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Okay, this is going to be weird. Rear-engine goes too fast.

#1

V

Very Fine Person

Hello. I hope that you are well and enjoying life in general.
I've had this Rear Engine Relic for more than a month now, and I finally got around to putting in a battery and oil and climbing aboard.

I'd never rode a rider before, and I was horrified at how fast it was. On Speed Number One. On Speed Number Six I probably could have taken it out onto the highway.

Between that and not really knowing how steep a hill it would take to tip it over, and I got hills, I'm kind of ascaired to get back on it. I know that there's a throttle, but Briggs and Stratton says that their engine really wants to run at a high speed, and my experience with throttles has not been good. These things really want to run full out. And or course if the engine slows down the blade slows down, and that can't be good.

Does anyone have any nonobvious suggestions regarding slowing this baby down?


#2

sgkent

sgkent

drag blocks or logs? :)


#3

S

slomo

Very Fine Person said:
Briggs and Stratton says that their engine really wants to run at a high speed,
Click to expand...
All correct. Keep the engine at roughly 3600rpm at ALL times. This is for MAX engine cooling and lubrication. For the deck it cuts and bags better too.

Far as speeds, the transmission driven disk sounds like someone has been messing with it. Jim Jackson has a ton of youtube videos on these RER machines. Do a search under Jim's name and you will have a ton of info on these.

Normal speeds in first gear is a slow walk. Sixth gear is a slow/med jogging speed.

Wonder if some kid/grown person changed the pulleys out trying to make a racing mower??? These really are not that fast.


#4

V

Very Fine Person

Huh.
I used to be a person who would want to climb under the machine, but age is really doing me in, which is why I bought a rider in the first place. "Just tip it up on it's butt" people say. Yeah, I lift ninety pounds all the time.
Not.
Thanks for the input. I don't know how much I can mess around with the zany disk drive, it has a pretty specific beginning and end. But there seems to be a chain set somewhere in the drive path, I think, and this might be a place where tomfoolery could occur.

A big downside of having a rider is if it has to go to the shop, well, you need a truck or a trailer, and all the poo that that entails.


#5

A

Auto Doc's

Hello VPF,

Most shop newer small engine shop techs have never worked on the older rear engine riders, so that would be a waste of time and money.

Is first gear position actually that fast or is it the sudden lurch forward that is surprising you? The clutch is pretty sudden on these, so the pedal has to be released slow as it starts to move.

Someone may have changed out the friction disc and modified it in the process.

The other option would be to sell this one and get a rider with a hydrostatic transmission with foot pedal speed control.


#6

V

Very Fine Person

It's kinda both. But it's fast, yes it is.

And let's talk about those pedals. Instead of having a pedal that makes it go, this thing only has a pedal that makes it stop. If a rider is incapacitated somehow and can't push the pedal, the machine doesn't stop, it goes, out of control, its merry way until it hits something it can't mow or move.

I'm usually against all the safety sissies, My Hyundai owner's manual is 75% WARNING warnings. But is anything more unsafe than this pedal setup?


#7

A

Auto Doc's

The clutch pedal also acts as a brake when it's pushed all the way down normally. If it is not braking, the brake cable is broken or out of adjustment or the brake pad is worn out.


#8

V

Very Fine Person

I think that you should read the post that you respond to.


#9

A

Auto Doc's

Okay?


#10

S

slomo

Very Fine Person said:
And let's talk about those pedals. Instead of having a pedal that makes it go, this thing only has a pedal that makes it stop. If a rider is incapacitated somehow and can't push the pedal, the machine doesn't stop, it goes, out of control, its merry way until it hits something it can't mow or move.
Click to expand...
Maybe it's time to call a professional lawn crew? Educate yourself more on riding mowers if that is not an option for you.


#11

V

Very Fine Person

I told you that this was going to get weird. What did I say that wasn't true?


#12

2muchgrass2mow

2muchgrass2mow

Very Fine Person said:
I think that you should read the post that you respond to.
Click to expand...
You've come here asking for advice from any/all of us, so here's mine: Go to a Husqvarna, John Deere, Cub Cadet or any other reputable DEALER (not Lowe's) and get yourself a new lawn tractor with whatever size deck and accessories you need - something that will mow your hills safely (I too have steep hills which I address with my JD X-370 and 90lbs. of weights on the rear) and has foot pedals for forward and reverse - which also control your speed according to how far they're depressed. There will also be a brake, which when depressed will stop the motion of the mower - forward or rear.

Sounds like what you have now is truly a "relic" needing work and dangerous. Get rid of it! In the long run, you'll be glad you did . . .


#13

2muchgrass2mow

2muchgrass2mow

Very Fine Person said:
I told you that this was going to get weird. What did I say that wasn't true?
Click to expand...
P.S. If you have hills that are fairly steep, as I do, I advise avoiding a zero turn. Then you're into rear engine again with all the weight pretty much in the rear, not to mention more$$.


#14

H

Honest Abe

So, you have a "Rear Engine Relic" do you, that really defines things..... :unsure:


#15

A

Auto Doc's

While we are on the subject of rear engine riders, has anyone watched Forrest Gump lately? That was a great movie... Still is.


#16

O

Oddjob

We all make mistakes. Except me. Just kidding. We should all graciously accept that mistakes happen, make the necessary correction, and move on. But if you come asking for help you should not even think about cracking wise. Auto Doc is an extremely knowledgeable and generous poster who has helped lots of amateurs, including me. Ok, he missed that you said the brakes work. Your response was uncalled for. You need to apologize.

I own a Snapper RER and love it. It is a supremely basic machine that is reliable and easy to work on. If your machine goes too fast in first gear it is possible that someone changed out a gear in the transmission box but I think the more likely reason is that your shifter is not moving the driven disc toward the center when you put it in first gear. If that is the case, I’d suspect a broken or disconnected piece of the linkage. But the only way to figure out the cause and to fix it is to put the machine on its butt and visually inspect how the shifter is moving the driven disc; and if that’s ok, then remove the transmission cover and inspect the gears. If you can’t lift 90 pounds you’ll have to get someone to help you or invest in a jack or hoist or the like. Otherwise, sell the Snapper.

BTW, the owners manual says that the best way to slow the mower down is to use the shift lever, not the brake/clutch. I didn’t know that you don’t use the clutch to shift this mower into gear except for the initial shift on start-up until I read the manual. After it is moving you don’t use the clutch/brake except to hold it on hills, shift into reverse, or make an emergency stop. I hope you get this mower working. I know you’ll like it.


#17

O

Oddjob

Auto Doc's said:
While we are on the subject of rear engine riders, has anyone watched Forrest Gump lately? That was a great movie... Still is.
Click to expand...
One of my all time favorites. Posters here are just like Forrest’s mom said about that box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.


#18

A

Auto Doc's

Hi Oddjob,

Snapper was unique (way back) when they developed the friction disc drive design for their riders and other self-propelled equipment. They were literally "shift on the fly" using a sliding friction disc design that would simply walk across a spinning crankshaft mounted aluminum disc.

These friction drives were very popular in the (early) days before hydrostatic transmissions became the norm.

Unlike other designs at the time there were no toothed gears and clutch belt operations to contend with like other designs of the time had.


#19

V

Very Fine Person

Thank you for your kind responses. Apologize Hell. We're supposed to be grown men here.
If you don't like me, get me thrown out.

A quip that I heard:
In the South, when they say "Have a Nice Day", it means "Bleep You".
In New York, when they say "Bleep you", it means "Have a Nice Day".
(I have actually experienced this)

I'm not going to think about this over the holiday weekend. I'd like to salvage the situation if I can. I was thinking that the wheel doesn't get to the center of the other wheel. I might do something daffy like get a pile of two-by-fours and screw together something like a swing set frame and put a small hoist on it to stand it up for a peek.

Or get a pressure washer, pretty it up, and sell it.

Anyway, I'm gonna unsubscribe now. If people are gonna get all emotional you can do it without me.


#20

2muchgrass2mow

2muchgrass2mow

Very Fine Person said:
Thank you for your kind responses. Apologize Hell. We're supposed to be grown men here.
If you don't like me, get me thrown out.

A quip that I heard:
In the South, when they say "Have a Nice Day", it means "Bleep You".
In New York, when they say "Bleep you", it means "Have a Nice Day".
(I have actually experienced this)

I'm not going to think about this over the holiday weekend. I'd like to salvage the situation if I can. I was thinking that the wheel doesn't get to the center of the other wheel. I might do something daffy like get a pile of two-by-fours and screw together something like a swing set frame and put a small hoist on it to stand it up for a peek.

Or get a pressure washer, pretty it up, and sell it.

Anyway, I'm gonna unsubscribe now. If people are gonna get all emotional you can do it without me.
Click to expand...
VFP:
There is a mechanical lift called a “Mojack” that allows you to raise the front of your mower up about 45 degrees. I have had one for a decade. However, as I posted before, especially if you have > an acre to mow, you just need a new mower. That one will drive you batty . . .


#21

2muchgrass2mow

2muchgrass2mow

2muchgrass2mow said:
VFP:
There is a mechanical lift called a “Mojack” that allows you to raise the front of your mower up about 45 degrees. I have had one for a decade. However, as I posted before, especially if you have > an acre to mow, you just need a new mower. That one will drive you batty . . .
Click to expand...
P.S. You’ll never sell it if a potential buyer gives it a tryout! I’d forget about that option.
Auto Doc's said:
Hi Oddjob,

Snapper was unique (way back) when they developed the friction disc drive design for their riders and other self-propelled equipment. They were literally "shift on the fly" using a sliding friction disc design that would simply walk across a spinning crankshaft mounted aluminum disc.

These friction drives were very popular in the (early) days before hydrostatic transmissions became the norm.

Unlike other designs at the time there were no toothed gears and clutch belt operations to contend with like other designs of the time had.
Click to expand...
I had a Craftsman 12.5 hp version of the RE mower. It lasted 12 yrs. Until the shifter handle actually broke in my hand🤣. I decided after replacing the shifter to gift it to my neice, but it was a trooper!


#22

D

Dwayne Oxford

I run 2 old Snappers, have since '89. One's set up for mowing, other for pick up. Am on 3rd engine for mower, currently a Honda 390GXV. The pick up has 2nd engine, 11HP B&S. I adjust throttle to do whatever I need to do. At full throttle they are too fast so I don't run full throttle unless I'm in TALL grass. I'm old and beat up, setting them on their butts is out, I hoist from shed rafters till it's about 3/4 up then finish by hand.


#23

H

HoustonDave

Back on modifications - was a Kansas banker in the '70s who raced SCCA - his mechanic modified his mower so that it would literally hit 50mph. Unfortunately he didn't mention it to the banker - first time he tried to mow the lawn, the banker took out his wife's rose bushes.


#24

S

SamB

Very Fine Person said:
Hello. I hope that you are well and enjoying life in general.
I've had this Rear Engine Relic for more than a month now, and I finally got around to putting in a battery and oil and climbing aboard.

I'd never rode a rider before, and I was horrified at how fast it was. On Speed Number One. On Speed Number Six I probably could have taken it out onto the highway.

Between that and not really knowing how steep a hill it would take to tip it over, and I got hills, I'm kind of ascaired to get back on it. I know that there's a throttle, but Briggs and Stratton says that their engine really wants to run at a high speed, and my experience with throttles has not been good. These things really want to run full out. And or course if the engine slows down the blade slows down, and that can't be good.

Does anyone have any nonobvious suggestions regarding slowing this baby down?
Click to expand...
First off, just what mower do you have? Did I miss that info, perhaps? But on with the show! Disregard anyone's advice about 'gears. If what you have is the classic Snapper Rear Engine Rider, RER for short, the only gears in it are the sun gears inside the chaincase.not changeable. If you have an RER,the first thing to check is your shifter plate, the one with the notchs,1,2,3,etc. That plate is adjustable, fore and aft. Loosening the 2 bolts holding it on will allow it to slide. This shifts the top forward speed up or down and moves that speed to reverse. Simple terms, lose forward,gain reverse speed. Note that mine are in the middle of the slots. Give that a look firstSnapper shift plate.JPG

Attachments





#25

S

SamB

Oddjob said:
We all make mistakes. Except me. Just kidding. We should all graciously accept that mistakes happen, make the necessary correction, and move on. But if you come asking for help you should not even think about cracking wise. Auto Doc is an extremely knowledgeable and generous poster who has helped lots of amateurs, including me. Ok, he missed that you said the brakes work. Your response was uncalled for. You need to apologize.

I own a Snapper RER and love it. It is a supremely basic machine that is reliable and easy to work on. If your machine goes too fast in first gear it is possible that someone changed out a gear in the transmission box but I think the more likely reason is that your shifter is not moving the driven disc toward the center when you put it in first gear. If that is the case, I’d suspect a broken or disconnected piece of the linkage. But the only way to figure out the cause and to fix it is to put the machine on its butt and visually inspect how the shifter is moving the driven disc; and if that’s ok, then remove the transmission cover and inspect the gears. If you can’t lift 90 pounds you’ll have to get someone to help you or invest in a jack or hoist or the like. Otherwise, sell the Snapper.

BTW, the owners manual says that the best way to slow the mower down is to use the shift lever, not the brake/clutch. I didn’t know that you don’t use the clutch to shift this mower into gear except for the initial shift on start-up until I read the manual. After it is moving you don’t use the clutch/brake except to hold it on hills, shift into reverse, or make an emergency stop. I hope you get this mower working. I know you’ll like it.
Click to expand...
Uh Oddjob, "remove the transmission cover and inspect the gears"? Did you open the chain case, perhaps? Not a good idea to open that 'banjo' looking chain case if one isn't well-versed on Snapper drivetrains. Nothing I can think of in the chain case that would change ground speed. Just politely asking.


#26

M

My Hoe

Very Fine Person said:
I think that you should read the post that you respond to.
Click to expand...
Wow...that attitude is sure to get you the help you seek! /s

And FYI: Did I miss where you EVER named the brand and model of RER you have? Everyone is making the (good) educated GUESS that it's a Snapper, but Sears/Craftsman and other companies had similar designs back in the day as well.

What did you expect to get from such a low-effort post? NO pics (to reveal any possible modifications made by a previous owner), no mention of brand, model, horsepower. Us "boomers" say the "kids" are entitled, but you, Sir, seem to fit that definition to a "T."


#27

S

SamB

My Hoe said:
Wow...that attitude is sure to get you the help you seek! /s

And FYI: Did I miss where you EVER named the brand and model of RER you have? Everyone is making the (good) educated GUESS that it's a Snapper, but Sears/Craftsman and other companies had similar designs back in the day as well.

What did you expect to get from such a low-effort post? NO pics (to reveal any possible modifications made by a previous owner), no mention of brand, model, horsepower. Us "boomers" say the "kids" are entitled, but you, Sir, seem to fit that definition to a "T."
Click to expand...
I,too, would to have that information to better tailor my information offered, as the mower may be a totally different machine that I'm guessing it is. Then I'd defer to someone better versed on that particular machine. We all love to help, but the OP has to help US,too.


#28

M

My Hoe

SamB said:
I,too, would to have that information to better tailor my information offered, as the mower may be a totally different machine that I'm guessing it is. Then I'd defer to someone better versed on that particular machine. We all love to help, but the OP has to help US,too.
Click to expand...
Thank you--and I'm glad it's "not just me." LOL


#29

S

SamB

My Hoe said:
Thank you--and I'm glad it's "not just me." LOL
Click to expand...
Many members way more knowledgeable than me have beged, cajoled and scolded o get the simple ID of the mower/engine to give the most accurate help. FOR FREE! Please be kind to those who wish to save you a trip to a retail repair shop. (and $$$)


#30

G

Gord Baker

This thread should be deleted. Hopeless case.


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