My mower repair thread

[Vervepipes]

I just noticed they are both Murray pro series in the same colour and same engine family. Both from different people. What a co-incidence.

 

[hanyoukimura]

Man you have great luck getting mowers! I wish it were so easy around here.

I've got a couple mowers with that Husqvarna deck. Although one f them has rot holes in it and a bad Tecumseh engine (its a parts mower), the other is a very solid (and heavy!) machine. I got that one for free with a partially seized engine that freed up after filling it with oil. It's actually quit e a nice mower. I should really sell it, but haven't had the heart to yet. It's been in the basement in storage for at least a year.

 

[Vervepipes]

On a good week I can usually get my hands on 5-8ish mowers, although maybe half of those have usable decks. A few have great engines needing nothing, and a bunch have maybe a cable or recoil, or carb that work. Halifax is a decent sized city so there is a lot of competition but I still make out OK. I have sold 19 I think in about a month. I've been so busy with it that I actually need to step back and re-organize myself, prioritize work needed around the house and then continue. I'm going to try to resist temptation to pick more mowers up until after the weekend and spend time breaking down my basket cases. In the process of doing that I think I can get 3 more mowers out the door. Somewhere in there I need to complete my utility trailer as well. Man, i wish there was more time in the day.

After the mess is cleaned up and the shed is organized, and the trailer is finished, I'll see if an add on Kijiji is still there for something like a half dozen tractors, dozen edgers and a dozen or so push mowers for 300 bucks. I bet the neighbors will LOVE me then!

 

[Vervepipes]

Man you have great luck getting mowers! I wish it were so easy around here.

I've got a couple mowers with that Husqvarna deck. Although one f them has rot holes in it and a bad Tecumseh engine (its a parts mower), the other is a very solid (and heavy!) machine. I got that one for free with a partially seized engine that freed up after filling it with oil. It's actually quit e a nice mower. I should really sell it, but haven't had the heart to yet. It's been in the basement in storage for at least a year.

Is that a Husqvarna deck? Mine is re-branded as a Craftsman, but I haven't seen a manufacturer's label on it. The red one I mentioned is actually an MTD manufactured Super-Cuts, but it looks a lot like Rover Supercuts. I'll take pics of it later because it really is a well built mower, especially for an MTD. The silver Craftsman branded one above in fact is not the same deck, I just thought it was the same. Maybe I'll weld the hole in it and get her going again and sell it to a young kid trying to get in shape.

 

[hanyoukimura]

Is that a Husqvarna deck? Mine is re-branded as a Craftsman, but I haven't seen a manufacturer's label on it. The red one I mentioned is actually an MTD manufactured Super-Cuts, but it looks a lot like Rover Supercuts. I'll take pics of it later because it really is a well built mower, especially for an MTD. The silver Craftsman branded one above in fact is not the same deck, I just thought it was the same. Maybe I'll weld the hole in it and get her going again and sell it to a young kid trying to get in shape.

From what I understand Craftsman mowers are primarily rebanded Husqvarna mowers.

 

[Vervepipes]

The carb for the Honda HR194 arrived in the mail so I put it on and it runs as beautifully as it looks. This is my favorite mower that I have right now, despite the small size and low HP. In reality, a 19" mower doesn't take much longer than a 22" mower, on a 1/4 acre it probably only translates to 1 or 2 extra passes. The engine has a very pleasing sound. Now to polish the chrome. I tinkered on the Noma, and despite having a functional throttle system it doesn't seem to rev very high and often dies down some. It also vibrates badly and has some very loud rattling. Compression feels good while turning the engine manually and the crank shaft looks straight. Maybe I'll try another blade in case it has a wow in it, but that still leaves the low RPM issue. Besides having a manual throttle that honestly seems to act more like a just a choke, it also has the air vane that controls the throttle somewhat, and it moves freely. I want to get to the bottom of this so I can sell it.

I also got a beater 6HP Quantum running now that I have spare gaskets. I just need to change the pull cord and it'll be good to go, after a pressure washing of course. This one is not pretty. It is missing part of the shroud above the air cleaner that I robbed for a better mower, it's been spray painted another colour that isn't sticking well, and it has a little bit of rust. Still, a running 6 horse should get $50 regardless of those details.

 

[Vervepipes]

Both Yard Machines mowers sold today. I'm still getting the beater Murray ready to sell. It has a regular blade on it, but it's a mulcher with a missing rear discharge bag, so I'll see if I have any spare mulching blades that will fit it to make it mow nicer. After that I may have a couple of mowers left that I can build but I want to focus on cleaning up the mowers that are destined for parts, then I will either take a few days off or look for more. Most likely the latter, I don't know how to relax. Wel I do, and it comes as a moment of triumph after working on getting something others considered scrap to live a second life.

 

[hanyoukimura]

Well I do, and it comes as a moment of triumph after working on getting something others considered scrap to live a second life.

I'll drink to that! :drink:

 

[Vervepipes]

Some good and some less good today. This Murray is not ready to sell. Not a pretty mower, but 6 HP is good for neglected yards. This one is missing part of the shroud that I robbed for a better mower but it's going to go cheap and fast. It came to me with the engine is pieces from a power engineering studen who figured she'd try to rebuild a motor, but never got around to reassembly. It has a lot of paint over spray from a gad paint job but again, it's a cheap beater mower.


Cleaned up and replaced the wheels with less wobbly ones



I solved the Noma problem, it has a bad vibration and the rpm's were very low and not consistent. I replaced the spark plug with the proper one, and readjusted the throttle cable, it now runs fine but still shakes and rattles. I tipped it over and it looks like either the blade or crank is bent, but the blade retaining bolt is completely rounded so I have to think about my plan of attack on this one. Maybe I'll grind the sides of the bolt head flat until a wrench will fit snugly on it, or buy some vise grips. I'll have to think about it over the weekend as it's going to rain the whole time.

One of the self propelled Murrays is now running, I borrowed a cable from another and replaced the rotten muffler and it runs beautifully. Now all it needs is the proper cables and a belt and it can be listed.


This little self propelled Murray has a tank full of water and I looked into it more today, it also has a broken self propel cable and the engine is seized solid. I have an engine ready to replace it, more on that in a minute.


As it turns out, my Lawn-Boy Silver series with the Tecumseh motor is not really worth saving. I was going to weld the deck cracks but the underside is damaged with chinks missing and a bad rivet job. The good news is that the engine is not original and has a belt drive pulley, so on to the little Murray it will go.

I took the blade brake and recoil/shroud assembly from the 6.75HP Craftsman below and transferred it onto one of my spare 5HP Quantums. It runs if I pour gas into the carb if I keep the manual throttle all the way full throttle but dies as soon as it's relaxed. I'll transfer over the carb and the rest of the governor gear over another day to make it work well. This guy needs both cables and a belt. I may have another engine I may throw on in the mean time to get it out the door that went on another deck, only to realize it has a deck crack.


I also broke down 3 decks into spare parts for my parts shelves so it was a VERY productive day considering it was a full day at work before starting any of this. I didn't get much out the door, but I think I'm further ahead that I was yesterday for sure with diagnostics and action plans. My beer low light is on.

 

[Vervepipes]

On a side note, I'm almost at my May sales level already and word of mouth is getting around the base and I'm getting people coming to my office asking what I have available. I really need to organize myself quickly to get this operation running smoothly and try to keep up with demand, especially if mowers are selling before they are even listed.

So with the Lawn boy Silver Series out of the picture, my personal collection is down to the Honda HR194, '73 Lawn-Boy and Sunbeam Lawn Champ. I've yet to actually use the Lawn Champ, but it's too neat to sell. I think this is how hoarders begin.