• Scam Alert. Members are reminded to NOT send money to buy anything. Don't buy things remote and have it shipped - go get it yourself, pay in person, and take your equipment with you. Scammers have burned people on this forum. Urgency, secrecy, excuses, selling for friend, newish members, FUD, are RED FLAGS. A video conference call is not adequate assurance. Face to face interactions are required. Please report suspicions to the forum admins. Stay Safe - anyone can get scammed.

Other Sears Craftsman Garden Tractor

YotaBota said:
I left the fuel on a couple of times after putting in the fuel on/off valve with the same results. I've now gotten into the habit of shutting off the fuel on the way to parking, once it starts to sputter I shut it down with the key.
Click to expand...
That's what I did this time when I backed it into the parking spot. It's ready to connect to the big roller that should be interesting.
 
Couldn't resist. Had to go out and hook it up. Did most of the lawn going very slowly. Flattened the grass. Not so sure it did much to the ground from the perspective of making it less bumpy. That's partly also because some of the bumps are clumps of grass and some of the dips are dandelions that have killed the grass underneath their leaves.

We're not allowed to use broad leaf weed killer anymore. We can hire a company to use broad leaf weed killer.
 
jcdammeyer said:
Not so sure it did much to the ground from the perspective of making it less bumpy.
Click to expand...

I don't think anyone mentioned that this has to be done after a good rain. Dry ground doesn't roll worth crap. Around here, the very best time to do it is after the spring melt and the first spring rain but before the grass starts growing.
 
Susquatch said:
I don't think anyone mentioned that this has to be done after a good rain. Dry ground doesn't roll worth crap. Around here, the very best time to do it is after the spring melt and the first spring rain but before the grass starts growing.
Click to expand...
Been very dry here but I understand.
I also expect that it will take more than one time.
 
Got to the point where the tractor would barely go up a slight incline in 1st position. I asked the original owner when he'd replaced the two transmission belts and the answer was never. So clearly over 10 years old worth of V Belts. The photo makes it look better than it really is.

Princess Auto had them. Put the small one on that runs to the variable speed pulley. But to do that I had to remove the tension spring. On a Youtube video the guy suggested a hook formed on the end of something to pull the spring back out through the hole.

Nice to have Oxy/Acet available. Spring pulled out and latched easily. Now I can mow up a slope at #3 where two weeks ago it would barely do it at #1. And I can mow on that slight incline faster than I dare.

I have to drop the mower deck and remove the motor pulley to replace that longer motor to transmission belt. Maybe tomorrow.
BeltsAndTool.jpg
 
Last edited:
wmetfab said:
Put the 2l turbo saab engine back in instead, add some wheelie bars and enter it in lawn tractor racing
Click to expand...
All the SAABs and the SAAB engines went to the wrecker a few years ago. I still have some bits and pieces I should probably put up for sale so I can clean up part of a shelf for 42 other things.
 
jcdammeyer said:

Deck Wash Kit - 490-900-M061 | MTD Parts

Buy the Deck Wash Kit online and get your OEM parts quick! Orders over $45 qualify for Free Shipping.
www.mtdparts.com www.mtdparts.com

Click to expand...

Ah, washer as in hose kit, not nut, bolt, and washer..... LOL!

I've had them and don't use them anymore. They make the grass clippings under the deck all wet and yukky. This wet crap sticks even more to the deck and then drops this really dark green oily crud all over the mowers parking spot. When the yuk dries, it glues itself to the deck and becomes even harder to clean. I'm not a fan.

Instead, I clean my decks by hand with a hand made wooden scraper and then spray on a graphite film. The grass doesn't stick as well to it and comes off as you mow.

Every so often (a year or 3) , I clean the deck again by hand and apply more graphite.

Every deck I've owned since I started doing that has lasted at least 3 decades. One is still going at 4. Truth is that I've never had one rust out after using graphite. Never.

I sometimes wash the top of the deck lightly, but I prefer not to wash anything. Just blow it off with a leaf blower. I live in the corrosion belt so I don't like adding water to the life expectancy formula.

Also, I never mow wet or even damp grass.
 
Unless you are doing this for entertainment I would suggest you stay as far away from Briggs and Scrapiron as possible. I fought with this junk for years before I could afford to, but finally took all 5 of my Briggs engines to the metal dealer and replaced them with the Chinese Hondas from PA. I finally had one fail after 5 years, I had to drain some water out of a float bowl.
 
Ironman said:
Unless you are doing this for entertainment I would suggest you stay as far away from Briggs and Scrapiron as possible.
Click to expand...

Same experience here. I was rebuilding and replacing Briggs motors more often than I cut grass. Bought a Deere and 40 years later it is still going cutting 3 acres. Gave it to my son when we bought the farm and bought a bigger one for the farm cuz I cut about 5 acres of grass here. The new one is 13 now and the old Deere is still going!

I gotta say, the Deere was a lot more money but the reliability has been amazing. Over time, it has cost us way less despite the bigger initial cost.
 
140mower said:
It's funny how just a little bit of quality can save time and money in the long run, yet Walmart thrives on selling junk to the same people over and over again......:rolleyes:
Click to expand...
Ever hear of Gravely? It was explained to me that "if it was good enough for grandpa for fifty years" style of marketing was replaced with sell them a new one every five to ten years but it's cheap to buy every five to ten years style marketing. The older stuff was built to give the brand a solid reputation, now it's all about money
 
Chicken lights said:
Ever hear of Gravely? It was explained to me that "if it was good enough for grandpa for fifty years" style of marketing was replaced with sell them a new one every five to ten years but it's cheap to buy every five to ten years style marketing. The older stuff was built to give the brand a solid reputation, now it's all about money
Click to expand...
Dad still has a Bradley two wheeler out behind the shop, at least he did last time I looked.
It's like the original troybilt tillers, that for many years had a lifetime warranty.....That took balls and confidence in your product........ Now they are for the most part the same junk you find everywhere else......
 
None of the above machines had Briggs engines. JD uses Koehler, I believe Bradley had Tillotson, and the Gravely I had was a single cylinder Wisconsin...never seen one before that. Shouldn't have scrapped it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top