Help locating parts for Pulsar mower

[grumpyunk]

Briggs & Stratton is in bankruptcy(was a few months ago), and Craftsman has been split into multiple brand 'channels', and is retailed by a few stores. Likely both produce overseas rather than within the USA as was done previously.
Most people that buy at the low end have little interest in the machine they bought, and MOST will likely never change the oil. They may check the level now and again. To spend more on OPE is not in their wheelhouse as they don't care. If it breaks, they throw it out and buy another. Labor costs as most shops makes repair expensive relative to the purchase price. I doubt there is an shop within 100 miles that will rebuild a lawn mower engine, or even likely replace a head gasket or grind the valves.
Given the above, repair parts are unlikely to be readily available. Not that I like it, those are the facts.

Pulsar, if the same company, makes several lines of portable gas-powered inverter generators. Their support team replied to an email request for valve clearance and an image of the carburetor linkage when I asked. I think they were in MS or AL, FWIW. The generators seemed to be equal in quality to HF and multiple others in the 2000W size.
Back when, K-mart sold mowers that sold below $100, including a B&S 3-ish HP, a stamped deck and a staggered front wheel. You could find them in the trash with the O-ring strangling the intake valve and causing lack of compression. Someone did the 5-cent investigation and decided 'beyond repair', and or course I picked it up and found the problem. Repaired with no parts required. That is just an example of how the low-cost mowers were regarded as cheap, throw-aways. Things have not gotten better.
tom

 

[smhardesty]

I've exchanged emails with them a few times now. They are located in Canada. The person I've been emailing told me point blank that they have ZERO dealers that handle parts. The only way parts are sold is via the company, directly, and they decide, on a case by case basis, whether the parts will be sold. They did tell me I can get the parts I'm going to need. I'm just waiting until I get the front axle assembly pulled off to see if I can straighten what is bent or whether I'm going to need a part or two.

I certainly understand the whole throw away mentality. That's one of the reasons I finally got out if the computer business. At one point in time, I could build you a MUCH better computer than you could buy commercially and at a lower price. Then, for a while, my PCs were still better, but at an equal price. Then, the big computer manufacturers went nuts producing low dollar, cheap pieces of crap. Walmart and other big box type stores got into the picture and that market was ruined. People did the same thing they do with mowers. They shopped for the absolute lowest price, with ZERO regard for quality and absolutely no thought of how or where to get it repaired. I was able to buy used computers for next to nothing, take them home and USUALLY doing nothing more than reloading whatever version of Windows had been on it, then resold them for a couple hundred dollars. That's what I'm now seeing with the mowers I'm getting my hands on. Yep, we are living in a throw away society. Mower won't start? Throw it away and buy a new piece of junk. Computer won't boot up? Throw it away and buy a new piece of junk. The same is now true of appliances of all sorts and I just found out that MOST watches are that way. They are also cheap Chinese pieces if junk so if the one you have worn for the last 10 or 12 months stops running, just head to Wally World and buy another of the cheap things. And smart phones have to be at the very top of that heap. There are one hell of a lot of people that absolutely INSIST on buying whatever the newest phone is, as soon as it comes out, even if there is nothing wrong with the one they have. And there is a huge number of people that don't care if they break their phones, drop them in the toilet, or leave them lying somewhere and loose them. That just gives them an excuse to buy the latest version. We have relatives like that. I know of one niece that was almost proud to say she had just gotten the latest and greatest of whatever kind of phone and ONLY had to pay a little over $2500. Yeah, think about THAT. People in this society are eager and anxious to pay $2500 for a stupid phone, but walk through a huge line of new mowers and see only one thing - the lowest price. That's why these cheap pieces of crap are so popular. They can't impress their circle of friends with a new, high quality, brand name mower, but oh my, they can sure impress everybody with a $2000 or $3000 phone. LOL!

 

[Wheels]

I have worked on a few Pulsars. And know this is so far the only machines I won't work on anymore. I guess I do not like snow devil, lawn devil, and spirit either.
Before you tear into the Pulsar front, I found out the hard way that the tire bolts are reverse thread. I ruined some and called and got the last two in the country I believe.
I have had issues with the starter recoil also. I thought I had it fixed only to go bad again. I had to replace the whole assembly since the original was deformed.
Carb kits when I was working on these didn't exist either. I do not think I even found a new needle for it.

It's a $120 lawnmower and after my time and parts it was never worth fixing.

 

[ILENGINE]

Briggs & Stratton is in bankruptcy(was a few months ago), and Craftsman has been split into multiple brand 'channels', and is retailed by a few stores. Likely both produce overseas rather than within the USA as was done previously.
Most people that buy at the low end have little interest in the machine they bought, and MOST will likely never change the oil. They may check the level now and again. To spend more on OPE is not in their wheelhouse as they don't care. If it breaks, they throw it out and buy another. Labor costs as most shops makes repair expensive relative to the purchase price. I doubt there is an shop within 100 miles that will rebuild a lawn mower engine, or even likely replace a head gasket or grind the valves.
Given the above, repair parts are unlikely to be readily available. Not that I like it, those are the facts.

Pulsar, if the same company, makes several lines of portable gas-powered inverter generators. Their support team replied to an email request for valve clearance and an image of the carburetor linkage when I asked. I think they were in MS or AL, FWIW. The generators seemed to be equal in quality to HF and multiple others in the 2000W size.
Back when, K-mart sold mowers that sold below $100, including a B&S 3-ish HP, a stamped deck and a staggered front wheel. You could find them in the trash with the O-ring strangling the intake valve and causing lack of compression. Someone did the 5-cent investigation and decided 'beyond repair', and or course I picked it up and found the problem. Repaired with no parts required. That is just an example of how the low-cost mowers were regarded as cheap, throw-aways. Things have not gotten better.
tom

Last year Briggs filed bankruptcy and was sold. B & D completed the purchase of MTD, and also purchased Excel. Toro purchased Ventrac, and Oregon products was sold to an investment group.

 

[smhardesty]

https://mowerpartsland.com/?s=Pulsar&post_type=product. I am continuing the qwest I got an owners manual but trying now to do a more in depth search for any real info

Hey, I forgot to mention. That link is to a place that has parts for Pulsar generators. There are no mower parts on that site, at least none that I could find. From what that gal at Pulsar told me, the generator division and the mower division are like night and day. She also said that the generator division doesn't allow a dealer to have access to all parts, only some. This is all new to me and I have to admit I'm a little baffled by it all. How can it be good business for a company to INTENTIONALLY prevent consumers and dealers form having access to repair parts? Are they making that much more on the sale of just the mower? In the past, there was more profit in parts than in new mower sales.

 

[smhardesty]

I have worked on a few Pulsars. And know this is so far the only machines I won't work on anymore. I guess I do not like snow devil, lawn devil, and spirit either.
Before you tear into the Pulsar front, I found out the hard way that the tire bolts are reverse thread. I ruined some and called and got the last two in the country I believe.
I have had issues with the starter recoil also. I thought I had it fixed only to go bad again. I had to replace the whole assembly since the original was deformed.
Carb kits when I was working on these didn't exist either. I do not think I even found a new needle for it.

It's a $120 lawnmower and after my time and parts it was never worth fixing.

I believe every word based on what I have found so far. Thanks for the tip on the left hand thread. I probably would have done the same thing you did. I'd have gotten the 1/2" drive ratchet and put some grunt into it. LOL!

I was told there is no such thing as a carb rebuild kit for this mower. Not knowing the new carb was only $20, I asked if I could get all the pieces I might need to rebuild the carb and was told, "probably not" and was told there would almost certainly be a few parts that just weren't available. That's just asinine.

I hate to see that about the recoil. This one has about 2" to 3" of cord hanging down on the side of the engine. That, added to the bent front axle assembly, will absolutely keep me from ordering any parts that I actually CAN get until I know I can fix the axle and the recoil.

I guess I'm just an old dog, but I'm not buying a new piece of OPE that has an engine that can't be identified. Yeah, I know. Briggs and Kohler have their troubles too, but at least you can USUALLY get every piece and part you need to fix one. I bought this Craftsman lawn tractor for one specific reason. It has an automatic trans instead of a hydrostat. I have some serious issues with the bones in my right foot. I can't do the toe/heel thing without causing severe pain. I once had a Husqvarna I took in on trade that had the hydrostat control as a lever on the right fender. I would have considered that, except I was unable to locate any brand that had a Briggs motor, a 42" deck, and a hyrdro control on the fender. They just weren't out there when I made my purchase. The Craftsman has the auto trans that is controlled by pressing a single pedal to go, either forwards or back, and a shifter on the left fender to control forward/reverse. I can place the middle of my foot on the pedal without causing pain. That combination just worked better for me with my medical issues. It'll last me until I die, or I have to quit mowing my own lawn. I baby the thing like crazy. If I see any little part, piece, or bolt that is showing wear, I just replace it.

But, yeah, this Pulsar is turning out to be a real turd. When I first saw it, and not knowing a thing about it, I though it was a danged good looking mower. The upturned handle looked like a perfect idea for taller guys like me and the single lever height adjustment seemed to be a great idea. I guess it really is except this one is made with soft, cheap, materials. If I can get the front end fixed and get the recoil working correctly, I'll order the carb and then unload this thing on somebody. What I just can't believe is that I already have three of these cheap, Chinese mowers. All are different makers and all are mostly unmarked, as far as the engine specs. They only carry a stamped number on the case somewhere. Not even a small sticker with the name, HP, displacement, or anything else on it. Are they embarrassed to advertise their own product? LOL!

 

[smhardesty]

Last year Briggs filed bankruptcy and was sold. B & D completed the purchase of MTD, and also purchased Excel. Toro purchased Ventrac, and Oregon products was sold to an investment group.

And the result will be mass production of cheaper, Chinese, or half Chinese, products that won't last more than a few years. When the production of any product is controlled by white shirts sitting in an office in Manhattan (or Beijing), the end result is a cheaper product in order to increase profits. Yes, I know. Every company is profit based. If not, they just go belly up. As long as the masses are happy buying whatever cheaply made product the big box stores have on display, quality will continue to decrease. The powers that be are NOT concerned with the 10% to 20% of people that prefer paying more to get a quality product. They are only concerned with the 80% top 90% that routinely buy the cheapest product they can find. And if that product only lasts 2 or 3 years, the company gets a whole new sale of another cheaply made product. It's w inning combination for those companies.

By the way, I'll admit that I have no idea what mowers are still being produced as high quality machines. Who still exists that make their own product with their own parts ending with a high quality mower? I used to be a die hard Cub Cadet fan. Then they were suddenly made by MTD. I know that my Craftsman is now built by MTD, per Black & Decker's agreement. Just wondering how many high quality manufacturers of mowers still exist. Oh, I'm referring ONLY to push mowers and lawn/garden tractors. I'm not a fan of zero turns. Yes, I'll service one or even repair one, but that's not my preference.

 

[VRR.DYNDNS>BIZ]

Briggs and Craftsman? Dang! Yeah, I know, I'm a damned dinosaur, but I think back several years when buying anything with a Briggs or Craftsman name meant you were both buying quality and buying American. I knew guys that had HUGE toolboxes filled with nothing but Craftsman tools. My own granddad had a large set of combo wrenches and a complete set of 1/4", 3/8", 1/2" and 3/4" sockets, ratchets, and breaker bars. I can recall him taking a broken wrench or socket to the nearest Sears store and then either coming home with the replacement right then, or being promptly notified that his replacement was available for pickup. I have several of his old tools and every piece performs like it did the day it was first used. On the other hand, I have a set of the "new" Craftsman combo wrenches. I'd have to look to be sure, but I think it's a 15/16" combo wrench that the teeth stripped out of and then a long handled combo wrench either 1/2" or 9/16" size that I bent into a horseshoe using ONLY my hands - NO cheater bar.

So, I'm just guessing that all these "Chinese import" pieces of OPE are pretty similar to my newer Craftsman wrenches. Is that a pretty fair analogy?
.

Anybody can buy a B&S engine and put it on a poor product. Likewise, more China stuff out there than anyone knows. I also learned that some China produced engines made for various US brand names where black marketed to various OEM's without knowledge or valid US serial numbers by China. Get that! China will do anything to overtake the world.

 

[smhardesty]

Anybody can buy a B&S engine and put it on a poor product. Likewise, more China stuff out there than anyone knows. I also learned that some China produced engines made for various US brand names where black marketed to various OEM's without knowledge or valid US serial numbers by China. Get that! China will do anything to overtake the world.

Yep. I agree. I had to laugh when I got these off brand, cheap mowers from folks that let them sit in the shed when they bought a new one. I'm not sure if any of these cheap things existed when I was doing small engine repair work before. If they did, I got lucky and never had one brought to me. I did get equipment in with engines other than Briggs or Kohler, but they were Kawasakis, Tecumsehs (the old ones), Hondas, and other fairly good quality engines. I got a Jonsered chainsaw brought to me by a family friend. I had somehow never in my life heard of Jonsered. It turned out that it was WAY too old and there were no longer any parts available for it, but my searching told me that Jonsered had once upon a time been a good, high quality, saw. From what I now know, Jonsered is no longer and in existence and there are no parts available unless you find some shop that still has parts in the back room somewhere. At least that's what I have been told and have seen in print a few times. If that's not true, one of you guys let me know.

I have one mower sitting under a tree, next to my shed, that has NO markings anywhere on it. The mower, itself, had been severely abused and there are no distinguishing marks on it and nothing on the engine. I was telling the parts guy at our local farm service store about it and he said there HAS TO BE a stamping on the engine somewhere. I loaded the thing up and took it to him. I told him to ID it for me and we'd see if we could get parts to fix it. Well it's sitting under a tree in my backyard. LOL! This is all new to me. I've taken in a couple of mowers that I never should have simply because I had never seen this stuff before. This danged Pulsar is one of them. And I'll tell you that I'm still in disbelief that I have been told BY THE COMPANY that there are no dealers with parts for sale. It still boggles my mind when I think about it. My wife knows next to nothing about a mower or small engine, but when I told her the company doesn't allow any dealers to sell parts, she sure understood that and was as shocked as I was. LOL! Her first remark was, "You're kidding".

 

[smhardesty]

I probably shouldn't, but I'm going to post this for you guys to see. Then, I'm going to ask question. This is a response by someone on a completely different forum. Look closely at the sentence that begins with "I used to put a small". Then, my question. How many of you put sand in the fuel tanks of small engines you are servicing? I can only say that if this really IS a common practice among small engine mechanics, I'm probably going to be one that doesn't follow suit. I also thought the very last sentence was a bit odd. If I am reading that sentence correctly, he is advising me to "preferably clean" the fuel filter. What am I missing there? Are there that many fuel filters in use today that require cleaning rather than a simple replacement? It's been a few years since I last did this type of work. Are there new types of fuel filters I'm not aware of? Since he specifically combined servicing the fuel line and the fuel filter, I'm assuming he's referring to an inline filter. I thought those things were an automatic replacement part when servicing a small engine.




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