Murray machines have been a part of my life since I was in the second grade. I remember that day in early spring of 1986 when my family went to Walmart in Georgetown, KY and purchased a brand new Murray 11hp/36" lawn tractor. I remember that they were sold in huge shipping crates and you had to install the battery, seat, and steering wheel. My dad and several Walmart employees picked it up and set it into the bed of our ancient Chevy and we hauled it to our farm in Scott County.
After Dad put it together and got it going he familiarized himself with it and then taught me how to use it by letting me drive it around for awhile with the mower not turning. He made sure that I knew how to operate all the controls before he let me mow with it, and the first few times he walked behind me as I mowed in second gear (agonizingly slow for a seven year old), pointing out the many patches of unmowed grass I left.
From then on, mowing the grass was my responsibility. My maternal grandfather had recently died so mowing grandma's grass soon also became my responsibility. He had a Dynamark riding mower which from what I remember had a very troublesome blade drive engagement mechanism. My Dad eventually fixed it so the blades ran all the time. In 1990 that mower died and we bought a new Murray 12hp/38" for grandma.
Over the years I spent alot of time on that 12 horse, I still have it today. In 1996 it was supplanted by a Sears 19hp/42" machine. The Murray fell into disuse because it needed some engine work and grandma wouldn't spend the money to fix it. In 2005 grandma moved into a nursing home and I moved onto her farm, now owned by my mother. As I now had more time and a newfound passion for Murrays I pulled the old machine out of the barn and began working on it. The very tired old 12 horse B&S L-head came out and a new B&S Powerbuilt OHV 10.5 horse moved in. Over the past two years I've replaced much of the wiring, belts, mandrels, idler pulley, battery, blades, and rear tires.
"Old Red" is basically a new machine now, I'm still hunting for the perfect blades for it. Murray factory blades just don't produce enough lift for a really smooth cut. If you have alot weeds in your yard or if the ground is uneven in alot of places (both of the above!) you'll have patches of grass that are cut long or just knocked down rahter than cut. Last month, I scored a cherry 8hp/30" rear engine machine. It has a really tight turning radius and fits through tight places which is just what the inner part of my yard needs. The only gripe I have is that it has a Tecumseh engine. Of course should it ever go south a Briggs will drop right in.:fing32:
Next up, I would like to find an 11hp/36" in decent shape just like the one from my childhood. From what I understand, Murray hasn't produced any machines since around 2005. Briggs & Stratton now owns the brand and I don't know if they have any plans for it. I would suggest to them that, since they already own Simplicity and Snapper, get back to basics and let Murray do what it did quite well for most of its history. Murray's downfall began in the 90's when they introduced some really fragile hydrostatic models and tried to compete with the fancier brands while staying at a low price point. Murray can be successful again if Briggs lets the brand stay true to its roots and make simple, economical machines that work.
After Dad put it together and got it going he familiarized himself with it and then taught me how to use it by letting me drive it around for awhile with the mower not turning. He made sure that I knew how to operate all the controls before he let me mow with it, and the first few times he walked behind me as I mowed in second gear (agonizingly slow for a seven year old), pointing out the many patches of unmowed grass I left.
From then on, mowing the grass was my responsibility. My maternal grandfather had recently died so mowing grandma's grass soon also became my responsibility. He had a Dynamark riding mower which from what I remember had a very troublesome blade drive engagement mechanism. My Dad eventually fixed it so the blades ran all the time. In 1990 that mower died and we bought a new Murray 12hp/38" for grandma.
Over the years I spent alot of time on that 12 horse, I still have it today. In 1996 it was supplanted by a Sears 19hp/42" machine. The Murray fell into disuse because it needed some engine work and grandma wouldn't spend the money to fix it. In 2005 grandma moved into a nursing home and I moved onto her farm, now owned by my mother. As I now had more time and a newfound passion for Murrays I pulled the old machine out of the barn and began working on it. The very tired old 12 horse B&S L-head came out and a new B&S Powerbuilt OHV 10.5 horse moved in. Over the past two years I've replaced much of the wiring, belts, mandrels, idler pulley, battery, blades, and rear tires.
"Old Red" is basically a new machine now, I'm still hunting for the perfect blades for it. Murray factory blades just don't produce enough lift for a really smooth cut. If you have alot weeds in your yard or if the ground is uneven in alot of places (both of the above!) you'll have patches of grass that are cut long or just knocked down rahter than cut. Last month, I scored a cherry 8hp/30" rear engine machine. It has a really tight turning radius and fits through tight places which is just what the inner part of my yard needs. The only gripe I have is that it has a Tecumseh engine. Of course should it ever go south a Briggs will drop right in.:fing32:
Next up, I would like to find an 11hp/36" in decent shape just like the one from my childhood. From what I understand, Murray hasn't produced any machines since around 2005. Briggs & Stratton now owns the brand and I don't know if they have any plans for it. I would suggest to them that, since they already own Simplicity and Snapper, get back to basics and let Murray do what it did quite well for most of its history. Murray's downfall began in the 90's when they introduced some really fragile hydrostatic models and tried to compete with the fancier brands while staying at a low price point. Murray can be successful again if Briggs lets the brand stay true to its roots and make simple, economical machines that work.
