Engine facing backwards

JBtoro

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Back in the day (80's or so), Craftsman sometimes sold push mowers with Tecumseh engines on which the engine faced towards the operator, like below. Anyone know why this was done? By doing so, the spark plug is inaccessible with a socket for one thing. I believe that the blade would still spin counter clockwise as in a typical forward facing engine. I mean, was this done on purpose? Or were Larry, Moe, & Curly working on one of the assembly lines? Anyone know?

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ILENGINE

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The reasoning was whatever the mower manufacturer wanted to do. Maybe had to due with deck design, maybe with cable lengths. Toro had some that had a Briggs engine that the engine sit sideways.
 

bertsmobile1

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Common down here for the engines to sit east west so the exhaust was at the front to give it better cooling and keep the noise away from the operator.
They also exhaust under the mower.
I have also seen people who fitted the B & S sprint engines backwards or side wards because they were fed up with the controls fouling on low shrubs,
 

upupandaway

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I have one of them- Tec, plastic grass catcher and all. I thought Perhaps so the fuel tank is up front - easier to get to than toward back???? Soon after that, Tecumseh moved the fuel tank to the side and turned the engine so the plug was to the side and tank still to the front. Maybe???
 
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