Hi,i'm Eddie from Oklahoma.
I've got a 2 acre property in town near Fort Smith,Ar that I use my mower for.
Mower is a craftsman model I bought when we moved to the property about 5 years ago.
I enjoy modifying and playing with anything that has an engine,and have perused this forum many times before when brainstorming.
Can't remember what model my mower is,think it was top model before garden tractor.
Came new with a 48" deck,electric clutch and 24hp Intek ELS.
(might have been 42" deck)
I added a grass catcher first year,along with stripping off hood decals in favor of flames.
2nd year the rods went thru the block,which is apparently a common issue due to an air filter.
I used this as an oppurtunity to upgrade to a 26 or 27hp Briggs Intek ELS. I also modified the grass catcher to have about double the capacity.
When I upgraded engine I also installed an oil pressure guage (believing at the time it was a pressure issue that caused last failure).
Either that year or the next I was tired of buying batteries every year or charging when the electric clutch wouldn't engage. Even maintaining correctly i've never had luck with small batteries.
So Upgraded to an Optima battery and never looked back,I charge every so often-usually just during the winter.
I can p now use it also to jump start cars if needed.
While it's been a good machine it did have several downfalls. I was constantly repairing tire puntures,bent blades and broken spindles.
Yep,i'm hard as hell on it. I keep 2-3 new spindles on the shelf at all times and break about that many every year.
Quick plug-I buy from TulsaEngineWarehouse.com and they are great guys,service and awesome prices. Picked my engine up from them (couple hours away) and order spindles from them)
I installed innertubes in all the tires,and have only had a flat issue once (due to me installing misboxed/wrong size tube)
We've talked for years about buying finish mower to help shave time,and bought one last week.
The mower deck on the old craftsman finally gave up the ghost,metal fatigued and dipped around a spindle bolt hole and cracked metal.
Instead of doing some welding and reinforcing wife gave the go ahead for a small tractor,which I've wanted/needed for a long time and we all knew it.
After alot of shopping I decided I wanted a bit more tractor than I can cashflow atm (FEL,backhoe etc..)
So I jumped on craigslist and found a 60" Swisher for $550!
Picked it up,rewired the battery and installed new solenoid.
Took grasscatcher off and hooked up.
Turning radius sucks,but cuts fast. Had to reinstall the grass catcher frame and wire a couple cinder blocks for weight however till I could fashion some suitable wheel or frame weights.
Future plans I would like to do
Heavier duty rear end
hubs and larger wheels
1 or 2" lift
removable weights
custom coated exhaust that is quieter
Alternator and possibly something else fun on the electric clutch
Front brushguard
I've pulled the heads and pistons from the old engine,and have contemplated coated them completely and installing for a couple more horsepower. (I do performance engine coatings along with some other fun stuff in my shop)
I've also wanted for years to turbo or supercharge a small engine for fun,and have even collected the parts.
Since this is pressure lubed I might try it one day. I've built a racing mower before for fun,and accumulated a couple compressors and turbos on the shelf that would work.
Anyway,that's me.
Should have my tractor by next summer and then this can become the around the house fun toy and play with modding a bit more.
Look forward to checking forum out and getting advice.
I'll find some pics if anyone is interested,might have some around or could take some
I've got a 2 acre property in town near Fort Smith,Ar that I use my mower for.
Mower is a craftsman model I bought when we moved to the property about 5 years ago.
I enjoy modifying and playing with anything that has an engine,and have perused this forum many times before when brainstorming.
Can't remember what model my mower is,think it was top model before garden tractor.
Came new with a 48" deck,electric clutch and 24hp Intek ELS.
(might have been 42" deck)
I added a grass catcher first year,along with stripping off hood decals in favor of flames.
2nd year the rods went thru the block,which is apparently a common issue due to an air filter.
I used this as an oppurtunity to upgrade to a 26 or 27hp Briggs Intek ELS. I also modified the grass catcher to have about double the capacity.
When I upgraded engine I also installed an oil pressure guage (believing at the time it was a pressure issue that caused last failure).
Either that year or the next I was tired of buying batteries every year or charging when the electric clutch wouldn't engage. Even maintaining correctly i've never had luck with small batteries.
So Upgraded to an Optima battery and never looked back,I charge every so often-usually just during the winter.
I can p now use it also to jump start cars if needed.
While it's been a good machine it did have several downfalls. I was constantly repairing tire puntures,bent blades and broken spindles.
Yep,i'm hard as hell on it. I keep 2-3 new spindles on the shelf at all times and break about that many every year.
Quick plug-I buy from TulsaEngineWarehouse.com and they are great guys,service and awesome prices. Picked my engine up from them (couple hours away) and order spindles from them)
I installed innertubes in all the tires,and have only had a flat issue once (due to me installing misboxed/wrong size tube)
We've talked for years about buying finish mower to help shave time,and bought one last week.
The mower deck on the old craftsman finally gave up the ghost,metal fatigued and dipped around a spindle bolt hole and cracked metal.
Instead of doing some welding and reinforcing wife gave the go ahead for a small tractor,which I've wanted/needed for a long time and we all knew it.
After alot of shopping I decided I wanted a bit more tractor than I can cashflow atm (FEL,backhoe etc..)
So I jumped on craigslist and found a 60" Swisher for $550!
Picked it up,rewired the battery and installed new solenoid.
Took grasscatcher off and hooked up.
Turning radius sucks,but cuts fast. Had to reinstall the grass catcher frame and wire a couple cinder blocks for weight however till I could fashion some suitable wheel or frame weights.
Future plans I would like to do
Heavier duty rear end
hubs and larger wheels
1 or 2" lift
removable weights
custom coated exhaust that is quieter
Alternator and possibly something else fun on the electric clutch
Front brushguard
I've pulled the heads and pistons from the old engine,and have contemplated coated them completely and installing for a couple more horsepower. (I do performance engine coatings along with some other fun stuff in my shop)
I've also wanted for years to turbo or supercharge a small engine for fun,and have even collected the parts.
Since this is pressure lubed I might try it one day. I've built a racing mower before for fun,and accumulated a couple compressors and turbos on the shelf that would work.
Anyway,that's me.
Should have my tractor by next summer and then this can become the around the house fun toy and play with modding a bit more.
Look forward to checking forum out and getting advice.
I'll find some pics if anyone is interested,might have some around or could take some
