Just inherited the above riding mower from my dearly departed dad with a briggs 875 series engine. Yes, I've seen the bad reviews along with the good. All the tires are flat and I need to order a replacement pin for the deck. I'll get to that, but my biggest gripe is that it won't run on its own (it sat unused for two years). I got it to run steady by sticking a propane torch into the carb with my hands cupped around it, turned up as high as it would go upside down, which pretty much narrows it down to a carb or fuel line problem. I'm gonna clean the carb and maybe rebuild it, but got to thinking-has anyone done a propane conversion on these engines? Which kit did you go with? I go thru enough one pound cylinders around here to justify it-the leftovers would get used in my lantern or stove during the winter.
weedeater one we261
- Thread starter turbodieselfreak
- Start date
- Status
Drain the tank and carb. Add 3-4 oz of Chem tool to the tank along with a qt of gas. Get the engine running on propane. When it warms up, shut off the propane to see if the engine will stay running. Keep it up until the engine runs. Pump up the tires.
Definitely remove the carb and properly clean it
Originally Posted By: Brybo86
Definitely remove the carb and properly clean it
I intend to give the carb a proper cleaning, as dad was terrible at maintaining equipment-wouldn't surprise me at all if the carb is beyond a rebuild and he did not use any fuel preservatives (E10). He was hiring out his lawn care the last two years of his life. As my handle implies, I HATE gasoline and carburetors so much I went diesel for my vehicle, generator, and built the snow blower. It's no doubt the WORST fuel for storage life, gums up fuel systems, and is just plain dangerous to keep around in large quantities. If anyone has gone the propane conversion route, I'd love to hear how you did it.
Definitely remove the carb and properly clean it
I intend to give the carb a proper cleaning, as dad was terrible at maintaining equipment-wouldn't surprise me at all if the carb is beyond a rebuild and he did not use any fuel preservatives (E10). He was hiring out his lawn care the last two years of his life. As my handle implies, I HATE gasoline and carburetors so much I went diesel for my vehicle, generator, and built the snow blower. It's no doubt the WORST fuel for storage life, gums up fuel systems, and is just plain dangerous to keep around in large quantities. If anyone has gone the propane conversion route, I'd love to hear how you did it.
BTW, you can buy replacement idler rubber wheels and differentials (plastic gears strip out). If you are handy and not fat, these things are OK, but just OK.
I replaced the front wheel with one from Harbor Freight. I just used the HF wheel and replaced the 5/8" - 1-3/8 bearings with 3/4" - 1-3/8 bearings to use the HF wheel. That and a spacer. Do not try to get replacement tires for the front wheels, the OE ones are really expensive and not worth it when you can get one for $5 fro HF (on sale) and modify it.
I replaced the front wheel with one from Harbor Freight. I just used the HF wheel and replaced the 5/8" - 1-3/8 bearings with 3/4" - 1-3/8 bearings to use the HF wheel. That and a spacer. Do not try to get replacement tires for the front wheels, the OE ones are really expensive and not worth it when you can get one for $5 fro HF (on sale) and modify it.
Originally Posted By: zzyzzx
BTW, you can buy replacement idler rubber wheels and differentials (plastic gears strip out). If you are handy and not fat, these things are OK, but just OK.
I replaced the front wheel with one from Harbor Freight. I just used the HF wheel and replaced the 5/8" - 1-3/8 bearings with 3/4" - 1-3/8 bearings to use the HF wheel. That and a spacer. Do not try to get replacement tires for the front wheels, the OE ones are really expensive and not worth it when you can get one for $5 fro HF (on sale) and modify it.
I'm handy and borderline fat, but that's good to know-thanks! Got a harbor freight I frequent about twenty minutes from here.
BTW, you can buy replacement idler rubber wheels and differentials (plastic gears strip out). If you are handy and not fat, these things are OK, but just OK.
I replaced the front wheel with one from Harbor Freight. I just used the HF wheel and replaced the 5/8" - 1-3/8 bearings with 3/4" - 1-3/8 bearings to use the HF wheel. That and a spacer. Do not try to get replacement tires for the front wheels, the OE ones are really expensive and not worth it when you can get one for $5 fro HF (on sale) and modify it.
I'm handy and borderline fat, but that's good to know-thanks! Got a harbor freight I frequent about twenty minutes from here.
P.S.-which harbor freight part # did you use for replacing the differential?
- Status
