My Lawn Mower Repair Thread (56k warning)

[hanyoukimura]

Today I did some work on that Craftsman, cleaned the carburetor fuel tank, and replaced the diaphragm. The good news is that it fired right up. The bad news is that it has a death shake. Turns out that the crank is bent and there is a crack near one of the bolts. Very disappointing, especially after getting the wheels/handlebars back together.

Still, with little to lose besides time, I decided to try a trick I once saw. Tipping the mower on its side, I rotated the crankshaft until the bent angle was facing up, then whacked it a few (several) times with a 2.5 lb. sledgehammer. To my delight it, while not perfect, did lessen the severity of the bend, and even with a crack the engine runs without vibrating.

As for the crack, it's about 3 inches around the outer edge of the engine mount, right before the metal dips to form the channel. I'm wondering if JB Weld will work to reenforce it.

 

[natenkiki2004]

Personally, I would be really concerned about safety with that, especially selling it to someone. I've seen the sledgehammer trick and wonder how it affects things inside the engine like bearings and whatnot. The crack could probably be fixed with JB Weld but after using some of that to fix a shroud on an engine and seeing it re-crack partially, I don't have much confidence in JB Weld in high vibration situations. If it were me, I would take a long look at this mower and figure out if it's worthwhile to sell to make a quick buck. The crankshaft could come back to bite you later on. With that said, it's still great that you go to so much effort to recycle these mowers and make some spending money doing it. Just my thoughts

 

[Lawnmowerman2]

the last 2 numbers on the middle number on the briggs plate is the yr.:smile:

 

[goodolboy]

man i have to bow to you its nice to see people like you take something and give it a new life :thumbsup::drink::cool2

 

[kyoshofan1]

I know its off season but I am in Florida and I am still buying, repairing and selling mowers. Anyone else out there.

 

[kyoshofan1]

Just thought I would put a link to my YouTube page where I post the videos of the mowers I have repaired and sold.

TheLawnmower72 - YouTube

 

[hanyoukimura]

Well its been a quite, cold, and snowy winter, so not much got done. However, Spring is finally here and that means its time to get busy!

The red Craftsman has been sold and the Lawn Chief is pending Thursday pickup. Yesterday I went and replenished my inventory. Here's what I got:



Everything you see fit in that little car, all doors closed, windows up, trunk closed. Yes, I have skill. :tongue:



I'm hoping to get at least one weed wacker and one leaf blower going, since I want them for myself. That Homelite is pretty neat. I've never seen one with the engine mounted at the base, and can stand up on its own.

I've got a Briggs Quantum, wheels, and big wheel brackets from a rusty mower.

As for mowers, I got Weed Eater.



A newer Lawn Chief.



An older Craftsman.



This very solid looking Toro.



And most interesting of all, one I may keep, this Jacobson. I know nothing about it besides it looks neat and the deck is aluminum.



Oh, and a coworker's Lawn Boy, model 7229.



I've already got it running.

 

[Two-Stroke]

It's good to hear from you. :thumbsup:

You've got a couple of gems in your latest haul. The Lawn-Boy (with F-series engine) is a great mower and you can't buy those new anymore. I wouldn't be too quick to let that go.

I also like the old Jake. Those alloy decks last forever... and that's often the first thing to go on a Briggs-powered steel deck mower. If it gets used only on level ground, that mower could last a lifetime with routine maintenance.

The trimmer with the engine on the bottom is interesting but a bad place to put the heavy part => makes it tough to handle.

 

[hanyoukimura]

It's good to hear from you. :thumbsup:

You've got a couple of gems in your latest haul. The Lawn-Boy (with F-series engine) is a great mower and you can't buy those new anymore. I wouldn't be too quick to let that go.

I also like the old Jake. Those alloy decks last forever... and that's often the first thing to go on a Briggs-powered steel deck mower. If it gets used only on level ground, that mower could last a lifetime with routine maintenance.

The trimmer with the engine on the bottom is interesting but a bad place to put the heavy part => makes it tough to handle.

Thanks!

The Lawn Boy is my coworker's, I'm fixing it for her so I can't keep it. :laughing: But that's ok, I have one (which I still need to work on) in the basement.

I think I will keep the Jacobson, its pretty neat. The person I got these from had a couple other ones I wanted, including an older Snapper. Weighs a ton! Couldn't fit it on that trip, maybe next time if its still there.

 

[Two-Stroke]

Thanks!

The Lawn Boy is my coworker's, I'm fixing it for her so I can't keep it. :laughing: But that's ok, I have one (which I still need to work on) in the basement.

I think I will keep the Jacobson, its pretty neat. The person I got these from had a couple other ones I wanted, including an older Snapper. Weighs a ton! Couldn't fit it on that trip, maybe next time if its still there.

A female co-worker with great taste in mowers... nice. :cool2:

Here's a photo of my old Jake. It's got the Briggs engine like yours, alloy deck, and wheels made to last forever (if you keep them greased.)

The engine is pretty well gone since I used it a lot on sloped areas (oil goes to one side... bad :thumbdown: ).

I've got to fix it one of these days since I can't let it go. It was my main mower for many years in Atlanta before I subjected it to the tough terrain of Cleburne County.