Great deal on a Craftsman Riding Mower

[user 122190]

Picking up the John Deere today. Sure looks good, but will see what is actually going on with the motor. Might need some simple cleaning of the electrical connections or possibly an ignition module. There isn't to many things it could be. I hope.

 

[Sportfury70]

Smokin deal on that Deere. I know it’s a box store model, but ppl tend to think the green paint is worth way more than other colors.

Just got this husky for free, broken spindle and it wouldn’t start. Got a spindle coming from eBay, and all it needed to start was a new 15amp ignition fuse. Runs great!

I’ll get it cleaned up and sell my other one. It’s an older LTH150 that runs flawless, but is a bit rougher. Got that one free too.

 

[user 122190]

Smokin deal on that Deere. I know it’s a box store model, but ppl tend to think the green paint is worth way more than other colors.

Just got this husky for free, broken spindle and it wouldn’t start. Got a spindle coming from eBay, and all it needed to start was a new 15amp ignition fuse. Runs great!

I’ll get it cleaned up and sell my other one. It’s an older LTH150 that runs flawless, but is a bit rougher. Got that one free too.

A fuse?!? Nice deal. Was that from a family member or what?

The guy with the JD sent me some pictures of the motor and it looks like it was taken care of. Not especially clean, but no oil or grease, just farm dirt from normal use.

 

[Sportfury70]

These things pop up for free pretty regularly this time of year here. This was from my brother in laws neighbor.

Usually they are older or in worse shape, but sometimes they are like this one. Been waiting for a zero turn to pop up, but I have yet to see one.

A month ago or so a Kamodo Joe Egg grill was free for pick up. Came with a house that was just bought and the guy didn’t want it. I was out of town so some lucky bastard got it before I could.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I thought I'd show you my little lawn tractor,

And NO, I didn't have to pay too much for it.

SR

 

[user 122190]

Got it home.

Looks pretty good, once you look past the dirt and grime. Supposedly there is no spark at the plug, but the engine does turn over with the nearly dead battery. And it is a V-Twin. The battery charger is doing its thing already. O’Boy!

The grass bagger was a nice add-on and is in very good condition. Hell the bagger purchased new costs nearly what I paid for the entire package.

This is going to be a nice profit.

After cleaning and get running, this should be up on craigslist in a week or less.

 

[user 122190]

I thought I'd show you my little lawn tractor,

Nice. Hopefully what I am doing can continue and I can move towards the bigger more capable tractors that can do real work.

 

[djg james]

Sold the Craftsman last night. Guy even showed up early. Mower cold started perfectly and the guy was very pleased with it loaded it straight into this trailer and drove off.

Now lining up the next. This should be very familiar since I owned an JD LA130 of the same year.

View attachment 985702

Never seen one go that cheap. Especially a JD.

 

[user 122190]

Never seen one go that cheap. Especially a JD.

I pulled the battery this morning, and is now showing full charge on the trickle charger. Gave the machine a good overall look and it is getting better and better. I'll clean it when the temps warm up, pull all the electrical connectors and give them a good blast of cleaner then air, and then I will know. Do she start or not?

 

[user 122190]

We got life. Looks to be running on one cylinder, the right. Left exhaust was cold while the right was building up temperature. Both ignition coils look the same, and share a common wire and there is continuity between them. I didn't actually test for spark, but all signs point to that being the culprit. Brand new spark plugs so someone has been trying to get this running before me. I'll actually test for spark and maybe swap the coils. Could, and probably is the coil, but I'll reset the gap before further diagnosis.

Enough for today. And tomorrow I have a deer to butcher. I'll look at it with fresh eyes Wednesday.

Boy, was this machine dirty. So so much grass loading up the mower deck. My feeling underneath makes me believe I'll be removing the deck and checking for easy spindle rotation and some doing blade sharpening.

 

[djg james]

....... And tomorrow I have a deer to butcher.....

Sorry, I'm fixated an off-topic subject. Fresh deer this time of year? Or you had it frozen whole?

 

[user 122190]

Sorry, I'm fixated an off-topic subject. Fresh deer this time of year? Or you had it frozen whole?

Typically this time of the year, deer are harvested off the highway. In this case the deer got her neck broken in a fence after getting spooked by a barking dog. Wife thinks this IS/WAS Bambi, and it was given to me as I was close by and willing to get this tragedy out of sight out of mind.

 

[user 122190]

Too many hours of daylight left to not address the spark issue. Turns out there is plenty of spark. Wow!

As before there is some backfiring, and with much of the machine apart it is backfire out the carb. I'll remove the valve covers and check clearances and overall condition. If that proves to be good, I'll start cleaning or rebuilding the carburetor. This is turning into a job.

This could be it -->

 

[3000 FPS]

Yep, sounds like that could be a possibility. Bent push rod on the exhaust.
I would not suspect the carb.

 

[Captain Bruce]

These things pop up for free pretty regularly this time of year here. This was from my brother in laws neighbor.

Usually they are older or in worse shape, but sometimes they are like this one. Been waiting for a zero turn to pop up, but I have yet to see one.

A month ago or so a Kamodo Joe Egg grill was free for pick up. Came with a house that was just bought and the guy didn’t want it. I was out of town so some lucky bastard got it before I could.

What has curb picking old BBQ's and tractors got to do with chainsaws?

 

[Sportfury70]

Nice. Hopefully what I am doing can continue and I can move towards the bigger more capable tractors that can do real work.

I think I’ve posted this before, but here it is again. I got two Ford 14d tractors for $800 about 4 years ago. Wanted a larger and more capable tractor that ran on diesel. Put all the best parts on the one with power steering, and did a little refinish on the paint. The other I got running reliably and traded for a dual axle trailer. Both came with mower decks and a Deere plow blade. Ended up selling the nice one for $1800 to a collector. Fun and made a real tidy profit!

 

[Sportfury70]

What has curb picking old BBQ's and tractors got to do with chainsaws?

It’s fun wrenching on old stuff and getting really good deals? Just chattin with like minded folks here..

 

[Okie]

If the heads are still on the rig I would think about doing a leak down test or if no leak down tester available just inject some air about 15- 30 psi into the spark plug hole and listen for leakage at carb/exhaust while at TDC BEFORE removing a head if the valve lash is correct. (valve lash not too close) When doing such you can also compare one cylinder to the other.
spitting back through the carb and weak on one cylinder on a twin small engine is symptom of intake valve issue.

 

[JRM]

What has curb picking old BBQ's and tractors got to do with chainsaws?

Reading the title of the thread certainly helps. I'd expect no less from a self proclaimed leader of the site.....

Dang it Montana now you got me into this. There was an LT1000 sitting out at the road on my way to work. I drove by it almost a whole week telling myself I don't need another project
Long story short, it's down a blade and a deck belt and the guy says once the pto engages it won't disengage until he shuts the tractor off. Needs a battery. Other than that it seems like a good little tractor and runs well. Curiously it has Briggs 17.5 hp stickers on the side but only has a 15.5 hp engine.
At any rate, I'm in it for $150. I figure I'll have my teenage son go through it and clean it up and throw some new blades and a belt on and go from there.

 

[user 122190]

At any rate, I'm in it for $150. I figure I'll have my teenage son go through it and clean it up and throw some new blades and a belt on and go from there.

Sounds like fun. Get a picture or two up when you get a chance.

I butchered my deer yesterday, and had tenderloins, onions, and rice last night. I'm geared up to check the valve lash today. I'm oscillating between optimism and doom on what I expect to find.