I have a Craftsman 18.5 HP riding mower with a B&S 31P777-0299-E1 motor. The motor has a Nikki carb. The mower is years old and has run well. I always run all gas out the engine til it stops before winter storage and always start a new season with fresh gas. A few weeks ago, I cranked it ok per usual and started off on it. After about 30-40 ft, the engine died and would not crank. It behaved as if it wasn't getting gas. Everything checked out visually, so I replaced the fuel filter. Still wouldn't crank. I figured carb problem and put it in the shop. The shop had it for awhile and reported that it cranked and ran well for them. I brought it home and used it to cut the yard and later to distribute fertilizer. Yesterday, I started to cut grass. It stated and ran great , but died again without recranking after about a minute. I put it up with plans to try to figure out what was wrong. About 2 hours later, I tried again and it cranked right off. I cut 1-12 acre with absolutely no problem. I an bewildered by this problem that seems to come out of nowhere and then disappear with no after affects. Any suggestions will be welcomed.
Larry
Larry