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Gas powered reel mower with Briggs Stratton engine

S

steveinohio

Member
I've recently purchased an Eclipse Series 1214 Parkhound self propelled reel mower with a Briggs & Stratton engine. (Numbers on the shroud: Model #61202, Type 949545, Serial# 6009130. My research has found is was manufactured 1961 or after. It is all complete and turns over. Currently it does not have spark. Points and condenser are available from numerous vendors. The coil part # is 291617 is not available for this model from B & S. A different one is available for models serial number 621310 and after but will not fit. Here is my question - when I change points and condenser and still do not have spark wherein a replacement coil is needed, where might I look to locate one? I've searched online the best I could at the moment and could not locate one. Any assistance is always appreciated.
 
(quoted from post at 08:51:54 04/26/17) I've recently purchased an Eclipse Series 1214 Parkhound self propelled reel mower with a Briggs & Stratton engine. (Numbers on the shroud: Model #61202, Type 949545, Serial# 6009130. My research has found is was manufactured 1961 or after. It is all complete and turns over. Currently it does not have spark. Points and condenser are available from numerous vendors. The coil part # is 291617 is not available for this model from B & S. A different one is available for models serial number 621310 and after but will not fit. Here is my question - when I change points and condenser and still do not have spark wherein a replacement coil is needed, where might I look to locate one? I've searched online the best I could at the moment and could not locate one. Any assistance is always appreciated.
Click to expand...

First things first. You didn't say or at least I couldn't tell from your post that you had cleaned the points and all the connections and make sure where points set and where condenser screws down is clean. Also check that magnets and condenser legs are clean and the space is set right. I have started many of these old engines after sitting for years. It is very unusually that they don't have spark after doing what I said.
 
I don't have an answer for you but your post brought back some not so fond memories. My Dad loved his reel mowers, said they cut grass better and were better for the grass than the whirlyblades. But every Saturday before we could mow our one acre yard, we had to pick up sticks. Any stick no matter how small seemed to be able to get lodged between the reel and the opposing cutting bar. What a pain in the fanny for a young boy wanting to get the yard work done so I could go play with friends. If a stick did get lodged you had to shut the mower off and push on the reel with your foot to get the stick out. You absolutely never went to get Dad's help, cause that meant you had not done a good enough job of picking up sticks. Memories lol gobble
 
According to some sources Briggs 793281 is a replacement for 291617. Is that the number you tried and it didn't fit?
 
Does the coil have three legs? If so I am guessing that is the reason Briggs states for the available coil not working. Change out the flywheel to one from a engine with two legs and the newer coil will work. I don't know if Briggs even offers a coil for points anymore but they have leaned hard away from those and the coil with Magnetron built in works very well.

Other than that the suggestions of cleaning things up offered already are good advice and what should be tried first. Also make sure the point plunger is moving and not stuck.

hth

jt
 
Thanks for your reply. So far I have cleaned the points and cleaned the condenser legs. I also cleaned the magnets and the surface of the flywheel. I havn't put it together. I agree, I have a 1954 B & S engine and that's I had to do was get them a cleaning and it started right up. Here's something I noticed on the condenser; it was threads on it with a nut that holds the wires together. All the replacement ones use a spring.
 
When I was a kid someone gave me a gas powered reel mower.

Boy, I thought I really had something, got it running, tried it out...

Realized why they gave it away! LOL
 
Thanks for your reply. I've always wanted one because my grandparents had a REO and a PINCOR when I was younger but not allowed to operate it. It's kinda funny I've been searching one for a long time and could not find one when two days ago when I wasn't looking for one there it was. Kinda works that way, doesn't it.
 
Thanks for your reply. I have not tried Briggs 793281 but will give it a try. What I noticed about the coil it used 4 screws to fasten it to the engine and it is completely square.
 
Thanks for your reply. The coil has only 2 legs, uses 4 bolts and is completely square. I did remove the push pin and cleaned it. It moves freely. I've cleaned the points and flywheel and magnets.
 
One one like that I would check at a local mower parts place and find a chip that replaces the points and you will be better off. BTDT on many older engines and found many older engines due to age the points just do not work well any more. I have a Murry mower I did that to and the tag on it says it was made in 1967. I also had a tiller years that would run well up till you pulled the lever to kick it into gear and it would then die. The front bushing of the engine was so bad that tightening the belt would throw the points off enough to make it not run. Put a chip on it and tilled with it for a long time
 

My Dad bought a Yardman reel mower about that vintage, but it was new. It did a better job of cutting if you didn't let the grass get too high, actually sliced the grass instead of beating it off like a rotary.

When I needed a new mower, I looked for a reel type. New, they were pushing $1000, so I got another rotary.

But the reel is the way to go if you want a nice looking lawn after a cutting...

Can't help you about the ignition, but the others seem to have a handle on it...
 


I wonder if anyone left that has the machine to sharpen these reel mowers. If they aren't sharpened and set they won't cut good. Back in the day they were expensive to sharpen and set.
 
Neighbor had one back in the day. It had a 1.5 hp briggs rope starter. His dad took the front of a bicycle and attached it to the mower. The mower acted like the rear wheels of the bike.

Back then it was a novelty to have a riding mower. Neighbor boy would mow the lawn with it.
 
This place says the new coils are being made again and they are in stock.

http://bolenspartsandsupplies.com/small-engine-parts/291617-briggs-and-stratton-ignition-coil/
 
The shops who work on golf mowing equipment. Some of them still have
the rigs to do smaller machines.
 
Slight variance and surely not an attempt to hijack the thread: When I was a kid we lived in town and one day daddy brought home one of those. I liked it because it was self propelled but didn't like the fact that it was perfect for Saint Augustine grass but Dallis grass stems were hard to cut. Later on we got the rotary, popular today which I had to push and didn't do as sweet a job on "clipping" the grass leaves.

Question on your motives. Are you doing a restoration, or are you just interested in functionality. If the latter, I'd assume most any coil of the type would work as most ignition systems use similar parts that are rated with similar functional requirements. Here's a nice tutorial to support my suggestion: https://www.voc.uk.com/net/docs/7.1/7.1-672-16.pdf
 
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