My New Craftsman Franken Tractor!

2660 Views 23 Replies 8 Participants Last post by WrongDoug, Jul 24, 2019

WrongDoug

Discussion Starter · Jun 26, 2019

Hi all, I've owned a Roper made Sears tractor in the past, but this is my first modern Craftsman machine. I picked it up off of Craigslist for free yesterday. I don't know a whole lot about it, but my brief Google search shows it is a 2011-2013 Craftsman YT3000 made by Husqvarna. It originally would've come with a 21 HP Briggs and Stratton, but the engine is not original to the tractor and the previous owner did disclose that. From Google searching the numbers on the engine, it appears to be a 16.5 HP OHV Briggs and Stratton pressure lubricated single cylinder from 2006.

According to the previous owner, the tractor had a lot of issues, but when I asked him to elaborate, he really couldn't say much. He did give me a few clues though. He said the mower ran last year, but it leaked oil everywhere. I believe I may have found the source- the breather hose was unattached to the intake and likely would've spewed a lot of oil. He said the battery was dead, but I put it on a charger and it took a charge, hopefully it will hold it. The steering wheel is broken, but I see a new one can be ordered from Sears Parts Direct for under $30. I noticed that the fan blades are broken off of the Hydrostatic transaxle fan, so that has to be replaced. My google search showed that this tractor should have a K46 Tuff Torq in it. The mower was absolutely filthy so I blew out most of the grass with compressed air and and wiped it down but it will need a more thorough cleaning. Some of the plusses are that cosmetically it's in pretty good shape. It has four good tires. The seat is perfect, and the hood is pretty nice too. It didn't include a mower deck, but I'll be keeping an eye out for one. Anyways this is more of an introduction than anything else, but I'm sure I'll have lots of questions soon. Thanks!

Land vehicle Vehicle Lawn Motor vehicle Lawn mower

View attachment IMG_20190625_145103141_1561558579663.jpg

Some of the dirt caked inside-
View attachment IMG_20190625_153302343_1561558653552.jpg

Steering part Motor vehicle Vehicle Steering wheel Auto part

I do have the red cover that goes over the engine.

Vehicle Auto part Car Tool Outdoor power equipment

1 - 20 of 24 Posts

oefveteran

· #2 · Jun 26, 2019

Find a used K66, the twin cylinder of your choice, and put a sleeve hitch on it- instant garden tractor.

Can't beat free!

WrongDoug

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jun 27, 2019

oefveteran said:
Find a used K66, the twin cylinder of your choice, and put a sleeve hitch on it- instant garden tractor.

Can't beat free!

I agree, it's hard to beat free! I like your thinking! I'm gonna try to get it moving the way it is, but the K66 swap seems like a really good idea. My yard is mild to moderately hilly, about 1.5 acres and the K46 just makes me nervous. Its probably better than it's reputation makes it out to be, but I'd feel better with a K66. Do you happen to know what machines came with a K66, so I know what to look out for?

B440

· #4 · Jun 27, 2019

Nice find! It likely had a 42" deck on it, but you could fit the 46" with little-to-no work. The Briggs Intek engine should last longer than the newer models as long as you keep oil in, and mouse nests out from under the cooling shroud. Maybe keep an eye out for a similar model as a parts machine?

WrongDoug

Discussion Starter · #5 · Jun 27, 2019

B440 said:
Nice find! It likely had a 42" deck on it, but you could fit the 46" with little-to-no work. The Briggs Intek engine should last longer than the newer models as long as you keep oil in, and mouse nests out from under the cooling shroud. Maybe keep an eye out for a similar model as a parts machine?

Thanks! Actually a 42" deck would probably better suit my needs, I have some tight spots around my yard. I spent a lot of time cleaning the engine today. I removed the whole intake and carb and the heat shields and cleaned out all the cooling fins and cleaned all the grease and grass off of it. I drained the oil and it was very diluted with gasoline, so I assume the needle and seat are leaking in the carb. I ordered a rebuilt kit from eBay for it and I should have it Monday. I filled up the crankcase with some 10w30 that I will change out very shortly after I get it running. I will be keeping an eye out on Craigslist for parts machines as I'll need to find a deck and some other parts.

Does anyone know where the 90 degree elbow below the breather tube goes to? The parts diagrams I've found just show it plugged with a pipe plug and it only had a short piece of hose with a bolt in the end plugging it when I got it.

View attachment IMG_20190626_125120549_1561596434198.jpg View attachment IMG_20190626_124716886_1561596500025.jpg

WrongDoug

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jun 27, 2019

Since I'm on the Sears/Craftsman forum, I thought I'd also post a couple pictures of my Sears Custom 10XL I fixed up a while back. I no longer have it but it was a fun machine.

When I dragged it home-

Land vehicle Vehicle Asphalt Motor vehicle Lawn

And shortly before I sold it-

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Cannon51

· #7 · Jun 27, 2019

I bought a similar tractor a few years ago. https://www.mytractorforum.com/14-craftsman-sears-forum/1009210-ys4500-bad-intek.html
It had a blown engine and a few other issues but after getting it straightened out it's made a good mower. I would guess that the elbow ran a fuel pump at one time.
Cannon

WrongDoug

Discussion Starter · #8 · Jun 27, 2019

Cannon51 said:
I bought a similar tractor a few years ago. https://www.mytractorforum.com/14-craftsman-sears-forum/1009210-ys4500-bad-intek.html
It had a blown engine and a few other issues but after getting it straightened out it's made a good mower. I would guess that the elbow ran a fuel pump at one time.
Cannon

Ahh, I'll bet you are right, it probably was for a fuel pump. I guess I'll block it off with a pipe plug since this fuel tank is gravity fed.

I only skimmed through the thread you linked, but I will read it more thoroughly soon. I'm hoping I can bring this Briggs back to life, it seems to have decent compression and it spins over just fine. The gas in the oil was a little unsettling, but hopefully it wasn't run for very long that way.

I really don't want to dump a lot of money into this machine right off the bat so I'd like to get it up and running the way it is, then I can start getting into attachments and engine and transmission swaps.

Dixon Driver

· #9 · Jun 27, 2019

You mention doing a K66 swap. One thing to keep in mind if you decide to go that route is tire clearance for the bigger tires. Not so sure 23 inch tires will fit on that machine.

WrongDoug

Discussion Starter · #10 · Jun 27, 2019

Dixon Driver said:
You mention doing a K66 swap. One thing to keep in mind if you decide to go that route is tire clearance for the bigger tires. Not so sure 23 inch tires will fit on that machine.

It's just an idea at this point. I did start and run it today for about 30 seconds to a minute and I tested the K46. It does work, forward and reverse. I only went maybe 10 feet or so. I didn't want to run it any longer for a couple reasons-

1. The gas getting in the oil. I can run it longer after I rebuild the carb.
2. Not sure what the proper oil level is. It is registering on the stick, and there is probably about 1.5 quarts in it.
3. The fan is broken on the hydro and I don't want it getting hot. I ordered a new fan off of eBay, I should have it Monday. I'll also be changing the oil in the K46 to the correct synthetic 5w50 if I can find it.

It started up immediately, it only cranked for maybe a second before it fired. It wasn't running great, I assume due to carb issues as well as probably needing a tune up. It also didn't run terrible, it responded to throttle inputs and didn't seem to surge at all. It might have a bit of a misfire bit it was hard to tell. There was a fair bit of smoke but I don't believe it was actually from the exhaust, I think most or all of it was oil and dirt burning off the exhaust and heat shields. After all, I did kick up a lot of grease while cleaning this thing and I really made no attempt to clean the muffler.

Should I continue to post my updates and questions related to this tractor here or should I start separate threads for those?

WrongDoug

Discussion Starter · #11 · Jun 29, 2019

I've begun receiving parts in the mail for this machine. They are all guaranteed by Monday. I made a short video just giving a general summary of it.

https://youtu.be/rhUtd1CSfkM

Save

WrongDoug

Discussion Starter · #12 · Jun 30, 2019

Bit of an update. Some parts started coming in for this thing, I got the fan for the hydro and replaced it. I also got a new governor spring since the old one was broken, I got a pipe plug for that breather elbow to nothing, and I got a carb kit as well. I took the carb off today to rebuild it and got the old seat out, removed the main jet, went to remove the nozzle, and it stripped out. It is stuck in there solid. I tried using easy outs, heat and penetrating oil to no avail, so the carb is basically parts now. So I ordered a new aftermarket one off of Amazon. It comes with a filter for a different style air cleaner and some other extra parts too. It has decent enough reviews so hopefully it works out. I replaced the elbow with the pipe plug and I also have a new magneto on order since the wire for the existing one is chewed up. I printed out the owners manual from SearsPartsDirect and took it over to FedEx office and had them spiral bind it and put a cover on it. Anyways that's the update.

Pipe Plug-
View attachment IMG_20190630_170204635_1561931839663.jpg

New Hydro Fan-
View attachment IMG_20190630_170324650_1561931938285.jpg

Carb kit that I won't be using and the governor spring-
View attachment IMG_20190630_170345194_1561932001784.jpg

My owners manual- View attachment IMG_20190630_174949728_1561932089350.jpg

Link to the carb I bought- https://www.amazon.com/Carbhub-Carb...ateway&sprefix=carbhub+799&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1

PtMowerMech

· #13 · Jul 2, 2019

WrongDoug said:
Thanks! Actually a 42" deck would probably better suit my needs, I have some tight spots around my yard. I spent a lot of time cleaning the engine today. I removed the whole intake and carb and the heat shields and cleaned out all the cooling fins and cleaned all the grease and grass off of it. I drained the oil and it was very diluted with gasoline, so I assume the needle and seat are leaking in the carb. I ordered a rebuilt kit from eBay for it and I should have it Monday. I filled up the crankcase with some 10w30 that I will change out very shortly after I get it running. I will be keeping an eye out on Craigslist for parts machines as I'll need to find a deck and some other parts.

Does anyone know where the 90 degree elbow below the breather tube goes to? The parts diagrams I've found just show it plugged with a pipe plug and it only had a short piece of hose with a bolt in the end plugging it when I got it.

View attachment 2383741 View attachment 2383743

The rubber tube coming out of the PVC should go to the the air filter cover, or another intake part around the carb. It's important to not plug this off, as it relieves pressure inside the crankcase.

If you'll post the numbers off the valve cover I can give you more info.

Setting the valves at 1/4 passed DTC (compression stroke) at .05 (int) & .05 (Exh)

WrongDoug

Discussion Starter · #14 · Jul 2, 2019

PtMowerMech said:
WrongDoug said:

Thanks! Actually a 42" deck would probably better suit my needs, I have some tight spots around my yard. I spent a lot of time cleaning the engine today. I removed the whole intake and carb and the heat shields and cleaned out all the cooling fins and cleaned all the grease and grass off of it. I drained the oil and it was very diluted with gasoline, so I assume the needle and seat are leaking in the carb. I ordered a rebuilt kit from eBay for it and I should have it Monday. I filled up the crankcase with some 10w30 that I will change out very shortly after I get it running. I will be keeping an eye out on Craigslist for parts machines as I'll need to find a deck and some other parts.

Does anyone know where the 90 degree elbow below the breather tube goes to? The parts diagrams I've found just show it plugged with a pipe plug and it only had a short piece of hose with a bolt in the end plugging it when I got it.

View attachment 2383741 View attachment 2383743

Click to expand...

The rubber tube coming out of the PVC should go to the the air filter cover, or another intake part around the carb. It's important to not plug this off, as it relieves pressure inside the crankcase.

If you'll post the numbers off the valve cover I can give you more info.

Setting the valves at 1/4 passed DTC (compression stroke) at .05 (int) & .05 (Exh)

If you look directly above the pipe plug there is already a breather hose that goes to the air cleaner. The 90° elbow was an extra that went nowhere. I think the valves should be okay but I will check them. Question- How do I find 1/4 past TDC?

WrongDoug

Discussion Starter · #15 · Jul 2, 2019

I fixed quite a few things on the tractor yesterday. My new carb came in the mail from Amazon and it fit pretty well. It is based off of the Nikki carb so I had to slightly modify the air cleaner housing for it to fit just right, but really just some minor filing because the main bodies are slightly different shapes. I also replaced the governor spring that was broken.

I purchased a new Briggs magneto so I installed and gapped it. The one that was on it was very corroded and falling apart and I just felt better about replacing it.

Last I repaired the broken alternator wires. They were butt spliced at some point and one had broken off. So I pulled the flywheel and removed the alternator, then soldered the wires back together and taped them up with some 3M Super 33 electrical tape.

I need to do a couple more small things then a test run should be in order!

New carb-
View attachment IMG_20190701_164023582_HDR_1562067472259.jpg

New vs old magneto-
View attachment IMG_20190701_165325115_1562067535208.jpg

Broken alternator wires-
View attachment IMG_20190701_184402150_1562067609639.jpg

WrongDoug

Discussion Starter · #16 · Jul 8, 2019

I've somewhat neglected this thread as I've been updating in the backyard round table section. However I've got this thing up and running. I initially got it running on the Nikki clone carb and it ran but smoked like h311. I was worried that someone may have run it with the gas in the crank case and scored the bore causing the smoke. Well I pulled the head and it turned out to actually be a bad head gasket. The bore looked pretty good to me. I put it back together and it now ran, but the Nikki clone carb was surging like crazy and would only run on full choke or low idle. So I took another stab at rebuilding the original Walbro carb, and I got the stuck jets out and put the rebuild kit in. Popped it on the engine and it ran great.

After that I replaced the oil and oil filter (went with a bigger Wix filter vs the Briggs OE filter) and changed the fuel line, fuel filter and added a fuel shutoff valve.

I've also changed the air filter with a new Briggs filter and replaced the missing pre-filter, and I replaced the spark plug with a Champion RC12YC gapped at .030". Lastly I replaced the busted steering wheel. The previous owner gave me the center cap so it looks great.

Seems to be running pretty good now. I need to find a mower deck for it!

Bad Head Gasket-

Auto part Engine Metal

Bicycle drivetrain part Bicycle part Auto part Crankset

New Fuel Line Setup-
View attachment IMG_20190707_172818126_1562602879253.jpg

New Steering Wheel-

Steering part Steering wheel Vehicle Red Motor vehicle

Video of it running-

https://youtu.be/nBpzQnJwc5o

WrongDoug

Discussion Starter · #17 · Jul 9, 2019

Well I pressure washed this tractor today and shined it up along with my other machine, the old faithful Cub Cadet. I used the Craftsman to pull my dethatcher around the backyard, then used the Cub Cadet with the bagger attachment to suck up the clippings. Finally got to put the Craftsman to work!

Land vehicle Vehicle Riding mower Mower Lawn

PtMowerMech

· #18 · Jul 16, 2019

Grass clippings are a good fertilizer. Not to mention they help shade the soil and keep it moist longer.

Food for thought.

Mowers look good. Having one without a deck, is handy.

WrongDoug

Discussion Starter · #19 · Jul 16, 2019

PtMowerMech said:
Grass clippings are a good fertilizer. Not to mention they help shade the soil and keep it moist longer.

Food for thought.

Mowers look good. Having one without a deck, is handy.

Thanks for the tip. I usually only bag every other mow as I know the clippings are good for the grass. I do find it necessary to bag some of the time or the thatch layer builds up very quickly.

Save

kklowell

· #20 · Jul 16, 2019

That Craftsman is looking fine now! Good job!

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