[Evans Ward]

Took both of my Snapper Robin 2 cycle mowers to my mechanic to get them repaired before he got busy with upcoming cutting season coming. He finished with the older white motored one first which only needed a good carb cleaning, spring replacement on carb linkages, and a tuning. Got it back and it runs good. Can't wait to try it out once the grass comes back in! I'm using a mulch plug and an unidentifed blade which I need to sharpen. I did crank it and walked it around the driveway. It's a SP and BBC model. I think I want to try those ninja mulch blades (anyone care to give a review?) on this mower too. Now for the second newer black motored unit's update which was not good news...... piston damage on skirts by apparent straight gas or very leaned mixture. Didn't have enough compression to light it up. He said the cylinder bores looked OK and is on stock bore. I ordered up a new piston, piston rings, piston clips, wrist pin, and new needle bearings to go along with a new head and cylinder gaskets. Did notice that all of the original part numbers had been superceded to a new part # with a YP suffix. Ordered through RCPW/ Sohar's at about $100 shipped. Special order shipment that will take 2-3 wks to get them drop shipped from the manufacturer. I'll have alittle more $ in this one than I wanted but decided to proceed on since I had already bought a pricey coil at $117 in addition to the purchase price. I bought this mower as a non-runner so one of the PO's did the damage. I'll update this thread as the repair progresses.

 

[Ranger302j]

Thanks for the update Evans. I'm glad to hear it was relatively "minor" and that you can put both of them back into running condition. I actually have the ninja blade on mine...I think it does a nice job of mulching, chops the grass very finely. The cut is pretty good looking. You do have to use a slower ground speed if the grass is even moderately thick, especially something like St Augustine grass. If the grass is thick AND wet, well it can be even more of a bear...but I've found this WR 2-cycle has pretty adequate power in most cases for mulching.

I would say $100 for all those parts isn't bad, considering some parts you can no longer buy for this engine, period. If that's all it takes to get it running, it should easily last another couple of decades with proper care so I would say it's a good investment. Can you determine if the original coil was even bad? If not, you may want to swap it with one of the running ones to see if it still is good. With any luck you might have a spare coil for these!

 

[Evans Ward]

I did keep the old coil so thanks for that suggestion as I'll try it at some point on a runner. Thanks also for the review of the ninja blade. One thing I noticed with the mulch plug in the upswept chute is that even with it snuggly sealed; it allows blow by with dust, etc. I may look for that contoured black plastic piece to use instead. I also need to see if any of the older snapper bags will fit one of these Robins. I use all of my 2 cycle walk behinds as that's all I have. I have 4 runners and plan on 5 once the other snapper is repaired. I have a back up for both my son and I with another to spare! He's young and loves the easy stride LB 10550. Good times....

 

[lawnboy dan]

my experience with the robin 2 stroke and the ninja is that the engine dosnt have enough power for this taxing blade. esp on one with bbc. others will dissagree but i have real world commercial experience on my side (25 years worth). the only snapper with enough power for the ninja blade is the 5 and 6.5 4 stroke robin and the kawl fj180. the ninja workes much better on the non high vac deck. the gator is what you want for your snapper . the robin 2 stroke is not a powerfull engine-just extremly robust. the ninja blade is also very expencive. you can buy 2 gators for the price

 

[Evans Ward]

Thanks for sharing that with me Dan as I appreciate your insight and years of experience! I'm familiar w/ Gators as I use them on both of my LBs with good results. Do you happen to know the Oregon Manufacturing part number for the Snapper 21" Gator blade? Since we're talking Snapper Robin 2 cycles, what is your take on the reusable K&N filter made specifically for it? Worth the investment? I also need to look up RPM for these Robin engines to check where the mechanic set it.

 

[LBO]

That is money well invested in great machines, EW. Those Robins are getting harder and harder to find.

 

[BDM53]

my experience with the robin 2 stroke and the ninja is that the engine dosnt have enough power for this taxing blade.

Got to agree with you on that one. They are fun machines but IMO they need a little nitrous in the tough stuff :fing32:

 

[LBO]

The Snapper Extra Tough with the WR 2 stroke is on my wish list. I have the WR185v on a Snapper Commercial pusher and it is a monster. The quality build of the Robins is top notch, and they are so tough...

 

[lawnboy dan]

if not mowing comm. then the k&n filter is a great deal. one filter would last a lifetime. i would be cleaning it daily for the kind of use my snappers get. leaf cleanups mostly -lots of dirt and dust. i have to clean my filters daily. i will have to look up the oregon gator #. its great you could still get the rebuild parts for black robin. price wasnt as high as i would expect. gators and snapper are a perfect match. the ninja is awesume on the non hivac decks with enough hp behind it.

 

[Indy452]

I don't like the ninja blades and they are strictly for mulching...no bagging. I find that the clipping tend to fly around too much as well and get all over the deck sides and wheels. Like others have said, go with the gator on the robin 2 cycle....thats what i do.

 

[rscurtis]

If you want your Robin to last, steer clear of a K&N.

 

[Ranger302j]

Looks like these other guys out-did me on the review, but I only have experience using it on my lawn whereas they are seasoned and experienced professionals so I would value their opinion over my own to be honest. Yes those mulch plugs leak...you can either put the bag back on over it or do like I did and wrap a ring of foam weatherstripping around the circumference of the plug and leave it in place without the bag. Certain older bags will fit them, depends on the model of the deck you have. If I recall, in terms of 80s and 90s models...generally the white bags fit regular and X-tra tough models whereas the black bags fit the Commercial models.

 

[lawnboy dan]

i would still want to use a pre filter with the k&n. i should have said so eailer

 

[Evans Ward]

I'll stick with the OEM filter w/pre-filter. My white motored WR is an X-tra Tough BBC model and I know the model # for it and the sticker is still present. I don't see a sticker or model # on my later black motored one- anyone know what that might be? I know it has EC-13V on the engine. Any tips, suggestions, or peculairarities I may need to know as a new WR 2 cycle owner?

 

[Ranger302j]

Make sure to keep the air filters very clean. I typically blow mine out with compressed air (from the inside out) after each use. The Mikuni carbs are very sensitive to having stale fuel/varnish and trash in them as this will make the engine surge quite easily. Keep your fuel fresh or drain it out of the tank and carb bowl if it will sit unused for over 2 months. I recommend shutting off the fuel tank valve whenever you are done for the day. Oh and make sure you always use 2-cycle fuel and not straight gas!:thThumbsU

FYI the EC-13V and the WT1-125V are the same engine. When Wisconsin and Robin's partnership ended, Robin reverted to using their own nomenclature (EC series engines). Parts are identical for both, other than the color of the shroud.

 

[Evans Ward]

Mowed with the Snapper WR 2 cycle (older white engine model) for 1st time today knocking down the weeds in my back yard. 72 degrees and Spring has sprung in Georgia! Hallaluyah! It was finicky to get it started but did exceptionally well once warmed up. I mowed at next to lowest cutting level setting and the grass/ weeds were damp and it powered right through. I'm going to pass judgement until after the grass grows in and I cut with it then. I also got in my engine parts from Sohar's for the newer black engine WR Snapper 2 cycle and will take them on to my mechanic for repair. I do have a question- can someone explain to me in layman's terms how the Snapper SP system works with that disk? I want to gain knowledge and understanding there. Is there any adjustment with the disk and how does one know when the disk needs changing? Thanks.

 

[Ranger302j]

Well.......There is a belt that runs from the crankshaft on the engine (under the deck) to that flat disc. You'll see a tensioner pulley right alongside the drive disc that keeps the belt tight. The tensioner is on a pivot arm and a spring on the opposite side of the arm pulls the tensioner against the belt. You can see the spring if you look behind the mower right under the disc...it attacheds from the pivot arm to the side of the deck. If the belt gets worn, or that spring becomes weak, you will notice that it bounces around alot and the drive system may even slow or stop spinning when you are trying to engage the self propel handle. The drive disc has a ball bearing where it attaches to that same pivot arm as the tensioner. Eventually they do wear...with the mower off, press down on the disc with your hand. It should not have much play (a little is acceptable). If it wobbles alot as you press down, the bearings are wearing out and you should replace the drive disc/tensioner assembly.
The driven disc that rides on top of the drive disc has a rubber ring around it and it rides on the drive disc...to alter self propel speed, you can see the speed lever slides it closer to the center of that drive disc (slower) and it moves its way outward as you increase the drive speed setting (faster). This driven disc is attached to a horizontal shaft and on the other end of that shaft is a pulley. When you squeeze the self propel handle it pulls on a tensioner and that belt tightens around the pulley and provides drive to the differential where the wheel axles attach. Does this make sense? Are you having problems with the drive not working properly?

Also, check on your engine to make sure the choke linkage is in place and adjusted so that when the throttle is fully down, the choke is fullt closed. On the carb it will be the linkage attached to the lever closest to your air cleaner.

 

[Evans Ward]

Thanks Ranger for taking the time to type and explain that to me. I'll look at those areas. On the choke, I do think it needs tweaking as the butterfly valve isn't fully closed with choke lever all the way down. It's close to closed but not fully. I'll look to make that adjustment.

 

[Ranger302j]

Yeah, it should really close fully to make starting easier. It's possible that just the throttle cable needs adjustment. You'll see where it runs from the handlebar to the engine there is a screw and clamp that holds it in place on the engine, you may just need to set the throttle to max and pull that cable one direction until it pulls the choke linkage fully closed, then tighten the screw on the clamp back.

 

[Evans Ward]

^ Ranger- that worked but the cable seems old and the pull/ feel isn't smooth. Might have to take it off and lube the carb side end with my motorcycle cable luber tool and MC cable lube. Is the throttle cable model specific or are there others that will work for this application?

Mechanic also has the other one running after replacing the piston, needle bearing, and wrist pin. Heard it over the phone. Says it needs a carb cleaning since it won't run at lower RPM. Almost ready for pick up!