Mower to Tractor

September 2025

Our neighbors had two old riding mowers (40 years old and 4 years old) sitting in their yard than have not been running. Since we have to move stuff quite a lot, we thought it would be nice having those instead of needing to use cartwheels. Both had mechanical and electrical issues.

Mower 1: cleanup and test

The first mower had been sitting for 40 years. Because of the rain it was quite sagged into the ground. After digging it out, I replaced the oil. To keep it running, I removed the ground wire from the spark plug. I did add a ground point to stop it again. After making sure fuel was flowing trough, I put a drill onto the crack to spin the flywheel, since the started was not to be trusted yet. After a few turns, it was clear she was not getting fuel, since starting by spraying in a little starting fluid did the trick. After cleaning the carburetor, she did start and ran properly.

Replacing the wiring and tires

Since the mower had been sitting for a while, the wheels were all cracked. The key was also missing. To address the tires, I changed the rims to be able to hold tubes. Tubes are needed since the rims are rusted and wouldn't hold air when using tubeless tires. The mowing deck was also removed. The key and ignition were replaced to be able to start and stop the engine. THe starter solenoid was also replaced. The starter itself was, after some hammering, freed from its stuck position.

Towing the second mower

After the mower was verified running and driving, a trailer was fabricated and a towing hitch was mounted on the back. Now the first mower can be used to tow. Very useful to move bales of hay.

The second mower

The second mower is more recent but needs more work, since it has a more involved fuel system and has been standing in the open.

Fixing the fuel system

While the first mower used a gravity fed fuel system, this mower uses the engines vacuum to drive a pump to deliver fuel. However while cracking, there was no fuel being delivered. Opening up the pump showed cracks in the membrane, so it was replaced. The hoses were also full of fuel sludge, so tey were also replaced. After then cranking, fuel was being delivered, but not injected. The carb itself has a solenoid that needs 12V to retract to let fuel pass trough. Testing this however showed that the solenoid was stuck. To fix this, I drilled out the piston so it stopped blocking the fuel pickup. After also cleaning the carb and cranking for a long time, the second mower also came back to life. Just like the first mower, its ignition got replaced and it was given new wiring.