Repair-It

I have been on the hunt for a free mower. Another donation from Tim. It appears to be a ~2011 Lawn Boy. 20" cut. Rear wheel self propelled. Bag or mulch. Kohler engine though it is a Courage so the cheap one which isn't the same thing as the good Kohler engines. Still, I've never had a Kohler powered push mower before. How exciting.

It needs the following, based on my initial assessment:
- It runs but needs a starter. A piece of metal broke inside where the clock spring clips in. Pretty chintzy but maybe a fluke. Ordered an OEM for $27. In box, haven't installed.
- Doesn't self propel. Looks to me that the belt is completely stretched. So I ordered one for $8 (Stens). Hopefully that fixes that.
- Missing the top piece that covers the starter. It's just plastic. Not crucial. Hoping Tim can find it (along with the bag) in his basement. I can always order one. They are also pretty cheap.

I will probably give this to my tenants but I will probably try it first after I fix everything.

I did finally scrap the old MTD machine that came with my old house. It fell into disrepair and wasn't worth fixing. I got plenty of use from it. Also self propelled (but 21") and mulch only. It was the better machine as new I think (throttle control, fancier deck height adjustment, a couple other small things) but what difference does it really make....

I have the exact same mower. It has served me well since 2009 with lax maintenance.

Slapped the new starter on. Still need the top plastic cover but maybe Tim can find it.

Checked the oil. Right at the top. I should probably still change it.

Checked the blade. Oh man. So dull. And when I pulled it off I realized it was also pretty bent. Sharpened it and then put it in my vice, applied heat, and bent both sides back as straight as I could.

Put it back on. It started in one pull. The auto choke thing seems to work well. Mulched my leaves in the front yard where I had planted grass a month ago. Seems to work fine though lack of self-propel was annoying. I'll fix that yet. But so far seems like a perfectly good machine.

Attacked the lack of self-propel issue. Turns out it wasn't that the belt was super stretched, but it somehow fell off the transmission pulley. Oh but you'd be WRONG if you thought it was just a simple matter of pushing it back on the pulley. There is a belt guard bracket bolted to the transmission that was making it impossible to slip the belt back on the pulley. Access wasn't great and there just didn't seem to be clearance to slip it on there. I have no idea how it came off but it must have been from some kind of event. I didn't just slip off there.

Anyway it seems that this is really a life of machine belt at least the way they did that stupid belt guard. I had to remove the entire rear axle from the deck, unbolt the belt guard, slip the NEW belt on and reverse the process. Yes, I used the new belt because I wasn't going to put the old belt on after all that work to disassemble. Plus I already bought it.

Also there were 3 bolts holding in the belt guard on the transmission. And of course they were impossible to get to with everything installed. But as if it wasn't shady enough, TWO of the bolts were a square head! The third was torx. I mean....it's almost like they were actively discouraging a typical home gamer from servicing this thing. Pretty bad. Fortunately I was able to grab a small square drive from my tiny tool kit (like for phones and stuff) and that fit perfectly. Wow.

As a result this took like 2-1/2 hours. Then after I got it all back together I realized the push handle was tweaked. I had to put it up on jack stands, loosen the axle mounting bolts and tighten it back up making sure to keep it aligned the right way. That finally did it.

Then it was just a matter of adjusting the self-propel engagement cable tightness. I am not quite sure what to make of it. The walking speed seems quite fast but I noticed you could set the tension in a way that gave you self-propel torque but was sort of variable. I am not sure if this is intended or if I am just prematurely wearing out the belt. I will see if I can find a manual and adjust it tighter if it really calls for that. But it could be they were trying to mimic the Toro Personal Pace mowers that sort of let you decide how fast it should go depending on how hard you push. Kind of like power steering where you still have to turn it but it does the majority of the work. But if I'm wrong on that I should tension it tighter because it just means the belt is slipping when it shouldn't be.

Here are the pics. What's left now is to check or replace the air filter and change the oil. I don't have an air filter for it so if it looks bad I'll get one. For oil I settled on Shell Rotella T5 10W-30. The owner's manual called for something lighter than SAE30 when colder than like 50F which I thought was on the high side considering you may mow or mulch stuff into late fall. So it'll get 10W-30 which is good for year round anyway.

EDIT: The air filter is Kohler P/N 14 083 19-S. I may be able to get it a number of places locally if I need one.

Before each use or daily
• Check the engine oil level.
• Ensure that the engine stops within 3 seconds after releasing the blade control bar.
• Clean grass clippings and dirt from under the mower.

Every 25 hours
• Replace the air filter; replace it more frequently in dusty operating conditions.
• Charge the battery for 24 hours (electric-start models only).
Before storage • Empty the fuel tank before repairs as directed and before annual storage.

Yearly
• Change the engine oil.
• Replace the blade or have it sharpened (more frequently if the edge dulls quickly).
• Refer to your Engine Operator’s Manual for any additional yearly maintenance
procedures.

Using the Self-propel Drive
Self-propel models only

To operate the self-propel drive, squeeze the self-propel
drive bar (Figure 15) toward the handle and hold it.

To disengage the self-propel drive, release the self-propel
drive bar.

Note: The maximum self-propel ground speed is fixed.
To reduce the ground speed, increase the space between
the self-propel drive bar and the handle.

Well that seems pretty clear. No mention of any system like I am describing. I should adjust so it firmly engages.

Oh, there is even a procedure. How fun.

Adjusting the Self-propel Drive
Cable
Self-propel models only

Whenever you install a new self-propel cable or if
the self-propel drive is out of adjustment, adjust the
self-propel drive cable.

1. Loosen the cable support nut (Figure 25).
2. Hold the self-propel bail 1 to 1-1/2 inches (25 to 38
mm) from the handle (Figure 25).
3. Pull down the cable jacket (toward the mower) until
there is no slack in the cable (Figure 25).
4. Tighten the nut on the cable support.
5. Release the self-propel drive bar and ensure that the
cable is loose.

Note: The cable must be loose with the self-propel
drive bar in the released position; otherwise, the
mower may creep when the bar is disengaged.

There is a spring so you can't really put too much pressure on it but you don't want it so tight that it creeps obviously. Not too complicated really.

From the Lawn Boy website (looks like it is owned by Toro).

Model Number 10604
Beginning Serial # 311000001
Ending Serial # 311999999
Product Name 20in Mulching/Rear Bagging Lawn Mower
Product Brand Lawn-Boy
Product Type Walk Behind Mowers
Product Series 20" Steel Deck
Chassis Type Steel Deck WPM
Swath 20 inch
Discharge Mulcher & Rear Bagger
Safety System Zone Start
Engine/Motor Manufacturer Kohler
Engine/Motor Model # PH-XT149-0225 (XT-6)
Engine Starter Recoil

Specification Group Specification Name Specification Value
Engine Engine Speed 3000±100 RPM
Engine Ignition Coil Air Gap .010" / .25mm
Engine Spark Plug Gap .030"/ .76mm
Chassis Height of Cut Range 1" - 4" (2.5-10 cm)
Engine Engine Oil Type 22 oz. (.65l) 30w or 10w-30 / API SJ or higher

3,000 is a little lower than I expected but then this thing is actually surprisingly quiet. I don't feel the need to immediately reach for my hearing protection like the rest of my small engines.

And it was going so well...

I decided to make the correct self propel adjustment per the spec so I did that and tried it. I mowed like 4 stripes on my lawn and mulched some leaves. It was going well. Then I adjusted it a hair tighter because it needed to be; it was still slipping up hills. Went out and it was working about the way I wanted and then, bam, lost drive. Sure enough the belt slipped off same as how I found it originally. Argh.

And I can see why this is happening. Basically the transmission pivots on the axle and that's how it engages belt tension. Problem is, this is on a radius and it means unless the tension happens right when the pulley is aligned with the crank pulley, it will be out of alignment. This is what is happening. The new belt is STILL too long (actually seemed 1/2" longer than the old belt) and consequently the transmission is tilting back too far and throwing the belt off its pulley. This is highly annoying because I also had a belt length fiasco with the Deutz and ended up going with a 78" instead of 80", a full 2" shorter. Well the Stens belt spec'd as 3/8" x 32". So I ordered a kevlar 31" belt. That should allow the transmission to rock 1/2" closer to the crank and get into a better alignment. I think 30" would have been too short.

Here's what I just ordered: https://www.amazon.com/PowerDrive-6731- ... 413&sr=8-9

Check out the reviews for the Stens that I bought: https://www.amazon.com/Stens-265-044-Re ... B005LA5EAK

Some people were satisfied, but note these negative reviews I just noticed:

Does not fit Lawn Boy model 10604 even though it is the correct part number. I will try a 30" x 3/8 belt.

The 10604 is my exact model.

This one fits our TrueStart Lawn Boy 20-inch self-propelled mower perfectly. (The first one sent was the wrong size completely but this one is perfect.)

I thought it worked. IT DOES NOT. This belt is about a half inch too long for my mower. Do not buy this belt for this mower.

This belt is 32 inches long and is listed as the correct replacement for my lawnboy model. Unfortunately, it does not fit. The belt on my mower actually measures 31 inches. Wasted money on this too long belt. Measure your old belt before ordering this one. Quality is ok - thats why I gave it two stars instead of one.

Changing the belt on a Toro Super bagger isn't the easiest task in the world considering all the parts you have to take off to do it, but I like to do it myself and the belt is good quality.

Ya think? This was a positive review but mentioned the task difficulty...

It was too long for my 20" lawn boy.

Yup.

I had it installed and mowed with it for about 30 minutes and then it stopped pulling my self propelled lawn mover,. Don't know what happened will have to have it checked out again.

It clearly fell off of his.

I ordered a new belt because I thought it was stretched out. Belt was the same size and easily jumps off when installed. There is no room for adjustment, poor design by Lawn Boy!! Gonna have to get a smaller belt at a parts supply house.

This may as well be my review.

Should I have read the reviews? Yeah I guess - it was the correct P/N so I may have just assumed those people were doing something wrong. Maybe if I tracked down an OEM belt I wouldn't have had any issues.

This appears to be OEM: https://www.amazon.com/Toro-V-BELT/dp/B ... ial&sr=1-3

FWIW (and it isn't worth much), my old MTD mower that I just scrapped had a superior drive system. Basically instead of just rocking the transmission which constantly plays with the pulley angles, those were fixed on the MTD, and there was a tensioner pulley that rocked on a bracket which is how you would engage it. It would just add tension to the belt when you pulled the handle by moving a pulley into the side of it. I don't think I ever did a belt on that machine, either.

I also ordered a new air filter because this one had some serious dirt packed into it. So another $16 into my free machine.

I put the 31" kevlar belt on. It took less time to get it apart because that's how that works. Probably half the time this time. I realized you can move the rear wheels super high (way past the detents) and actually get a socket on 2 or 3 of the bolts. The nuts are still on the other side and starting the nut on one bolt in particular was really tricky but overall this went much more smoothly the second time.

Anyway the 31" belt seems perfect. When the transmission rocks to engage the belt, the pulley seems perfectly aligned with the crank pulley. I don't know why Stens specs a 32" belt. Makes me wonder what an OEM Toro belt measures. You can tell this is the right length because the cable adjustment range is much more in the middle.

I changed the air filter, changed the oil and blew out stuff under the engine cover. It wasn't too bad.

So, finally, this free machine is good to go. I may even run it over to my tenants tomorrow.

So what do we have:

Stens belt which didn't fit: $7.95
Kohler recoil starter: $26.99
Kohler air filter: $8.83
31" kevlar belt that fits: $7.28
22oz of 10W-30: About $3

If we take out the oil and air filter which are maintenance items, the total repair cost is $42.22. That's certainly worth it.