Hit $1,500 on a lawn tractor rebuild after snapping a bolt in the block

So I got this old Craftsman lawn tractor for free from my neighbor because the deck was rusted out. Figured I'd fix it up cheap. But then I snapped a head bolt off in the aluminum block trying to get the valve cover off. Had to buy an extractor set, then a helicoil kit, then ended up rebuilding the whole top end. Parts kept piling up. New carb, new fuel lines, battery, blades, belts. Before I knew it, I had $1,500 into this free mower and about 40 hours of work. My wife asked if I could have just bought a new one cheaper. Probably, but now I know how to rebuild a Briggs engine. Plus it cuts like a dream. Anyone else ever track their costs on a "free" project? It's scary.

2 comments

2 Comments

davidh888d agoMost Upvoted

I was just reading this on a small engine forum the other day, someone had the exact same thing happen with a Kohler engine on a riding mower. They spent almost $2,000 bringing a dead mower back to life. It's wild how those little jobs just snowball on you. One broken bolt and suddenly you're rebuilding the whole top end, I've been there. My dad always said the most expensive tool you own is a free one, and man was he right. But like you said, now you know that engine inside and out. That knowledge is worth something even if the money side doesn't look great on paper. Plus there's something about firing it up for the first time after all that work that just feels good, no matter what the cost was.

christopher9525d ago

@davidh88 nah you're totally right, that "free" tool thing is way too real lol. I did the same thing with a snowblower I got for nothing, ended up snapping the shear pin housing and had to replace the whole auger assembly, cost me like 800 before I was done. At least now we're the guys people call when their stuff breaks, and that's gotta be worth something.