Salvage a Free Mower Spending No Money?

Dan contacted me on this 20 year old riding mower cub cadet, he gave it his best try but the problems were too many, so he gave it to us to sort out, lets see what it will take to bring it back to life.

[@Philc231]

It’s actually nice to see your yard Darren. Thing have gotten taller . Miss wrenching in the old garage . Miss the heart to heart talks you occasionally used to do . Proud of your channel and being a long term subscriber

[@Adamyup32]

Very well said. Very proud sub as well. I enjoy anytime we get a garage video with the old VW lift on the floor.

[@emmettstinson5192]

9:45

[@davidhelmuth6654]

Sunday morning ✅ Coffee ✅ New Mustie1 video ✅ All is right with the world!👍

[@LewisMowersandBoats]

I agree 👍

[@Its-Steven]

One of the things I love most about your videos Mustie is that the adventure of fixing something is just as important as getting it fixed.

[@tomperry1048]

Taryl taught Mustie all this stuff.

[@HJP19693]

​@@tomperry1048 so what we all got to learn from somebody and he's just as good if not better than pterodactyl what's your point 🫏🫏🫏🫏 azzzz

[@tomperry1048]

@@HJP19693 ... Pluto's plight proliferates.

[@derick2986]

​​@tomperry1048 negative. Darren has been working on things way before KZbin days. He even mentioned that he started working things as a kid. Taryl only works on lawnmowers, mustie works on anything and everything and has the knowledge about most mechanics on small and large engines and everything in between.

[@NJ_BILL]

Have an LT1040 a number years, Added a hydraulic bucket when expanding my garden. My mistake was loaning to a know it all neighbor. He claimed he found a short in the wiring and would fixit. He began wiring the whole unit and said he was waiting for parts. Shortly later he was arrested and sent to prison for 30+ years. After watching many of your videos, at 80 years old, you've giving me the confidence to fixit myself. Thanks!

[@danmyers4667]

Seriously, you put out the best videos out there. Thanks again Darren Sunday mornings wrenching with you is the highlight of my week!

[@markbrown6236]

Mine too.

[@chriskoran836]

Sweet! Thanks for all the extra mid-week videos too, Mustie1!

[@greatergood3706]

Yes 👍

[@jamesmahan874]

​@@greatergood3706😊😊😊😊😊😊

[@Dragineez774]

"Mustie1 mouse trap..." I just exploded my drink across the room. Thanx, now I have an hour of clean-up to do!

[@johnr1350]

Mustie, you’ve helped me trouble shoot and fix several pieces of equipment over the years, including a rider mower my dad made me take just before he passed. I didn’t really want it since my yard isn’t all that big, but now I love that thing and hope to keep it running for a very long time. Thank you.

[@elsdp-4560]

Thank you for sharing. Great show today and Happy Mother's Day to all the mom's out there, sure do miss mine.👍

[@frankvucolo6249]

Kohler Courage! I thought for sure one of those sump bolts loosened up and jammed the flywheel. Great video. Your resourcefulness never fails to amaze me. “Let’s see what we can find in the stash and make a pulley. We could order one, but where’s the fun in that.” That mower is a pair of blades and a tune up away from like-new!

[@jameshedrick605]

I was thinking the same thing. They are notorious for that but i've had it happen to me before

[@DancerOfClouds]

Musttie, thank you so much for bring us along a another wonderful adventure. Believe me, the journey is the fun part. Seeing these come to life is so rewarding. I watch them all from start to finish and thanks for sharing the barn animals as well.

[@johnapel2856]

Well that was easy. 😜 Another Mustie1 success! Thanks for taking us along for the ride.

[@cayuse-jf7eq]

Good to see the old mower fixed up and Captain, Oatie and Peanut are Sure that they have made the big time now. I enjoy watching and have learned how to fix a lot of stuff by watching Mustie1

[@vettekid3326]

Little trivia, those miniature horses were originally bred to pull reel type lawnmowers in the city. Back in the 1960's going to estate sales with my dad you would occasionally see one complete with the harness setup. I still have a photo from1920 when my dad was five years old sitting in his pony cart with his two year older brother.

[@MattKrogmeier]

Had to troubleshoot one of these Koehler 20 motors over Easter at my dad’s house…wouldn’t start…seemed to be starved for fuel. Changed spark plug, still wouldn’t start…and then I discovered the invention of the carb bowl solenoid (had never seen one…didn’t know what it was) - and after removing it, and taking the rubber tip off of it and reinstalling, it fired right up. Solenoid was stuck closed and not allowing fuel to pass. Thanks to Google and KZbin, I was able to diagnose and bypass it. That’s why channels like yours are so amazing, Mustie!

[@deebee3901]

Awesome watching that old boy come back to life and becoming useful again!

[@brucemcgee2281]

That pulley looks so cheap... I bet the dealer loves it. I love my Cub Cadet with a driveshaft. Thank you for sharing with us this Sunday morning.

[@tolbaszy8067]

Dan keeps a very neat barn! Those horses are well loved!

[@echobeefpv8530]

Another Sunday AM made great , thanks ! Happy Mothers Day to all the Mom's out there.

[@michaelbushey8880]

Love the Red Green reference while using the parting tool.

[@IngridOBrien6]

That cracked me up when he quoted Red Green.

[@RRRIBEYE]

This is absolutely one for my archives! I have this exact tractor 😁 It's still in excellent condition...but if it ever breaks down, I can see this as a very handy video for downloading and saving! Thanks, Darren!

[@Tb0n3]

I've got one too. Last year it just wouldn't keep oil to the dip stick so I got a BX2380 with a mow deck.

[@RRRIBEYE]

@@Tb0n3 I had that problem and noticed - even after adding teflon tape, that plastic oil drain would not get tight enough to not drip oil and that would run down the side of the frame and found the muffler and would smoke mosquitos up to 2 counties away! (and I'd always have to add oil - so I added a 3/8" nipple X 3" with lots of teflon and that screwed into the block nice 'n tight, then added a threaded 3/8" coupler with heavy tape and then re-inserted that plastic drain and it hasn't lost any oil since! I thought my rings were bad, but nope!!

[@emmanuelgoldstein3682]

I've had the 1046 for about 15 years and it's still going strong like new. Although, I'm one of those guys that will change the fluids every year for fun, whether it needs it or not.

[@alan6832]

The donor did not do a great job of including parts. I suppose the new electric clutch might have been returnable, but the old clutch, drove belt and flywheel cover should all have been included, for both diagnostic reasons and possible reuse.

[@alan6832]

Can any of you go look at your machine and tell us the proper capture bar placement? I can think of 2 explanations for it not matching the chatter marks. One is that the rod is in the wrong hole in the frame. There are 4 to choose from and 2 of them look closer to the chatter mark height. The other explanation is that the replacement electric pulley just has it's restraint bracket at a different height than on the one it replaced. Anyway, several of you should be able to go look at your own machines and answer the question for all of us.

[@brainiac_brian]

Great video! Thank you! Regarding the metal piece across the deck, I have a later model of that mower. Removing that strip of metal in front of the chute may have been intentional. I cut mine off. The cut grass kept getting caught in it and clogging the chute. I don't bag my grass and it was a real pain to stop and clear the chute all the time. Removing it solved the problem. Great job!

[@salmonhunter7414]

Anyone can buy new stuff. Make things from what you have "is the genius". Thanks for sharing all these years.

[@larryd.214]

Ahhh....coffee and Mustie...a great Sunday morning!

[@davearthur514]

Purrs like a kitten, with a sore throat. great video as always Mustie1

[@crantzdorf5929]

Cool learning about the electric clutch. More great trouble shooting and diy solutions once again!

[@calholli]

I don't like the electric clutch.. There's nothing wrong with the old engagement throw lever.. Why make it more complicated and add something else that can break and cost you good money? I don't get it. It's an upgrade that we don't need.

[@lexion2772]

I turned my Dad on to you a few years ago, and he loved your channel. He passed, last year. Thank you, for what you do.

[@mikehillman-huber5451]

“Could we order one? Yeah, but what’s the fun in that?” 29:40. It’s my philosophy too.

[@kensherwood4866]

Another garden machine resurrected and given a new life, well done Mustie1, you must have one of the greenest channels going, and one of the most entertaining for those of us who love technical projects.

[@gispel7058]

Always find the fixes you do with stash parts and most notably the curved metal bridge from that old rusty deck.....very satisfying and resourceful . Adapting things to function knowing how much you can get away with. Brilliant

[@Leroys_Stuff]

Good morning Mustie Family coffee and time to hang out in the shop.

[@spooktasticaparanormal]

Hey Darren, I thank God for your presence in the world. Absolutely fantastic video. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with the world. Kind regards. Paul.👍👍👍👍👍

[@toddavis8603]

You repaired that Cub Cadet so well, that the previous owner wants to buy it back! NEW HAMPSHIRE mechanics God Bless☆☆☆☆

[@scottfirman]

I had that happen with a chipper/ shredder. It was given to me. I tore it down and found it jammed with wood. The cutters needed sharpening( which I did) and cleaned the carburetor, and it ran and operated great. I told the previous owner and he bought it back from me.

[@Adierit]

I have one of these under a car port that has blown a hole in its second block at this point

[@danpags7023]

My wife and I just came back from a trip to the blue home improvement center. We were both flabbergasted at the price of power equipment.😮 The retail on the smallest red tractor was $2500. It pays to find and fix these units. Great video, as always Mustie.

[@eskieman3948]

Agreed, and the majority of the lawn mowers at the home improvement centers are overpriced crap.

[@TheOtherBill]

@@eskieman3948 Pretty much all of them made in the last ~20 years are. All plastic and lightweight sheet metal. Even the high priced dealer ones have so much plastic that falls apart in sunlight.

[@calholli]

Yeah, I just picked up a Super LT 1550.. It has the 25hp Koholor twin, and larger rear tires. I got it for 200 hundred and it looks very nice and new still.. I looked it up, and it was a $3400 tractor when it was new. That's twice what I paid for my Acura MDX. lol.. I don't know who is buying these new and giving them away so cheap -- but god bless them. lol.. (granted, it doesn't have a deck)

[@calholli]

@@TheOtherBill You can't even buy a Truck without it being covered in plastic. That's just the way to go these days. Injection molding is too cheap not to do it.

[@vine2244]

​@@TheOtherBillthat's why you just go buy a scag and be done. Theres no thin sheet metal or plastic my 3 year old scag

[@frankie7508]

That was a lot of work for this mower. I think the owner made a smart economic decision to get rid of it. Only a handful of people could do what this guy did on the video. Nice work, but it was a labor of love.

[@arthurbiringer5676]

Another award winning resuscitation! But we didn’t see the lights on!

[@ManxAndy]

Morning Mustie crew…..happy Sunday viewing👍👌🇮🇲

[@Adam_Lynn]

Morning :D

[@publicgiants]

Morning!!

[@chrispbacon3042]

Good evening ! It is nearly monday.

[@ManxAndy]

@@chrispbacon3042 still only 14.20 here in the Isle of Man 🇮🇲👍😜👌

[@chrispbacon3042]

@@ManxAndy Just gone monday here

[@chrisscott1547]

I think Darren can fix almost anything. What a joy it is to learn mechanics from a pro.

[@billdyke9745]

Just when I was thinking I should get the mower out, Mustie turns up with a mower movie. No contest. My grass ain't going nowhere. Except up... 🇬🇧👍

[@mikewerner3797]

I love the nod to The Red Green Show😂.👌

[@jackmanatee3162]

Another great Sunday morning vid. Thank you! Just a random thought, you've shown me that that the most useful tool in my shop is the air grinder with a wire wheel. I use that thing on almost every project.

[@themuilover]

Excellent video. I just found your channel. Your video is a classic example of NEVER throw anything away. Because you may be able to repurpose it at a later date.

[@general5104]

Good Rebuild. Thanks !!! Horse needs its Grass-a-rator adjusted...🤔.Aahhh...the sweet essence of horse manure...

[@erik34]

I was watching Andrew Camarata's latest video and there was a comment with 56 replies. In those replies people were stating their favorite channels and Mustie1 came up over and over. I'm so glad I found this channel cause this is most definitely one of the best! I'm subbed!

[@rydplrs71]

For the pulley I would have flipped the tractor to let engine weight pull on the pulley and use the air hammer. It’s great to see someone else using vibration to free frozen stuff though. Not many people do. They often look at me like I have 3 heads when I suggest using one. One other tip, I had a few bits made at a machine shop to fit around bolts and just contact the shaft. It keeps them aligned so you can really give them the beans without sliding off.

[@Psycodiver69]

The valve covers on these Kohler motors bend super easy on the early motors. The make a updated cover with a brace to keep the cover from warping, I had to do get this when I did my valve adjustment

[@jeffsaunders2778]

Love the Red Green quote. Made me smile.

[@jimmy6754]

Eye ball sockets😂😂🎉cataracts😂😂😂I can see clearly now 😂😂😂😂❤ love it👍

[@MRrwmac]

Mustie1, Nice acquisition and good retrofit to bring it back to life. Nice work on finding and adapting the drive pulley.

[@jamesvainowski3887]

Nice job thanks for showing us the tricks you have learned along the way and thanks for showing Troy the ropes everyone needs a mentor like you .

[@jasonwaterhouse50]

I agree with everyone else on here I've said it before but me personally would watch you fix a toaster for 2 hours because we have a laugh and learn stuff love it keep up the great work love the channel been watching for a long time now thanks for the great vids and laughter

[@kenpecora7526]

My first car was a 1939 chevy master deluxe four door sedan. Now, 54 years later, I'm working on a '40 ford tudor. I guess I've come full circle.

[@JohnDoe-df2zz]

Nice repair. Its always amazing the sheer number of problems many of these machines have before they actually die.

[@geraldharkness8830]

what a brilliant revival mower,well done mustie!

[@MrPaige222]

This channel and vice grip are about the only ones I will always watch for an hour or 2 without fast forwarding.

[@staceygandy2009]

I have worked on small engine equipment for 20 plus years as a side job. The chute side I use round bar stock and actually rebar stock. It actually holds up better than the original weak thin crap original metal.

[@davidmoody239]

Another fine restoration, im learning lots about small engines and having a blast. I did in plant maintenance and some electrical which wasn't as much fun. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@driver8sk]

I have the 46" version of this mower and the decks are notorious. They're really bad about bogging down, rusting, and throwing belts. I threw some extra washers to raise the pulley arm and get rid of the play which took care of most of the belt throwing. Btw, if you're fighting with the PTO engaging, replace the relay.

[@IIDeCkArDII1]

... as per usual yer videos put a big smile 😊on my face Darren

[@robertheinkel6225]

I have serviced those mower deck idler pulleys before. Just pop off the dust cap, clean the bearings, and pack them with grease. Reinstall the grease seal, and it can be better than new, as long as the bearing balls are not damaged.

[@dominicharkins829]

Great stuff mate awesome watching down here in Australia

[@Ralphs-House]

Been several; years now. Never miss your videos. I think its the logical approach. Often find myself having conversations with you as you work. That would be fun - working alongside an old-school Brit mechanic. 😆 Oh yeah, I'm a VW man too. Agree on witness marks! Would it not be possible to make new blades?

[@fullmetaljacket7]

7:02 I love the 60hz hum of a battery charger.

[@nathanmoak1515]

when i was working on sears junk in '76, i had to put a belt on a riding mower that was sitting in a field on a fire ant hill. loads of fun! good times!

[@marksmithson1414]

Darren again an amazing video. I've always wondered about the electric clutch set up on riders I appreciate that you take the time to explain how these things work in such detail. You have inspired me to take up repairs on mowers and riders. Thank you so much.

[@williamwinsor7376]

The cone actually holds the flywheel and the key really centers it so use a little fine valve compound to lap it in to help it hold. Makes a huge difference.

[@stevejuststuff2779]

Never seen a Cub Cadet that wasn't junk after a few years. Love your videos and thanks again.

[@scottbaker9066]

I got a CubCadet 1045 from a neighbor with the cracked block Kohler 22hp Broken case when the case top lid bolts backed out up into the flywheel. So i got a 28hp Brigs from CraigsList and put it on, took off the mower deck and ran that sucker in the county fair derby! put it back together and sold it for 300

[@scottmeeker9971]

I picked a free Cub Cadet walk behind mower, the only thing wrong with it was the pull start rope was broken. Win 👍

[@XxPhasemanxX]

You can make $1,000+ flipping mowers in a year if you try people just give these things away free or super cheap and they can be running within the hour.

[@paulterhaar4862]

I caught my self imitating Mustie while fixing my car the other day 🙈

[@789costela]

Yeh dream on bud it wil never happend! 😂

[@Iowa599]

Did you make the wrong part fit, or talk to yourself?

[@ImSrry4BeingWhite]

​@@Iowa599 yooooo fellow Iowan represent!!

[@derbf1]

Raises ✋️, guilty 😊

[@jasontruman1215]

Mustie and vice grip garage get quoted about any time I have a wrench in my hand!!!

[@richardgroom8003]

Thank u. It’s the “hunches” that keeps me gloo’d to your channel. Great content every time!!!

[@gymntonic]

I had a slightly different model Cub Cadet. It had a B&S horizontal shaft engine though. Not a bad rig but the deck eventually fell apart.

[@user-pg5tn1nw2l]

I love your videos, keep it up

[@mikemccoy4832]

Have to acknowledge the Red Green reference. Loved that show... quando omni flunkus moritati

[@hangman396]

Eric, another great tear down... It's just not Saturday without it... Thank you for your time, and efforts in doing this for us...

[@gregdawson1909]

Might be worth it to lap that tapered shaft to the flywheel, with the smearing of that key I'm guessing its not mating very well any more. the taper should be doing the majority of the work to keep the flywheel in position. the key is really just there to help install the flywheel in time.

[@1pcfred]

He lapped the taper with a wire wheel. Cleaner than a whistle.

[@gregdawson1909]

@@1pcfred Just pointing out that flywheel gets its mechanical connection to the crank mostly though that jamming taper, once its spun and run loose you know its not likely to be very good, so a few minutes to check and improve it is IMO worthwhile. I did not see the wire wheel on the crank snout or the flywheel, not saying he didn't, however I am saying that other than removing loose trash and rust that is not going to fix a bad taper fit.

[@1pcfred]

@@gregdawson1909 it seems OK now to me. Mustie always wire wheels stuff. He knows what it takes.

[@mikespain8655]

The Kohler Courage (single cylinder especially) has lots of design issues, read up on it if interested. The owner most likely ruined the crankshaft drive pulley by prying the belt guide tabs in an attempt to remove drive belt. Best way to remove drive belt without damaging drive pulley is to drop the PTO clutch. The u-shaped piece you have holding the PTO clutch on is the pto belt guide. There is usually a straight piece coming down that holds the PTO clutch in place, not the belt guide holding the clutch as you have it installed. As long as the clutch holds, I guess it works. Sell it!

[@VikingShipExplorer]

It takes Courage to own a Courage. My Parts mower ( Husqvarna 2042) had real flames coming out of the hood when the block decided to come apart beneath the flywheel. Oil on the exhaust, POOF!!! What an amazing melt down that was.

[@1pcfred]

The way that clutch is held did look a bit sketchy to me. But it appears to work.

[@scottp2462]

I have a similar cub cadet and the belt guide does in fact double as the electric PTO stop. His install was correct.

[@jamescook5738]

Wow that chain hoist brings back many memories of pulling engines between two pine trees in th front yard in th country in Arkansas. The humming of ur battery charger is music to my old ears. Enjoy every vid you make. The 26th of this month will be 40 years since I lost my hands n my joy of bein a mechanic. Ur vids brin back great memories. Thanks.

[@garyruark9506]

The Toro and Troy Built are MDT stuff. I work on riding mowers for a hobby and never saw one with a spun key. The belt usually slips before that happens. I always retorque bolts on mowers I don't know or have age on them. Especially head bolts. Adjust the valves too.

[@weehelen1]

Howdy, Mustie. I love your videos. Keep doing what you do. Love from Bonnie Scotland x

[@eugenebaroni1298]

Great job 👍.. a little bit of Red Green thrown in awesome... Have a great rest of your week.

[@bennyt.christensen3970]

Na da freute sich wieder mein Bastel ich. Danke 😂 Ihr habt mein Sonntag gerettet 😉👍👍

[@rkelsey3341]

A quote from "Red Green" is always appropriate!

[@mikeromine6495]

I have about a 2013 Cub Cadet LTX46KW that has 250 hours on it. Very well maintained and garage kept. Interesting video.

[@danaowen9014]

I lost it when you said the pony had a nice dew.😂

[@gearheadgregwi]

Wrench turned outside all day Saturday. Old man arthritis today. Time to watch Mustie work.

[@rsmith3062]

LOL, Mustie made a funny, turns key no flywheel, surprised motor doesn't turn! Yup been there done that! Love ya man!

[@giggiddy]

Best mechanics in the world make those sillys... lol

[@gr8t1bobo]

I have to many things to do I said.. I'm just going to skim through the video I said... Nope I sat and watched it all and another one I missed. Great video as usual!

[@luisbatista1103]

Good morning from Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada👍👏👍🇨🇦

[@klassenlm]

Happy mosquito season.

[@luisbatista1103]

@@klassenlm Yes yes can't wait🙄

[@gs1100ed]

That electric clutch is more trouble than it’s worth. I think it was the villain that caused that key to shear.

[@goosecreeksouth9327]

Nice to see the Home again. Thanks for the videos 😊

[@allyouneed71]

A Red Green reference ... love it

[@kcraig51]

As soon as I seen that Kohler Courage engine, I was like....There's your problem, if not now, it will be soon! Here's a tip...Drill a center hole in the bolt and use a pointed bit in the air hammer. That one was so rusty, probably not!

[@blackenedmagic888]

Nice Red Green (a.k.a.: Steve Smith) reference at 31:45, Mustie! Cheers from Canada!

[@raiderx7410]

wow, hes really gonna make the pulley. Only here folks. Such a gem.

[@died4us590]

I love these video's, because when you were looking for a pulley, and said can we order one, my immediate thought was nope, because you never order anything until you've exhausted your stash, or you just don't have any other means of fixalating it. I am with you on using what ya got, except sometimes when it's a carb, you do need stuff like a diaphragm if the carb is really old, and gaskets don't survive to good coming apart. I did buy a supply of different gasket sheets, and use an exacto knife to cut them out, used to use cereal box's, or other thin card board and some gasket spray. You always entertain, and i love that you don't use music, or try to sell a bunch of garbage like simply safe, where you can buy thing on amazon to interupt an alarm to shut it down. I saw that on lock picking lawyer as a suggested video once, but i really didn't care for a channel that teaches thing's that a criminal could use. G-d bless everyone.

[@davidgilpin5200]

Mustie1, the certified Grass Rat ™of New Hampshire. Teryl will be proud, Darren... keeping that Scrub Cadet out of the junkpile!

[@sergeantpeppers8858]

I have a Cub Cadet LT 1042 just like that one. Bought it new in June 2005. I love it.

[@HipaParts]

Very informative video. I Learned lots of details from watching the diagnosis and repair.

[@daviddamico4288]

Nice job Darren,looks great and now it runs…