SMOKIN GRASS!!! GLOAT

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R

RAdams

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After lots of emails from the Prime Minister of Finance for the South African Lottery, I finally got an actual reply to my craigslist ad looking for a riding mower. I traded a 6 year old laptop that sat around in the case, for a Murray 17.5 horse, 42" deck riding mower!!!!!!!!!!!:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:

This thing can't be more than a couple of years old at most. Overhead Valve Tecumseh engine with a freakin flowmaster exhaust!! It mows like an absolute dream!


I am sure my neighbor is hating life this morning... I fired this monster up at 8 AM sharp. I got it yesterday, and when i got it, the batery was dead from sitting, the gas was not very good, and it spit and sputtered. I put a new spark plug in it, and a new battery with fresh gas and drove it around the yard for about 5 minutes at full throttle without cutting. When i finally stopped, she was purring like a kitten. I just went out this morning and mowed my whole yard in an hour!!!!!!!!! Of course i still have to hit the areas around the trees with the push mower, but WOW what a difference!!! Instead of spending 7 or 8 hours mowing, I can easily do the whole yard in two!!!


Pics to come... (When i can find the stupid camera):biggrin::biggrin:
 
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Sounds like a great trade!!! I'll never be able to go back to that style of mower after I now have my gravely ZT 2350 though!!!

A ztr would cut your time in half yet again.

E
 
yup

McBryde said:
Sounds like a great trade!!! I'll never be able to go back to that style of mower after I now have my gravely ZT 2350 though!!!

A ztr would cut your time in half yet again.

E
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If price is no object (assuming that is a Swisher ZT2350) you are absolutely right. However it would also about triple my cost per mowing and unfortunately for me, price is an object. I'll just have to suffer along with my troybuilt rider.
 
Well it seems i spoke too soon. I was going to repay a RAK to a friend down the street, and mow his lawn... and show off my new mower. When i got down to his house, I opened the hood thingy and instantly noticed a severe oil leak.

I brought it home, and took the exhaust off to get a better view. I found the exact spot the oil is pouring out. It is at the seam between the bottom half of the block, and the top half of the block. I thought it was a blown gasket at first, but then i noticed a spot where a bolt is supposed to be with no bolt. I found a good through-bolt and nut with a handfull of washers and was off to the races... Or so i thought. There isn't a WHOLE bolt in the hole.

It also started spitting and sputtering, and blowing ALOT of white smoke, but i think it might be related to teh gusher of an oil leak this thing has. I am wondering if i should put a BP sticker on the thing.


PS... Any knowledge about this situation would be most helpful. At this point, my plan is to finish the year with the push mower:eek::mad::frown::thunder::mad::frown:

and wait for the weather to cool off before removing the motor completely so i can get to the stuck piece of bolt to drill it out and install a new gasket, and finally, the through bolt... I am hopeful that i can salvage a good deal out of this mower!
 
Ouch!I bought our last two computers from Craigslist ads - my wife asked, "Why are they selling them if they are nice computers?" One was great, the other needed some extra love ($$).

Hope you can get it fixed and running right.
 
Yeah me too! I think it might be a bad Kinuter valve. If that is the case, I may just have to replace it with a Johnson rod instead, or maybe a manual Kinuter valve with a foot switch.

I am sure i will be able to fix it. And if not, I can always strip it for stuff to make pens out of!!
 
Yeah my neighbors love it because i start at about 7 am when i push mow. That way i can get a couple of hours in before it hits triple digits. The thermometer has been stuck at 108 for days and days it seems. Two nights ago, at 10:30 pm, my truck thermometer said 98.

Gary, That guy you are talking about with no overhead..... IS ME!! I already spent more than expected on this deal, and didn't really have it to spend, so i will have to do the work myself. I am fairly handy with a wrench so it shouldn't be too bad. I might end up starting it in the next few days, in the mornings while it is kinda cool.
 
RAdams said:
for a Murray
Click to expand...

The other guy definitely got the better end of that deal. I was dumb enough to buy a Murray once upon a time. I think I now have more invested in it than both of my vehicles combined. Murray repairmen and parts dealers have plenty of job security.
 
RAdams said:
Well it seems i spoke too soon. I was going to repay a RAK to a friend down the street, and mow his lawn... and show off my new mower. When i got down to his house, I opened the hood thingy and instantly noticed a severe oil leak.

I brought it home, and took the exhaust off to get a better view. I found the exact spot the oil is pouring out. It is at the seam between the bottom half of the block, and the top half of the block. I thought it was a blown gasket at first, but then i noticed a spot where a bolt is supposed to be with no bolt. I found a good through-bolt and nut with a handfull of washers and was off to the races... Or so i thought. There isn't a WHOLE bolt in the hole.

It also started spitting and sputtering, and blowing ALOT of white smoke, but i think it might be related to teh gusher of an oil leak this thing has. I am wondering if i should put a BP sticker on the thing.


PS... Any knowledge about this situation would be most helpful. At this point, my plan is to finish the year with the push mower:eek::mad::frown::thunder::mad::frown:

and wait for the weather to cool off before removing the motor completely so i can get to the stuck piece of bolt to drill it out and install a new gasket, and finally, the through bolt... I am hopeful that i can salvage a good deal out of this mower!
Click to expand...

Ron,
I don't know much about the mower motors and have no experience with the Murray brank.. I think they are also built by MTD, which also builds the Troy-Bilt (I think.. no confirmation on that)... but I have a Troy-bilt Pony.. 42 inch deck... I had to have it serviced and new belts put on last year... the first mechanic that worked on it overfilled the oil reservoir... since my yard has a hill out back that's about 20-25 degree slant and I mow across the hill on one pass... the mower is tilted by that angle... after a few passes with a constant right turn, suddenly the mower would cough, and the engine would be engulfed with smoke... let me tell you moving across a steep slope and blinded by smoke isn't fun... anyway this went on for about a month... I called a second mechanic to ask and he didn't think it was much of a problem... biggest problem was the first mechanic screwed up the belt installation and I had to have it redone by the second and he check the oil problem while he had the mower... point is, try to check your oil level... if it's overfilled, you might be leaking from the reservoir fill cap or some other port.
 
RAdams said:
Yeah me too! I think it might be a bad Kinuter valve. If that is the case, I may just have to replace it with a Johnson rod instead, or maybe a manual Kinuter valve with a foot switch.
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Don't know what a Johnson rod is but I hope it's not the Krotis rod. The Krotis rod is connected to the piston by the Finnigan pin.

Sorry it didn't work out for you.
 
Can't help you with the thru bolt but the white smoke is easy enough. Take the plug/plugs out of it, clean them. Leave the plug out and crank it over. It won't start, of course but it will blow out any residual oil from the cylinder head. Hope you get the other fixed.
 
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