MTD Riding Lawn Mower

[ramcharger]

I was looking for a snowblower on craigslist when I stumbled on a riding lawn mower with a plow blade. I figure I could "kill two birds with one stone" on this purchase since I now have a huge lawn. It's a late 90's MTD with a real gearcase, no hydrostatic drive and a 38" cut and comes with the blade for 425 bucks delivered. The guy who's selling it says it starts right up, even in this bitter cold and wants the dough to put down on an ATV. Any major issues or stuff I should look for? I asked him what he would do to make sure it would be fine for another season and he said "change oil and plugs, nothing's wrong with it whatsoever". I am aware that I'll need tire chains.

 

[Robbie2734]

I have one here, they tend to crack the mower deck. Also check the tower bearings on the mower deck. By the way, I replaced it with a Toro with hydrostatic drive and it's a much better system IMO. They both use Briggs motors and if taken care of will last forever. I pulled the cracked deck on mine and repaired it. I left it off and use it to pull a trailer..my wife is a world class gardener. Guess who gets to hump the heavy stuff!

 

[CudaChick1968]

MTDs are made right here in Martin -- you know, the "big" college town where I have to go to get most of my shop supplies (pop. 10,000) -- and they have a fairly decent reputation. There's a few reviews online but I couldn't tell what the model name/number was from your pics to get more details for you.

In the meantime, here's raising my first cup of coffee of the day to you: My friend Joe, the new homeowner. :-D

 

[ramcharger]

Excellent info! Is the deck weldable steel? Toro makes a great product. I used a Toro snowblower and lawnmower when I was a kid in Chicago and they just ran. When my parents retired and moved they gave them away to the neighbor and both functioned perfectly after 8 years of hard use.

 

[ramcharger]

MTDs are made right here in Martin -- you know, the "big" college town where I have to go to get most of my shop supplies (pop. 10,000) -- and they have a fairly decent reputation. There's a few reviews online but I couldn't tell what the model name/number was from your pics to get more details for you.

In the meantime, here's raising my first cup of coffee of the day to you: My friend Joe, the new homeowner. :-D

Very cool! Good to know they're made right here in the US. Yeah, I forgot to get the model number when I talked to the guy. Big duh on my part.

Thanks Leanna! I'm on my 2nd cup and rearing to go, lol, here's to you as well. Watch out for that cookie monster, he's really needing those cookies you made....

 

[Robbie2734]

The deck is mild steel and can be easily welded. I think I replaced the bearing towers twice, but I grow stones here. This part of Jersey is the border line, shale to the south and granite here. Rocks grow better then grass..LOL

 

[dusterny]

Your MTD is OK for light snow removal but watch out for the heavy stuff. I had one for 10 years just for lawn work and other than new brgs in the deck it ran like a champ.

 

[ramcharger]

The deck is mild steel and can be easily welded. I think I replaced the bearing towers twice, but I grow stones here. This part of Jersey is the border line, shale to the south and granite here. Rocks grow better then grass..LOL

lol! No real issue with rocks at my place. It used to be all fruit orchards in the late 1800's so it's all been cleared.

 

[ramcharger]

Your MTD is OK for light snow removal but watch out for the heavy stuff. I had one for 10 years just for lawn work and other than new brgs in the deck it ran like a champ.

Excellent! I'll keep on eye on those deck bearings. The snow here is typically very light and can be blown away with a leaf blower. Champagne powder. We do get some wet heavy stuff too though. What would you consider max depth of the wet stuff? 6"? 12"?

 

[MtNemoMopar]

These are an ok machine. Cracked decks, and tower bearings seem to be an issue with most mowers nowadays. Does it come with wheel weights, and/or chains. These are nearly a MUST if using a blade in the heavy snow. The chains make a huge difference in traction. Have fun with your new toy.

 

[ramcharger]

These are an ok machine. Cracked decks, and tower bearings seem to be an issue with most mowers nowadays. Does it come with wheel weights, and/or chains. These are nearly a MUST if using a blade in the heavy snow. The chains make a huge difference in traction. Have fun with your new toy.

Thanks! No chains or weights, I'll have to pick some up. Now.... where to bolt on the drink holder.....

 

[72ScampTramp]

One of the nice things is look at the other brands from that time period. Craftsman, Yard Pro, MTD and many others are interchangeable. My Yard Pro is only a few years older then that and it looks very similar FYI my Yard Pro has a Kohler engine 18 hp. As far as what is safe to move that depends on how the tractor reacts. Tire chains are a must and go to sears.com you can download the manual for the craftsman and its pretty much a mirror image

 

[demon seed]

Hey Joe, Typically those engines run a straight 30W oil in them which really thickens up in the cold. I run a synthetic 5W-30 in my snowblower, turns over a lot easier for starting and the oil gets whipped around much better cuss it flows easier. Also if the spark plug and boot is sticking outside the cowl put a little silicone grease on the insulator then when you slide the boot on the plug the silicone will help seal out any moisture from the snow. If it really gets stinking cold like -20 or worse you may need a couple cap fulls of methanol (gas line antifreeze) in the gas tank to keep the carb from freezing. Done that been there.

 

[ramcharger]

One of the nice things is look at the other brands from that time period. Craftsman, Yard Pro, MTD and many others are interchangeable. My Yard Pro is only a few years older then that and it looks very similar FYI my Yard Pro has a Kohler engine 18 hp. As far as what is safe to move that depends on how the tractor reacts. Tire chains are a must and go to sears.com you can download the manual for the craftsman and its pretty much a mirror image

Work was slow yesterday so we did a little wheeling and dealing over the phone. His dog ate the foam off the seat Thursday night, but he said a replacement was availible for 30 bucks over the net. He also went out and put a brand new maintence free battery in, so we settled on 400 bucks delivered.

This MTD has a Briggs & Stratton, but is only 12.5 hp. It seems to have plenty of HP and torque though, even at half throttle it just pushes snow like crazy. I do need to weld up an adapter so I can throw some barbell weights on the back.

Hey Joe, Typically those engines run a straight 30W oil in them which really thickens up in the cold. I run a synthetic 5W-30 in my snowblower, turns over a lot easier for starting and the oil gets whipped around much better cuss it flows easier. Also if the spark plug and boot is sticking outside the cowl put a little silicone grease on the insulator then when you slide the boot on the plug the silicone will help seal out any moisture from the snow. If it really gets stinking cold like -20 or worse you may need a couple cap fulls of methanol (gas line antifreeze) in the gas tank to keep the carb from freezing. Done that been there.

Excellent advice Terry and you are 100% correct. These lubricate by splash oiling so a light weight synthetic is key for cold weather. I'll pick up a bottle of "Heet" for the fuel and another great idea about the silicone for the spark plug boot.

I picked up tire chains and went at it! It's soooo much more fun than a snowblower, lol! I was laughing my *** off while plowing... I'll bet my nieghbors thought a lunatic just moved in. ;) Starts first time, everytime and no cracks in the deck, bearing are fine and even the headlights work. He already installed a drinkholder, lol. No issues with the alternator or starter. Clutch and brake work great.

 

[dartnabout]

A lot of the mowers of today including the lower end John Deere are made by one company...yep MTD! Something I did which made a huge difference is to put tubes in the reart tires and fill them with used anti freeze or better yet windshield washer fluid. A garage can help you with the used anti freeze. The windshield washer fluid is environmentally safe if you get a flat. Other than that it is all the issued listed.

 

[ramcharger]

A lot of the mowers of today including the lower end John Deere are made by one company...yep MTD! Something I did which made a huge difference is to put tubes in the reart tires and fill them with used anti freeze or better yet windshield washer fluid. A garage can help you with the used anti freeze. The windshield washer fluid is environmentally safe if you get a flat. Other than that it is all the issued listed.

Excellent Idea with the anti freeze! I didn't know MTD contracted out to so many manufactures... 8-)