Swapping engines in a Craftsman lawn tractor
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It shouldn't be too hard. Many small engines have the same bolt pattern and should fit on that Craftsman tractor. Craftsman only used Kohlers and Briggs with a few Tecumsehs mixed in. The most important thing is the shaft needs to be the same size as the old engine so the pulley fits on. You can swap an engine in an afternoon, its not difficult as long as the shafts are similar and there is enough space.
If the bolt pattern is the same and the shaft length is the same, it'll work.
I'll guess bolt pattern is same, issue is sometimes engine may need rotated 90 or 180*, that means it's drill time... I had to do same mounting a 2004 Honda on 1983 Snapper push mower...
Rotating is sometimes necessary to provide clearance and/or ease of throttle hookup... Also as mentioned if shaft size is same it should be able to be adapted... I had to buy a larger ID pulley to install on my Honda, the original B&S was 7/8" vs 25mm on Honda... Luckily engines on most commercial versions of similar Snappers used a 1" shaft...
BTW this may not apply to a twin but a single cylinder engine mounts with three bolts for a reason, vibration... When I mounted the Honda I figured if three bolts are good four are better, wrong, it shook like the crank was bent(which I knew was straight)... Tried three different blades, still shook... Finally I pulled out the RR corner bolt and vibration was reduced to maybe 10-15% of prior...
Rotating is sometimes necessary to provide clearance and/or ease of throttle hookup... Also as mentioned if shaft size is same it should be able to be adapted... I had to buy a larger ID pulley to install on my Honda, the original B&S was 7/8" vs 25mm on Honda... Luckily engines on most commercial versions of similar Snappers used a 1" shaft...
BTW this may not apply to a twin but a single cylinder engine mounts with three bolts for a reason, vibration... When I mounted the Honda I figured if three bolts are good four are better, wrong, it shook like the crank was bent(which I knew was straight)... Tried three different blades, still shook... Finally I pulled out the RR corner bolt and vibration was reduced to maybe 10-15% of prior...
You have to be good at figuring out the difference between the old wires and the new wires. Shaft's are usually the same, as well as bolt pattern. Some mowers use a fuel pump, others use gravity feed. If the old Briggs used a fuel pump and the Honda didn't, you might need to rig up a fuel pump.
Exhaust - Lots of Briggs exhaust are rigged down through the frame. Honda will be different and might require some ingenuity on your part or fabrication to get it to work.
The Honda would be a cool swap, but would likely be a lot easier and cheaper to swap a Briggs. Craigslist has tons of $50-100 busted up riding mowers with good Briggs engines.
Exhaust - Lots of Briggs exhaust are rigged down through the frame. Honda will be different and might require some ingenuity on your part or fabrication to get it to work.
The Honda would be a cool swap, but would likely be a lot easier and cheaper to swap a Briggs. Craigslist has tons of $50-100 busted up riding mowers with good Briggs engines.
Thanks for the replies.
You guys brought up a couple of things that I hadn't considered which is exactly why I posted it here. You guys are amazing.
I guess that I need another plan. I bought this tractor new in 2000 when we bought the house here in Florida and we plan to sell in 2-3 years and move to Vermont full time. I plan to leave this tractor here for the new owners if the engine lasts that long. The frame and body are in decent shape other than the seat and I rebuilt the deck two years ago with new wheel assemblies and spindles.
A new tractor is out of the question so I need to have a plan if this engine suffers a catastrophic failure during mowing season.
You guys brought up a couple of things that I hadn't considered which is exactly why I posted it here. You guys are amazing.
I guess that I need another plan. I bought this tractor new in 2000 when we bought the house here in Florida and we plan to sell in 2-3 years and move to Vermont full time. I plan to leave this tractor here for the new owners if the engine lasts that long. The frame and body are in decent shape other than the seat and I rebuilt the deck two years ago with new wheel assemblies and spindles.
A new tractor is out of the question so I need to have a plan if this engine suffers a catastrophic failure during mowing season.
So, why do you say the Briggs is on its last leg? Is it burning a lot of oil? making funny noises ? or what?
Well he said he had since 2000. That is 15 years use in Florida. Average about 60-90 hours per year depending on lot size equals 900-1350 hours of use. Most Briggs engines do get tired and in need of replacement at about 1000 hours. Some engines can go 2000-2500 hours with meticulous maintenance (frequents oil changes and air filter replacements).
Well, I am of the school of "if it ain't broke don't fix it" Service it properly, and it may go another 10 years.
Originally Posted By: old1
So, why do you say the Briggs is on its last leg? Is it burning a lot of oil? making funny noises ? or what?
Burning oil upon start up and whenever it hits a patch of thick grass. I add oil about every other mowing. It has also become a little difficult to start at times. I think that it has lived a long and useful life but believe that the end is near.
So, why do you say the Briggs is on its last leg? Is it burning a lot of oil? making funny noises ? or what?
Burning oil upon start up and whenever it hits a patch of thick grass. I add oil about every other mowing. It has also become a little difficult to start at times. I think that it has lived a long and useful life but believe that the end is near.
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