Winter Project

[cheesy]

A few years back I wrote that I would chronicle, more or less, the rebuilding of an old Toro 910 riding mower. That time is now. Btw, Mrs. C pointed out that the tires are flat, but not on the bottom.

The backstory is that we got this from my sister when she moved from Wisconsin to Wyoming. We've had the little poop for close to twenty years and I think it has been parked outside for almost seventeen due to a broken clutch spring. Actually a belt tensioner spring that I could probably find at TSC for $1.29. It also had what my sister called a 'built in beer break'. Three quarters through a lawn mowing it would just quit and you could separate shoulder trying to get it restarted, unless you took that 15 minute break. Then it would start on the first pull. So, either a failing coil or condenser. It's getting an electronic ignition upgrade anyway.

Anywho, Mrs. C is uncomfortable running the Deere D120. It's too big and scary. So, she wants this one fixed and she'll mow when I'm away, once she has retired(Jan. 8, 2016).

It's in the garage now, awaiting my return from an extended work trip to LA.


I plan to get a lot more done in the garage over the winter because I finally broke down and bought one of these.

[Weldangrind]

The most important takeaway was Mrs. C's impending retirement. Congrats, Mrs. C!

I'll be following this rebuild for sure. Your shop is a little too tidy for my liking, but I forgive you.

Please give details about the heater.

[cheesy]

Yup, she finally set the date last week. Staying another year for another ten bucks a month on her pension wasn't worth the headache her profession has become.

I will try to rectify the situation in the shop. Shouldn't be to hard to manage.

The heater is propane, 50,000-80,000 btu. Supposed to be able to heat up to 2000 sq ft. If it can do half that, I will be working in shorts and t-shirt this winter. I'm going to snag the 20lb bottle from the trailer for now. It's been on there since 2010 and it is still close to full.

[katoranger]

What does that mower have under the hood? I may have some parts here.

[Weldangrind]

Is that heater good for an enclosed space?

[cheesy]

Originally Posted by Weldangrind

Is that heater good for an enclosed space?

Manual recommends some ventilation. So I crank open one of the windows and crack the service door a bit. By the time I'm ready to use it, maybe my son in laws' tires will be out of my garage and I can actually get to the service door.

Kato-All I can tell you is that it is an approximately 30 year old B & S flat head with the automatic choke and a bad crankcase gasket. It will be two weeks before I get back home to get started on it.

Bruce-Thanks for the info on what I can expect to get out of a tank. I'll still have my oil-filled radiant heater* for a backup if I plan poorly.



*If you are 3 foot away from it, you're hot. If you are 3.5 foot from it, you're cold.

[Bruce's]

It looks like a typical mr heater like they sell at princess auto weldangrind ,you can check out the owners manual on their site to see if it will work for you .I have a mr heater torpedo propane heater ,works fantastic but must be vented which is fine in my old garbage garage .The one cheese has is radiant ,no hydro required ,does work really well under the right conditions .

[Bruce's]

I should mention that where I live I can refill a 20 lb propane for $10-11.00 bucks at cosco and in my heater that is about 10 hours of heat at mid or higher setting .I had the same size in diesel -kerosene model ,the jug of kero was $27.00 and wouldn't fill the heater so probably needed 1.5 jugs ,and lasted the same hours as a single propane tank .The kero unit can be installed with a thermostat so it turns itself on and off ,but unfortunately you can't do that with my propane model .

[jct842]

I have an old mower with a twin briggs with a coffee break and near as i can tell it is valves. And it was really abused bad before I got it

Scored a rear engine JD 4 years ago so the yardman has been parked since.

[Bruce's]

Get yourself the heater I have and because of the blower your whole shop will be warm .It is a bit noisy but I only run it a few minutes at a time then shut it off as I am scared to death of it lighting up my 1920's wood floor ,saw dust insulation crappy ass garage .

[cheesy]

Originally Posted by Bruce's

Get yourself the heater I have and because of the blower your whole shop will be warm .It is a bit noisy but I only run it a few minutes at a time then shut it off as I am scared to death of it lighting up my 1920's wood floor ,saw dust insulation crappy ass garage .

I was considering that one, too. It was the same price, but opted for the radiant one because of the noise. My garage is attached to the house, so there would have been complaints.

[Weldangrind]

I've found that a small fan behind a radiant oil heater helps a lot. I'm thinking about building a sheet metal shroud for it, to force all of the fan air through the heater.

[Weldangrind]

Originally Posted by Weldangrind

I've found that a small fan behind a radiant oil heater helps a lot. I'm thinking about building a sheet metal shroud for it, to force all of the fan air through the heater.

I should have clarified that I meant an electric raidiant oil heater, for those who aren't familiar.

[bogieboy]

had to laugh at the comment of the d120 being too big and scary... as a deere tech, that's about the smallest I work on....LOL

[cheesy]

I fired up the heater for grins on Saturday.


It was in the sixties so it wasn't needed, just curious. Wow, does it put out the heat. I maybe having the overhead door full open just to regulate the temp in the garage.

(Note to self. Don't put face close to burner while lighting.)