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Hi Troops,
Here are the pics I hope!! I do have a pit in my shop so getting under the Scag is easy!!
The new engine has shorter cable reach on both the choke and throttle, so I'm thinking that I may drill holes in the throttle and choke levers at a shorter radius to reduce the cable reach. I've done this on other repowers.
Mad Mackie in CT

Looks like an Excellent project. :smile:KennyV

I decided to put a stop plate on the throttle lever at the idle position as I wasn't able to reduce the cable reach enough. I also setup the choke so it is fully open with the lever pulled all the way back. Anyway I'll play with it tomorrow and I may put a stop plate on the full choke position. I couldn't find my cable bending tool so I used a drill bit gauge plate to put the bends in the choke cable as I had to shorten it by about 3/4".:cool2: The weather looks good for the rest of this week so I'm going to put this machine to work so it can pay me for its new engine!!!
Mad Mackie in CT:laughing::wink:

Another good use for Metal drill bit gage plates... I have several Starrett Gages around, they are just too handy, and So much better than the plastic most have today... :smile:KennyV

Just reinstalled all the stuff on my Scag Tiger Cub. About one hour on the new engine. Still need to replace the seat switch. The additional 4 HP of the new engine was noticable, hopefully the fuel consumption will not increase much. I'm going to leave the plow on my Ingersoll GT as I have some piles of dirt to smooth out both here and at my customers places. My neighbor just removed the snow blower from his diesel Kubota and broke a press in grease fitting so we just drilled and tapped for a threaded grease fitting. Gotta put all my brackets and stuff back in my trailer. I'm going to use dino oil in the new engine for at least 50 hours and then make the decision about synthetic oil which I have been using in all my Briggs engines (4). Notice the throttle lever stop. New engine needs much less cable extension than the old engine on both the throttle and choke.
Later
Mad Mackie in CT:laughing:

Looks great, the shorter throttle throw should be no problem, it's not often you need to find a spot Between Idle and normal operating RPM...
The Fold up De-thatcher looks very handy. :smile:KennyV

Hi KennyV,
The throttle has a detent at full and I wanted it to get there. When I'm operaing this machine I'm at idle or full throttle and I didn't want to need to pay particular attention to positioning it. I can deal with the choke travel. I'll put more time on the engine tomorrow, two of our grandsons were here today (3 & 5) and I didn't want the machine running with them around, especially the three year old as he loves tools and machines!!!:confused2::laughing: Their other grandfather has some big machines and he puts the 3 year old on his lap when running some of them, I'm not keen on that practice, but I have him steer my GT around the yard along with me of course!!!
Mad Mackie in CT:laughing::biggrin:

I'd say the grandkid's are very lucky... they have a couple grandfathers that have equipment & tools... :smile:KennyV

Hi Troops,
I'm very pleased to announce that I now have 5 hours on the new engine, no oil consumption, and after collecting about 50 bushels of thatch from my lawn there was no accumulation of dust whatsoever in the air filter!!!! So at this point in time I must say that the Cyclonic Air Filtration system on this Briggs does what it is supposed to do and this makes Mad Mackie a happy camper!!!:laughing::laughing::laughing:
I had been going thru 4-6 air filters per season on the old engine and 12-18 hour oil changes with an oil filter change every other oil change. I just ordered a case (12) of Briggs oil filters and I can use them on my other Briggs powered machines. I buy filters locally for my Hustler X-ONE which I need to service for spring mowing at the cemetery.
Later
Mad Mackie in CT:cool2::laughing::cool2:

:thumbsup:LOOKS LIKE A GOOD JOB :thumbsup: LET US KNOW HOW IT WORKS OUT. :thumbsup: I AM JEALOUS DETHACHER THAT FOLDS UP SWEET :smile: WHAT SIZE DECK -YOU SHOULD NEVER ASK ANOTHER GUY THAT-
YOU MUST KEEP GOOD CARE IT LOOKS REALLY CLEAN

It is good to see that the Briggs Cyclonic Air Filtration system does what it is supposed to do... They are on my diesel engines.
They do work great and keep a lot of dirt & junk out of the filter and engine.... :smile:KennyV

jeffery9076 said:

:thumbsup:LOOKS LIKE A GOOD JOB :thumbsup: LET US KNOW HOW IT WORKS OUT. :thumbsup: I AM JEALOUS DETHACHER THAT FOLDS UP SWEET :smile: WHAT SIZE DECK -YOU SHOULD NEVER ASK ANOTHER GUY THAT-
YOU MUST KEEP GOOD CARE IT LOOKS REALLY CLEAN

Click to expand...

Machine has right around 500 hours, 48" deck with collection system. My cargo trailer is 7' wide and a wider deck would have been a problem. My stuff stays in the trailer out of the sun and weather. The dethatcher is a JRCO 46" model 470and was pricey($560) but well worth it once I got the hang of it. JRCO makes a variety of mountings.
Later
Mad Mackie in CT:laughing:

hi, Mac
nice project, good staff!
how this canister work exactly? seems like air comes from the top, spinning net on intake and throwing debris off (like on most horizontal shaft engines). what canister does? how airflow directed?

2.there is no "fingersafe" (foolproof) protection over intake net? or it doesn't spinning?
thank you

The screen does turn and no finger protection. The plastic blower housing is about 2" taller than the old engine housing. The flywheel fan turns the airflow into a stronger circular flow. Some of this forced air is drawn off and ducted into the filter housing where it continues to spin around the cylindrical air filter where particles are again separated and blown out thru a rubber valve. At this point the air to the carb is drawn thru the filter element and into the carb. The filter element portion of this system is similar to the two stage HD filter canister systems. The difference is that in the canister systems the air comes direct and not supplied by the cooling fan. I'll remove the filter housing tomorrow and take some pics and post them here.
My Hustler has the canister type system on it and has two concentric filter elements and an airflow indicator to alert the operator when the airflow has been excessively restricted from dust and dirt particles and needs replacement.
Mad Mackie in CT:laughing::smile:

thanks, M
so, you've got yourself a supercharger?!
---
some sort of cyclonic filter - would be great thing - i want to rig-up some kind of Dyson vacuum cleaner - "newer loose suction" : ))))
in all vertical shaft eng. i saw so far - they put wire cage on the top of the screen (to cover their ases?) which clogs-in with debris like leavs in the fall in a sec.
on second though - it won't grind fingers off, may be skin... knuckle injuries...? (on my own machine i would take it off - but on company's .... should be triple foolproof ... and that wouldn't be anogh : )))))

Nice job Mackie. Not to hijack the thread but since you own both a Scag and Hustler I would like some advice. I'm in the process of buying a ZRT. I'm going to buy either of the two makes mentioned above. I can get a 52" Cheetah for the same price as the 52" Xone or a 52" Tiger Cat for a $1000.00 less. What are your likes and preferences. I would go with the Kawi FX engine as that is what I have in my yard tractor (JD Residential Kawi Engine) with 0 problems.

Thanks
Bob

Thread hi jacking in progress. I have a 2012 Scag 52"27 horse Kohler 40 hours Canister filter system. (My opinion only) I have 20 hours with the bagging system 2 belts so far. However the dealer told me to throttle up all the way before engaging the bagging system. After talking to 3 other dealers they told me to throttle half way then engage then throttle all the way while setting still. One thing I do not like is the twist in the bagging system belt. And I do not care for Kevlar belts. I also have a john deere stander 54" 23 Kawasaki with about 440 hours no canister air filter on it very happy so far with it. My wife operates the john deere usually 2 days a week and took to it like a fish in the water. I also have a Howard price 52" walk behind 17 horse Kawasaki hydro the sulky never comes of 1120 hours on it. The engine needs over hauled but runs like a beast. THE GREEN THING IS A HOMEMADE LEAF PLOW GREAT TOOL TO SAVE ME MONEY. always GET A CANISTER STYLE FILTRATION SYSTEM NO MATTER WHAT YOU BUY. I LIKE ALL OF MY MOWERS AND AM GETTING ANOTHER HOWARD PRICE THIS UP COMING WEEKEND FOR A PARTS MOWER IF LUCKY.

brushbuster said:

Nice job Mackie. Not to hijack the thread but since you own both a Scag and Hustler I would like some advice. I'm in the process of buying a ZRT. I'm going to buy either of the two makes mentioned above. I can get a 52" Cheetah for the same price as the 52" Xone or a 52" Tiger Cat for a $1000.00 less. What are your likes and preferences. I would go with the Kawi FX engine as that is what I have in my yard tractor (JD Residential Kawi Engine) with 0 problems.

Thanks
Bob

Click to expand...

Hi Bob,
I just checked the specs on the 52" Cheetah and I see that it is available with either a Kawi FX730, Briggs with Cyclonic air filter, or Kohler, and has twin Hydro Gear 3400 hydrostatic drives. The Hustler X-ONE is Kawi FX powered and has pumps and wheel motors. The Tiger Cat with a Briggs has pumps and wheel motors and would be a less expensive machine. I prefer pumps and wheel motors to hydrostatic drives however just my opinion and I haven't had any experience with later model hydrostatic drives. I bought the Hustler as I needed a rear discharge machine for cemetery mowing and Scag doesn't offer a rear discharge deck at all. These machines are in somewhat different classes from each other. The Hustler has the least timely maintenance schedule of these three machines and the Kawi FX730 has by far the best fuel economy. I'm not a Kohler fan, but I do have friends that operate commercially and for the most part they are happy with their Kohlers.
Mad Mackie in CT

jeffery9076 said:

Thread hi jacking in progress. I have a 2012 Scag 52"27 horse Kohler 40 hours Canister filter system. (My opinion only) I have 20 hours with the bagging system 2 belts so far. However the dealer told me to throttle up all the way before engaging the bagging system. After talking to 3 other dealers they told me to throttle half way then engage then throttle all the way while setting still. One thing I do not like is the twist in the bagging system belt. And I do not care for Kevlar belts. I also have a john deere stander 54" 23 Kawasaki with about 440 hours no canister air filter on it very happy so far with it. My wife operates the john deere usually 2 days a week and took to it like a fish in the water. I also have a Howard price 52" walk behind 17 horse Kawasaki hydro the sulky never comes of 1120 hours on it. The engine needs over hauled but runs like a beast. THE GREEN THING IS A HOMEMADE LEAF PLOW GREAT TOOL TO SAVE ME MONEY. always GET A CANISTER STYLE FILTRATION SYSTEM NO MATTER WHAT YOU BUY. I LIKE ALL OF MY MOWERS AND AM GETTING ANOTHER HOWARD PRICE THIS UP COMING WEEKEND FOR A PARTS MOWER IF LUCKY.

Click to expand...

Hi Jeff,
I do go thru V belts on my collection blower. I buy Stens Kevlar V belts 6 at a time but I do use the same size V belt on the deck drive of my 1989 Ingersoll 4018 GT which has 2,500 hours on it and the 3rd engine. Two belts in 20 hours means to me that there is a problem somewhere possibly belt alignment or chaffing. I engage the electric clutch all the time at full throttle and I do the same with the Hustler. When I get into the mowing mode it is idle or full throttle, very seldom between. In season I frequently inspect the blower belt and if I see any fraying I replace the belt. I carry spares in my trailer along with tools. At this recent Scag repower, I inspected the clutch and it was OK and the gap was still within specs.
Mad Mackie in CT

thanks for the reply Mad Mackie- I took the mower back to the dealer had him realign it and once it was right on he welded the two slots so they can not move back and forth. I could tell by his attitude that they have had trouble with belts breaking. The first one lasted 2 maybe 3 hours you could see where it rubbed on the blower. It burnished a mark on it. They argued with me on the phone. But I know how to make a seen in a store- always wait till you have someone else or more people looking at the same mower- they tend to want to solve the problem then. I buy my belts in bulk also to save on shipping. I also use Stens. Have you ever tried a rubber belt??? I found 1 that would fit just got to get the info off my old computer. And it was a lot cheaper ( FORGOT TO MENTION TO THE PEOPLE THINKING ABOUT BUYING A SCAG /THE WARRANTY DOES NOT INCLUDE) THE BAGGER THE BAGGER ONLY HAS A 90 DAY WARRANTY. ALL WARRANTIES MUST BE EXPRESSED AND IMPLIED AT THE TIME OF THE SELL /ASK ADVANCED AUTO THEY SOLD ME A ENGINE WITHOUT THE WARRANTY I SUED AND ONE. ALSO JUST BECAUSE YOU WIN DOES NOT MEAN YOU GET YOUR MONEY. I HAD TO PAY EXTRA TO GET THEM POSTED ON THERE DOOR THAT SAID THEY LOST A LAW SUIT AND HAD A JUDMENT AGAINST THEM. THEY CALLED ME A HOUR AFTER AND SAID COME GET YOUR MONEY. THE WARRANTY FOR THE SCAG BAGGER IS IN THE BOX WHICH YOU DO NOT GET UNTIL YOU GET THE BAGGING SYSTEM

HMMMMMMMMMM

thanks for the reply Mad Mackie- I took the mower back to the dealer had him realign it and once it was right on he welded the two slots so they can not move back and forth. I could tell by his attitude that they have had trouble with belts breaking. The first one lasted 2 maybe 3 hours you could see where it rubbed on the blower. It burnished a mark on it. They argued with me on the phone. But I know how to make a seen in a store- always wait till you have someone else or more people looking at the same mower- they tend to want to solve the problem then. I buy my belts in bulk also to save on shipping. I also use Stens. Have you ever tried a rubber belt??? I found 1 that would fit just got to get the info off my old computer. And it was a lot cheaper ( FORGOT TO MENTION TO THE PEOPLE THINKING ABOUT BUYING A SCAG /THE WARRANTY DOES NOT INCLUDE) THE BAGGER THE BAGGER ONLY HAS A 90 DAY WARRANTY. ALL WARRANTIES MUST BE EXPRESSED AND IMPLIED AT THE TIME OF THE SELL /ASK ADVANCED AUTO THEY SOLD ME A ENGINE WITHOUT THE WARRANTY I SUED AND ONE. ALSO JUST BECAUSE YOU WIN DOES NOT MEAN YOU GET YOUR MONEY. I HAD TO PAY EXTRA TO GET THEM POSTED ON THERE DOOR THAT SAID THEY LOST A LAW SUIT AND HAD A JUDMENT AGAINST THEM. THEY CALLED ME A HOUR AFTER AND SAID COME GET YOUR MONEY. THE WARRANTY FOR THE SCAG BAGGER IS IN THE BOX WHICH YOU DO NOT GET UNTIL YOU GET THE BAGGING SYSTEM

HMMMMMMMMMM

I bought the collection system with the machine new in 2008. I just looked thru the operators manual for the collection system and it stated a 1 year warranty for the blower assembly, 90 days for the rest excluding the belt. Having just looked at mine, I'm going to say that the dealer possibly didn't assemble or install it correctly.
I'm on the 2nd set of bearings for the impeller. Having done some research for better quality bearings I have found out several facts. The three bolt cast iron bearing housing is a Scag specific part, but the bearing in it is replacable. I ordered replacement bearings to install into the stock housings for when I need to replace them again. The bearing is an SKF #YAR-205-100-2F, pricey but of much better quality. I measured the ID of the housings and they are still within specs.
My own lawn is the only one that I do without the collection blower installed, all others need collection particularly in spring and fall.
90 day warranty is the norm with most manufacturers accessories and replacement parts like a deck assembly.
Mad Mackie in CT:laughing: