How does this Craftsman look? New Mower Recommend

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: 01rangerxl
I definitely agree with that. Those old Lawn Boys are great.

Even newer Lawn Boys are quite a step up from the basic mowers in build quality and general sturdiness. Sometimes Home Depot sells used ones, though I would look them over carefully before buying. Once in a while you can find one without a transmission, but they are all 3 in 1 style decks.

Honda actually made some plain pushers too...no trans, just a plain side discharge deck, but good luck finding one. You would probably have to go to a small dealer to find one. HD only stocks fancy Hondas.


I combined all three here with my "daily driver" mower. It's a steel-deck staggered-wheel Lawn-Boy from 1999 (model 10330). It had a blown Tecumseh when I got it (trash heap find). I put a Honda GCV160 on it I had extra from another mower. Works like a charm, the SP pulley was the right size and in the right location on the crank (vertically), and 3 of the 4 bolt holes in the Honda lined up with the holes in the deck. It's light, maneuverable, and gives a great cut.

 

[yeehaw1960]

Most of these mowers are poo#ed out of the same vat of cheap subpar material. That being said, buy the cheapest thing you can find at Walmart without dipping into the Chinese engine pool. Any mower will last years if you take good care of it. Remember... the cheapest thing you find at Sears is $30 more than the same thing at Wally World. I add this opinion based on your stated budget and your desire for a simple, "make short grass out of tall grass" mower.

In reference to the tank-mounted carb type Briggs engines, be prepared to replace the diaphragm after a few years and keep the oil changed. I pick 5 or 6 of these out of the trash each year because the owner didn't realize the oil was coming from the muffler because he/she tipped it over with the muffler down for more than 30 seconds.

 

[bepperb]

"In reference to the tank-mounted carb type Briggs engines, be prepared to replace the diaphragm after a few years"

Again, this was exactly my experience. Otherwise my cheap-as-possible Craftsman with the non-ohv briggs tank-below-carb and primer bulb has been reliable as a stone.

Those Craigslist mowers are five years old and he's taking something like 20% off the price. Way overpriced in my opinion.

 

[01rangerxl]

A lot of times you can temporarily "fix" a stuck diaphragm by putting your hand over the carb (a/f removed) while someone starts it. Once the engine kicks over, move your hand some so it can get air, but be prepared to cover the carb again if it tries to stall. This will usually free them up for a while, but obviously a worn diaphragm will get stuck again. Luckily it's only a $2-$3 part, easy to replace, and you can find them almost anywhere including Lowe's and Home Depot.

 

[yeehaw1960]

Actually the dang things are defective. The gasket isn't wide enough at one point and the diaphragm slips away and causes a leak.

The Craigslist mowers do seem a little high. And probably not guaranteed. I have people bring stuff back a year later and I'll get the water out and get them started for free. Probably not that smart of me, but I have the advantage of being retired and don't have to depend on mower work to keep me fed.

"I am a small engine repairman"! I like that!

 

[Hokiefyd]

I've worked on a few of those Pulsa-Jet carbs. Common symptom: no start without starter fluid. And on starter fluid, it runs for a second then sputters out. Replacement diaphragms didn't work on either one of them. Both carbs were plastic and I cleaned them out as best I could, but they still wouldn't run.

I like the side draft carbs better, like on a Quantum or similar. The jet will get gummed up with gasoline, but cleaning the jet in the bowl bolt takes but just a minute or two, and they're running again.

 

[rats1955]

I had two different sears low end mowers with the Tecumseh engine with the little tubular air cleaners. They were bullet proof, but they are hard to push and they didn't cut very nice any more. I purchased the 2nd one after the first one developed a knock under load after about 5 years. I used it for a rough cut mower for several more years and finially the carb died. The mower was totally worn out by that time. I used the 2nd one for about 10 years and now I just purchased a Toro Super Bagger. The Sears will be my rough cut mower. The Toro is a large step up from the old Sears mowers. The Toro cost about 3 times what I paid for my last Sears mower.