Riding Mower schenanagins

[scotts90ranger]

Ok, I probably spelled that wrong, whatevers...

I have too much land to push mow, and I like driving around, and when you can drink and do yard work, why not?

I've had a handful of riding mowers over the years, had a few of the small rear wheel mowers with mixed results, I've found the mowers with 12" rear wheels are what you want if you have more than 1/4 acre, and the fewer blades on the deck the better... the MTD selection isn't great, especially with the variable speed belt setup, but they work ok, they're nice at times but changing belts is a pain... I liked the wards variant with a 19hp briggs and a high/low rear axle but the belt setup wasn't up to constant use...

My favorite mower is a Wards 5 speed with a two blade 44" deck and 16hp briggs, the deck has a timing belt so the blades overlap and someone put a brush hog type setup on it, unfortunately I took out a tooth on the input shaft of the trans... that's on the list... Silly enough the trans gear broke shortly after putting 25" ATV tires on the rear... those were a game changer for floatation though...

That said, I was buying stuff on an online auction recently and happened upon two late 80's Craftsman GT6000's, they went for $55 each, one had a deck and the other did still have the mule drive... both identical so it seems but haven't dug into it. I drug one into the driveway and got to working on it between other projects. Unfortunately the lower steering bushing was shot and the steering sector gear was missing two teeth so I did what any redneck would do and welded new ones on and bought a bushing . I put the new bushing in today so it steers now... I put a new battery in it and the starter is understandably ceased so I have the hood off so I can get the starter out and freed up... it will likely need a new ignition...

I'll see about pictures tomorrow...

 

[snoranger]

Ok, I probably spelled that wrong, whatevers...

 

[Dirtman]

Mower?

 

[scotts90ranger]

I apparently didn't put pictures of my all terrain mower on my computer from the phone... I'll work on that later... The first newer grey mower is the old "Series 2000" I got rid of in March of last year. I apparently don't have a picture of my newer mower that replaced it, but it's a Craftsman GT with a Kohler 18.5hp and the 3 speed high/low trans like the two below Craftsman's.

The one below without the deck and with a flat tire is what's in the driveway now, I straightened out the rear fenders... the carb went through the sonic cleaner so far and it got a kit, now to get the starter turning...

 

[Dirtman]

So let me get this straight, you people pay money for a lawnmower that you need to spend more money on putting fuel in it just so it will cut your grass.

My lawnmower fuels itself by cutting the grass for free...

and I'm the crazy person around here...

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

No water sources, feed/hay or fencing to worry about.

I stuck the ol' Snapper in the shed and haven't looked at it since September.

Wife wants cows, I would rather run my bush hog... which I parked in the barn lot in October and I haven't looked at since.



So far I have that staved off by saying if we get livestock I will need a bigger tractor to feed hay with. It is working so far.

 

[Dirtman]

Goats don't care about fences anyway. My goat can climb a 6 foot stockade fence easily.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Goats don't care about fences anyway. My goat can climb a 6 foot stockade fence easily.

Seems plausible, my neighbor's miniature goats are always out.

 

[Dirtman]

You look at a goat and think, nah that thing can't climb or jump...

My goat is fat as crap and can clear a 3 foot fence without running. It can climb practically anything. I've found it sleeping on the roof of a bronco once with no signs it climbed up from the hood side.

I gave away my 2 little goats, they were young, fit and nimble. They could climb a perfectly verticle pine tree trunk somehow and stand on a branch to eat pine needles.

 

[scotts90ranger]

Hence me not having goats, got offered a couple for cheap/free but don't want to deal with that... Maybe a llama or two at some point, but I don't want to deal with feed and hay and such...

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

If you have always wanted to get killed by your pet a llama is a great option...

The smaller ones, alpacas are friendlier and less deadly... good features for a pet.

 

[scotts90ranger]

My mom's had llamas since around 1998, got two males then that were around a year old when she got them and lived until about 3 years ago, about 2 years ago she got two females. I always hear they're cranky from people but we've never had issues, sure they fight with eachother but they just wander away when you get close...

 

[Roert42]

So let me get this straight, you people pay money for a lawnmower that you need to spend more money on putting fuel in it just so it will cut your grass.

My lawnmower fuels itself by cutting the grass for free...

and I'm the crazy person around here...

My lawn mower doesn’t need to be fed for watered when there isn’t grass. It just sits in the corner of the yard covered in grass and snow.

 

[Roert42]

Plus I haven’t actually bought gas for it i years. I fill it with old kerosene I found in the ahead when I bought my house

 

[scotts90ranger]

Ok, turns out the picture of the ATM (all terrain mower) was on the puter, just hidden with different naming structure... The pic only shows one tire changed, but both were changed...

Then there's the GT up on ramps and one jack stand, looks sad but easier to work on... I didn't have it in me to work on that thing in the rain today.

The other two pics are the new mower and the other stuff I forget about that's in my way... The old David Bradley is set up with a sickle mower and I put the little Predator 79cc on it that I got new for $38? Then the two Snapper's I need to get working, and the brush mower... That JD trailer was $20 at an auction, the floor is rusted out pretty good but still works ok for most stuff.

Oh, and the GT18 in the back there, I got that guy for $50 without an engine, the briggs under the hood is just sitting there, gotta get a pulley in there somehow

The last pic is just for fun, got that old Craftsman II from a buddy, the engine didn't run too good and the governor didn't work well either so you kinda had to dump the clutch and sometimes that would happen.. I think I rode that wheelie for 100' losing the two bags, but didn't spill my (empty) drink! That engine a couple months later threw the rod...