Briggs & Stratton Motors Rock!

My dad 'kindly' gave me his 25+ year-old Snapper mower for my new house, which has my first lawn. I know he hasn't started that thing in 15 years, because I was probably the last one to use it when I was still cutting his grass. I accepted because, well, you don't look a mechanical gift horse in the mouth. Worst case scenario, I'd have a little small engine project to keep me busy - like I need another project.

A couple days ago, I was looking for info on the thing, checking out prices for parts and carb rebuild kits and such, and got a wild idea. Went out to the garage. Check the gas - almost empty, but it actually smelled like gas, and not varnish. Hunh. Check the oil - a touch low, so I topped it off. Pull the plug - pretty clean, I hit it with a wire brush for good measure.

I get the girlfriend out for an extra hand. 'Hold this plug against this bolt head,' I tell her. 'And tell me if you see a spark when I pull it.' I'm not expecting anything.

I pull. 'Yep,' she says. 'What?' No way. 'Do you know what a spark looks like?' She just looks at me, and doesn't answer. Fine, then. I stick the plug back in, push the mower out of the garage, and think, 'well, what the hell?'

Three pulls later, I have a running lawn mower. It's alive! I cackle like a maniac. I simply cannot believe this thing started like it had been run last week! All I did was put more gas in it.

I mow the lawn triumphantly, beer in hand. I even get ambitious and do a kicky concentric circle pattern around a central tree, because I'm just feeling that on-top-of-the-world.

So, I'm a convert. I think I'll swap Briggs motors into my two broken motorcycles now.

They were once the greatest thing. However, I'm not wowed by some of their modern technology. They've dumbed them down in construction quality quite a bit to meet a price point, and really stupid things like the fuel shutoff solenoid that always fails on the tractor engines (that then allows the fuel tank to drain into the crankcase) causes a lot of failures. The old stuff though, yeah, I'm with you.

ddavidv wrote: They were once the greatest thing. However, I'm not wowed by some of their modern technology. They've dumbed them down in construction quality quite a bit to meet a price point, and really stupid things like the fuel shutoff solenoid that always fails on the tractor engines (that then allows the fuel tank to drain into the crankcase) causes a lot of failures. The old stuff though, yeah, I'm with you.

Ditto that. While I haven't had any problems with the basic engine assemblies, I think the carbs on the newer push mowers are crap. The old ones seemed like they would run forever.

Got a nice 35yr old Simplicity with 11HP Briggs for free... got it started in the same way you did... it lasted for about 2 minutes and then it threw the piston thru the side of the crankcase.

$182 for a "free" lawn mower still isn't that bad I guess.

I think you're seeing Snapper quality as much as B&S. Did you know Snapper removed their products from Wal-Mart because they (Snapper) weren't willing to cut quality to meet Wal-Mart's demanded price point.

I just bought a brand new Craftsman 42" YTS3000 with the hydrostatic drive and a Kohler motor because of all the horror stories with the newer B&S equipment... I am VERY happy with it, but then again, it was FAR from free!

I have a buddy who is swapping an 18HP B&S opposed twin onto a tiny 7HP rear engined sears mower with a 25" cut. Can't wait to see this thing.

My mower is a 40 year old Jacobsen with a B&S engine. I can't comment on the quality of their recent engines but the old ones were sure built to last - every fall I push it under the back porch, and every spring I pull it out and it starts right up again like it had been running yesterday.

Bumboclot wrote: I have a buddy who is swapping an 18HP B&S opposed twin onto a tiny 7HP rear engined sears mower with a 25" cut. Can't wait to see this thing.

with that kind of power on a small deck, that thing may actually achieve escape velocity

When we moved into our new house last year, the PO left an old B&S walk behind in the shed. There was a note left on it from the owner before that that said needs oil. So Im thinking "no way, but what the hell", so in goes a quart of dino juice, filled the empty fuel tank, and sure as sh1+, it fires on the second tug. I already owned a decent Honda self propelled, so I didnt have a real use for it, but I used it for 2 weeks until I ran the tank of gas dry.

My father in law owns 4 acres a few miles away, most of it gets cut at least weekly. He uses a big ol snapper pro series rider, but has a really steep bank around a pond that he cant use the rider for, so i offer him the lil mower that could. Since it doesnt weigh a thing, it makes short work out of the wonky angles on the bank of the pond. that was nearly 2 years ago. Its even fallen into the drink, at full operating temp - read hotter than hell - and after about 10 minutes of fiddling to empty the carb, it fired up. no warpage, no "son of a motherhuffer low down dirty rotten floor flushin biscuit eating piece of %^&#%^#&.......". Just perked back up and coninued doin its thing. I am certain it will outlast my Honduh - the self propelled unit is begining to fail - I may have to get that thing back soon

4cylndrfury wrote: ...sure as sh1+, it fires on the second tug...

I remember those days like it was yesterday ;)

Yup yup! I have a B&S on my pusher and love it to death. Great old mower.

I ran a Honda 5 hp and a Briggs 5 hp back to back one summer.

The Honda rev noticeably higher while operating and the Briggs just chugged along. I couldn't help but think about it from a motorcycling perspective with high winding japanese motors vs. the low revving last forever American motors. The design philosophies were evident.

In my younger days, I worked at a hardware store that had a small engine repair shop on the side. The guy that ran it was so good at B&S engines, he could change a sheared flywheel key in 15 minutes. Valve job took about 45.

He had a quirk, though; he absolutely refused to work on a Techumsah engine. One day, trying to prove a point, he drained all the oil out of a Sears/Techumsah mower, tilted it at about 45 degrees against a dumpster and cranked it up. We stood back and waited for the rod to come out of the side of the engine.

We watched it for nearly half an hour, expecting it to blow any second.. but it ran out gas. Never did bust.

I recently saw that a neighbor had put no less then 3 push mowers out for the garbage. 2 older ones and a newer craftsman without the handle. One of the older ones fired right up with minimal work and only needed a new bracket bent up for the shutoff bar cable. The other old one needs a carb rebuild I think as it woukd start if i put gas down the carb, but not stay running. I swapped the handle from that one onto the craftsman that just needed the fuel pickup cleaned.

gave my brother the craftsman (he was fighting an electric mower and is struggleing with his own business and 2 side jobs and a new baby on the way)

I kept the 2 older ones. the one is in use up at our other house, the other is spare parts or a tinker project for when I am bored.

Another one is the old briggs mower at the other house. The newer garbage mower replaces it because it needs starter spray to start when cold and it is old enough that it dosent have a safety shutoff.

I need to figure out what to do with my 2 spare motors.. if i can get both running it might be time to make a kart or 2 for tearing around the yard.

alex wrote: My dad 'kindly' gave me his 25+ year-old Snapper mower for my new house, which has my first lawn. I know he hasn't started that thing in 15 years, because I was probably the last one to use it when I was still cutting his grass. I accepted because, well, you don't look a mechanical gift horse in the mouth. Worst case scenario, I'd have a little small engine project to keep me busy - like I need another project. A couple days ago, I was looking for info on the thing, checking out prices for parts and carb rebuild kits and such, and got a wild idea. Went out to the garage. Check the gas - almost empty, but it actually smelled like gas, and not varnish. Hunh. Check the oil - a touch low, so I topped it off. Pull the plug - pretty clean, I hit it with a wire brush for good measure. I get the girlfriend out for an extra hand. 'Hold this plug against this bolt head,' I tell her. 'And tell me if you see a spark when I pull it.' I'm not expecting anything. I pull. 'Yep,' she says. 'What?' No way. 'Do you know what a spark looks like?' She just looks at me, and doesn't answer. Fine, then. I stick the plug back in, push the mower out of the garage, and think, 'well, what the hell?' Three pulls later, I have a running lawn mower. It's alive! I cackle like a maniac. I simply cannot believe this thing started like it had been run last week! All I did was put more gas in it. I mow the lawn triumphantly, beer in hand. I even get ambitious and do a kicky concentric circle pattern around a central tree, because I'm just feeling that on-top-of-the-world. So, I'm a convert. I think I'll swap Briggs motors into my two broken motorcycles now.

Nice writing!!! Cool potatoes too!

I worked servicing small engines for 5 years.

OLD Briggs and Tecumseh engines are great, the new ones, not so much. You'd be better off buying a chinese honda copy.

The older engines will take a kicking and run forever. I just finished a Noma reel mower with a 3.5hp Briggs last week and it runs like a charm.

Honda engines are great, they'll take far more abuse than Briggs or Tecumseh will nowadays.

Also, be careful, Honda has TWO engine lines. The GC series engines are for homeowner use and OHC but they have a plastic camshaft. The GX engines are side-valve but are still the good, old Honda design and are tough as nails.

Glad to hear you've got a good machine.

Shawn

I have a 3 wheeler that has a Brigg 6 horse motor that smokes. Around the house and beating the pasture, smoke is fine, but it goes to a swap meet once a year for cruising around. We just drain all the oil out and it does not smoke for 3 days!! Always figured that the worst that could happen is it blows up1 3 years ago it seized up and before we got bored enough to start pushing it back, it cranked back up. Still runs!!

Bruce

alex wrote: Three pulls later, I have a running lawn mower. It's alive! I cackle like a maniac. I simply cannot believe this thing started like it had been run last week! All I did was put more gas in it.

FYI, just incase it it runs like its been impropperly stored for years the next time you try to start it up, the fuel system components in these things don't like the new gas with ethanol. I had to repair the briggs engine on my air compressor several times before I got parts that are tolerant of the new fuel. Specificly, I am talking about the diaphram that pumps fuel out of the tank and to the bowl, the carb to tank gasket and the siphon hose in the tank. YMMV, hopefully.

I do have 3 push mowers sitting around doing nothing...

My mower plugs into the external elctrical connect in the back yard. It has always "started" :)

Trans_Maro wrote: I worked servicing small engines for 5 years. OLD Briggs and Tecumseh engines are great, the new ones, not so much. You'd be better off buying a chinese honda copy. The older engines will take a kicking and run forever. I just finished a Noma reel mower with a 3.5hp Briggs last week and it runs like a charm. Honda engines are great, they'll take far more abuse than Briggs or Tecumseh will nowadays. Also, be careful, Honda has TWO engine lines. The GC series engines are for homeowner use and OHC but they have a plastic camshaft. The GX engines are side-valve but are still the good, old Honda design and are tough as nails. Glad to hear you've got a good machine. Shawn

I was just gonna post up a story about finding an older mower in the garage, but when I saw this I just couldn't help myself...

Plastic camshaft?

In reply to friedgreencorrado:

Yup, the little Hondas you see that have OHC on the valve cover run a plastic camshaft. The giveaway is the recoil cover and shroud are plastic as well.

The good Hondas have a metal recoil and shroud.

The plastic cam doesn't fail all that often but it does fail a whole lot more than a steel cam.

Shawn

I gotta toss my .02 in over the quality of Snapper, my old man has a snow blower w/a 5 hp engine bought new 20 years ago, I change the plug and or oil ever 3-5 years for him when I visit and other than that just fill it up with new gas when needed, sometimes it gets used, sometimes it goes a year or two between runs, has both pull and electric start, thing still runs like a damn top, and beyond a little surface rust on the top where the powder coating has cracked it looks brand new, mind you it went through 6 hard years of Maine winters, followed by 14 or so on and off again Connecticut winters, overall I'd steal that thing from him if I ever moved north and needed a blower

I think my parents still have the Honda lawnmower they bought in 1980. Smokes a bit, but still runs like a charm.

I bought a new 5.5 Hp B&S powered Craftsman mower ten years ago and it still runs perfectly.

The only issue I had was that the pull-start cable snapped around year five and there was no way to access it as it was encapsulated within the fan assembly which was pop riveted together. Rather than buying an entire replacement assembly for around 1/4 what I paid for the whole mower, I drilled out the pop rivets, installed a new $5 cable, & then put everything back together with four bolts.

Not only did I save money but my high performance modification got me past the 6.0 Hp mark on the dynomonitor