What Happened To This Craftsman Mower? 

A diamond in the rough. This mower is a real workhorse. Just enough tech for ease of use and not overly made with plastic. A real golden era gas mower. I would love to own one of these.

Mowers like this, minus the bucket of removed parts, are about all that people in my area are willing to give away. They are basically just willing to give their junk away in hopes somebody will take it and save them a tipping fee and drive to the landfill. Anything any nicer and they want to sell it to you … not give it away! You are indeed fortunate to live in an area where people will give repairable mowers away.

One thing I really like about Honda mowers with the electric start is that it charges the battery itself. There’s just an alternator underneath the flywheel on those models and that is enough to cover the battery. Anyway, I’m in Moab right now with my ATVs and I’ve seen some truly marvelous sights. And I’ve decided that I want to share some of these spectacles to others. So I’ve been posting them to my channel. Feel free to check them out because these views are one of a kind.

Looks really nice for a 2010 year mower I do it all the time I have done 100s of them thank you for saving it from going to the junk yard it makes me mad when I see a brand new one in the trash for now r and 100 p of the time it just needs the carb cleaned on them because people Leave them out in the rain ❤❤❤❤❤❤

These electric starts are pretty big dollars. They command $200 a piece in my area. And most people don't mind paying that. They're usually buying them for older people who don't have the power to pull a recoil but have the power to walk the mower. It gives the older people a sense of mobility

I’ve said it before… you make it look easy. Thank you for sharing this video

These are good little mowers. I flipped one right before you showed us the trick of substituting a HF tool battery and charger. This will be a high satisfaction job and probably a money maker as well. My current project is thread repair on two Toro crankcase bolts that were causing an oil leak.

Simple Green is a pretty effective degreaser too and is non-toxic 👍🏻

Great project, I would’ve picked that up in a second even if it didn’t come with the parts that were taken off.

Glad that mower turned out real good thank you for the video

That turned out real nice! Can’t wait to see if it runs! Mines done now and can’t wait to use it, happy I had some spare parts laying around.. was missing springs and a few bolts as well.. I use one at work and by far it has one of the cleanest cuts I’ve ever seen a mower make without using the bag or side discharge…usually always one pass. Great job!

I would’ve picked it up . I love tinkering with old lawn mowers and 2 cycle lawn equipment. I currently have 2 similar Craftsman mowers in my garage with electric start. If you by chance find a Honda electric start gas mower , jump on it. They have a built in battery recharge system that charges the battery while it’s mowing , thus eliminating the need for an external battery charger As always , I enjoy watching your videos . Keep them coming and you’ve taught me a thing or two 😊

Love Briggs flathead auto chokes.

Looks like a Quantum Engine😊

Wow was a basket case mower, but glad to see it all back together

hi these are rare with the electric key start option very robust briggs engine, I enjoy your videos please keep them coming, I myself had a project took me 3 days to complete it was ago cart lawn mower by yardworks after the hard work put into the project I'm happy that everything works on it I got it for my mom, she can't wait to use it.

I would definitely pick it up....fun project. Those 190cc Briggs are terrific.....with original carb rebuilt. The Chinese ones not so great

I'll always pickup a mower with a quantum, I have spare parts so it's easy money too me. Just sold a toro personal pace with electric start for $350 last week. Used a 18v battery from harbor freight(got the idea from you)I have 2 more too get ready. Love your video's! Good luck on your sale

Another good one. I certainly build confidence in myself in attempting projects like this, from watching your videos.

Nice and clean. Looks good as new 👍🙏👍🙏

Wow that is like night and day brother great job man.

Great video, I definitely would've picked up a mower that was taken apart if the parts were there with it to put it back together like you did.

I've got several in pieces but always managed to get them going again. Spare parts sure come in handy and if any of the stuff I just ended up junked out I always kept the hardware. Blessings and a good week to you. Mowed yesterday and it ended up 71% left. Fine with me! Got around 30-something hours on it so far.

Excellent video. I use aftermarket parts often and have had really good luck in most cases. I could not buy a Briggs cam two years ago, due to backorders, and purchased an aftermarket one. It was on a Sears riding mower and I was hoping it would not fail. The people who bought it after it was repaired live nearby, and it is still going strong. Otherwise, it would have gone to the landfill. Thanks for the video.

I remember this channel 2018 great memories

If you want to test starters on these you can jumpstart them with a 6v/12v jumper. I do this with the ones I work on. Better than buying really expensive batteries for a system that usually doesn't function without more work.

i figured it'd only be good for a parts machine . good job .

Brilliant - love your content!

I have picked up numerous mowers in pieces and have been surprised at the ease and shape of the units. I don't take them if they look completely trashed unless I see enough parts that I can scavenge.

Great job with the mower. I find the cheapest ones are the ones with the most surprises.. Hahahah!!! I see I use the same pull rope you do.. makes me feel more confident in my choice of pull rope for my customers too Keep up the great work!

Good find. Doesnt look like the electric starter was ever used. If you want a short cut, use a vice grip to lock down the recoil pulley so that you have the use of both of your hands to set the rope.

Awesome repair! Those Briggs engines never die! Also, was that a 40 amp fuse on it? That's more than my riding mower has!

That's a Briggs flathead engine. Yes, I would have definitely picked it up. Even if the rest of the mower was trashed. That's the same engine as is on my Toro. I'd have picked it up, if for nothing else, for spare parts. Looking forward to the repair of the electric start. Mine is not working, and I haven't had time to debug it.

If the price is reasonable, I will always pick it up. Even if it is no good, it is worth it for the parts I can harvest off of it.

Usually in this situation, because of high priced replacement parts, I choose to remove the electric start and sell the mower once fixed as a pull start only.

Wow! You are brave! I would have run from that mower.

Whoever did that to a Quantum should be arrested...

After working on a mower I picked up the other day I've decided to take what I can use on another project and call my scrapper friend. It needs 3 different cables and after pricing them it's not worth it. The good thing is my wife found one the curb at the end of the street and I'll give that a try. When people put these aside why cant they unscrew the push bar and carefully fold it in half so cables arn't bent to shit.

I would have picked it up. Plug pack style battery chargers are not expensive and the battery is cheap too if, though I would put the biggest battery in it that fits.

I’m thinking carb rebuild during the exciting conclusion. Part two

It's amazing what a good wash job will do for the appearance

I cringed when you sprayed the starter with the hose. I have a similar model, there is no charging system on mine, just like yours . That’s why there is a charge plug in the harness. The trickle charger was off Amazon, and I wired in the charging connector as the original had. Mine is the ugliest mower on the planet, made of curb find parts. I love it

I have a Craftsman push mower with a Briggs 6.25 that is similar to this one. It is an old project of mine. It quit running and was left outdoors for several years before I got it. I got it running and used it for a couple of seasons with no issue. At the end of the season, I ran it out of gas and stored it inside my shop. When I brought it out in the Spring, it had no spark. I eventually determined that the coil and plug were good, and the problem was in the kill system. The kill cable was bound up, so I replaced it with no change. I replaced the kill wire with no change. I cleaned the kill switch thoroughly, and there was no change. If I unplug the kill wire, it starts without issue. With it plugged up, I get no spark. Have you ever heard of a kill switch going bad on that engine? I didn't even think it was possible, given how simple it is. Is there anything I am not thinking of that could cause this issue?

Great job. How did it run???

Yes I would have picked it up

What brand degreaser are you using? And are you agitating before spraying off? Thank you!

To answer to your question, yes it worth the time to investigate when you get it for free n sometimes, as this one, you get a nice surprise rebuilding it for free !!!

I use Oregon 31-140 4 rope

On my opi ion lets give it a try!

yes for sure and those engines are a way better version compared to the newer Briggs and Stratton engines now etc.

I just finished working on a homelight chainsaw 33 CC I put a brand new carburetor on it and I tested it. It ran fine as well, but every now and then it bogs And it's random I believe the carburetor was adjusted right? Because it would run full throttle. Just fine and then it would bog once you shut it off I have no idea. Could it be a warned motor?

put a screwdriver in the recol to keep it from unwinding

If it was free take it😊 What where the size of those 3 bolts that you only had three just for reference 😊

I would write down the model numbers and information, then pressure wash the crap out of it, If not worth fixing I would part it out 😊

Whats the app/website you use to find these mowers etc?

Well I must admit If I had seen this on the curb I would have drove away and left it. Although seeing this outcome is making me reconsider that decision.

Of course!!! At worst it is a parts machine for something.

What degreaser do you use?

I'd fix it but I usually remove battery,starter both switches the coil and starter wiring harness it makes mower 20lb lighter just pull start it for the rest of its life

I wasn't used alot for its age...Very little wear on the wheels.....

is it just me or does it seem like alot of aftermarket carburetors have left the market?

If you couldn't salvage it, it could at least be a parts machine.

Pick it up and do what you did.

I would just leave it I would not have the time to fix it

I NEED TO KNOW WHY MY LAWN MOWER RUNS THEN WON'T START BACK UP WHEN IT GETS HOT

It's been used And abused 😮😮

This was a time waster!

At first glance I would of done a about face?

I dont want to be intrusive or sound alarmist, but your fingers look somewhat puffy? Im unhealthy enough to be told that apparently it can be a sign of a heart problem. So apologies for the armchair nurse act, i just like your content too much