I got this mower for free off the side of the road as well and the throttle was broken. I couldn’t tell what was wrong with it at first but this video was super helpful! Thank you so much!
Those older Briggs and Stratton carburetors are very resistant to gumming up due to how they are designed. I know I’ve already told you about my 1982 John Deere trimmer that uses a 3 horse horizontal shaft engine on it and that thing still runs to this day
You did pretty good on that one. When I am washing a mower I always think "I am spraying money onto the mower". It's worth a lot more clean, regardless of how it runs.
A few years back early on a Saturday morning my neighbor wakes me up and asked if there was any way I could take a look at this lawn mower. It's the identical one in this video. It was an older man's mower he had told my neighbor about it breaking and that's when my neighbor told him about me and told him that he doesn't mind working on things for people. I ended up having to take that plastic carburetor out of the tank clean it up real good check the fluids put fresh gas in. I don't care whose equipment it is I do not restart the engine or try to start the engine after repairs with original gas and less it's from my tank. Fired right up and I made this person very happy. He was trying to get me $40 for fixing it and I told him for $40 you could go out and buy another one of these brand new and have some leftover for lunch. For some reason he was really attached to this lawn mower. Towards the end of the summer it had started to act up again and I could not get it so idle out. So I ordered him a carburetor. That did the trick it was like $20 and he asked what did he owe me I told him nothing. I felt bad for him I did not think that he had money to get himself a better mower. Boy was I wrong. I found out that he actually lives in my community and that he owned the construction company that built most of the houses in my county. That did not matter to me he was a very nice person. I would get to see him one more time before he moved on. This time the mower deck was broke and he was hoping I could weld it up for him. Fortunate for him a couple weeks prior my neighbor's mother mower was broken. It ended up being the motor and I explained it would be totally impractical to fix the mower. So he left it with me. So I had a great deck for this man's motor. It was about 2 years later when he passed on and in those two years my friend said he used that mower every Saturday. I honestly could never see why anybody would want a mother right. Normally after doing engine repairs I have tested areas of my yard and I thought I was going to die cutting through the tall grass. And here is 80-year-old man used it every week. As always I made sure to give you a big old thumbs up and of course I am already subscribed. Look forward to your next video.
I have this exact mower I bought new from my local Lowe’s. Have had it for 15 years or so. Have serviced the carb a few times with new diaphragm’s and gaskets and primer bulbs but other than new blades and oil changes that’s all I’ve done to it and it still runs like a top.
Wow, I don't think I have seen a structural plastic section like the front of this one. I look forward to seeing how you approach this one, given the very tight cost limits with this one.
Good pick these are reliable mowers & easy to work on. Just can not resell for much. As long as you do not need to spend much $ for parts they can be profitable. I have a collection of mower that are not worth the $ to repair. I keep them for parts or if some one I know is in need of a mower. You can wait to see if you can find one that you can swap out the wheels or sell as is for a low price. People will buy for several reasons, price, not to use their good mower in rough parts of their property or just to mow under bushes etc. Larger more expensive mower can be hard to maneuver under the brush. Stay well, Joe Z
I noticed the camber on the front wheels when you tested it. The mower must want to be a race car 😂😂😂 Seeing it’s not self propelled could you just fit a straight shaft with bushings to straighten the front wheels up? I can’t see the set up it has now.
I'd just sell it as is and just make sure the buyer knows about it OR if you can come up with a cheap fix. Nice cleaning job and it runs and cuts fine! BLESSINGS!
Mate, any mower that does not go into landfill is a BONUS. Please show us another video of what is wrong with the front end and possible solutions and costs - if you don't mind?
I mean you already made it This far with the mower you might as well fix the front end worst comes to worse you can always pull the engine off the deck and keep it as a spare incase you find a mower in the trash with a blown engine
I would remove the bolts & nuts retaining the front wheels, measure the non threaded section of the bolts, & buy a length of round steel bar, & install it as a solid axle.
I have the same mower with the smoke coming out of that one spot I fixed it and I just can’t get it to stop. I’m worried it might be the cylinder or the walls like you said because I know it isn’t over filled with oil.
yes if the cylinder wall is scored up, and the rings are mostly gone, it's going to smoke as it runs, the only thing to do Is to run it minimal oil in the block, but it's dangerous
@@INSIDEHOUSEGARAGE ok thanks it actually stopped smoking bad a minute ago! What’s the website you use to find the free weedeaters and stuff? I really enjoy working on engines especially weed eaters.
Back when they were less new than used today. I remember $119 mowers and the occasional one for $79.99. we're talking 2000's. Also I remember thinking $379 for self propelled Quantum MTDs troybilt was absolutely robbery. Of course I didn't know how much I'd like them.
I picked up a Poulan pro push mower during spring clean up, you had to rapidly press the primer fast for about a minute to get it to prime. If you did it normal it wouldn't prime and wouldn't start, I think that's why they got rid of it. I replaced the Diaphragms and primer bulb, filter, oil plug, sharpened the blade and cleaned it up. It runs and cuts like new. I cannot believe people get rid of stuff rather than perform some basic maintenance.
I have a mower in my stash with an engine and gas tank just like this. The engine runs after I cleaned the carb but unfortunately, the tank is rusted with some pin holes in the bottom. I picked up some Permatex fuel tank repair this week and since it's going to rain this weekend, I'm going to get out to my workshop to see if this stuff works. Wish me luck!
@@INSIDEHOUSEGARAGE Update: Unfortunately, once I sanded the rust off the bottom of the tank, not only did I find a couple of pinholes but there were so many gaps and weak metal that I decided that there was no way the tank would ever hold together, so I'm putting it off until later since I have a similar tank to work on later. I'll mention it in one of your future videos.
Say what you want about this mower but it’s design is brilliant for tall wet grass like rye. The non mulching blade and deck allow for the grass to cut and side discharge with minimal accumulation on the deck. The lightweight enables it to get into tight corners with ease.
My grandma had a Bolens mower just like this. She used to leave it sitting outside, ran it with water in the gas, etc. the damned thing wouldn’t stop. I think it still runs to this day. I have a Bolens weed eater at work for the little bit of outside maintenance I have to do, and it’s a piece of junk. I’ve only had it a year and I’ve already had to adjust the carb and adjust my starting procedure.
It works really well alright the front wheels are bit messed up but it looks like it's a runner It will do someone the front wheels probably need a braceing plate
I have the same deck like that right now it doesn't have an engine on it and it bows out too and it flexes out near the beginning of the front of the mower deck. at first I was thinking about the sheet metal screws in there but then again I didn't want to damage the deck let alone the screws might hit the blade so I was undecided on how to go about it unless put some heat gun to it to get it into shape .
Hey bro, what's up? The mower cleaned up pretty good bro. My honest opinion bro is not to spend too much time and work on this mower. I don't think that it's worth your time. Sad to say from the sound of the engine, it sounds pretty good bro.
@@INSIDEHOUSEGARAGE you're welcome bro. I strongly suggest to repair what can be repaired and give it to someone who need it to help them with keeping their lawn maintained until better can be done.
Your right they added so much plastic to that mower to make it cheap.. I think it may be one from lowes. Maybe if you have another really nice deck around thats the proper height of the crankshaft transplant the engine and sell it to make a few bucks? I noticed around here everyone sure likes the high wheelers. Probably due to hilly areas. Anyhow im sure you'll figure something out. You sure know what your doing when fixing mowers. Weedeaters seem a whole lot tougher for me and sadly dont make much for me when i have sold them.
I rebore wabbling wheels and sleeve it with 1/2" scrap copper pipe that's a perfect fit for the axle. For excessive wear a oversized 1/2" I.D. washer may need to be added before applying the nut.
I over rev my engine a little because the throttle is broken on my Honda that’s only 2 years old! If I didn’t I would have to run it at 1 rpm which would take me 3 months to cut my lawn. I run pens oil platinum. Do you think I am hurting my engine? Also my transmission is whining and has a hard time going back. I lubed the bearings and cables with lithium grease but still no. Do you think I should just sell this one and get a Toro super recycler?
Very interested in how you're going to fix the front wheels. If it's not to expensive fixing it, make a couple of bucks or give it to someone that could use it.
Hello I have toro Briggs and Stratton and ever since I got the mower every time I start it there will be a puff of blue smoke. The oil is not over filled and the cylinder wall and piston rings are in great shape. Any idea on what could cause the smoke.
I have a joke one of these that I was going to use for a spare parts, I would like to get the blade adapter off but they don't seem to do that anymore, any tips?
Funny story I had a similar briggs engine that was to far gone for repair so I decided to blow it up and to my surprise with no oil and full throttle no governor it ran for 30 minutes before I ended the test and put that engine on a shelf as a unkillable engine. What they say about old briggs are true they are bullet proof engine's.
Hey IHG, I don’t usually bother with these low end mowers. I find the time spent isn’t worth the profit you’d make. But that’s just me. Question : with that type of dipstick, do you screw it in to check the oil level or just set it in like a Honda? I have an MTD snowblower with a Tecumseh engine in the garage that has that same dipstick. I can’t find any info on it. Cheers
unless otherwise shown on a sticker, like the honda, you would normally just screw It in, but I would always search online ,for your owners manual to make sure.
Briggs and Tecumseh you screw in the dipstick, and unscrew it to check the oil level. With Honda, you just place it in the filler neck, pull it back out, and check the level.
I fully saturate.the oil filter with engine oil.then wring it out as per Briggs and Strattons instructions with my mower,it should also be governed when there's no load on the engine because it can self destruct otherwise. The piston rings are easy to replace in those engines !
Given the extremely basic nature of the mower, I would leave it alone at this point and sell it as is. Those wheels are cheap plastic without any sleeve inside, and the plastic around the front could be prone to failure if you do too much to it now. Thinking about it, the last few that I've worked on of that style, have all had wonky front wheels on them. There's always a market for those mowers, especially at a price point in the 50-80 range.
yes i,d continue with the repair ofr selling it and we Australians who sell our Victa 2 stroke aka 2 cycle type often make a good profit as long as the seller knows what they are doing and don,t sell people lemons and that,s for sure etc.
Seems like a shame to throw it away when it still usable, the main issue being the really crooked front wheels. If it wasn't for the front end issue, you could sell it for at least $50. There's got to be a cheap way to fix it. (5-10 bucks)
i don't like those brigs engine. I have had a lot of problems with them. I think do what you can about the front with out spending money on it and gift it to some one in need.
@@INSIDEHOUSEGARAGEI can never get the engine to run good it would always run crap and running to fast my 18v battery mower can cut thicker grass than a lot if those engines.and for some reason someone always cuts the spark plug wire off in nz so I have to buy new coils
