system.

Don't forget to grease the wheel bearings -- that seems to be the thing that wears out first on the old LBs.

The Lawn-Boy F-series could be the best consumer push mower engine ever made and those alloy decks will last forever -- or until they get hit by something heavy and hard. :confused2:

Click to expand...

I told her32:1 although in all honesty the test fuel is my 50:1, hah

Perhaps in hindsight I should have told her it was junk and kept it for myself. :tongue:

Finished it up today and mowed the front yard with it and the Toro (also finished). I have to say its pretty quiet considering its a 2-stroke, i guess since the exhaust comes out under the deck? It really flings the grass!

Here's come photos of how it cleaned up. Pretty good I think, it was mostly caked on dirt. But first, the scary air "filter".



Can't believe the carburetor hadn't clogged up! Took 20 minutes just to clean the housing and cover out.



And here it is all done:













I also finished the Toro up today:



















Not bad for what had originally been on its way to the scrap heap.

Starts first pull every time too. I'm quite pleased with how this one turn out.

They both look fine. I hope you told your co-worker and LB owner what a fine machine she owns.

Two-Stroke said:

They both look fine. I hope you told your co-worker and LB owner what a fine machine she owns.

Click to expand...

Yeah I did, I told her she should take care of it now that its all set, you can't buy one like that anymore.

First u is a little update on the Lawn Boy. I used steel wool and water on the handlebars, and boy what a difference! I can't beleieve how well they cleaned up. not perfect, but much better than before.







The main project for the day was this Craftsman.



I guess its only fair that since the Toro was easy, with a relatively clean carburetor and dry, clean fuel tank, that this one would give me a hard time.

First up thing was to give it a quick was to get the crud off. Then I began work by addressing the ignition coil, which was missing the end of the wire. I replaced it with s spare I had, pulled out the old plug to find it nasty looking, and put a new one in. Next up, the was the carburetor.





Yuck! That's easily one of the worst I've dealt with so far, and only the second one that was so bad it wasn't worth keeping. The air filter was disgusting and the bracket it hooks onto was covered in corrosion...on plastic! The intake manifold was no better, one of the bolts the held the throttle bracket on sheered off, so the entire assembly was junk, I just had to throw the whole thing out. The only thing I ended up reusing was the throttle bracket, which I hit with a little flat black and WD-40 to free up the linkage.

Luckily, I had a spare carburetor, intake manifold, and air filter bracket that were the correct type and in decent shape. A little cleaning and she was good as new.



Much better!

Of course it didn't end there. After I got it back together I went to add gas and and realized there was still old fuel/water in the tank, so I had to take it out, take the carburetor off, and clean both out. After it was all back together it wouldn't start, a shot of carb cleaner got it to cough to life and blow smoke then die. Finally, it started, the surged to a very high rpm while blowing blue smoke. Adjusting the throttle down didn't do much, but when I let go of the blade brake it kept running. Had to yank the coil off the plug. Turns out the while the cable was fine, and the mechanism connected to the cable worked, the release for the brake itself had seized. After freeing that up, I went to start it and ran for second then died. After that I couldn't get it to so much as cough. Pulled the new spark plug out and found some oil on it. Cleaned it off and tried again. Nothing. Stumped, I pull the plug out again and grounded it. No spark! Turns out the replacement coil was junk, so I grabbed another spare, put it all back together yet again, and tried once more. Success! Started right up on the first pull, no smoke, idling at normal rpm.

Now it just needs a new blade (old one is rotted), and I'm debating what to do with the deck. It's solid but could use some love to make it more appealing. I thought about touching it up, but that would mean getting the right paint, which always seems to be tricky. I have some silver paint, I could just use it, or perhaps to make it look uniform, take everything off, lightly sand, and spray the whole thing.

Here it is for now. A lot better than it was.

That's a good tip for the Lawn-Boy handle. I've never tried to make one look better and now I'll have to give that a try.

It's prime mowing season down here so I'm putting lots of hours on my mowers.

Two-Stroke said:

That's a good tip for the Lawn-Boy handle. I've never tried to make one look better and now I'll have to give that a try.

It's prime mowing season down here so I'm putting lots of hours on my mowers.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I'm impressed with how well it cleaned up.Gonna try this trick on the Suzuki Toro and the Jacobsen.

The Craftsman is all done now. Turned out pretty good I think!

How is your Suzuki-Toro? You may have updated us but, if so, I forgot... and this thread is HUGE. :laughing:

I've been using mine a lot lately and it always seems ready to tear through tall grass. I like the mower so much that I have a spare one ($20, non-running but good compression, etc.)

I was even tempted recently when I saw a couple of commercial Suzuki-Toros on CraigsList (both for $100 non-running but probably pretty good.) That ad disappeared in a couple of days. I think these mowers are getting a following.

Two-Stroke said:

How is your Suzuki-Toro? You may have updated us but, if so, I forgot... and this thread is HUGE. :laughing:

I've been using mine a lot lately and it always seems ready to tear through tall grass. I like the mower so much that I have a spare one ($20, non-running but good compression, etc.)

I was even tempted recently when I saw a couple of commercial Suzuki-Toros on CraigsList (both for $100 non-running but probably pretty good.) That ad disappeared in a couple of days. I think these mowers are getting a following.

Click to expand...

Well, it's clean and running, but I haven't done much with it yet. It needs a belt or something, since as I recall from last year the belt would slip and the blade would slow down/stop in thick grass. I need need to mow the grass though, guess I need to decide which mower to use! :laughing:

Cleaned up the electric mower I got, looks brand new now.









I've also been working on this Craftsman from last year. Earlier in the thread I mentioned it was really beat up. Muffler had blown off, rear wheel/handlebar brackets were so lose the handlebars just sort of flopped back and forth, deck had a crack at one of the engine mounts.



Still, I enjoy a challenge and have been working on it off and on. I fixed the brackets and recently had a friend weld the crack as well as a metal plate under where it cracked. This of course left and area of primer (he primed the welded area), and Craftsman paint colors are a paint to get, so I got some Duplicolor Perfect Match automotive paint, sanded the area, and painted the whole deck. The photos below are today after applying clear coat, which I will wet sand then buff to see how it comes out.







If it comes out smooth and shiny, it'll have been good practice for the Jacoben I've decided to restore. It won't be orange, since I can't find any metallic orange I had wanted to use. So I'm thinking one of of my favorite reds instead: Chrysler's Inferno Red Metallic.

As of tonight, the Toro is gone to a new home.

So this little Craftsman has been a good learning experience with paint, clear coat, and wet sanding. It coming along pretty good I think, and the lessons learned will be applied to the Jacobsen and other mowers I want to repaint, as well as for automotive body work.

hanyoukimura said:

As of tonight, the Toro is gone to a new home.

Click to expand...

You sold the four-stroke Toro that you mentioned about two weeks ago -- right? If you sell the Suzuki-Toro, I would hope that you find a special buyer. Not everybody appreciates fine mowers. :laughing:

That painted deck looks great, BTW.

Two-Stroke said:

You sold the four-stroke Toro that you mentioned about two weeks ago -- right? If you sell the Suzuki-Toro, I would hope that you find a special buyer. Not everybody appreciates fine mowers. :laughing:

That painted deck looks great, BTW.

Click to expand...

Yeah the 4-stroke. The Suzuki is mine. :biggrin:

Two-Stroke said:

You sold the four-stroke Toro that you mentioned about two weeks ago -- right? If you sell the Suzuki-Toro, I would hope that you find a special buyer. Not everybody appreciates fine mowers. :laughing:

That painted deck looks great, BTW.

Click to expand...

Sounds like you've found a buyer here if you ever decide to sell it;-) x2 on the deck

What a difference some TLC makes! Got this little guy pretty much done today.



I had a set a matching wheels handy for it, repainted the engine so it looked presentable, worked magic on the deck's paint, and did the usual tune up proceedures. Only thing out of the ordinary I had to buy was a new cable.

Well its been a long time coming, but I finally got this Craftsman done. Here's where we started:



To recap, the crankshaft was bent, the blade was bent, the muffler was broken off at the base, the coil wire was missing, the deck was cracked at 2 motor mounts, and the back wheel/handle bar brackets were so loose that everything just sort of flopped about. To anyone else it was probably junk, but I wanted to see what could do.

I was almost going to write it off, but I managed to straighten the brackets and install the extra retaining bolt on each side that was missing from both sides. I then straighten the crankshaft, replace the ignition coil, remove what was left of the muffler and put a replacement on, and fix the brackets. So I got a friend to weld the deck up. After that, I was going to try getting away with repainting just the area that was welded, but the closest match I could find was darker and more metallic. So I elected to repaint the whole deck, and use it as practice for working with automotive paint and finishing. The results, I think, are quite good. I also repainted the gas tank. Today I finally wrapped it up by installing the engine, a new blade, the handles bars, cable, primer bulb, fresh oil, spark plug, cleaning and greasing the wheels. Here are the final results:












I think that's about as close to new as its ever going to look. Honestly, I like the new color better. Time for a new home!

Meanwhile, all 3 movers (Lawn Chief, Craftsman, and Black & Decker) sold within the last 2 days.

I wondered when we would hear from you again Love seeing what your latest projects are. I finally picked up a couple freebies myself, but the spare money just isn't there right now, my wife was off work for 3months after having our second son.

afoulk said:

I wondered when we would hear from you again Love seeing what your latest projects are. I finally picked up a couple freebies myself, but the spare money just isn't there right now, my wife was off work for 3months after having our second son.

Click to expand...

Something look forward to though!

I got a pretty nifty freebie this week. It's an Ariens mower. Trying to figure out why it won't fire at all. That Craftsman sold yesterday, what a turnaround! I got another Craftsman in trade, it's a green Tecumseh powered one.

The Ariens is coming along nicely, it runs great now, I didn't get a chance to really test the drive system, but it did move forward when I engaged it. Seemed a bit weak to me, maybe needs a new belt or to be adjusted, but that belt must be a real PITA to replace, since there's that blade clutch covering it.

Meanwhile, that gray Craftsman went to a new home and I got a green one as trade.





The cable is shot and the brake mechanism itself my be broken, but I have a spare. Very dirty but didn't look rusty and has compression.

hanyoukimura said:

Click to expand...

Is that coat hanger wire? :laughing:

When I was a kid (many moons ago) using that (as opposed to getting an actual replacement part :ashamed was the big joke while today the joke is usually duct tape.

Two-Stroke said:

Is that coat hanger wire? :laughing:

When I was a kid (many moons ago) using that (as opposed to getting an actual replacement part :ashamed was the big joke while today the joke is usually duct tape.

Click to expand...

Yeah, but not the worst thing I've seen done to a mower I've taken it. :laughing: I think the worst is either the drywall screw used to hold a governor spring in place or the duct tape rotted out deck.

Tuesday I will have time to work on both this and the Ariens, which is running well now and is down to cosmetics and the blade being sharpened. I plan to do touchup work to it to make it look nice for when I sell it. I have to say, I've never seen such a fast mower. If it were any faster I would have to run to keep up with it!

Great thread! I was reading on my phone at the family cookout yesterday!:laughing:

hanyoukimura said:

...
I have to say, I've never seen such a fast mower. If it were any faster I would have to run to keep up with it!

Click to expand...

That makes me think the governor may be set wrong. Is there any way to adjust it? I can't believe it was designed that way.

Anyway -- keep up the good work as this thread inches toward 20k views. :thumbsup:

I spent most of the day working on the Ariens' appearance. I was hoping to just do a bit of touching up, but it turned into quite a project because large amounts of paint had separated from the metal, which had rusted underneath. Of course, this thing is built like a tank, so all of it was just surface rust. I stripped the loose paint and cleaned the rust off then repainted various areas. It's not perfect, up close you can see where the edge of the old and new paint, but from a few feet away its hard to tell, and makes a big difference in curb appeal I think. Everything seems to be working well, except the starter. I need a battery to find out if it actually works, shame it costs nearly $80 for one!

I'll get finished photos tomorrow, but here's some WIP photos.

Two-Stroke said:

That makes me think the governor may be set wrong. Is there any way to adjust it? I can't believe it was designed that way.

Anyway -- keep up the good work as this thread inches toward 20k views. :thumbsup:

Click to expand...

I dunno, when you adjust the speed control all the way down it's nice and slow, I guess it just has dreams of being a race car.

And now for my favorite part: the before and after!









Only thing left to do is sharpen and repaint the blade, and it'll almost look new. :biggrin:

I'm wondering what I could realistically get for it. I think it's worth $450 all day long, especially since it'll come with a new battery and a trickle charger, assuming the starter works once I get the battery and hook it up. Especially considering a new one of these sells for over $800, but would it sell for $450? I wonder.

I managed to apprehend a batter from a Lawn Boy that was sitting outside of a shop I know. He let me have it, and amazingly it took a charge. It cranked slow, maybe that's why the starter didn't always engage? However it did catch eventually and had enough power to start the engine. I was pretty pleased by that. I wonder if a new battery with a full charge would crank faster and make the starter engage more easily? Will the starter not engage if it's cranking to slow? First time dealing with electric start so I'm unfamiliar with them. However, the fact that it did manage to start is a good sign I think.

He also had a push Ariens out back and let me have the front wheels and one of the front height adjusters, which is great since the fronts are bald and one of the adjusters is broken.

Only issue now is that it strangely died after running for a couple minutes. This happened once before and I'm not sure why. Any thoughts?

Gotta say I love following your thread

As for the electric start, it could be the starter or the battery or the wiring. See about jumping from a car battery. If it behaves no different then it's not the battery. The starter can engage but not turn over the engine if it's not pushing the amps through (weak battery, shorting armature in the starter, partial short or weak connections in the wiring). After jumping from a car battery, clean all the battery connections and if that fails, you probably need a new starter.

On the running and stopping after a while, could be it's draining the carb bowl faster than the needle is letting gas in?

natenkiki2004 said:

Gotta say I love following your thread

As for the electric start, it could be the starter or the battery or the wiring. See about jumping from a car battery. If it behaves no different then it's not the battery. The starter can engage but not turn over the engine if it's not pushing the amps through (weak battery, shorting armature in the starter, partial short or weak connections in the wiring). After jumping from a car battery, clean all the battery connections and if that fails, you probably need a new starter.

On the running and stopping after a while, could be it's draining the carb bowl faster than the needle is letting gas in?

Click to expand...

I tried with a car battery before I got this little one, but it blew the inline fuse, so I haven't tried since.

Good thinking on the fuel delivery, perhaps the float needs to be adjusted.

Glad you enjoy the thread!

hanyoukimura said:

I tried with a car battery before I got this little one, but it blew the inline fuse, so I haven't tried since.

Good thinking on the fuel delivery, perhaps the float needs to be adjusted.

Glad you enjoy the thread!

Click to expand...

It's probably the starter then if it blew a fuse. Either someone replaced it with a lower amp fuse or the starter is drawing too many amps (shorted armature or dirty contacts/brushes). I had the same exact thing in a opposed twin tractor. Used an ammeter and saw the starter drawing 80+ amps when the engine repair manual said like 20 amps. Replaced the starter and it's a night & day difference.

Float might need to be adjusted, could be dirty seat or slow-flowing fuel line or even a vent in the gas cap not working right.

natenkiki2004 said:

It's probably the starter then if it blew a fuse. Either someone replaced it with a lower amp fuse or the starter is drawing too many amps (shorted armature or dirty contacts/brushes). I had the same exact thing in a opposed twin tractor. Used an ammeter and saw the starter drawing 80+ amps when the engine repair manual said like 20 amps. Replaced the starter and it's a night & day difference.

Float might need to be adjusted, could be dirty seat or slow-flowing fuel line or even a vent in the gas cap not working right.

Click to expand...

The fuse that was in there was a 2 amp fuse, that's what I replaced it with. I've no idea what it should be.

hanyoukimura said:

The fuse that was in there was a 2 amp fuse, that's what I replaced it with. I've no idea what it should be.

Click to expand...

Maybe try and find a manual for it? Maybe PartsTree has a diagram with the wiring and fuse. I have a Cub Cadet push mower with electric start and it has a 40 amp fuse in it but that seems excessive.

More before and after photos, this time of the Craftsman 917.388400.

Before:



After:

















Also fixed its wobbly front wheels. That drill press was so worth getting.

What engine is that on the ariens? I've seen a few of them for sale in my area on CL

afoulk said:

What engine is that on the ariens? I've seen a few of them for sale in my area on CL

Click to expand...

Tecumseh 5 horse

Well I the Ariens is officially for sale, here's some glamor shots.









I also pulled out a leftover from last year, one of the two Brutes that have been sitting in the garage.



This one had a sheered flywheel key, but happily the flywheel was undamaged. I replaced the key a few weeks ago, and today I cleaned out the carburetor and fuel tank, replaced the banged up blade. Started up first pull, and ran great. Very pleased with that. Finally washed it off as well. Looking much better now.



Now about those jammed front wheels. Anyone have any thoughts as to why they'd be completely jammed?

What was the problem with the electric starting system?

I admire your tenacity in working through that problem. But I think electric starters are a silly thing to add to a push mower. The engine, if tuned properly, should be very easy to start. Also... all that stuff (battery, charging system, starter, etc.) makes the mower heavier and much more complex. I like simplicity. But that's just my opinion.

I'm always happy to see a new post on this thread.

Two-Stroke said:

What was the problem with the electric starting system?

I admire your tenacity in working through that problem. But I think electric starters are a silly thing to add to a push mower. The engine, if tuned properly, should be very easy to start. Also... all that stuff (battery, charging system, starter, etc.) makes the mower heavier and much more complex. I like simplicity. But that's just my opinion.

I'm always happy to see a new post on this thread.

Click to expand...

Well I found a ground wire had come off it's ring terminal, when the battery is charged it seems to work fine. Sometimes it doesn't always catch, but when I turn the key off and turn it on again it'll catch.

I want to sell the mower, any mower I work on, as a fully functioning unit, so I can get the prices I want from them, and it looks good I think. It's why I go the extra mile on the paint and overall appearance on these things. I think electric start is a feature that's not really needed, especially since this one starts first pull anyway, but it is a neat feature just the same. Plus weight is really a moot point on a heavy Ariens tank like this! :laughing: Can't argue with teh results though, my lawn looks great where I used it!

Always happy to post and that people enjoy it. :smile:

So I guess sitting outside for a year or saw at the previous owner's house caused things to seize up, but after some manual pushing with the drive engaged, everything freed up and now it propels itself great, and the wheels turn freely when not engaged. I just finished cleaning it up and listed it this evening. Its already got a buyer.









And a group photo of the current crop of mowers looking for a new home.



The Ariens may also have a buyer next week. So mostly a good day, although there was a hitch. I had a buyer lined up for the Craftsman. When they came to look at it today though, it wouldn't start. Couldn't get i to start for the life of me, and had to apologize to the buyer, who wanted that one not the others. I was not pleased. I fussed with it for over an hour. Carburetor is clean, has good spark, no oil on the spark plug, but won't so much as cough over, even with starting fluid. I was pretty annoyed about the lost sale and the fact that this thing won't so much as cough, when it was running well 2 days ago. At least the Brute works now and has a buyer lined up, and so does the Ariens.

Just wanted to say how much I enjoyed the last hour of reading this entire thread. I learned a lot.
And its great to see another person that really strives to keep their equipment not only running well but looking good. I take a lot of ribbing from people about always washing and waxing my stuff but I enjoy it and enjoy having a clean machine.

JSB33 said:

Just wanted to say how much I enjoyed the last hour of reading this entire thread. I learned a lot.
And its great to see another person that really strives to keep their equipment not only running well but looking good. I take a lot of ribbing from people about always washing and waxing my stuff but I enjoy it and enjoy having a clean machine.

Click to expand...

Glad you enjoy the thread! I'm pretty OCD when it comes to keeping my tools, equipment and my cars clean, and the result is no rust, and they stay looking nice.



It's like James May but without the hair and a better sense of direction. :laughing:

The Brute's gone. Fastest turnaround ever. :biggrin:

Two-Stroke said:

That's what I was thinking as I scrolled through your posts. You do beautiful work but all that effort seems to me wasted on low-end mowers.

The Lawn-Boys (and if I were investing a lot of time I'd go pre-1980) are not only "quirky and different" but designed better and made from better materials. The AL/MG alloy decks will last until broken and you don't have to worry about leaving them wet. The Lawn-Boy two-stroke engines are a delight to anyone who admires fine machinery. And they don't make them any more. :wink:

I might add that a really well restored Lawn-Boy can score big bucks on eBay. You might want to check that out. All that effort making a mower look beautiful ( :laughing: which none of mine do :laughing: ) can pay off when you start with something more collectible.

Click to expand...

I have 2 8237 which i use now and before that i had a 8232 and a 8252.

did you find the problem with the craftsman mower yet? this one has me intrigued

hanyoukimura said:

Well I the Ariens is officially for sale, here's some glamor shots.

Click to expand...

Hanyoukimura, First off--you are a lawn mower god.
I never seen someone so dedicated and passionate about fixing lawnmowers.
I come back to the forum just to read the latest update from you. you need to start a blog.:thumbsup: Plus amazing job on the car too!!

With that said. I have a similar lawn mower to the Ariens you repaired.
Mine is a 1999 re-badged as Scotts. It has zero radius front wheels but lacks the electric start.
The mower is a tank. It weighs around 90lbs.
It has fully adjustable self propelled (as you have noticed). It will pull you up the hill. Back wheel drive is wayyyy better than front wheel drive.
I expect you should get around $400.
here is my eye candy. I will own her until the engine blows up. (then I'll need to contact you :laughing: )
.

So I acquired another Ariens, same model. Paint's in rough shape, or what's left of it after pressure washing. I'll probably strip most of the paint off and then just repaint it, after I get it running. For now I borrowed one of its good height adjuster levers for the other Ariens, since that is being picked up this weekend and my ordered parts aren't coming until Monday.

Meanwhile, I finally broke down and tore down a Quantum to use its parts for the other Brute. A shame, its probably a good engine, but 2 of the three mounting bolts are sheared and stuck in it, so that's as good of an excuse as any to pillage it for parts. And so it was, I took its flywheel and ignition coil for the Brute, cleaned up the Brute's carburetor and put it all together. Four pulls later and it fired right up. I only let it run for a couple seconds because the oil in it was crap. This mower sat outside with the other one, but the dipstick was off it, so snow and rain and whatever was free to enter. However the engine turned over no problem so that's why I end ahead and worked on it. Draining the oil revealed a nasty gray liquid living in the motor, so I flushed it a few times until the oil drained out looking like, oil.

So it runs great now and the drive wheels are freeing up. Tomorrow it should be all finished, save for the hub caps...and the broken wheel. While putting it away the cracked back wheel finally committed suicide and broke right off. Fortunately, I have wheels in waiting for it, which I'll go into more detail about tomorrow.

Lee614 said:

Hanyoukimura, First off--you are a lawn mower god.
I never seen someone so dedicated and passionate about fixing lawnmowers.
I come back to the forum just to read the latest update from you. you need to start a blog.:thumbsup: Plus amazing job on the car too!!

With that said. I have a similar lawn mower to the Ariens you repaired.
Mine is a 1999 re-badged as Scotts. It has zero radius front wheels but lacks the electric start.
The mower is a tank. It weighs around 90lbs.
It has fully adjustable self propelled (as you have noticed). It will pull you up the hill. Back wheel drive is wayyyy better than front wheel drive.
I expect you should get around $400.
here is my eye candy. I will own her until the engine blows up. (then I'll need to contact you :laughing: )
.

Click to expand...

Nice mower! There is one of those decks (in good shape actually), behind the small engine shop for $20. No engine, I may get it though. These Ariens are real tanks, mow really well too.

Glad you enjoy the thread. A blog eh? Hadn't considered, but that's an interesting idea...

Well it's been a log time coming, but the other Brute is finally done and ready for a new home. This was the one with a cracked flywheel and sat outside all winter like you see it here:



And here it is all done. "New" flywheel, new key, starter rope, dipstick (the original had rust on it), new hubcaps, new rear wheel, new blade, and some serious cleaning inside and out. She's come a long way.

























I also got this MTD as part trade for the other Brute. Needed a cable but starts right up. Going to give it a tune up and a cleaning and off she goes!

hanyoukimura said:

Well it's been a log time coming, but the other Brute is finally done and ready for a new home. This was the one with a cracked flywheel and sat outside all winter like you see it here:

...

And here it is all done. "New" flywheel, new key, starter rope, dipstick (the original had rust on it), new hubcaps, new rear wheel, new blade, and some serious cleaning inside and out. She's come a long way

....

Click to expand...

You do some nice work! :thumbsup:

I check your thread for a new post everyday I was beginning to go through withdrawl

lawn mower fanatic said:

You do some nice work! :thumbsup:

Click to expand...

Thanks!

afoulk said:

I check your thread for a new post everyday I was beginning to go through withdrawl

Click to expand...

Don't worry, there's more to come! :thumbsup:

The MTD is all done. Since it was already running when I got it, I just had to replace the zone control cable, and gave it a carburetor and tank cleaning, replaced the diaphragm as preventative maintenance, and gave it a tune up and cleaning.







The biggest problem I had with this mower was the cable itself. i ordered based on the part number I got via parts look up for this model, however it is completely different than the one I have. It doesn't attach to the plastic plate that MTD uses but seems to hook into the handlebar, and the sheath of the cable is shorter than the original, so it had to be mounted further down. I solved this problem by flipped the upper handlebar and using the hole reserved for the starter rope handle hook, and moved the hook to one of the upper holes near the bail. I then recycled a cable bracket that had broken where the cable attacked to, but was intact otherwise, so the bail wouldn't tip to far forward. Works perfectly and you'd never know unless I told you!

I also started work on one of my Ariens acquisitions. It's in pretty rough shape right now, but hopefully we can fix that.











After I finished the MTD, I worked for a bit on removing loose paint and wire brushing the rust off.

Finally, I squired yet another Ariens, model 911052. This one sees to be in good shape, needs cables and probably a fuel system cleaning.