Export thread

Folks,
I am wanting to aquire an older Snapper HIVAC for a renovation project. Once I have the mower I am planning to remove the self-propel to make it a push mower. Is this as simple as it sounds? Just remove drive train, lever, cable, etc(anything related to the propel feature) so it will operate as a push mower. I will replace the engine with a new honda as well with the mechanical throttle.

thanks for your help/advice! I will of course post the project with plenty of pics once it's going :thumbsup:

I was hoping someone would respond to your inquiry because I would like to do the same thing. I curb picked a new to me mower yesterday and discovered the engine is seized. So, I would like to pull it off and replace it with an old 3.5 hp Briggs I have laying around. I guess we will have to go ahead and try and see what we can come up with. Good luck with yours.

I think my first problem will be the existing motor is a 6.5 hp Tecumseh and I want to replace it with the Briggs. Holes in the deck will probably not line up.

Yeah sharing results will be educating.

I'm more concerned right now with the shaft dimensions and blade assembly.

I found exactly what I'm looking for, an 80's era Snapper hi-vac without a motor. I'm wanting to put a Honda GCV190 engine with shaft 25mm x 3-5/32" on it but I don't know the shaft dimension of the old engine of the snapper and it has no blade assemebly. I know 21" blade length was pretty standard on those models but I want to know how I can tell what size shaft and then if/where I can buy blade assemebly that will fit it.

Or if that honda engine will work with an adapter if it doesn't fit?

Any help would be appreciated folks!

thanks

I think the only thing that would cause the self-propel to push conversion is if the rear axle isn't one straight piece. Like if removing housing of the propel would cause the axle not to align right or something.

I may be overthinking this but I've never tried and never had a self propel so I don't know what's in them

Berniebac you should be fine with the holes in your deck lining up on your old briggs motor. I've had briggs, WRs, Tecumseh and Honda on my old decks and they all have lined up. A 25mm blade adapter is all that's needed I believe on the honda for the snapper blade adapter. Removing the handlebar controls and I'd say just the belt going from the shaft to the drive disc, no need to completely remove everything back there to make it a push, it'll all just free-wheel without the belt connected to it. Pictures when you're done guys!

Snapperfreak - thanks for that input. Makes it a little easier if the holes for different motors simply line up. I hope it works out that way. I thought I read that somewhere on the Forum where different makes would line up but can't really recall for sure.

Here are a few pics of what I am starting with. This is a Craftsmen 21 inch self propelled, powered by a 6.75 HP Tecumseh. I think I had said 6.5 HP above but I have cross referenced the Craftsmen numbers to the Tecumseh numbers and get a 6.75 HP motor. Regardless it is toast. I checked the oil and noticed it was not even registering on the dipstick. So I pulled the spark plug, stuck a screw driver in the plug hole and rotated the engine by hand. The screw driver did not move in and out so I believe the piston is seized and the connecting rod is broken. There is also a head bolt missing, oil everywhere all over this engine. Looks like carb linkage is missing and the pull start has the cord ripped out. Not much to salvage here. Maybe the carb body but I am interested in the deck, wheels, and handle at this point.

So I will pull the engine and toss it and replace it with a very old 3.5 Briggs. Now I am not trying to resell this thing so don't think I am trying to pull a fast one. If this works out, it will be going to my cottage to be my mower there.

Don't know when I will get to pull the engine, but will update from time to time if you are interested.

OutdoorEnvy, do you mind if I continue to post within your thread, or would you prefer I started my own thread. I kinda feel like I am hijacking your original post.

Post away Berniebac! This thread was to gather info and educate so I believe any project would help in that regard.

Today I'm hoping to be able to pick up the old Snapper Hivac. Fingers crossed it works out. I'll post some of the project here too.

Umm easy fix here. Remove belt, pull wheels off remove gear that drives wheel, replace with spacer or washers if necessary for wheel camber. Replace wheels walla

Alright I picked up the old Hivac without engine. Looks like the model is 21401? It's kind of faded but I think that's it. Last number might be a 7 if it's not a 1. The serial number is 34103241 but I can't find anything online that list info by serial number. Looks to be 80's era from others I have seen. Anyways, the deck, handle and bag was in good shape. I'm not familar with these but it's a good thing I'm planning for this to be a push mower cause not all the propel gear is there from the looks of it. It did have two rear axles and wheel sets though. This should be easy enough to restore and make into a nice push mower. I'll post a thread up on the project once it's done. I'm thinking of seeing if my B&S 675 series engine will fit this though to get it moving faster. Eventually I want to put a Honda GCV190 engine on it. Well here is what I picked up. Now I got to get to work on it :thumbsup:

Nice. Yes the model would be a 21401P, based on the s/n it's a 1983, although looking at it I wonder if that 3 is an 8, looks like an '88 based on the handlebar brackets by the deck. Either way looks like a good mower for a re-power!

Berniebac yours should be even easier to swap. It's been a long time since I've looked under a craftsman but all the drive stuff is up front and I don't think there's a belt that goes around the shaft. I don't think but either way ya just yank the motor and bolt up the 3.5. That 3.5 probably has the same power as that "6.75".

Thanks, Do you know what size the or part number the wheels are? Specifically the front ones, they don't match so I might order some new ones if I know which ones to get.

I don't have the p/n handy but they're supposed to be 7x1.5. They're all over eBay. Rears are 9x1.75, or 9x1.95 for extra tough and commercial.

K&T parts house for com. These numbers are for steel wheels. Front: 7x1.5 11083 $14.17 or 7x1.75 12347 $14.54. Rear: 9x1.75 12603 $19.84 or 9x1.95 12345 $21.75.

Appreciate it! You have been most helpful sir!

Snapperfreak said:

Berniebac yours should be even easier to swap. It's been a long time since I've looked under a craftsman but all the drive stuff is up front and I don't think there's a belt that goes around the shaft. I don't think but either way ya just yank the motor and bolt up the 3.5. That 3.5 probably has the same power as that "6.75".

Click to expand...

Thanks for letting me know that it might go easy. I haven't had a chance to do anything but look under it, lots of brown grass down there. I will pull the motor off when I get a chance but not likely till Friday at the earliest. I do hope the old 3.5 is a strong motor.

OutdoorEnvy said:

Alright I picked up the old Hivac without engine. Looks like the model is 21401? It's kind of faded but I think that's it. Last number might be a 7 if it's not a 1. The serial number is 34103241 but I can't find anything online that list info by serial number. Looks to be 80's era from others I have seen. Anyways, the deck, handle and bag was in good shape. I'm not familar with these but it's a good thing I'm planning for this to be a push mower cause not all the propel gear is there from the looks of it. It did have two rear axles and wheel sets though. This should be easy enough to restore and make into a nice push mower. I'll post a thread up on the project once it's done. I'm thinking of seeing if my B&S 675 series engine will fit this though to get it moving faster. Eventually I want to put a Honda GCV190 engine on it. Well here is what I picked up. Now I got to get to work on it :thumbsup:

View attachment 26084

Click to expand...

Just take the wheels off that baby stroller in the background of the photo. They should make it run good and smooth. LOL

LOL! not a bad idea. The full motion wheel turning is a nice feature...

So what do you guys think I should do on the pull cord? The modern engines have longer pull cords that reach to the handle. Should I cut down the cord so the pull handle recoils to the engine like the older ones? Mount a holder by the handle like a modern mower? Just curious what you all think.

OutdoorEnvy said:

So what do you guys think I should do on the pull cord? The modern engines have longer pull cords that reach to the handle. Should I cut down the cord so the pull handle recoils to the engine like the older ones? Mount a holder by the handle like a modern mower? Just curious what you all think.

Click to expand...

Just watch your toes.

Just my opinion, I like the recoil down at the engine not up in the handle. But that's just me.

Snapperfreak said:

Just my opinion, I like the recoil down at the engine not up in the handle. But that's just me.

Click to expand...

I'm leaning that way. I always bag so the cord stretched over the bag seems like it would be in the way for this type.

I took off most of the SP parts last night and started sanding down the rust on the handle. This weekend I think I'll pull off the B&S from the other mower just to see if it lines up on the deck. I really want to mow with this thing. The handle and deck are solid and all parts to mow are there. I'll be taking an angle grinder to smooth everything out before I prime and paint it all. It'll be hard to resist doing a shameful mow with it unfinished and a green engine if it all fits.

Cool, so will u be painting everything? Deck, handles and engine?

Snapperfreak said:

Cool, so will u be painting everything? Deck, handles and engine?

Click to expand...

deck and handle yes.

For the B&S engine I'm thinking about just painting the cover white over the green. I will put it back on the other mower down the road after I get the honda engine. But I don't want it green and I don't want it red. I can make white match the other mower.

I am debating painting the grass shute either red or white as well. Red looks good on a couple I have seen, but I haven't seen a white one yet. I'm tempted.

I'm also undecided as to offwhite or a brighter white.

They came with red chutes up until 1979 I believe, then black. This will be a fun project, I've done a couple where I stripped everything down and repainted. When u take everything apart and put it back together it sure gives u a better understanding of his it all works. And that honda engine will be great.

Yeah it will be a fun and entertaining project. It might make me brave enough to find an old snapper WITH engine and do an original restore like the ones you do. One running good in good original condition would be very cool.

I pulled the engine off of the Craftsmen today. The drive gear assembly had to be disassembled to get all of its components off. Once I had the engine and drive gear off I washed the deck down and bolted on the old 3.5 HP Briggs.

I am having trouble with the throttle cable and the engine brake system. Of course the cables from the original motor don't line up and function differently from the 3.5 engine so I don't think they will work. The cables on the old 3.5 are too short to rig up to the new handle. So a little work to get this to function properly.

This old 3.5 was some what rigged to run automatically anyway. The neighbor I got it from had the throttle on full and the engine brake forced all the way on so he could start it. When he stopped mowing he used a small stick and pulled the plug wire off to shut the engine off. Not the safest way to mow but it worked for him for a lot of years. I would like to restore the engine brake system so that when the safety bar is released it will shut down automatically.

The problem is I can't figure out how this system works. I haven't looked at it too hard yet so it may take a little more investigation. I have found the engine manual, but it doesn't even show the engine brake system.

My engine is Mod: 92502; Type: 3151 02 Code: 87013151

Once I got it bolted down I thought I might as well give it a try so I cleaned the flywheel and the coil. Reset the gap with a business card and filled it with some fresh gas. Took three pulls and it fired right up. This engine has been in my shed for about six years, so I was pleased to see it start right up.

So now it needs fresh oil. The bolt for the blade that I have is too long, so I need a new one, or I need to cut this one down about half an inch. I need to rig a throttle cable and I need to figure out the engine brake system and rig a cable up for that. It is a "System 2 Manual Start" engine brake system. So if you know anything about that let me know.

Here are a few pics of the new engine bolted on and the old one beside it on the ground.

Not sure about the flywheel brake cable but as far as the throttle cable goes, could u drill a hole wherever it will fit on the handles and mount it there?

Snapperfreak said:

Not sure about the flywheel brake cable but as far as the throttle cable goes, could u drill a hole wherever it will fit on the handles and mount it there?

Click to expand...

I could, but I would prefer to use the cables that came with the handle and deck. I think they operate opposite to the 3.5 hp cables. I believe they work by pulling on the throttle and brake on the 6.75 engine where as the originals on the 3.5 worked by pushing on the throttle and brake. Not sure about this, I have to look a little closer to figure things out.

I have the cable for the 6.75 brake and the drive gear for the self propel which I hope to be able to use. The original cables for the 3.5 are too short and might look out of place down low on the handle.

B&S parts seem easy to get it. If you know the length I bet you can find one that will fit.


Well my project hit a snag in that my B&S engine did not fit the deck of the old snapper. One out of 3 holes lined up. I don't want to drill on the deck and since I'm planning to put a Honda engine on it I will wait until then. That will give me plenty of time to refinish the deck and handle without rushing.

So I went ahead and decided to drill some holes in the deck so the B&S engine would fit and got it installed. The brake cable is awfully tight using the original snapper cable. I think I'll drill a new hole about half an inch from the current hole to lessen the tension on it. I did have to move it to the other side of the handle as well. But other then that I just need to get a 21" high lift blade and it will be ready to use. I sprayed the bag down pretty good with the hose and it looks much better then it did. The makeover restoration will be next months project. I am excited to see how it mows though now that I can use it

So here it is...ugly but in a nice way I think, it's kind of Christmassy with the red and green, haha! The green engine cover will be painted white when I refinish the deck and handle. That should match nicely as I've always liked the white engine look on the old snappers.

Looking good, I agree the shroud would be best white. It's cool turning things into just the way u like them. Drilling a hole here or there is ok if it gets the job done.

Snapperfreak said:

Looking good, I agree the shroud would be best white. It's cool turning things into just the way u like them. Drilling a hole here or there is ok if it gets the job done.

Click to expand...

Yes it is. And this way since I'll use it a few times before the paint I will have all drilling done and have it the way I want so I shouldn't have to do anything else after I paint.

So I got a new blade yesterday and since I was going to have to drill a new hole to mount the blade cable I decided to pull the cable from the Lawnboy as well since it attached much better to the engine than the Snapper one. I mounted it on the backside of the handle so you can't see it from the front and it's out of the way of the bag. I'll paint it white to match the handle and it should blend in well. The tension if just right now.







So it is ready to mow! And wouldn't you know we are in for a week of rain :thumbdown:

Well I got to mow with this the other day and it bagged and cut great. I have thick Bermuda and bagging has always been a problem with it being too thick to cut low and bag. I was able to mow twice as much in between baggings. the first time I emptied the bag it was full and stuffed so tight I had to reach in and pull grass out. I've never had to do that before. I got a kick out of it. It desperately needs new wheels, especially the front ones. That will be next and the new paint. I am very pleased with the job it did though. So far so good.

Very cool. I like the green for some unknown bizarre reason. Kermit fetish?:smile: