Engine replacement for DLT 3000 917.273811

Hello.

Need some guidance in selecting an engine for my newly acquired DLT 3000 917.273811. Neighbor gave me this mower and its in excellent shape. The only issue is that there is no motor in it. I know it originally came with the 31P777 Type 0296-E1 18.5 Intek OHV engine.

I am scouring ebay and craigslist for an engine...but i will be honest I am overwhelmed with all of the possibilities. Could anyone here give me some good advice on some possible replacement engines. What should I be looking for? I have seen alot of mention about shaft size and diameter...the only thing that he did give me was the double pulley from the original motor...

I have visions of the pulley not attaching correctly or not aligning with the position of the belts (shaft to short/long)..

I have seen some motors on CL (ex: 15hp Kohler OHV) as well as some part out LT2000s with various size engines.

Any and all help would greatly be appreciated. My last project was an old LawnRider that I still use...but that had a motor and I just needed to get it running. Here I need to find the right motor and am lost.

Mike

Email or call briggs with your model number and ask them for shaft size etc.

And go to small engine wharehouse.com and fill out the horsepower,shaft size etc.

They are all fairly well standard
7/8" push mowers & walk behinds
1" domestic ride ons
1.125" commercial ride ons & construction equipment

Forget about CL or Evilbay
Get yourself a brand new engine from one of the following
The Surplus Centre
Small Engine Supplies
Small Engine Warehouse

The latter 2 have an app which sort of works if it actually recognises your mower model number or the original engine number

Your mower has a 1" crank 3 & 5/32 " long tapped 7/16 as will almost all of the engines.
My pick would be this one
https://www.smallenginesuppliers.com/shop/html/pages/products/briggs_vertical_shaft_engines4353.html
Having the pull start is a big plus as you can start the mower with a flat battery.
If your mower has a tank behind the dash then all is good, if it is under the seat you will need the fuel pump & the dip stick tube with a take off for the pump.
They all spin at the same speed so a bigger engine will not go any faster than a smaller engine.
If you cut irregularly or do rough cutting in a paddock then a bigger engine might be worth the extra.
Personally I tell customers to ignore the Hp and just look at the series .
Any 31oooo engine should be the exact same dimensions so will drop right in , right up to bolting onto the muffler.
If ou don't have a muffler then buy an engine that has one as mufflers are part of the mower, not the engine so usually run to a 3 figure number so a couple of minutes with some tin snips can cave you $ 100.

Briggs dealer distribution system supercedes your engine model number to a 31q777-3136-g5 which says to use 31S977-0005-G1 for a whole big bunch of money.

About 5 years ago I replaced the engine in my 2005 LT1000 with one I bought online. I can't remember what company I bought from though !!!

Anyway, replacement motor had an oil filter (good, old one did not) and was a few hp more. Installation was VERY easy.

Any 31 series Briggs will bolt right up. If you have a 42” deck a 17hp or above will work fine.

Thanks to all of your responses! Really appreciate it.

I will start doing some leg work and update the thread with progress.

At some point maybe even update my signature pic with this project...

Best.
Mike.

Hi all.

I was away from my project mentioned in this thread...I looked into the engines that were mentioned here and honestly I dont have the $$ for new. I have been tracking some used ones and my buddy's dad has one he is willing to let go for $100. I have been trying to do some research on whether I can use this or not and have been confused by the spec sheets I have seen...I have been using reference from bertsmobile1 post as comparison and cannot be sure.

Anyway any help with whether this engine will be an ok replacement for my original would be great.

Tag on engine reads: YBSXS.5012VP 274826. Comes from a White LT1855H. 18.5 B&S. I just want to make sure the pulley from my old one will match up and will sit in the right position for the belts below.

Thanks for your help, I really appreciate you guys helping a newb like me.

Mike.

The engine will mechanically drop right in but the wiring will require a bit of work.

bertsmobile1 said:

The engine will mechanically drop right in but the wiring will require a bit of work.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info! - Really appreciate this forum and the people who take the time to help...

Mike.