Okay, I've got a Craftsman 42" rider with a Briggs 18 HP engine. The mower is about 4 years old, but hardly has any use. I'd say maybe 10 hours on this thing. Well, yesterday the wife used it for about 2 of those ten hours, then I used it for about 20 minutes. Got off to move a couple large rocks, when it sounded like the idling mower ran over a HUGE rock. However, the blades were disengaged... So, obviously something inside went way wrong, and the mower is dead... From the sound of it, I don't think a simple rebuild is in order, and I don't have time to mess with it anyway...

My question is where can I get a new Briggs engine, and should I even bother? I was thinking if I could get ahold of another 18hp or possibly a 20hp engine I'd just fix this mower, but I don't really have much time to mess with it. I've got a house to build, etc, etc... but at the same time, a new mower is a good chunk of change I could use on the house...

So, should I try the engine swap, or just go buy a new mower... I figure if I bought a new mower I'd hang on to this one, and try to swap the engine for a new or not too used one, so that we have two mowers... His and hers, how sweet huh?

BTW, we have close to three acres to mow... I'd like to get a small Kubota with a mower, loader, scraper, etc, etc, but really don't have the cash for that right now...

 

You can get them through B&S's authorized dealers.

http://www.briggsandstratton.com/dis...p=DL_USEngines

And I am sure other places too.

 

Sell the belvedeer and buy 2 John Deere's.....

 

Just go out and buy a Simplicity Zero Turn.

Worst advice of this thread. .

John Deere = Overpriced and nothing spectacular.

 

If it's only 4 years old, and your not a mechanic (which I doubt) have a small engines guy look at it, he might be able to tell you exactly what's wrong. Then just get the parts ya need to repair it. Might take 20 minutes...you never know. That's one option.

Another would be, find that small engine repair guy again, and see if he has an engine like yours for sale, and see if he'll swap with you. Small engine repair guys love to have extra parts laying around.


If that doesn't help, then I suck.

 

Fix the sumbish.

 

Work with the man Z.

 

http://www.milacalawn.com/parts.asp?...FQ1dPgodqQSTog

Cool online catalog for B&S parts.

It's a lawn mower engine. Tear that thing apart and get to work.

 

By fixing it, I meant getting it fixed or fixing it himself. A motor would be cheaper than buying a new mower... Especially cause he's tight on cash with the new house and all...

 

Oh, I gotcha.

I'd love to fix it for him.....I like working on mower engines. I have a cheapo Wally World mower that I have had for about 5 years...NEVER changed the oil, I just add some when it needs it, and changed the filter....I'm trying to break the ******.

B&S make great little motors man.

 

http://www.northerntool.com/

Them there engines arn't cheap.

 

Yea, those engines cost a good chunk of change and craftsman mowers are pretty cheap.


I would just get it fixed, it might not be all that expensive.


If it requires a new motor, I think I would just replace the whole damn thing.

 

hmmm...

Well, I wouldn't mind breaking it down, and fixing it, but I really don't have time to mess with it.

I found mower place on ebay selling new 18hp engines for roughly $400 shipped, and new 20hp engines for roughly $500 shipped. Tempting, but I can get Troy-Bilt mower from Lowe's. Pretty much the same mower I have in a Craftsman, but only 17hp, and 7-spd shift-on-the-go tranny (which I'd really like to have anyway. Mine is a 6-spd, but you have to stop to shift) for $900+ tax.

If I get a chance tonight, I'll see about pulling the head off the mower, and just see how bad it really is. I'm thinking it won't be pretty...

 

Well it shouldn't be junk unless sometime in its short life you either ran it out or very low on oil. It could possibly be a valve seat came loose, common in the twin Briggs.

Either way, it is a Craftsman and pretty much considered disposable. Even if you get a new engine, hope the pulleys come off without damage and other little things that will surely go wrong.

You are better off just buying the new one. If you have 3 acres you may want something a little more stout than that Troy, or count on replacing it in 4 or 5 years too.


And Jamz that didnt help.

Sled...

 

If I could get 5 years out of the TB I'd be happy. Hopefully by that time I'd have a Kubota to replace it...