I'm trying to get a little side business going fixing up push mowers that no one wants anymore and then trying to sell them. A kid at my work gave me 2 mowers this week and I wanted to show them to you guys to see what you think I should do to them. The first is the one I think I might be able to do something with. Its a front propelled Troy Bilt, not sure if its set up for mulching or not, all I know is that it did not have a side shoot or bag with it.
As you can see, there is some rust on the deck, but nothing a wire wheel and some paint cant fix. He said it used to be a high wheel model and the wheels were shot when he got it, so he used the front wheels off the Honda he gave me (more on that later). The drive cable is also messed up and theres some rust on the handle bar. My only real big concern is that it was sitting outside under a tree for atleast a year with the Honda on top of it and it does turn over with the pull cord, but not very easily, and the oil on the dipstick looks like it may have moisture in it. But this one I think is salvageable.
The other one is a Honda Harmony with the plastic deck. Model #HRM215. The dealer I checked on parts with today said it is a 1992 model. Its a 2spd self propelled with a blade clutch.
I was excited when I saw it cause its an older model with the GXV 140 engine. It was sitting outside like the Troy Bilt, but with the carb off of it. This worried me, but it seems to turn over fine, and the oil looks like new in it yet. As I said, the front wheels are currently on the Troy Bilt, so I'll move them back over. My big issue is, the deck is cracked. The most visible one is the one behind the left front wheel. I don't believe its really a structural issue, as it isn't visible on the underside, but it will most likely make it very hard to sell. Once I flipped it over, I found more cracks, worst of which is what looks like a chunk ready to fall off the deck (both are visible on the right side of the picture, on the drive axle end). I priced a new deck and I'm looking at $184, not worth it as I can by a used mower like this in running condition for about $150-$200 on CL. I thought about maybe keeping it just for parts, using the engine on another mower, or maybe even getting it running and then keeping it for myself as I don't think the cracks it has will hurt it much. My other issue is the outer shell of the air box, along with the filters, is missing, and the carb might be junk. The kid pulled it off to clean it, and apparently a miss hap occurred involving one of is idiotic buddies, some gas, and a lighter, but anyways, it ended in the float, and the float mount getting melted (see carb pic). The float I can get, but the mount does not seem to be available separately. I'm looking at somewhere around $140 just in parts if I go with new stuff, excluding the deck. I will ofcourse keep an eye out for used stuff, but I'm not finding much right now.
So, what do you guys think about either one? I wasn't going to turn them down since they were free, and he even dropped them off at my house. These are the first mowers I've gotten to try and get business going, and I've had a hard time finding stuff local to me, everything I find is atleast an hour away. But I wanted to see what you's thought, maybe see if you guys spot anything else in the pics that I might need.
As you can see, there is some rust on the deck, but nothing a wire wheel and some paint cant fix. He said it used to be a high wheel model and the wheels were shot when he got it, so he used the front wheels off the Honda he gave me (more on that later). The drive cable is also messed up and theres some rust on the handle bar. My only real big concern is that it was sitting outside under a tree for atleast a year with the Honda on top of it and it does turn over with the pull cord, but not very easily, and the oil on the dipstick looks like it may have moisture in it. But this one I think is salvageable.
The other one is a Honda Harmony with the plastic deck. Model #HRM215. The dealer I checked on parts with today said it is a 1992 model. Its a 2spd self propelled with a blade clutch.
I was excited when I saw it cause its an older model with the GXV 140 engine. It was sitting outside like the Troy Bilt, but with the carb off of it. This worried me, but it seems to turn over fine, and the oil looks like new in it yet. As I said, the front wheels are currently on the Troy Bilt, so I'll move them back over. My big issue is, the deck is cracked. The most visible one is the one behind the left front wheel. I don't believe its really a structural issue, as it isn't visible on the underside, but it will most likely make it very hard to sell. Once I flipped it over, I found more cracks, worst of which is what looks like a chunk ready to fall off the deck (both are visible on the right side of the picture, on the drive axle end). I priced a new deck and I'm looking at $184, not worth it as I can by a used mower like this in running condition for about $150-$200 on CL. I thought about maybe keeping it just for parts, using the engine on another mower, or maybe even getting it running and then keeping it for myself as I don't think the cracks it has will hurt it much. My other issue is the outer shell of the air box, along with the filters, is missing, and the carb might be junk. The kid pulled it off to clean it, and apparently a miss hap occurred involving one of is idiotic buddies, some gas, and a lighter, but anyways, it ended in the float, and the float mount getting melted (see carb pic). The float I can get, but the mount does not seem to be available separately. I'm looking at somewhere around $140 just in parts if I go with new stuff, excluding the deck. I will ofcourse keep an eye out for used stuff, but I'm not finding much right now.
So, what do you guys think about either one? I wasn't going to turn them down since they were free, and he even dropped them off at my house. These are the first mowers I've gotten to try and get business going, and I've had a hard time finding stuff local to me, everything I find is atleast an hour away. But I wanted to see what you's thought, maybe see if you guys spot anything else in the pics that I might need.