Need help with a Snapper 21401-P walk behind

[SnapperLady]

I'm going to go out on a limb here....

I have a 1986 Snapper 21401-P walk behind - I've had it for 10 years and it's been a great mower.

It is self-propelled (with a chain drive) and has a Briggs and Stratton engine. I've posted about it on the Snapper forum.

This mower, which was running and mowing great was damaged when I moved 3 years ago. Mover unbolted the handle assembly and just threw it in the back of the moving truck. A few parts were lost and the cables were torn up. So the throttle cable, speed control cable (and springs and bushings) and the chain drive all need repairing.

The engine is fine but needs a thorough cleaning since it has been sitting for so long.

I have had it in two shops - one kept it more than 2 years before telling me they couldn't/wouldn't work on it. I moved it to another shop about 5 weeks ago and, once again, I've been told they can't/won't work on it. They say "it's not worth the cost of parts and labor." :frown:

I can get any part on earth for this mower but need someone who LIKES and WANTS to repair this mower for me.

I am willing to drive and bring this mower to someone willing and able to look at it and fix it for me. I live in the state of Virginia (north central). I am very willing to pay a reasonable rate for labor.

Thanks for listening.

 

[Carscw]

I am thinking by reading all this that you might be able to buy the parts and put this together your self. You can go online and pull up pics of how and where everything goes.

Sent from my iPhone using LMF

 

[SnapperLady]

I am thinking by reading all this that you might be able to buy the parts and put this together your self. You can go online and pull up pics of how and where everything goes.

Thanks for the reply, Carscw!

If you knew how horribly unmechanical I am, you'd know it would be a bad idea for me to try and put this together myself. :laughing: I am good at some things, know my limitations with other things. It was a MAJOR victory for me the other day when I figured out how to put new AA batteries in the digital thermostat for my heat pump system. :thumbsup:

The good news is I think I may have found someone to help me...not through this forum. But I looked on Craig's List and found an ad for a guy who works on old mowers out of his garage. He's retired and simply loves old mowers. He works on mowers for other people to help support his own restoration projects! And he's only about a half hour away from me.

I took my walk behind to him yesterday afternoon. His own collection of projects is impressive. He says he thinks he can put my little "Humpty Dumpty" back together again and his estimate is very reasonable.

I just knew I needed to stop trying to get a "real" shop to work on my mower. What I needed was someone who has a passion for old mowers.

Will post an update when I know more. But I have a lot of hope now that my Snapper walk behind will be mowing within a few more weeks!

 

[SnapperLady]

Update on my Snapper walk behind!

My new mower repair guy is wonderful! He got the fuel system cleaned out, changed the oil, got the throttle cable working properlym etc. and it started on one pull. Runs like a top he says!

Self-propelled mechanism is working, needs a little adjusting and a new spring for the speed control. This mower will be cutting grass very soon!