(OT) Cheap plastic lawnmower wheels

I don't know about your area, but I always see mowers being thrown out.. Most only need a carb cleaning & blade sharpening. I have 4 mowers now that I've saved from the trash and they all run great! One is even a Honda mower, and I also picked up a 24 volt B&D mower that just needed a new breaker installed. The things people throw away.

Chas

I bought replacements at Lowe's that were metal, they even have a bearing in the middle. It wasn't too expensive. But I do agree about the plastic wheels, total crap. Mine usually just break off, then one corner of the mower deck drops an inch or two and gives a part of the yard a nice buzz-cut.

Chris

In message , snipped-for-privacy@webtv.net writes

Get a hover mower, no wheels to worry about.

Hovering lawnmower, no wheels.Many years ago I used to see ads in magazines about them.I prefer something with wheels.

Yeah, in fact of the business, those new plastic wheels priced at about seven dollars and up, per wheel, are a total Rip Off in my opinion.

Maybe I will check some lawnmower repair shops around here and see if they have some junk wheels that are in better condition than the ones on my lawnmower. cuhulin

Sleeve them with a pipe?

Sleeve them with a pipe? I had thought about sleeving them with some thin aluminum or some brass shim stock or copper tubing I have.I might try that.Not too many years ago, one of the plastic wheels on another old lawnmower I used to have, the wheel did break off. cuhulin

You may be able to drill them out and bush them, using epoxy to lock them in place..

But, I agree, the OEM wheels are pieces of shit.

I bet you didn't rotate them every 6K miles, did you? Seriously, What I usually do is find some serviceable wheels from another old mower, or shim the old ones up with washers so they won't rub and wobble, that's if the mower is worth saving meaning it has good cables, pull cord, fuel lines, carburetor, starts easy, probably most important to me is if it pushes easy and shoots the grass out. If it's has a Tecumseh motor, unless it's in real good shape I don't think I'd be buying any new wheels for it. If you shim it up with washers they have to be big enough to clear the solid shoulder of the bolt holding the wheels. Some of the decks are pretty flimsy and need a little adjusting with a hammer backed up with a 4x4 sometimes. Most anything can be fixed, the question is if it's worth the time, trouble and expense.

My sons when young wore out the Tonka toy wheels. I drilled out to a larger size to insert a piece of copper tubing as a busing. Worked great. WW

I could use a better lawnmower anyway.The engine (Briggs & Stratton 2.75 horsepower, the label on the engine says) on my lawnmower is acting up, new spark plug, new air filter, fresh oil change, it still acts up.I also have a larger walk behind lawnmower, Briggs & Stratton engine 6.1/2 horsepower.But because of the slope of my front yard at the ditch along the road, that lawnmower is too heavy for me to use in that area, I could slip down and get my feet cut up too easy. I think I will check out some pawn shops for a good running small lawnmower with real good wheels on it. cuhulin ........................................... Ohhh, what fresh towel is this? the lady Magnolia Cafe radio talk show host said, in her sultry voice. ...........................................

The left rear wheel that the rim/tire of the wheel was rubbing agains't the handle, I fixed that with my sledge hammer.One good wop and I moved that lower side of the handle over, with some room to spare. I cut a narrow piece of thin aluminum for the right front wheel, for a shim.Looks like that helped a little bit, I might need to cut another one a little bit wider. I will find out how it works when I mow my yard again next Saturday. cuhulin

"The engine (Briggs & Stratton 2.75 horsepower, the label on the engine says) on my lawnmower is acting up, "

Define acting up? Its been my experience(and I'm not a fan of B&S) that most of the time running problems are a result of failed carburetor gaskets. Most of the B&S engines I've seen have this odd 'pump' gasket arrangement, the carb sits on top of the tank, so you have to have a method to pull the fuel upwards. The two gaskets on the tank are the usual culprit although sometimes you can get away with tightening the screws a bit.

It really says something to me when I walk into the lawnmower parts shop with the gasket in hand, and the lady sees me coming, doesn't even need a part number...and goes behind the counter to get what I need. Same goes for that total piece of crap primer bulb that B&S uses. Good for about a year, tops, before the rubber crumbles and plugs up the fuel passages in the carb(ask me how I know...). And with the fuel BELOW the carb, a primer button is pretty much mandatory to get at least some fuel into the intake to get the 'pump gasket' system working.

I'd much rather have an old-fashioned style setup, fuel up high, float bowl carb below, and a choke lever. It just seems more robust to me....

Best,

Chris

The engine slows down, speeds up, slows down speeds up,,,,, It might be a gasket, I have a roll of sheet gasket material here.The lawnmower is about eight years old. cuhulin

That means it isn't fueling correctly and the governor linkage is opening and closing the throttle, trying to maintain a constant speed.

I don't think you'll be able to make a gasket for this unfortunately. If you see a new one in the package you'll understand why..it has a part of it that is thin and flexible, the part of it that is the 'fuel pump'.

Chris

snipped-for-privacy@webtv.net wrote :

At least your mower has an engine. I use a push mower to do 2/3 an acre. OTOH it does have metal wheels.

Harbor Freight has decent metal wheels, and HF features a 20% discount coupon in each ad printed in Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, Road & Track, Motor Trend, Car & Driver, Forbes, AutoWeek (AW), Business Week, Maxim, and about every other magazine available for a free subscription. However the coupon is good for only one item, so you'll have to make 4 separate visits. But that's not as cheap as what Paul and WW suggested about sleeving the plastic wheels, which lasts a long time. BTW the plastic used for most wheels is the type that breaks down in sunlight, so consider painting them with Krylon Fusion.

That's where they gitcha, going to the store (Wal Mart, Lowes, wherever) for new cheap Expensive plastic lawnmower wheels. cuhulin

Those cheap wheels ARE too expensive.

This afternoon, I went to Lowe's and I bought four new 7 inch diameter steel wheels with 1/2 inch ball bearing center hub.They are made in China, the label on them says.$6.28 each wheel.

My old buddy would say, They will last you the rest of your life! cuhulin

Maybe, if you are pretty old to start with.