This is what happens when you leave a mower outside

Geo-TH,In

Well-known Member
Both spindles were sensed up.
Water got in the gas tank. then carb
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Went to drain the oil and water came out the crankcase. Neighbor decided it wasn't worth fixing after I discovered engine was locked up. Used pipe wrench to turn engine backwards. It moved a little and stopped. Sounded like the rod was broken.

Neighbor said to junk it. Not many parts worth saving.
Tho oil looked like mud





Why people leave mowers outside?

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That doesn't always happen. I leave my mower out all the time and so far not had much of any problems with it
 
This is the 16th season for my 26 hp Briggs Cub Cadet with 395 hrs on the clock. It started without a batt charge this May. Has never had the tranny fluid changed. Had never spen a night outside. Ever. And never will.
I built a waterproof, floodproof, fireproof, heated a/c polebarn BEFORE I built my living quarters here.
 
Not that I use any more. I do have 3 or 4 of them but I don't use any of them due to not having a grass catcher
 
While having everything under a roof is best, not everyone has that luxury. Sadly, I have too many machines that I would like to see under cover but simply do not have the shed space for all of them. That being said I think there is a big difference between being left outside and being neglected and abused. Between my Dad and I we have quite a few tractors from the 50's and 60's that seldom if ever see inside of a shed, but fluids are kept clean, shifter boots are kept in good condition and mufflers are always covered when not in use. They all fire up when needed. Allowing an engine or fuel tank fill full of water is just plain wrong and stupid. In your neighbors case, I can only assume that the gas cap is broken or missing which allowed the water to get in?
 
I have a 73 Wheelhorse that has been on this property since it was new.Never left out,and has only had 15-40 Rotella since new.It has a 12 HP Kohler,is a hydro,and came new with a 48 inch deck.It has been through a half a dozen deck shells,maybe more.Engine and transaxle has never been apart.The dealer that sold it new put a Hobbs hour meter on it when it was sold.I never tell anybody how many hours are on it because they will just call me a liar.It is starting to use oil though.Since day one it has been started at the lowest possible RPM setting,and not revved up for at least 3 full minutes.Also allowed to idle for a minimum of one minute,and usually two before shutting it off.I inherited it in 1993,and have never put a set of points in it since I got it.It has gobbled 2 or 3 carbs since I got it,the throttle shaft just eats the aluminum carb bodies away.
 
I've been using a 1969 Wheel Horse deck since about 1982. It needed a couple hundred dollars' worth of parts when I checked it over this spring so I decommissioned it and put my spare back- up deck on it. The tractor is thirty four years old with 2020 hours, Mows an acre and three quarters a week.
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Then you don't have spindles on the mower to rust. You don't have wheel bearings to rust. You don't have many things a riding mower has. Both spindles were solid rust..junk. The spindles on the steering to rust.
 
Gas cap was not broken. It had a vent hole, like most mowers have. Gas tank had water in it.
 
My neighbor a mile away is farming the ground his Great grandfather farmed. He has 6 pole barns to keep his new John Deeres in. Nothing stays outside when not in use.

When I decided to buy a new Kubota in 2019 the first thing I did was buy a new pole barn. It took them 3 months to build so I stored it in my old pole barn at my other place.
The cost of the new pole barn was half the cost of the Kubota. I figured the new tractor was worth it.

Had I waited a year to build, the pole barn would have been the same price as the tractor. I was lucky.

All my tractors, mowers, tools, car and truck are kept under a roof in a dry place..
 
That looks like the deck my 73 came with.Because of the hours on my tractor I put a smaller deck on it.Also,my wife runs it and she doesn't hook into stuff with the smaller deck.I like the rear discharge decks better anyway,I Also have another Wheelhorse of the same vintage,never left out in the weather.I aquired that one about 20 years ago and that was the main reason I bought it.That one is 16 HP,standard trans,and came with a 42 inch deck.
 
For me the stuff that is already broken is OK to leave outside. Maybe the rod was broken first, then it was parked outside?
 
I do not have the luxury of a pole barn or any barn. I do the best I can in the wet/snow months. I have some sections of sheet metal I put over small engine equipment such as mowers or tillers and fasten them tight with a ratchet strap. The riding mower has its own oiled canvas tarp. The tractor has a large very thick tarp over it. The tractor tarp is very inconvenient since it gets used year round. I plan on making a shelter for it some day soon. This all just goes to show that you don't have to let stuff rot if you don't have a barn... Just have to be good at making due.
 
An old friend of mine told me years ago that you could wear machinery out or rust it out. Pretty much everything I have goes into a shed or barn when it's not in use.....
 

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