Finally starting to get rid of a few things three and a half years after my father passed away. We had four lawnmowers: a 1960 something Pennsylvania Panzer, my 15 year old Cub ZTR, my father’s little Craftsman rider, and the Kubota T2290. The T is the only one we’ve used since we bought it.
I’d held on to the ZTR mostly because it’s the mower our son grew up using and he liked it very much but had no use for it due to having no yard. Couple months ago, asked him if he cared if I sold it and he said no, so I sold it to the son of a friend for a couple hundred dollars, mostly because he and his wife are both police officers starting out with a new house and new kid so figured it was going to someone who could put it to use and they could probably also use a break on the price.
Over Christmas, son surprised us with news he moved out of his one bedroom apartment into a five bedroom house with his girlfriend, her kid, one dog, and two cats. So of course he asked if I’d sold the ZTR now that he has a yard. Told him I had, but if he wanted a mower, his Grandpa’s might run.
So today had a “will it run” project. It hadn’t run in at least 4 years, maybe longer. All I remembered about it’s last movement was taking it from the basement of Dad’s house to the shed right after he passed. Tried cranking it, but the battery was dead, wouldn’t take a charge, and I didn’t feel like messing with it further at the time so drug it to the shed where it’s gathered dust since.
Moving it to my house to work on it is a good bit further so I installed an eye bolt on the mower’s hitch, strapped the steering wheel straight, and towed with the rear wheels in the air. I know the hydrostatic transmission can be bypassed to allow pushing it around a shop but not sure if it’s a good idea to flat tow one a quarter mile.
Oil filter was dated 1/19, oil and air filter both look new so may have been closer to six years since it’s seen use. That, and I know Dad would have changed oil and filter annually regardless of use unless it wasn’t used at all. Installed the battery borrowed from the T2290 and it cranked perfectly. Good sign but didn’t fire.
Figured a carb tear down and clean was in order, but first make sure it’s getting gas to the carb. Sure enough, as a wise man once said, “Ain’t got no gas in it.” Fuel tank clean, but dry as dust. Added gas, let the electric fuel pump run a few seconds, and it fired right up like it was just run yesterday.
Drove it out to one of the meadows that was bush hogged a couple months ago and mowed a little. Other than the seat being torn up, all fuel hoses cracking, and a thorough annual maintenance needed, couldn’t find a thing wrong with it.