Gripe and Gloat

[Pappy]

My son borrowed my mower to make some money mowing a lady's yard. In the process he hit something, bent the blade, and broke the cast iron bracket the blade bolts to. Online brice for a blade and the blade adapter kit was about $47.00. (I think I paid $35.00 2 or 3 years ago.) Pulled the blade and tried to start the mower. It would fire up, shake hard, and die. Best guess is that the motor shaft is bent. (= scrap metal)

On to C/L. Found a mower with a newer version of the same motor (mine was a '94 model) with a broken handle listed free. Emailed my number but never heard back.

Kept loooking and found a i year old 6.5 HP Bolen, self propelled for $50.00. The guy has a landscape business and decided it was a waste to have a mower sitting in the garage with a trailer full of professional gear in the yard. The blade still has a sharp factory edge on it and it starts on the first pull. Since I only use it for the areas I can't hit with the rider, it should outlast me!

I also gave him $10 for the frame to a 10 x 15 (?) screen room. The top cover had ripped and he took it down. Going to set it up using a tarp as a parking cover for the Harley!

[Daryl]

Best thing about the B&S motors is there is always spare parts in somebodys junk pile.
Did you pull the fly wheel off and check the key? a partially sheared one would let the motor run, but not smoothly.

[Pappy]

I thought about it being a timing/flywheel problem. I may still check it out before I trash the mower but time to get up and running was priority in this case. Like I said, the parts to repair the blade damage were more than I had in the mower.

[gjat]

double the vote on checking the flywheel. Also, pull the plugwire and hve someone pull the cord to see if the crank spins crooked underneath.

[Uncle Cracker]

Definitely check the key. It's softer than the crankshaft, so that it goes first.

[capncarl]

If you cranked it without the blade you were lucky it ran at all, because most mowers use the blade as the flywheel, and will not run at all without a blade.

You may not have a problem with the motor.

capncarl

[LinuxRandal]

Supposed to have a blade on the mower, as it is balanced for it. (what I was told years ago) It won't run correct without it.

[eezlock]

gripe and gloat

Pappy, sounds like you need to replace the blade hub and blade on that mower,it should be good to go from there if the shaft isn't bent.

Briggs and Stratton engines for mowers aren't designed to run without the blade installed,it is the flywheel for engine...I have never had one that would even start without a blade.While checking the mower out...check the shear key
on top...it may be sheared...they are cheap to replace.

[Pappy]

Never thought about the blade serving as the flywheel. May have to look a bit further just out of curiosity.

[LCHIEN]

Never thought about the blade serving as the flywheel. May have to look a bit further just out of curiosity.

I think he's right about the flywheel thing.
If the key is a "mechanical fuse" the weak link - then the motor may well be good.

[DustyandLefty]

get a bigger hammer

Hey -- he's got a new mower! Don't spoil his fun with details. That said it is probably the key partially sheered so the timing is way off.

I used to "straighten" bent shafts for Montgomery Wards about, um 35 years ago, by figuring out which way the wobble went and then banging on a sleeve socket placed over the shaft with a hand-held sledge. Sometimes I could straighten them out enough to work again.

Just sell the old one to an optimist -- say something like "Hit rock; won't run. $45."

D&L