Push Mower Surprise

[2LaneCruzer]

To make a long story short, my string trimmer cratered on me last week. I have a Murray push mower with a Briggs engine, that has been sitting in my shop for at least three years, maybe more like five and never been started. I pulled it out today, dusted it off and checked the gas. It seems I ran it dry last time I used it, so the tank was empty. I filled it, and the darn thing started on the first pull! Imagine my surprise; I was prepared for it to not start, period. Renewed my faith in the "Made in the USA" slogan.
I guess I am what might be described as a "Happy Camper"!

 

[Clay45]

Did the same with my Tecumseh powered Toro this year.

 

[TractorGuy]

I almost never have trouble starting my old Briggs engines after they sit. My Honda powered pressure washer, not so much. It will give me a fit every time.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

I almost never have trouble starting my old Briggs engines after they sit. My Honda powered pressure washer, not so much. It will give me a fit every time.

You had to mention the Honda power washer. I have one of them also, that sits right beside the push mower. It has not been started in about three years...so I guess I know what to expect.

 

[Thomas]

Might been good thing you ran out of fuel before the long nap,with todays gas could have had gum up carb.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Might been good thing you ran out of fuel before the long nap,with todays gas could have had gum up carb.

Yeah; but I like to think that I did that purposely! :laughing:

 

[Bird]

I have a neighbor who has an old MTD non-self propelled walk behind push mower. It sits outside in the yard year round, sunshine or rain, and has for several years. He told me once that he wished it would die so he could justify buying a "good" new mower, but it just keeps going.:laughing: If I treated my much more expensive mower that way, I figure there's no way it would last a year,

 

[davesl708]

Great news.
My 20yr old Craftsman push mower has a 6hp BS on it. One push of the primer, one pull of the chord it fires right up. Only use pure gas in it.

 

[davesl708]

I have a neighbor who has an old MTD non-self propelled walk behind push mower. It sits outside in the yard year round, sunshine or rain, and has for several years. He told me once that he wished it would die so he could justify buying a "good" new mower, but it just keeps going.:laughing: If I treated my much more expensive mower that way, I figure there's no way it would last a year,

Guess he doesn't know what a good mower is.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Great news.
My 20yr old Craftsman push mower has a 6hp BS on it. One push of the primer, one pull of the chord it fires right up.

Only use pure gas in it

.

Me too! That's all I ever buy, even for her car and my truck. Thank goodness it's available here.

 

[oldballs]

Same here guys........I have a 4.5 HP B & S push along mower hi wheel that sits outside all year around with a piece of galv sheet metal covering it. I bought it from Montgomery Wards sometime in the late 70's. If i use it, I dump the old gas out and refill.........hit the prime bulb a couple times and it fires right up. But I do change the oil now and then.

 

[not2old]

I used to keep on old mower with a Briggs motor under my open steps all winter with no problems starting until I opened my mouth at how well it endured the winter outside with no preparation for storage. Sure enough the exhaust valve stuck open one spring. Took off the flat head and tapped it with a plastic hammer while pulling the cord a few times. Put the head back on, using the original gasket and away it went. Needed to do the same thing the next year. Brought that mower home from the dump and used it for at least a dozen years on a 1/2 acre lot. Couldn't do that with any of the modern stuff.

 

[scdeerslayer]

Recently I rescued my grandfather's generator with a Wisconsin Robin engine. Don't know when it was made but I found the receipt with the manual in his stack of manuals and he bought it used in 1981. He passed away in 2004, and it had probably been years before that since it was ran. I changed the oil and spark plug, added gas, set the choke, and it started on the first pull. I've had to do some more work to it to make it usable but I was amazed how easily it started.

 

[teejk]

Great news.
My 20yr old Craftsman push mower has a 6hp BS on it. One push of the primer, one pull of the chord it fires right up. Only use pure gas in it.

I started using only the non-ethanol gas for any air-cooled equipment and add Stabil. Everything starts now.

 

[MossRoad]

We just had this discussion on the never change oil thread.... I had a 29 year old Craftsman mower with a 2.5hp Briggs that I never changed oil in EVER in 29 years, never drained the gas over winter (87 octane 10% ethanol), original air filter and I'm pretty sure original plug. Started 1st pull every spring. When the deck disintegrated, I kept the engine out of respect.

 

[TractorGuy]

I used to keep on old mower with a Briggs motor under my open steps all winter with no problems starting until I opened my mouth at how well it endured the winter outside with no preparation for storage. Sure enough the exhaust valve stuck open one spring. Took off the flat head and tapped it with a plastic hammer while pulling the cord a few times. Put the head back on, using the original gasket and away it went. Needed to do the same thing the next year. Brought that mower home from the dump and used it for at least a dozen years on a 1/2 acre lot. Couldn't do that with any of the modern stuff.

This is gonna be lengthy but I love telling it.

I bought my first Craftsman lawn tractor in 1979. I had a 10HP model on order that they kept saying was on it's way. One day I was in the store checking on it and the Sears guy told me I didn't want it. He said he had the 11HP in stock that had a Briggs and the 10HP I had ordered would come with a Tecumseh. I bought the one with the Briggs and never looked back. One of my neighbors bought the 10HP version two years later and it blew the rod out the side of the block within 5 years.

That same year we bought the two acres my house is on now. The land had a mobile home on it and was covered in pines and gall berry bushes. We had the pines cut and commenced cleaning the place up by hand and using that poor old mower. My wife ran it in the gall berry bushes till the engine seized up. I had already had a falling out with Sears on them not performing the service under the extended warranty I purchased so I did not want them working on the mower at all even though it was still under the regular warranty. I sprayed some WD40 in the intake and spark plug hole and worked the engine back and forth till it freed up. The darn thing started back up and ran like a charm. Over the years it seized up 5 more times from being run in thick brush or pulling a trailer that was too large. I would just get on the shaft with a large pair of channel lock pliers, break it loose, and away we would go. The dang thing never even used any oil between changes. I ran it for 21 years and put 3 decks on it. The engine would still run like new when I hauled the mower to the dump.

I think back and wonder how I cleaned this place up with a lawn tractor, axe, and a shovel. I quit counting after 150 stumps I chopped and dug out by hand.