Buying used MTD mower DON'TS

In this video I'm trying to show you some of the pointers that I use whenever I'm
out looking for used mowers. There's a lot of design flaws that are inherent with some of these mowers and in this video I'm showing you an older MTD design which covers quite a few mowers like the Yard Man some of the Husky brands and some of the Yard Man series which now are defunct . I find that most of the fault with the mower is based on two things and that is previous owners not making the correct repairs also, and mainly, the way the desk engages the belt and blades whenever it is lowered as one smooth operation however when cutting grass the belt has a tendency to slip which is not good whenever you're needing to maintain blade speed to cut heavier grass.

[armyvet]

I have one just like it. 20 years old, best mower I have ever had.

[michaelcowan]

I have a 1995 MTD Yard Machine that I bought new. Just replaced one of the drive belts this week, everything else is original. I have one acre of land and have had no issues with this mower.

[ciphercode]

Never seen one that the deck engaged when you lowered it. My parents owned an mtd yard machine with that motor and a 42" deck, but it wasn't that design. They used it for 21 trouble free years from 1990-2010. I did the routine maintenance on it as far as tune ups and taking the battery in the house and keeping it charged occasionally throughout the winter. Never replaced the belts, tires, or antiscalp wheels. When they got rid of it it was because the tires were dry rotted and leaking air so bad that they had to be aired up for each mowing. They mowed about an acre a week with it 7 months out of the year. Not bad for $985 in 1990 dollars.

[markprescott]

I have the same one except mine is hunter green. 1998 Model. I am the second owner. It is still going strong. I actually think that it cuts grass and throws it better than my John Deer rider. I know MTD gets a bad rap, but they are one of my favorites because of the parts interchangeability and availability. Most things to work on them are easy. Pretty bulletproof engine and transaxle combination that has been around a long time. The key to these, as any machine, is proper maintenance.

[johnpalma]

I have a 1986 MTD 18 hp it has an electric clutch for the deck and it cuts beautiful even when the grass is over 2months growth.Thanks for the video.

[stamendmentsupporter]

I've used a couple of these 90's mtd designs for almost 2 decades. They do the job, if they're maintained and not abused.

The single cylinder B&S does labor when cutting tall, thick grass. The opposed B&S twin does a better job, when the grass is taller.

They continue to serve me well and surely beat having to use a push mower.

[DilanGilluly]

The wiring is a good pointer too. I've seen them where people wrap wires around metal oil drain tubes. Heat and friction are of the two things wire jackets hate and some people think it's a good idea to wrap the wires around a source of both of them.

[davidhancock]

Excellently presented. Perfectly explains some issues, I was given one of these this week from a client cleaning out the shed, i've sorted it all out, cleaned it up and now cant wait to make it dissapear into someone elses shed. Can't complain being given a decent working mower for being a reliable service provider.

[Proer]

I have a 22 year old MTD (Ward's) that still runs good. Other than the battery, the only things I had to replace were the ignition coil and a belt pulley - and those were only last year. I even still have the original belts on it. Oh, I forgot the plastic starter gear broke about 5 years ago, I think that was about $2. I addition to mowing, in the Spring I aerate the lawn separately and in the Fall I sweep the leaves separately, so I put about a season and a half on the machine every year. If you think the old MTDs were bad, look at the new mowers with plastic engine parts and plastic transaxels.

[jimbaritone]

Thanks for posting these helpful hints. MTD lawn tractor mowers are pretty common around here - identical machine can be found under 5 or 6 brand names. I saw a used one, priced attractively, but when I checked it, it had several of the problems you mention. Found another, 16 HP/42 inch deck for $50 more, 4 years old, owner had maintained it really well and it had none of the problems you mention, except cracked "headlight" plastic. That didn't worry me - we get 16-17 hours/day of sunlight, so no mowing in the dark, LOL. All the other trouble spots you point out were good, plus everything worked properly. Sure I spent $50 more, but your "trouble tips" probably saved me a few hundred. Tip for others who are looking - don't be afraid to ask the owner about how often he's serviced his machine, and what's been done. If it's a good unit, the owner will have no hesitation in telling you - and you can see it as well. Even little things - any rust starting, etc. My only beef is that I wished the seat was set a bit further back, but that's easy enough to adjust. Thanks again!

[bmbott]

I have a mtd twin cylinder 46 inch cut still running strong .. not bad for a 1999 model

[Odysseus_King_of_Ithica]

If you really want brighter headlights in your mower, it's best just to buy the LED equivalent of whatever bulb fits your mower's headlight socket. Say maybe 1156 or 1157. For under 20 bucks you can have 300-500 lumens at half the power draw of the the standard bulb.

[sarahmiddleton]

I've owned and fixed several of these mowers, one problem that often gets overlooked it the belt tensioner will get rusty and become "fixed", frozen in place, and then cannot keep the proper tension on the deck belt as the deck is raised and lowered. As difficult as it is to pull the deck out of these its always worth checking this. In about half of the ones I've fixed the tensioner was messed with by the p.o. or someone in the past, and were incorrectly installed, so that they were reassembled into a fixed position, probably right after replacing the belt. Then when the new belt stretches a bit they end up being too loose, and squeal and slip as did his neighbors mower did in the video. There is a hat shaped washer require at the tensioner pivot, so the tensioner arm can still pivot freely after the bolt at the pivot is fully tightened. If it doesn't you have something wrong. Another problem has been weak springs, both the deck belt tensioner, an the big spring that pulls the deck to the rear. If they are rusty or stretched out a bit they are not going to provide the correct tension. I've added new springs to the list of parts for all f my deck rebuilds, unless they are pretty new, for most mowers they are still available.
I've had other issues with these mowers, like the rather flimsy front axle, sometimes actually breaking at the pivot or spindle hole. But for all of the issues MTD's are plentiful and cheap, most parts are readily available, and if you're handy mechanically you can keep one of these mowing for a long time. For any brand of mower the biggest problem I see are the people that leave them out in the weather all winter, uncovered and exposed, and expect them to fire up and run fine in the spring. They were not designed for this. Exposure to the weather has probably killed more mowers than actual use, which is silly since an $8 plastic tarp can prevent it.

[stephenpotts]

Ive had a 12/42 MTD since 1991. Never had a problem with it! All I ever had to replace was the foot pad for $8.00

[JOEZEP]

Good tips for buying used mowers. I bought one of the Montgomery Wards (Powr Krart twin cylinder ) tractors in 97 & mow 1 & ½ acres of mostly hills. It still runs strong. On the Wards tractor I do not have the cutting problem you mentioned. I did have to change the starter once & the 2 blade deck I swapped out for a 3 blade deck due to the original deck rotting out. I have limited garage space & left it outside for years (although covered). I will be using it this weekend. When cutting advise your neighbor to cut in a pattern that shoots the grass out away from center not inward only to build up. You are a 100% right about having to remove the deck . After all these years I still cringe just thinking about changing the belts & sharpening the blades.

[corygriffiths]

I had one I had bought back in 1994 it lasted me 14 years best mower I’ve ever owned.

[wearegame]

I just got one of these mowers for free. It is the 16.5 HP Briggs and Stratton I/C engine. 1998 model I believe.
Everything is in good shape, so hopefully I am one of the lucky ones. Thanks for the very informative video!

[johnturan]

I've found that running 55w lights is not a problem. If however the battery is slightly larger than the factory battery, it will touch the seat and discharge. This will cause the need to be charged.

[p.melvinshyturtle]

The drive belt slippage might be due to that spring that attaches behind the right rear wheel. It pulls back on the deck to tension the belt. And maybe a new, correct belt is in order.

[katzkatcher]

Spent a good bunch of hours putting the belt on for my neighbor lady..tall weeds & these mowers dont mix . Thanks for the great video !