Tru-Cut mower rehabilitation

[User Bp]

Hi all,

I'd like to rehabilitate a 25" Tru-Cut commercial mower and would appreciate advice on one obscure and one not-so-obscure issue.

The obscure issue is tires: The original solid tires are worn smooth and don't have much traction. OEM tires are expensive (~$160) and it seems likely that pneumatics would work better. The wheelwell space allows a 10.5" by 5.5" tire, absolute maximum. 4.10/3.50x4 tubeless pneumatics are cheap, but 4 by 3 inch rims with bolt mountings are hard to come by. Worse yet, an offset of about 1.25 inches is needed to center the tire in the wheelwell. Go-kart rims come close, but lack the offset. One could butcher the hubs and add spacers, but new bolt circles will have to be drilled. Anybody got a better idea? The existing hubs are 1.75" pilot diameter with a 4 on 2.625 (that's 2 5/8" BC). Dual flanges are 1.25" inch offset from the wheel well center.

The non-obscure issue is the engine. It's a Briggs & Stratton model

130232 with a scored cylinder bore and worn out valve guides. Still runs, but seems to burn oil about like a two-stroke. The local shop says replace it with a Honda GX160. That's probably what I'll do, but would be interested in alternative endings.

Oh, one other thing: Does anybody know where Tru-Cut puts the model and serial number? There's a label on the handle which reads "Snapper Tru-Cut" and the engine code dates to 1972. It's not certain the engine is original (the mower is red, the engine bronze colored) but it's been said Snapper did own Tru-Cut in the early 1970's. I've been over the machine rather carefully and haven't found a model or serial number.

Thanks for reading!

bob prohaska

[willshak]

Google - "snapper tru cut commercial mower" (without quotes) On the Google result screen, click on "Images" at the top. See if yours is there.

[User Bp]

Well, yes and no. Lots of mowers come up, some with a resemblance. However, all have chain guards. Mine not only has no guards, there is no place to mount them. Seems a fair bet that it's quite a bit older than those illustrated. Even the owner's manual downloaded from Dolphin Outdoor Power Equipment fails to match, reporting zerk fittings not present on my machine. I've contacted Tru-Cut and Dolphin, so far no reply.

Thanks for reading,

bob prohaska

[User Bp]

In the unlikely event anybody ever reads this I ended up moving the the wheel hub flanges to use rims that were symmetric. The rims were adapted from these:

with an o-ring and spacer added to provide a seal and a centering boss. The mounting bolt circles were transferred from the existing flanges, with cutouts to clear the clamp nuts.

Sealing the rim halves proved difficult. A better solution might have been to use

rims, but interference between the hub bolt circles and the rim bolt circles looks possible. At the light loads and slow speeds involved it's probably not a showstopper but it is a complication.

Tires are Cheng Shin, found at

Labeled as eleven inch, they fit with about one-eighth inch of radial clearance to the mower frame.

The front caster wheels were replaced with 100mm kickscooter wheels (Razor-brand clones) using flanged bushings to go from

3/8" to 5/16" (8mm) axle bolts.

A Honda GX160 replaced the old B&S and is a joy to use. The rest of the mower is in reasonable shape and promises many years of service. The pneumatic tires are a decided improvement, much smoother over bumps and softer on the grass. The scooter tires on the front casters are a mixed bag: They turn wonderfully but offer little flotation. On a mushy surface it would take care to avoid making furrows

Hope this helps somebody,

bob prohaska

[Guv Bob]

Thanks, Bob. I was following it - similar situation here. Sounds like a great idea.

[User Bp]

Glad to be of service! As it worked out, the tires are so tight on the rim halves that slippage isn't an issue. You could probably get away with using inner tubes, even at less than twenty psi.

bob prohaska