12 hp snapper rider

[urrlord]

I just picked up a Snapper 12 hp rider off of Craigslist.The PO had said the only problem he had w/the mower was with it choking down when he hit a thick patch of grass.
I brought it home changed the oil,plugs,air filter and old gas from it,sprayed the carb w/cleaner.It needs a battery but has a backup pull start.With the old gas it smoked and chugged(from the look of the old gas I drained he had filled it w/50-1 mix).With the new gas it runs pretty good.
Took it for a spin around the yard ,runs good.After about 10 minutes I hit a thick patch and the mower started to die .I released the blade pedal and engaged the clutch and the RPM's picked up .I reengaged the blade and the mower tried to die,had to disengage the blade.Moved the mower to a clear area.While doing this the mower dropped rpm and shut off a time or two.
Shut the mower off ,let it sit a few minutes.Cranked it up to move it to the shed .Same routine of bogging and engaging the clutch to keep the rpm's up.Probably had to do this 5-6 time.
I've never had a Snapper mower before,they have a good rep around here.Any ideas people?

 

[bepperb]

The Snapper RER is pretty indestructible. There are grease fittings for the blade spindle and for the rear axle bushing you should grease. Perhaps it's getting hot and binding? There's also a chain drive and a differential case that take "00" grease (consistency of conditioner, not oil and not really grease) maybe one of those is dry?

You can also tip it up and make sure there is no play on the bushing side of the rear axle, if unserviced the hole can go from circle to egg and cause problems.

Then again this could be an engine, not chassis problem. A clogged fuel filter will do the same thing.

 

[MONKEYMAN]

What brand of motor is it? My parent's Murray Rider with a Briggs motor started loosing power and stalling after 10 minutes. The gas cap is vented. I removed the dirt plugging the vent. Solved the problem. That is all I have to offer.

 

[bepperb]

If it's a rear engine rider the gas cap definitely has a vent that closes completely (to allow it to be stood up on the end). That's a good idea MonkeyMan.

 

[toneydoc]

Monkeyman is correct about vents on caps and if they are clogged, it will slow or stop fuel flow. Clean it out.
Also check the sharpness of blades and sharpen them while you have them off. Dull blades clog more thus slowing the motor and also do tear up your grass blades giving more ragged cut. Good luck with the mower.

 

[urrlord]

Thanks guys.
It is a Briggs engine.
I'll check the vent on the gas cap,it was unscrewed about a quarter inch .I'll check to see if it is clogged.I'll also ck the fuel filter and grease fittings.
The mower is in pretty good shape,needs a fresh battery and sooner or later new tires.

The PO said he replaced the belt and blade last year about 3 cuts before the end of the season.

 

[yeehaw1960]

You can just turn the blade by hand while disengaged to see if something is binding. (You may have to find a point with the pedal where the belt is disgengaged and a brake isn't dragging on the pulley). I think it should turn freely. Spin the tension pulley (if it has one) to see if it spins freely. Also, look at the blade belt for a moment and reason out where it should be routed and confirm it's been put on right. You may just have one of those old Snappers I get a couple times a year that start OK, but won't run with a load after warming up because it's just too tired to do so. Maybe check the compression to see if it's just ready to "move toward the light". If you don't have a compression gauge, just use the thumb over plug hole method to see if it has decent or just slight compression. 12HP Briggs = old engine I believe.

 

[urrlord]

Just a little update.Allergies have me out of commission at the moment.So I shot an e-mail to snapper asking about the age of my mower.

In less than 10 minutes I had received an answer(1998) with PDF 's of the operators manual and parts manual.

KUDOS to snapper on excellent customer service.