Barn Find Rally Lawn Mower - Will It Run 

Lololo I feel 16 again working at western auto repair 😅 I thank my Father for teaching me to be a mechanic 😊and able to still do it I Thank God❤

Same engine as was on my grandfathers lawn mower❤️ Me running at the age of 9 in 1980🥰 I remember the gas was light Brown then! With like a blue shine… Man that was sweet days! And the gas smelled wonderful !!

I certainly didn’t expect the inside of that tank to be in such spotless condition. I was certainly surprised.

I have the MTD-branded version of this same mower. Got it used from a friend many years ago, and found that it didn't have enough power to keep up with an overgrown property I used it on. Ended up removing some material from the head with a belt sander to increase the compression and also increased the speed a little. It actually improved the mowing performance quite a bit. Regarding the carb diaphragm, I believe that the note card the new diaphragm was attached to provided the installation procedure to ensure that the choke opens faster/better. Going off of memory, I think it states that the mounting screws are to be left loose, then put something in the top of carb to hold the choke open fully as you then tighten the mounting screws. Thanks for consistently providing new content every Thursday. I really look forward to watching each week.

Just two little things here James: the airfilter goes on the other way around, an extremely common mistake. Also that intake tube should not have any play in it, if it does, it´s sucking air which makes a stable rpm and good carb adjustment difficult. As the mixture varies with the height of the fuel in the tank, Briggs&Stratton recommends to adjust the carb when the tank is filled two thirds.

This was the $39.99 K-mart special back in 1990. People used and abused these until they could afford a better mower

One of my favorite engines thanks! Turn the air filter assembly around 180 degrees. It will fit like a puzzle piece and look so nice and give more room for fueling.

Those old flatheads will run forever

Brings me back to the days I mowed people's lawns as a kid. I had as much fun watching the restoration as you did doing the work.

That mower is a "blast from the past" for me. I bought one at Caldor back in the early 90's for $99. I needed the engine for a nicer mower deck that I was given. Those engines were made forever and will run forever if you change the oil. It is as basic as a mower can be and I am glad someone is getting some use out of it.

Thanks 🙏 for creating such great content and for your encouragement and support of my efforts to restore old and abandoned mowers.

The date code you found didn't surprise me at all. I bought a Rally mower with the 3.5 HP Briggs engine in the early 90's (I think it was around 1994) virtually identical to that one except it was red instead of green. Other than the color, mine was absolutely identical. It worked great the entire time I had it, probably 7-8 years. Loved those old B&S flat heads. I only replaced it because I wanted a self propelled mower with electric start and a bag. Thanks for the walk down memory lane. 😊

Those 3.5 hp classic engines are probably the most reliable small engine that has ever been made.

I've have this same setup albeit a Murray circa 1990. This little trim mower has earned a place in the garage forever. I've got a newer trim mower that is not robust as the Briggs, but it's lighter. This video has inspired me to rebuild/restore this old mower just for display. They don't make them like that anymore. Never fails to start on the first pull.

Happy Independence day to all you in the US. I would have had a beer now, with my wife being a US citizen, unfortunately; it's hard 4 me to be joyful now;;; I lost her in an accident when she was pregnant with my child. A child that would have been in their 20's now. Good luck all US, we genuinely love you, and celebrate safely.. RE

Thanks! My dad and I rebuilt one much like this in the early 70's, though it did have a metal carb. My brother and I mowed 2 acres with it weekly for a few summers to make spending money. It never faltered.

Another great project. Thanks James. One point regarding o-rings. I spent 40 years designing products that used o-rings. Lubrication is imperative. Just a light coating of lube allows the o-ring to slide into place without rolling or pinching. And, more lube does not mean it seals better. Just enough for installation.

I used to have a nearly identical one to that (Sears) from my late grandfather, which died on me. I had no idea how to fix it, and the guy I took it to that supposedly could, couldn't... So it ended up at the curb.. Today that would never happen. This brought back a lot of memories. I had it for almost 8 years before it finally stopped running. I couldn't get it to start... It's sad, and I still look for one of those mowers again. Thanks for bringing back some fond memories. I really enjoyed using that mower.

That mower will probably outlast the new ones. Thanks Jim!

I'll bet that mower was 'parked' when they were unable to find a replacement blade. It's always nice to come across something old that needs little beyond some routine maintenance and a bit of 'buff and shine'!

I was a Seasonal Dept Section Manager at a Rickle Home Center in NJ 1985-1986 timeframe. In our store we sold a ton of those Roper Rally walk behind mowers. Simple and dependable machines.

I had a Rally mower very similar to this but with a red deck. It was even more basic with a primer bulb instead of a choke, no adjustable speed control, and the handle bolted directly to the deck. I bought it new in 1993 for about 90$ as a mover for our first house with a postage stamp sized yard. I had and used that mower until 2013 when the deck rusted away so bad that the wheels fell off. The motor was still perfect and started every time on the first pull. I only changed the oil, air filter and sparkplug. I never had to clean the carbonator, or do anything to the ignition. I think that era of B&S engine is a great example of a simple design, well executed. It was more reliable than older B&S engines I had because it had an electronic spark rather than machinal points that would need occasional filing. Great video as always!

My favorite mechanic does it again. Glad it didn’t turn out to be a clunker. My son will get a real kick out of watching this later today. Good job, my friend.

I am amazed that you managed to source parts for that. All done in the usual excellent manner. Whoever owns that will be very pleased, I'm sure. Great to watch, no change there :)

James just wanted to say inside of the tank there is a second bowl that you don’t see what is in there that carburetor works with a vacuum that pulls fuel from the long tube but also has a small tank that is what the little small hole is with the track on it on the top of the tank and when the butterfly on the choke vibrates back-and-forth from from Vacuum running through it. It actually works as a pump. They call it a pulsating pump, but you did a good job. Just thought I would tell you the information about that. I know I’ve worked on these things back in the day. Just thought I would share a little bit of information I know about these type of car, the small square goes on the door that covers the arm pretty much everything there all should go in the carburetor. It is a very simple carburetor, though enjoyed watching the video and the way you were explaining things always great hearing from you.😊

Wow. That was a fast 58 minutes. Excellent accompaniment while I brought a Sears Craftsman Tecumseh powered 4 HP back to life with a carb clean, new used coil, an oil change and blade sharpening. Excellent content James! Thank you.

The way you were holding the probe to clean the screw heads you a dentist in real life. 👍👍

James, as a lawn mower mechanic in my youth I can testify that those Briggs engines will last forever if reasonably maintained. At 34 that one supports my thesis. Cool video bringing back memories of my first job 1957-66 (high school through college).

That machine was _clean_, from the tank to the blower housing! From the first third pull start I was hooked.

Put the whole gas-tank in the ultrasonic LOL! great show!

Briggs L head. One of the most reliable engines ever made. Good Job keeping it out of the land fill!

Those Briggs and Stratton engines are bullet proof. Great job on sorting this mower out. OMG - that old blade - a KILLER ! Thanks for the video - take care 🙂

I had a mower with the same engine. It ran and ran until the body disintergrated. I patched it with fibreglass and ran it some more. I sold it last year to a guy who has been using it ever since. He's made one 'new' machine from an old one using the same engine. Its a good as the day I bought it 20 years ago!

North of you they have consumables for that mower in some of the local auto parts stores happy you did this rescue thanks🎉🎉😊😊

Those things are really bullet proof man they are such good engines!!

I mowed many a yard with one of those old flat tops. So reliable. FYI, the air filter should be mounted with the bevels facing forward to allow room for the blower cover and access to the gas cap (OCD - I know...). Another great episode Jim!

We used the Kmart mowers for years. Change the oil and spark plug on a yearly maintenance schedule. Change the blade and plastic wheels when they are bad. Clean the underside of grass clippings then spray some silicone lube on the deck. We got a rider and I don't know what happened to push mower. We still have the roto tiller. It's green also. This just brings back memories,thanks.

Awesome dad for fixing up a mower For his kid.

What a star. I gave this vid a like. My friends from schooldays in the 80's had one of them in a South African Rolux Magnum Lawnmower. Great US easy to operate and reliable so even our children can start it, and cut his dads lawn. Cheap labourers we were as kids. AAAAAAAAAAAAhhhhhhh, the good old days.... re

I had a 1969 mtd lawnmower. Again a 3.5 hp brigs. It actually had a ring gear pull start. No blade brake, but it did have 4 independent wheel adjusters. I got it from my Dad, used it in the early 1980's for my lawn cutting business. I always changed the oil twice a season, and fuel at end if cutting season was always removed. 👍👍👍👍

Now that's a proper diamond in the rough, and a simple fix too boot.

Wow !!! Does that bring back memories of working on that style of engine AND 1990!! 34 YEARS... It sure held up well till today. The only two things that hamper that engine was Timing sheer pin and rod knock which I can hear abit - but still Thats great that you are still able to get it to run again. Wayda go BRIGGS!! you made to last...

Those Rally mowers were well built machines using steel where plastic became the material in later lesser machines. The Classic Briggs is a solid performer. With regular maintenance, the original owner’s grandchildren could successfully use the mower. Great save James. It is a beautiful machine. Flathead Briggs forever; Chinesium never!

air filter cover needs turned 180 degrees , before tightening the carb to the tank you need to hook-up the choke to the diaphragm then close the choke all the way and tighten the carb screws 😁

Briggs was making that engine style with a metal carb body in 1970. My brother sold his mower it to a friend in 1990 and he used it at his cottage until about 2000. Never serviced the carburator in all that time.

Another award winning resuscitation!

Back when Briggs & Stratton still cared about quality excellent video

Super nice as always! Thank-you! I'd say that the original red cap says, flammable! Danger!

i use to work on these engines all the time and working on these are what i did for a living for 2 years

That is the kind of mower I grew up with in the 60s and 70s. I’m telling my age now.

I'm surprised you didn't pull the spark plug. Wife: Why didn't you mow that part of the yard? James: I'm saving it for my mower post-repair video! 😁😁😁

Hi James, nice expose' as usual. I wanted to tell you that when I was young, Briggs began to source the crankcase breather air from the choke well. Befor that it just vented to atmosphere and there was a mesh inside the breather cover for a filter media. I wasn't much concerned when I discovered it because I figured they were just trying to do a better job of finding filtered air by getting it thru the air cleaner. But, I had previously experienced oil coming out of the breather cover at times. Then one day, a friend of mine came over on his Minibike. His engine was a 3-1/2hp Briggs with the large gas tank. We did something to his carb and gas tank, and when we reassembled everything he called the crankcase vent that went into the choke well a "choke oiler." I laughed, and he said what? I told him the choke didn't need oiling, the only reason there was oil on the choke slide was because he probably overfilled the crankcase with oil and coming over at full throttle probably pushed a little oil out. We did not have governors on our Go-Karts and Minibikes so when we ran them at full throttle they were revving way beyond rated speed of 3600 rpm. I concur with @aboveaveragejoe6291, those flathead Briggs were very reliable, in fact I'd go so far as to say indestructible. Imagine a 5hp Briggs with no governor pushing a Minibike or Go-Kart at 45 to 50 mph using a 4.10" X 3.50" X 5" or 6" wheel with a 5 to 1 or a 6 to 1 gear ratio. The engine had to be revving over 5,000 rpm and we did it all the time. The only thing we ever broke was the splasher. Briggs had a sheet metal affair for a splasher and we used to break them off from the vibration at such high rpm. Our fix was a coat hanger wire with a loop fashioned on one end that went between the bolt for the piston rod cap and the cap. At just about 1-1/4" in length it dipped into the oil. Very simple, but very effective. They never broke and we never had any kind of issue with scoring crank pins or piston scuff. Abuse? Yes! But they lived and lived and lived. Thanks for reminding me of a smidgeon of my childhood growing up in the suburbs of The Motor City. A "Choke Oiler," indeed. Ha Ha, it still makes me laugh. ben/ michigan

Excellent job on a great little mower, this reminded to to order a new blade for mine, someone got a good machine

At <a href="#" class="seekto" data-time="540">9:00</a> I'm shouting check for a bent shaft before ordering a blade! 😉

I had a Rally mower. If I'm not mistaken I bought it at Kmart years ago. Same engine and deck but mine was red. Best mower I ever owned. Started up every mowing season. The only thing I hated was the non adjustable deck height on mine.

I would think that sticky Fluid Film would make the grass stick to it causing a big buildup . Rustoleum Rust Reformer which goes on dry would work much better for the bottom. Just a guess. Thanks for the Vid!

My father -in-law had one like that one for years. It never failed to start. His kids bought him a new one with a bagger, but he hated emptying the bag. He gave me the new one and started using the old one again. It was much lighter to push and didn't need to be emptied all the time.

Happy Independence Day! When I saw the mower I kinda figured it was something from the 1990's era. A 1970's mower would not have a handle brake mechanism, nor would it have a longer handle-style recoil rope. Still has a non-accommodative mowing height. I hope your carb kit wasn't expensive. Not sure there's too many people who'd want to buy a mower like that.

I have an old mower little like this. I've had it years. I bought used for like 20 $. It starts first pull almost always. No stupid bubble. I just do normal maintenance. If it blew up tomorrow id still love it. I had a weedeater brand mower with the push button that didn't last 2 or 3 seasons. Junk. Pex

I probably mowed a few thousand acres of grass with mowers that had those old flat head Briggs engines on them, they would run forever. I was surprised when you said that the tanks weren't available anymore, Briggs probably made a few hundred million of those engines over the years, but maybe they didn't rust out like the modern junk does. One more thing, the government didn't mandate those blade brakes until 1983/84 time frame, just in time for me to buy my first house and obligatory cheap Walmart mower like you just showcased.

See real gas don’t rust the tank out

Its a classic, thumbs up great video

Great troubleshooting and fix James 😊

That machine will do somebody with kids or a small garden ! Great video James

I still have a mover with the same engine. I got it free over 20 years ago. I changed the wheels. A friend of mine turned new axels for them.

Nicely done James. Thanks for sharing.

Wow, the fuel tank was super clean. Considering it sat in that barn for who knows how long starting on the third pull is pretty amazing. Kind of makes me think that plastic carburetor which I would have guessed was a crappy alternative. Actually might be a positive. It mitigates a lot of the aluminum oxide and corrosion problems you would find on other carbs. I would say having it crack easily would be its major weakness. Considering it's 35 years old and still worked is kind of a testament to the design. It's definitely the epitome of keep it absolutely simple. I'm sure it's not that powerful maybe doesn't regulate as flawlessly. But it also started on the third freaking pull, and seemingly does that consistently. Probably needs a few rotations for the pulse to get the fuel to get sucked up in there. I mean this thing doesn't have a fuel pump or anything and it just works.

Another defective one bites the dust, JC saved it!!! 🤗🤗🤗🤗 A good ole Brigg & Stratton 3.5hp.😁 Had one of these, for 40 years. Was still working fine when I finally decided to buy a Honda powered Husqvarna 6.5 HP lawnmower, two years ago, I put the old one on the front of my house, with the mention ''You need it, you take it''. 30 minutes after, it was gone. I'm pretty sure it still works. 😁

As always great video James. 👍 Based on the comments the affect is the same when it comes to Briggs & Stratton, and childhood memories-70's, 80's or 90's. I love these reactions-clearly little boys never forget getting, or building their first [or last], mini-bike or go-cart. *Have a great 4th. God bless.*

James, the sheet metal air shroud that goes underneath the cylinder fins is completely missing on that engine. It wraps around the fins behind the carburetor and fuel tank and tabs underneath the top cover. It is held onto the block with a #6 fine thread machine screw center bottom of the cylinder, so you usually have to remove the engine from the mower deck to get to it, although with a low-profile right angle hex bit tool with the 5/16” opening on it, you can probably install that screw with the engine in place.

Great seeing an old old mower getting a new start

Sorta surprised it fired right up but not really. All of my push mowers have the 3.5 HP flathead briggs except one a 3HP wind up start from 1965. I inherited my grandfathers 1970 Gilson 20" with a 92908 vertical pull 3.5HP and it sat outside under a open shed thing for about 10 years untouched. I brought it home in a snow storm, topped off the oil, filled it with gas and the damn thing fired up on the first pull and kept running, in a snow storm... Also still using my dads 1977 Lawn chief 20" with the same 92908 engine 47 years in a row thing still runs just as good as day one. Some simple maintenance yearly and those engines will outlast you no problem. My dad was a year younger than I am when he bought that thing, he's almost 73 now... I tell you one thing, those flathead Briggs engines have been leaps and bounds better than any Honda lawnmower I ever owned or worked on, nothing but trouble out of those things.

Hey james, just some words of wisdom, those older style autochoke systems will work much better if you take the air filter screw and screw it down into the hole throught the choke like your putting the air filter on. :) It might help a little next time.

I got a similar mower with the same engine from the side of the road. The same bolt was missing from the fuel tank on that one, too! I cleaned it up, cleaned the carb, new blade, new spark plug, and it runs great. TIP: Fluid Film is great for treating the undercarriage but it is expensive. I brush on Bar & Chain oil as an alternative rusty metal protectant. I have also applied used engine oil to my lawn mover undercarriages.

Ah when engineers ran a buisness and not bottom aligned accountants.

I remember the Rally brand being sold at Caldor and Bradlees😅.Great job giving new life to an old classic.Happy 4th to you and your family. 🎉

I love seeing the old machines running again. I’ve got a 1980s chipper with an 8.5hp B&S motor. Always hard to start. Governor is not working. You make these repairs look simple but all I did was put a new carb on it and no help. Still like to get it running. I need your skills. 😊

Hi James, thanks for another great video. But you were making me chew the keyboard in frustration, always a good idea to check for a bent crankshaft first (though that one looked straight when you turned it), then i guess those plastic carbs are the same as the alloy ones where you should flip the choke plate over centre before tightening the carb too tank screws to allow the diaphragm some free movement to turn off the choke. the speed adjustment is done by twisting that little upright piece not bending the whole top of the bracket backwards and finally please put the air box on the right way around before my head pops! 🙂

On those old Briggs auto chokes the threaded hole for the air filter bolt can allow fuel to get into the airstream on some models when you run it without the filter. Next time put the screw back in when you run it without a filter.

Great work James, you are the master! I always learn something from your videos and am entertained too:)

My dad and I worked on a few just like this 3.5 hp Briggs and Stratton….simple mower ….no bells and whistles. The last one my dad had was 43 years old and still running. Parts became the issue locally that forced my dad to stop running the mower.

Nice job, James

Blessings to you and family,most joyest 4th of July 🎉🎉😊😊

Another great video.

Thanks for the well done and informative video.

Just for the fun of it, I think the air filter goes the other way round. The paint is missing and the notches on the top are to match the blower contour and give more space to the gas cap. I could be wrong! Great job.

Many still applicable. Thanks for doing this one!

As you stated these older mowers tend to be fairly simple. What comes with that is light in weight and easy to handle. The cut looked pretty good to. Thanks James..

Another nice one!

another nice video thanks

thank you for another video

Very good show, thanks.

Spent many an hour behind one of these Briggs engines mowing lawns in the 70’s. It makes me chuckle when younger people see an older mower like this and say the engine is mounted backwards. To me that’s forward and the way pretty much all of them were mounted up until the government mandated safety controls in ‘82 made it cheaper to mount them backwards for the safety cable. This is probably one of the last ones with standard mounting, I assume Briggs was using up all of the old blower housing stock before retooling for the backwards mounting lol! BTW I think you’ve got the air filter housing reversed, the indentations are supposed to be up by the gas cap to make more room for filling the tank.

Thanks James. I’m guessing that this engine needs 3 pulls to start because there is no fuel bowl. When the engine sits, any fuel in the carb drains back into the tank. Thus it takes three pulls to draw fuel up the pickup tube to the intake.

This mower was built in 1982 or later as that's when the stopping brake and dead man lever on the handle were mandated. Of course, Briggs and Stratton did it right and made something that would work reliably.

You're killing me with the torque wrench on the blower housing

I had a blast from the past when you took that engine apart I remember the 1st mower when I was a kid had the motor on it. Wow

Interesting carburetor-----great repair James!"

Wow going retro game on

Great job today!!