# I bought an MTD 18/117 that was working... or not..



## MagraAdam (Oct 11, 2021)

Hi guys, I assume that this is the right part of the forum for this post.

I own ~84 acres, but most of it is bush land. We have maybe 1 acre clear around the house, 3 acres in 1 paddock, and 3 acres in another paddock that are clear or in the midst of being reclaimed from overgrowth. I had an old rover rancher ride on that came with the house that has a chinese 10hp pull start engine, has had endless repairs and welds on it, and most recently snapped the steering gear, so it was time to replace it. The budget was $2000AUD and i really wanted something with a bbigger engine and bigger deck.

After looking at a few others, about $2000AUD for an MTD/Yard Machine 18hp was pretty normal, but then this one came up for $900AUD and was claimed to be running. I went to go and look at it and this is where the fun starts..

the guy seemed pretty genuine, and i met him at his place and we went to look at the mower. it wouldn't start. he seemed surprised. We eventually figured out that the fuse was blown. now neither of us had a fuse to fit it, so we bypassed the fuse and still nothing. I spent about an hour trying to trobleshoot it and still no lock. I had already talked him down to $850 befre i got there, and now he offered it to me for $750 as is. I say ok and go to put it on the trailer but it's slightly too wide for my 6x4, so i tell him i'll come back another day with a different trailer and he said he may be able to deliver it. I said the price i'll pay depends on if it runs.

Later that night he said his mate came over and got it running, and he can deliver it to me for $800, so i say ok. When he gets here the next day it was not running, and they had melted the fuse wire. I buy it anyway assuming it's just a short somewhere and get to looking at it. this is what i found.

The switch was sending 12v+ to the coil kill switch
The 12v+ output of the generator/alternator was wired to the ground of the switch
The earth from the battery was so rusted i had to grind it off and make a new one
The kill switch lead from one of the coils had burnt out
The 12v+ lead that ran to the switch and had the fuse holder was all bare metal after melting

So i replaced all the burnt out wires, added a new fuse, found the issues with the switch and had to throw it away, re ran the 12v+ from the alternator to the battery, made a new switch from a couple of other switches

After that, the mower ran, and ran quite well. I put it all back together and took it for a test drive. Very loud bearings in some of the pulleys, and the variable speed pulley was jammed in position. So back to the garage and i lubed the pullesy and had to take the variable speed one off and clean and lube it. put it back together and it runs a treat. I didn't get heaps of photos, but here's some.

Overall, I'm happy with a mower for ~$1200 less than the average sale price. And I know more about the machine now too.

oh, and yes i have a new key switch already in the mail and no i won't leave bare plugs like that when i'm done with it. this switch was made from a dual pole dual throw switch (to add 12v to one set of wires when on, and add ground to others when off) and a momentary push button for the starter.

I'm happy to answer any questions or take more photos if anyone wants them.

P.S. I should shout out to @trains for his assistance in idnetifying the issue with the pulley and instructions on how to remove it. That was a massive help (as always!) and made the qhole process quicker and easier. Thanks mate!


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## MagraAdam (Oct 11, 2021)

Oh, and if anyone had an IPL for this, I'd love a copy. 

MTD 18/117 U845H. Serial number 145U845H678


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## MagraAdam (Oct 24, 2021)

So, the new switch arrived and it too is faulty. It doesn't connect to the lights/fuel when in start - it does connect if you dial it back slightly which is annoying. I've asked the seller for a new one. 

I did buy a service kit for it.. New oil (already measured), plugs, oil filter, air filter and ore filter, fuel filter, and spare oil for too ups. Super easy to do a service. I did put some Kero in the oil, get it hot, drain it, fill it, run it for a while, and then change the oil and filter for the final time.


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## Backyard Lumberjack (Oct 26, 2021)

MagraAdam said:


> So, the new switch arrived and it too is faulty. It doesn't connect to the lights/fuel when in start - it does connect if you dial it back slightly which is annoying. I've asked the seller for a new one.
> 
> I did buy a service kit for it.. New oil (already measured), plugs, oil filter, air filter and ore filter, fuel filter, and spare oil for too ups. Super easy to do a service. I did put some Kero in the oil, get it hot, drain it, fill it, run it for a while, and then change the oil and filter for the final time.


hi MA - good thing u don't plan on mowing that spread with the mower!  ( j/k)

i got a similar rig - yard tractor. had to put in a new switch, too. i just use mine for trailer work. hauling in some wood now n then. get loads of it, oak, in my neighborhood. it has the Briggs 12 hp engine. i read your items list on service kit. i did not read an On/OFF fuel line valve. if your machine does not have one, best bet is to install one. these old carbs, if carb, can have carb float issues and stick - open! you walk away, and it lets the oil fill with gasoline. bad deal for engine. don't ask me how i know...

i have on/offs in all my small engine stuff i can install. that was to shut it down, i just turn off the fuel supply. then gasoline does not sit in the system/carb, etc.

hope the mower works great for you!


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## MagraAdam (Oct 27, 2021)

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> hi MA - good thing u don't plan on mowing that spread with the mower!  ( j/k)
> 
> i got a similar rig - yard tractor. had to put in a new switch, too. i just use mine for trailer work. hauling in some wood now n then. get loads of it, oak, in my neighborhood. it has the Briggs 12 hp engine. i read your items list on service kit. i did not read an On/OFF fuel line valve. if your machine does not have one, best bet is to install one. these old carbs, if carb, can have carb float issues and stick - open! you walk away, and it lets the oil fill with gasoline. bad deal for engine. don't ask me how i know...
> 
> ...



Hey mate, I couldn't really imagine towing much with this to be honest. even though it's 18hp it really doesn't like going up hills at any sort of speed - my old rover 10hp was much better for hills at speed, i think due to not using belts for gears. overall i'm happy with it and spent 1.5hrs on it yesterday. 

as for the fuel cut off, it has a solenoid fuel cut off, so i don't think i need to add a manual one to it. my fire pump on the other hand has a manual cut off and you're right about the fuel ending up in the oil!


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## MagraAdam (Nov 1, 2021)

Well I took the mower on the 1.5km drive to my far paddock to mow it. It's so slow it took forever to get there. After I get there I spend 2 mins with the blades spinning when the drive belt falls apart. I guess it's to be expected with a second hand machine.. but annoying that it did it when so far from the house.


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## MagraAdam (Nov 6, 2021)

Ok, so I got a new belt but it's a size that the auto shops don't stock. I went to a machinery shop and the had something close, but it's a bit wider than it's meant to be. It did the job though, and I mowed a couple of acres today. Much better up hills and the clutch wasn't jumping like t was. There's a few gears where you see the clutch move after the belt rotted a few times so I really do need to buy the right size belt. Oh, and it drove much faster home so it must have been some issue with the old belt.


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## frank_ (Nov 6, 2021)

MagraAdam said:


> Ok, so I got a new belt but it's a size that the auto shops don't stock. I went to a machinery shop and the had something close, but it's a bit wider than it's meant to be. It did the job though, and I mowed a couple of acres today. Much better up hills and the clutch wasn't jumping like t was. There's a few gears where you see the clutch move after the belt rotted a few times so I really do need to buy the right size belt. Oh, and it drove much faster home so it must have been some issue with the old belt.


i always measure the outside o the belt with a tape measure, then subtract 1.5" and then order online, an A48 , B37 or whatever


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## MagraAdam (Dec 16, 2021)

as an update:

I had the belt that goes from the engine to the deck break, found out it was the wrong size and not a mower belt, so replaced that with the right one and it works much better. Have the right belt for the engine to the variable pulley, but waiting for the pulley to gear box belt to arrive. Also ordered the spindle belt and will pick that up on tuesday.

After mowing a few acres this week i picked up a wobble in the blades, i'm pretty sure it's this bearing.  So i need to replace that now too. 

I had the fuel solenoid break, and i cut the pin off to get me by, but have just put in the new one. 

I had the diode in the kill switch blow so replaced that with some cobbled together switches. i've just replaced that too. 

Hopefully i'm running out of things to replace on it.


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## MagraAdam (Dec 20, 2021)

Well getting a new spindle us about $100 and will take weeks to get here, so I ended up making some shims. The bearings had worn a mark on the shaft. I replaced the bearings too.


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## MagraAdam (Dec 22, 2021)

Spindles all have new bearings, and the deck has a new belt. I also sharpened and balanced the blades, and removed any cracks to stop them spreading. It runs much better now


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## trains (Dec 22, 2021)

Great repair to get you through till new parts arrive.

Well done mate.


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## MagraAdam (Dec 22, 2021)

trains said:


> Great repair to get you through till new parts arrive.
> 
> Well done mate.


Thanks mate. I'll have to order them soon! Especially as I found a crack in one of the spindles


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## trains (Dec 22, 2021)

Your buying yourself some time, so use it wisely.


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## MagraAdam (Dec 22, 2021)

trains said:


> Your buying yourself some time, so use it wisely.


I'll use it to mow lol


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## MagraAdam (Dec 30, 2021)

So the fix has held so far and I've mown both paddocks with it, so I'm pretty happy with that.


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