Thinking about an urban lawn tractor

asechrest

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asechrest
Howdy, folks. Long time no post. But I still lurk and catch up sometimes. (For those of you who remember my jetski thread, credit to Ted for the inspiration, I sold it for $1,500 and upgraded to a 17' Key West Dual Console for my family of four. We've had great fun, including a trip to the Keys wherein we took it 5 miles out to Alligator reef - four separate times. It is a fantastic little boat, and as the Key West plant manager says, it "Just Fits" - the family, the tow vehicle, the garage.)

Anyway, I'd like a lawn tractor. Yes, it's totally unnecessary for my urban lawn of 0.3 acres. But I want one anyway, and I'm happy to take on an older model as a fun project. What I want -
  1. Must cut grass (required)
  2. Would like to be able to do a couple interesting things with it - pull a cart and haul debris from the conservation area behind my house; pull a grader for my upcoming back patio project (coming soon, I swear); give rides to kids.
  3. I'm alright with a project, but I'm no metal fabricator.
  4. I'd like to keep cost under $500.
With such a small yard compared to flyover country (but large compared to my neighbors), I'd like a smaller tractor. The 30" cuts would do me fine. I like Craigslist, and have had good success buying, so that's where I'm looking. Here are two interesting local possibilities. Thoughts?

1969 Poloron Stallion Twin 7 - This is about as unique as I can get. Pull start (!). Seller says he's found the mower deck. This is a completely defunct manufacturer, but was Made in USA out of Indiana. The engine, as I understand it, is a Briggs and Stratton 7 HP. So motor parts are likely not impossible to source. But if a frame component breaks (mower deck, frex), I'm SOL or am looking for a fabricator. Looks to be in great cosmetic condition for its age. And what an awesome conversation piece. Still, I don't want a garage queen. Everything I owned gets used for purpose. I want to mow. Still, for $200 asking, what's to lose if it runs and operates? PS - Bonus train for neighborhood kids? lol.

Honda 3011 Manual, 30" cut - This, my gut tells me, is the more sensible choice. Ad is from a commercial seller. Rear engine rider from Honda. No year given but probably 1980ish. Parts availability, both engine and frame, probably hugely better than the Poloron.

--

Will take any other advice. Thanks, all.
 
I don’t think you’ll find anything in that size that will pull a grader or do any real dirt work.

Little pull behind carts are easy to find for modern brands and/or fabricate a little pin hitch for. They usually won’t carry as much as a large wheelbarrow will.

Most in that size there’s not much to them mechanically.

The transmissions and blades are usually belt driven and you can see the entire mechanism if you lift the lid and look in from the side on the bottom.

Stuff that breaks are the tensioning springs and belts.

Tire condition is probably worth looking at on a used one. The tires as compared to the rest of the thing (price ratio) are stupidly expensive but last forever if not dry rotted.

The belly mower decks won’t mow in corners. You’ll still need a regular mower to clean up the corners or a weedwhacker or manual push mower.
 
Thanks DenverPilot. Good tips. I hadn't thought about difficulty in corners, though I don't have any fully enclosed corners.
 
I really hated the stupid rubberized disk thingy on the transmission on the rear engine snappers that I used.
 
Go with the Poloron. Keep changing the oil and keep it clean and maybe painted (let the kids do it) to keep away the rust. Before I bought it I would check the wheel bearings and lube the axles but if it lasted this long it is probably gong to last a few more years and you'll get your $200 worth. No chance you'll be able to do ground work with anything that small so get out the shovel and rake.
 
Belated thanks for the responses. The Poloron, while awfully neat, didn't work out. The mower deck was for sale at a separate store (maybe), and needed lots of work.

Today I bought an '80s vintage Snapper rear engine 28" Hi-vac Extra Tough, with an 11 HP Briggs. It runs. It cuts. It needs cleaning up. I'll end up going through it. It also stumbles every 20 seconds or so, even at idle. I'll be starting with the typical stuff - drain the gas since it's of unknown age and quality. Oil change. Spark plug. Filter. I'll clean the carb. Not sure what else yet. Looking forward to some fun.

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The cool thing about the Snapper is when you're finished mowing, shut off the fuel, close the vent on the cap and stand it up in the back end. Takes up a whole lot less floorspace . . . . . Had one in the late 70s, haven't thought about it since Dad moved to the country and bought a yard tractor with PTO while I was in college in the early 80s.
 
The cool thing about the Snapper is when you're finished mowing, shut off the fuel, close the vent on the cap and stand it up in the back end. Takes up a whole lot less floorspace . . . . . Had one in the late 70s, haven't thought about it since Dad moved to the country and bought a yard tractor with PTO while I was in college in the early 80s.

Yeah, that's a neat feature. And looking at it next to my regular self-propelled walk-behind, the footprint isn't that much larger even on four wheels.

I've got a quarter acre lot, so even this little thing is overkill. But it sure is gonna' be fun.
 
Alright. Looks like we've got a late '80s mower. The Briggs is an 11 HP, vertical shaft, cast iron bore, born in 1987.

Last night I removed and drained the gas tank and removed the blower/airbox and cleaned it up. I'll get a new foam filter which is the kind you soak in engine oil. Next up is draining the oil and then removing, inspecting, and cleaning the carb. I'll also continue to go through each component and clean and inspect. I've yet to stand it on end but I'll need to see what the blade looks like as well as inspect and adjust the deck belt and tension.

I'm no engine pro but I enjoy a good project. Currently trying to understand what might cause the regular stumbling, but I figure the carb is a good place to start. Fuel, air, spark, and all in the correct amound and metered correctly, right?
 
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