Old Snapper Comet rear-engine mower Barn Find, sitting for 40+ years! 

Definitely worth restoring. I completed restoring an early 80's model snapper rear engine mower last year. It still had everything original on it and I decided to keep it since I like it so much. They are easy to work on since you can tip it on its rear end. And it always gets great comments from people who appreciate vintage mowers.

This looks a lot like the one I have had stored under my house for 30 years, and am right now going through it in parts on my little microscopic RU-vid channel. I LOVE these old things!

I am thinking forrest gump !

Go with your gut and do it proud with a full on restoration. Passion with perseverance always reveals perfection. 👍

Glad to see the old mower being worked on again. Cleaned up really well. Best of luck to you getting it going again, can’t wait to see the final product

Looks like a 308XS or thereabouts, maybe 1971 or 1972. I have a 307XS which dad purchased for me to mow the lawn with in 1968. Just did a refresh of the differential, chaincase, and some basic maintenance. I am on engine #7 or #8 (I've lost track) now and will continue to mow with it until they plant me.

Awesome! Loved to see you do a restore

Good video. Saw these around the neighborhood in Mississippi when I was a teenager but not anymore. Would like to see you do a restoration.

Nice unit...I might even paint the engine white on the Snapper...I always thought that was a classy touch from the factory on the vintage ones I've seen here.

I've never seen one till today.

You can't beat these old mowers I'm amazed that the paint is still good I've seen them completely rusted definitely worth restoring. love your videos as always! Also my birthday is coming on the 25 this May!

I'd love to see that old rider restored. Back in the early to mid 80s I lived on an old farmstead with my grandparents. We had a 1970s model Snapper rider that looked very similar to this one. I must have mowed a thousand acres with that thing over the years. The last time I tried to use it the steering stripped out and I couldn't turn it. I wish I had known how to fix it back then. I went off to college for a couple of years and my grandparents sold the old farm while I was gone. I have no idea what happened to that old mower.

MY DREAM HAS ALWAYS BEEN ABLE TO PURCHASE THIS MACHINE AND PUT IT IN A VACUUM-SEALED GLASS BOX AND HAVE IT JUST AS ORNAMENT, IN HONOR OF THE GREAT MOVIE BY TOM HAMKS, I AM ALMOST 60 YEARS OLD AND FROM MY COUNTRY ARGENTINA, I STILL HAVE NOT LOST THEM HOPE TO BE ABLE TO ACHIEVE IT, THANKS TO ALL OF YOU AND THANKS TO TECHNOLOGY, BECAUSE THANKS TO IT, I CAN AT LEAST SEE IT IN VIDEOS AND PHOTOS, GREETINGS FRIENDS!

Snapper Comet w/26" cut probably late 1960s to early 1970s. Check out the number located under the seat.

I have 2 of these older Machines , your machine appears to be a 308X or a 3080 probably around a 1970-71 model based on the fact it still has the 4 lug Narrow rear wheels , white grips on the controls and the hoop style steering wheel , and the blade height lever on the right side of the deck , ( My 1975 3081 has the Height lever on the left side of the deck) the gas tank is certainly not original as you stated , and based on what I remember from working in a snapper dealership years ago the engine would have originally been white in color , they did change the engines to black in the late 80s or early 90s as i recall , these are a great machine just make sure you put new grease in the rear gear boxes and keep the axle bushings on the rear greased and in good shape as the differentials are expensive to repair on these , these machines are an excellent mower and will give you years of service if cared for , I put a machine similar to yours back together last summer with a Mid 80s 11 hp IC Briggs Engine with electric start and I have had pretty good luck so far , Good Luck to you and What a GREAT FIND!

I see right away your snapper mower has the 1973 and before handle bars, and right away I see 4 lug nuts holding the skinny rear tires. Nobody ever seems to show a picture with the right angle to see the rear lug nuts. But I heard there were 4 on some.

You have quite a following on utube with your channel, keep up the good work. I have a couple of stories with my toro snowhound that may be interesting. Later

the metal cover on the mower deck makes me thinks it is indeed an older model Mines plastic

Since you read your utube posts you might find this interesting. I picked up a self propelled toro snowhound snow blower about seventeen years ago that a neighbor was throwing out onto the street . I went back with my wife and threw into my pickup truck and of course i get the third degree that I'm picking up junk again. I said if it doesn't run i,ll get rid of it so i pulled the choke out and she runs , but one of the drive chains is broken. After going to the local lawn mower shop and getting two foot of chain and being told i can't get any parts for it i was ready for some snow. I looked up the serial numbers and it was a late sixties model snow machine and there is video's on utube with people using them. It has no safety features on it and it will drag you down the street if you lose your footing when its engaged in forward. It is a single stage so if the snow is wet and heavy it will clog the discharge chute . One time i was clearing out the chute with a broom handle and i hit the auger taking off about three inches of handle. That was something to think about and didn't put a mark on the auger since its about one eight of an inch thick. They sure don't make them like they used to.hahaha

Always thought I wanted one of those but I'm too fat now.

MI SUEÑO SIEMPRE FUE PODER ADQUIRIR ESTA MAQUINA Y PONERLA EN UNA CAJA DE VIDRIO SELLADA AL VACIO Y TENERLA SOLO DE ADORNO, EN HONOR A LA GRAN PELICULA DE TOM HAMKS, TENGO CASI 60 AÑOS DE EDAD Y DESDE MI PAIS ARGENTINA, TODAVIA NO PIERDO LAS ESPERANZAS DE PODER LOGRARLO, GRACIAS A TODOS USTEDES Y GRACIAS A LA TECNOLOGIA, POR QUE GRACIAS A ELLA, LA PUEDO VER AL MENOS EN VIDEOS Y FOTOS, SALUDOS AMIGOS!

😊👍🌹

I love those old Snappers, Got an early 2000's on . I used them in the 80's working for a landscaper. I would guess that is late 70's or early 80's, I think the ones with the handlebars were earlier. Cool old unit, easy to work on and parts are still available.

Orig gas tank gone. That's one somebody improvised

Those open end metal pipes sticking up at the back, did this thing originally have a canopy?

From the looks of it it's a late 60s to early 70s the gas tank was a side mount plastic tank

The idefination is under the seat

Quick question, i have a 90s Noma lawn tractor, 39 in deck that ive restored. Its a fantastic rider, when i first engage the deck it makes a loud squealing sound. It doesn't effect the way it runs or cuts, the deck works perfect but that noise drives me crazy!! It only does it once just when i first engage the blades. I replaced both spindles and pulleys blades and belts and still does it. Any ideas would be GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!

I think it was used in Alaabama.

I would say 1974

How much did you pay for it?

My parents neighbor has a (I believe 1969) snapper comet 26 in excellent condition always shed stored and it did run but then stored long term after he passed. Looks like the one in forest gump. They want to get rid of it but I dont know where to list it or go. Any ideas? Thanks!

You have commenting turned off on your briggs and stratton v-twin rebuild. Wanted to know where you sourced the parts?

This has a classic Briggs and Stratton engine on it, so that alone makes it worth it to restore this mower. That engine will run again because it was built to last. 🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤷🏿‍♂️

Honestly I work on small engines and I have had my guess over 100 of them as of now I have 23 of them but I have sold several in the past and scrapped many in the past but yes it's worth restoring it depends on your level of restoration restore means to rebuild everything the motor trans and all like it came off the floor some people think restore means to get it running and give it a paint job that is just called fixing it up but the question is it worth restoring well that would depend on the situation if it's to resell it probably wouldn't be worth it because atleast where I'm at I sell them in ok shape for around 250 if you restore it you might get 600 but I think the time you would spend and money you would tie up wouldn't be worth it now if it was to keep and use would it be worth it? The awnswer is yes those mowers are very simple and well build and can take a beating and they usually cut nice but the ones with the round deck cuts the best the ones with the other style deck sometimes cuts weird on hills because the chute area can dig into the dirt but to restore it and keep it will last years years and years it will last way longer than a new machine so yes in that case its definetly worth restoring I have hit bricks with my snapper and it busted the bricks in half fired mower up and kept mowing the new ones you would break and spindle or damage the deck or something

Looks like a rear engine to me