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Lawn Mower Mishap

P

piasabird

Lifer
I was out cutting grass and my lawn mower had a problem. I got a little too close to a water valve cover. It only took a split second from my lawn mower blade to bend and twist like butter. I thought for sure that the lawn mower was toast and the shaft would be bent. However, I went to Sears and purchased a new blade, put it on and it was cutting grass again like it was butter. There is something to be said for the dependability of a Craftsman Lawn Mower. I would buy another one and consider it a good deal.

I have the bright red one with a 6+ Horse Power Push Lawn Mower. Check it out at Sears.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_07138528000P
 
Since your Craftsman mower was made by someone like Husqvarna, you should be thanking them and not Sears. And since the motor survived the impact, you should really be thanking your lucky stars and Briggs and Stratton that it survived, given the low quality of that B&S engine that comes on those mowers. Almost bottom of the barrel in B&S's product line.
 
I will say that the engine on my POS riding mower is a B&S, and it has been outstanding. Literally every other component of the mower has needed repairs but the engine has been solid. It's an I/C engine which I think is a step above bottom of the barrel.
 
I can't say I got so lucky. I did the same thing, but hit a root. It twisted the blade and bent my crankshaft. There is an obvious wobble and it vibrates so bad I can't use it anymore.

The mower was a Troy Bilt from Lowes with a 160cc Honda motor.
 
LTC8K6 said:
Lucky you didn't break the crankshaft key.
Click to expand...

Woodruff key

And thats the point of it. Its cheaper to replace a $0.79 woodruff key than it is to buy a $15.00 or more blade. Thats why its made of soft metal and is considered sacrificial.
 
exactly. pin should snap. on a riding mower. . .belt slip. blade should bend, all before anything else breaks. My wife ran over a big rock or root. blade bent 90 degrees down. so much that the blade was digging into the ground. no damage besides the blade.
 
Our back yard is on a big slope with lots of huge rocks. So far I have replaced the blade 3 times this year since they were so bent they were digging into the ground.

Nothing else has broke on the mower. This is just some cheep Weedeater brand mower from Walmart.
 
slag said:
Woodruff key

And thats the point of it. Its cheaper to replace a $0.79 woodruff key than it is to buy a $15.00 or more blade. Thats why its made of soft metal and is considered sacrificial.
Click to expand...

I stopped calling it that because no one undersatands what I'm talking about.

Besides they are often not actually woodruff keys anymore anyway.
 
SearchMaster said:
I will say that the engine on my POS riding mower is a B&S, and it has been outstanding. Literally every other component of the mower has needed repairs but the engine has been solid. It's an I/C engine which I think is a step above bottom of the barrel.
Click to expand...

I/C is Briggs' Industrial/Commercial line and the I/C engines are actually the best ones Briggs makes.

ZV
 
Meh ... I've run over all kinds of metal and stuff with my 1980s Toro. The blade isn't even bent, though it is dull. I need to sharpen it. Also, it's only 3.5 horse, but it can handle my lawn no matter how bad it gets if I procrastinate cutting it a few extra days...
 
Zenmervolt said:
I/C is Briggs' Industrial/Commercial line and the I/C engines are actually the best ones Briggs makes.

ZV
Click to expand...


Agreed. My dad has a riding mower he bought from Lowe's In 1993. Has a 14HP I/C engine. It still runs. And he's been mowing at least 2+ acres since he got it. I used to use it when I lived at home. I hate mowing, and would not really care what I ran over. And the thing is still going strong. Great engine. lol. Can't say that for the rest of the mower though. lol
 
BurnItDwn said:
Meh ... I've run over all kinds of metal and stuff with my 1980s Toro. The blade isn't even bent, though it is dull. I need to sharpen it. Also, it's only 3.5 horse, but it can handle my lawn no matter how bad it gets if I procrastinate cutting it a few extra days...
Click to expand...

Tecumseh engine with rear bagging and a 21" blade? Probably the same as mine. Love that thing; it's a beast. Takes all kinds of beating and just keeps on running. Mine's burning a little bit of oil these days, but still running strong.

ZV
 
When I was a kid I used to mow the neighborhood lawns and I had this really nice mower that somebody had hit something fairly substantial with and bent the damn crank. That fucking Tecumseh shook so bad I dont know how it stayed together, or even how I dealt with it. Im certainly a bigger sissy these days.

I'm comfortable on my badass Hustler.
 
SearchMaster said:
I will say that the engine on my POS riding mower is a B&S, and it has been outstanding. Literally every other component of the mower has needed repairs but the engine has been solid. It's an I/C engine which I think is a step above bottom of the barrel.
Click to expand...

Probably two steps.

Bottom of the barrel Briggs engines use plain aluminum bores and plain crankshaft bearings that are integral with the engine case.

Your IC engine probably has a steel bore insert and ball bearings supporting the crankshft.

Intermediate engines can have a steel bore insert and/or a ball bearing on only the PTO side of the crankshaft, with a plain bearing on the flywheel side.
 
In my humble opinion and experience of fixing and reselling small engines/mowers/tillers as a hobby for 14+ years now, Tecumseh small engines in push mowers are horrible compared to their B&S counterparts. Many of them have carb problems that cannot be fixed by a carb rebuild and necessitate replacing some if not all of the carb. Most EAGER engines (like those in Crapsman mowers)have these crappy carbs with small air filters on them. If the carb is not hosed, then its something else like the cylinder wall is scored or its pumping oil into the breather tube and into the carb, or some other bullshit. Not worth the time to fix. They are, unfortunately, disposable engines not worth the repair time. I'd repower any of those TEC powered machines with a nice B&S quantum engine of any vintage because I know those engines will last.
 
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