What to do with used mower - suggestions please

I am buying a new riding mower to replace my eleven year old Craftsman mower, and I don't know what to do with the old one.

Actually, the Craftsman was a pretty good mower, but parts were very expensive, plus I had to drive fifty miles (one way) to a Sears service store, and usually they had to order the part and charged about as much for shipping as the part cost. I'll not get another Craftsman mower.

The Kohler 15 HP engine runs good, starts easy, and no problems. I tried to think of some way to use the engine, but can't come up with a good use. The drive mechanism (hydrostatic) works fine, have never had a problem with it.

The reason I'm replacing the mower is that the deck is worn out.

I thought about just removing the deck and using the rest as just a tractor, but have very little use for one. Any suggestions on what I could do with the old mower?

Thanks, Bob-tx

try to find out who originally really manufactured your rider. Might be MTD, in any case not only is sears service gouge priced, but parts are often 3 times the cost if bought directly from the original manufacturer.

take a photo of your mower to some local lawn mower shops you may be pleasantly surprised at the lower price of parts:)

Sears has turned into a ripoff organization they charge 2 travel charges to have the SAME tech service a furnace with air......

companies who rip consumers that way need to die!

Sell it on a radio swap-shop program. Mowers are currently "out-of-season" in most parts and have a low price.

Strip it down, hop it up and enter it in the lawn mower races. Demolition if they got it in your area.

TDD

First you may want to keep it to make sure you don't want to use it as a backup or for trimming etc. Second, if it is any good, why not sell it.

What do you mean the deck is "worn out?" If it is rusted out, you basically have trash.

Ill buy the motor !~!!!!! kust kidding, the freight would be terrible . seriously , kohler engines are not cheap, and if its in good shape im sure you get some cash for it ,

e-bay and sell it for parts ,

"Bob" wrote:

mower, and I don't know what to do with the old one. aActually, the Craftsman was a pretty good mower, but parts were very sexpensive, plus I had to drive fifty miles (one way) to a Sears .service store, and usually they had to order the part and charged about as much for shipping as the part cost. I'll not get another Craftsman mower.. The Kohler 15 HP engine runs good, starts easy, and no problems. I ltried to think of some way to use the engine, but can't come up with oa good use.tThe drive mechanism (hydrostatic) works fine, have never had a

Pull the engine and mount it to a piece of 3/4" plywood. Have it turn a belt with an alternator or two that are hooked up to a car battery, running in parallel with an AC inverter. Use it as a generator.

I replaced the mower deck shell on my 1994 Craftsman last year due to rust & fatigue(42" AYP/Roper/Electrolux). I transferred all of the hardware to the new shell, the part cost was about $112 not including the AYP spindle/quill reinforcing "rings" that I sourced a few years ago.

If I had your mower, I would part out the drive system and use the engine, frame, fuel, & electrical system to build a nice stationary generator with a belt driven generator head from Northern Hydraulics. You might have to make minor pulley size adjustments, but you have the infrastructure for a nice electric start Kohler-powered 8000 watts + home generator.

Rob

on 9/25/2007 5:27 AM Bob said the following:

Put it out by the curb with a "Free" sign on it.

Very good idea. There are plans and suggestions on the 'net for sizing (battery and alternator ratings, etc.) along with pully sizes for appropriate RPMs.

That would be a waste of power - 8000 watt inverters are very expensive

- and 15hp is a lot of power & heat to bolt down to a hunk of 3/4 ply. Reserve the steel frame & do the project right with a generator head.

Keep the plywood project to a 3.5 hp surplus engine.

Rob

No, people figure 'free' = 'worthless'. Put 'For Sale- $50' on it, and leave it out when house is obviously empty or overnight. If an honest person wants it, they will knock on the door or come back, and if a dishonest person hauls it off at 2 am, well, your problem is solved.

aem sends....

If you're in or near a major metro area, put it up for sale on Craigslist as a "for parts" unit at $95.00.

That's just what I did with my 30 year old Snapper rider when I treated myself to a brand new one last year.

Mine sold the first day the ad ran.

Jeff

"Bob" wrote in news:oE3Ki.306155$ snipped-for-privacy@newsfe18.lga:

Put it on eBay for 99 cents. Have it for Pick Up only. Then you get rid of it.

By worn out, I mean blade spindle bearings nearly gone. Blades run at an angle based on the belt tension pulling the spindles. Most bearings in belt path are worn badly. The deck steel is rather light and beat up and patched. New deck about $750 + shipping.

You guys gave me some good ideas and a couple smiles. Thanks Also thought about removing the deck and just keeping the darn thing for visiting grandkids to ride around on and learn to drive and respect machinery. Thanks again for the ideas. Bob-tx

That sounds like it is trash to me. Maybe someone would want it for part, but I doubt it.

The spindles/quills are probably fine - it's just the deck that's flexing. If it was the bearings, there would lots of very objectionable noise & smoke & shards of metal/debris, and the belt tension wouldn't make a difference(you may have compound issues, though). The upper & lower bearings are available separately, and with the spindle shaft(s). They are easy to knock out & replace.

The shell only needs to be replaced, not the whole deck. It's about a 1 hour job(with the deck off) using an impact tool.

I have used

Rob

i put em out by the road with a free sign on it.