|
Post by Sir Trevor on May 14, 2017 21:12:03 GMT -5
For some reason I feel the need to try and really spruce up this riding mower of mine. As such, I have come up with a rather long todo list. new steering wheel knob headlight bulbs new seat new cup holder new blades new decals fix tireadjust shift linkagelube decktransaxle filter changefill transaxlesort out deck adjustment paint black parts prime gray partspaint gray parts prime and paint deck prime and paint rimsAttachments:
|
|
|
Post by bunbun / Hank on May 15, 2017 10:29:19 GMT -5
Sounds like mom neglected this poor thing into a piece of crap. You should have a pretty nice mower once you're done with all the stuff you listed. Some stuff is more important then others, like new blades which from previous posts seem to be about as easy to find as a unicorn. Good luck with them. Transaxle lube and filter, pretty important. Decals, cup holder, (don't drink and mow) and headlight bulbs not so much. Nice if you can get em but mower will run without that stuff. Are ya planning on mowing in the dark where ya really need headlights? My policy is when it gets that dark...QUIT!
"member that show on the History channel where that guy out in Las Vegas would restore all that old weird shit? Like some one would bring him a 1905 Coke machine and he would restore it to like brand new. Gotta wonder, where in the hell are you getting parts for the shit? Like this is probably the ONLY one in existence, but he would make it look and work like brand new. I gotta think he ain't findin' that shit on E-BAY. SO, good luck with your mower. I suppose ya could find some decal place somewhere and have a brand new set made, God only knows what that will cost ya. Same with the blades. I'm sure some machine shop some where can MAKE a new set, but at what price? You could have a 25,000 dollar mower when you're done
HANK.
|
|
|
Post by Sir Trevor on May 15, 2017 17:22:18 GMT -5
Like you said, a lot of it isn't necessary. Just want to do it. I've got it starting and running great right now. Works just fine. I'll track down some blades eventually. I don't need them right now. But I want to have a spare set on hand if I ever do. Decals won't be a problem at all. I know several people who do the laser cut vinyl decals. I just need to get some good pictures of the originals. And there is no sense bothering until I get around to repainting it. Not gonna bother trying to sand out all the rust that is on it, just want to prime and paint over it, to try and stop it from going further. I've already got the filter for the transaxle, just haven't taken the time to locate it on the mower yet to change it Same with sorting out all the adjustments to the deck, It works ok the way it is, I just want to know what I can do with it. I figure this thing is already 36 years old. Pretty good shape considering the age. Might as well take care of it. Because they definitely don't build them like this anymore.
|
|
|
Post by Sir Trevor on May 15, 2017 17:25:24 GMT -5
Oh yeah. As far as the headlights. Don't plan on mowing in the dark. But you never know when I might be out there around dusk just finishing up. Where the shed is located is pretty shady, and there isn't any power or lights out there. Might need the headlights to make sure I am lined up properly to get into the shed.
And if it only involves getting a couple of new bulbs, why not.
|
|
|
Post by bunbun / Hank on May 16, 2017 13:32:58 GMT -5
You ain't kiddin' about they don't make em like this any more, the new one's are a piece of crap! Friend of mine from the Y was telling me the other day that he recently bought a 20 inch push mower for trimming and that the carburator is ALL PLASTIC! can you believe that shit? Not sure of the make, he got it at Sprawl-Mart or Home Depot some place like that. I'll have to ask him next time I see him. So yeah, this old stuff is definitly worth fixing if you can get the parts. As for the headlight bulbs I think my Craftsman takes the same bulbs as the back up lights in my car. So if yours is that way it will be a pretty easy fix. or just dict tape a flashlight to the hood. Good luck with it.
HANK.
|
|
|
Post by Sir Trevor on May 23, 2017 18:29:08 GMT -5
Well, one thing checked off the list.
|
|
|
Post by blueguy on May 23, 2017 18:45:35 GMT -5
don't forget to paint flames on it.
|
|
|
Post by Sir Trevor on May 27, 2017 19:00:29 GMT -5
Making progress. Found the transaxle filter. Unfortunately the way I found it was annoying. Somehow a piece of rope ended up in the yard, and I saw it just as it got sucked under the mower deck. While trying to cut it out from around the blades, I noticed the filter just above the deck.
|
|
|
Post by Sir Trevor on Jun 12, 2017 18:36:46 GMT -5
Got another thing to add to the list. Get more keys for it. Damn thing fell out while I was mowing, didn't notice until I went to shut it off when I got it back in the shed. I'm not walking the whole yard looking for it.
|
|
|
Post by Sir Trevor on Jun 19, 2017 18:16:08 GMT -5
Another addition to the list. Threw a belt yesterday. It's trashed. Already have another one on order as no one around here had one in stock that was 100" long.
|
|
|
Post by Sir Trevor on Sept 18, 2017 18:10:06 GMT -5
Still plugging away at this. Paint is moving right along. Though, now I have run into another problem. Pulled the deck out from under it Sunday to clean, lube, and sharpen the blades. When I started cleaning, I discovered the deck isn't in quite as good a shape as I thought it was. Now I need to start gathering supplies to rebuild the darn thing this off season.
|
|
|
Post by bunbun / Hank on Sept 19, 2017 12:25:07 GMT -5
Oh tell me about mower deck rebuilding. Just finished doing one. My friend Dave from Germany (you probably have met him at a Halloween party, He's been to a few) bought this Craftsmen mower at a garage sale awhile back. Mower itself is not bad but the deck is a Swiss cheese. As luck would have it my buddy Frank had an almost identical mower with a blown motor he wasn't planning on fixing so he gave me the whole darn thing. Tons of spare parts for Dave. While this deck also had a few holes, one really BIG one on the right front portion of it It was overall in better shape then Dave's original. So I got a piece of 10 gauge metal from Hemley's for a buck, took it to Chardon Welding to have them bend it into the curved shape I needed and proceeded to weld it in. So now I just need to load it into the truck and haul it over to his house.
It's hard to tell from your photo just how "holey" yours is. Maybe you can get the underside sand blasted down to clean metal and fiberglass it in if it's just a shit load of little holes everywhere. If it's a BIG hole and you need the structural integrity you may have to take it somewhere and get metal welded in place. Good luck with it.
HANK.
|
|
|
Post by Sir Trevor on Sept 19, 2017 18:15:37 GMT -5
I don't know about lugging it somewhere to get welded.
I did get a decent suggestion at the tractor forum I pick up tips on. Form my sheet metal the way I want it, and epoxy it into place. Wouldn't be quite as structural as welding it, but it would be close. It would most likely be better than what I have now, and really have nothing to lose giving it a shot, other than the time and energy I invest in it.
|
|
|
Post by bunbun / Hank on Sept 23, 2017 19:04:09 GMT -5
Well Dave's mower is gone. I loaded it into the pickup and hauled it to him yesterday. Next thing is load up the parts mower and take that to him. what have you decided to do with your deck? Still gonna try and JB Weld a patch in place? Let me know how that works for you. The information might come in handy for repairing his original deck.Remember,Dave is the guy who JB Welded his Saturn transmission back together and drove it to the transmission shop to get it replaced. now he would try it. Hell, he wanted to cover the holes with duct tape. I talked him out of that idea.
HANK.
|
|
|
Post by Sir Trevor on Sept 24, 2017 12:30:53 GMT -5
Yeah. I'm gonna try patching it, but not yet. Still have mowing to do. Will wait till later in October to pull the deck off for the rest of the season and get to work on it.
|
|