[kb0nly]

I got a steal of a deal on this tractor, $157 on eBay for the tractor, 38" deck, 36" blower, weight box, chains, all the original manuals which i just found in another box. The deck is in good shape, little surface rust i plan on sanding and painting over the winter to be ready for spring, needs the blades sharpened but otherwise they are serviceable. Blower works great and doesn't appear to have much use, needs new skids, after spending time looking at them today i think they died a slow death from sitting on the wet cement floor where it was stored rather than wear from use, new ArmorSkids on the way for that.

The only bad part? Its a 935015 so it has the KawaCrapi 12.5Hp engine that loves to have valve and valve seat problems. This one had three loose head bolts, retorqued and put in a new plug and oil and gas and i did manage to get it to run and drive, albeit running poorly and LOUDLY, man these suckers are loud, of course i think the muffler might have been rotted a bit also. I gave up on this engine, wasn't going to put anymore money into it.

I invested in a B&S 13.5hp Intek, cast iron bore, model 21B907-0029 which should replace the Kawa nicely. Have to make some minor wiring changes, the B&S is a dual circuit alternator, 14v AC for the lighting, and a 3a DC output for battery charging. I also need to add a starter solenoid, the Kawa had a starter with solenoid on it, the B&S of course does not.

I got the engine pulled, power washed everything, got it all degreased and clean, and all the wiring modifications done except for the wires that go to the engine, still hanging free waiting for engine so i know what length is needed, connectors, etc.

Work left to complete...

Install pulley on new engine
Bolt in new engine
Install drive belt
Connect wiring
Connect fuel
Connect throttle

Test Run
Reinstall Hood
Install new skids on blower

Then this winter i will go through and rebuild deck for it, bearings seem ok, needs new belts and some painting mainly.

 

[kb0nly]

Engine received today!! Was nice seeing the FedEx truck back up the driveway!

The previous part number was superseded by Briggs. This is model 219907-3029-G5. Has a vacuum operated fuel pump and even included a new fuel filter! All i needed was a short piece of new fuel line to the shutoff on the tractor.

It was also a nice touch that they included a nice long pigtail with the mating plug for the dual alternator output. So that made rewiring the tractor even easier. They didn't include the mating plug for the ignition kill wire, but i just chopped that off and put on my own style of QD connector.

The install went smooth. Needed a new 7/16"x1"-24 bolt, washer, and lockwasher for the crank. The stock Kawa motor was a 5/16" bolt to hold the pulley on. The original pulley was just cleaned up, sanded inside, oiled a bit inside with some light machine oil and just installed. I thought it had a ding in it but closer inspection after removing it shows it was manufacturing mark on the pulley, i assume from balancing.

Throttle cable install was one screw and making sure it worked through its full range, its a choke-a-matic carb so it works with the original control to engage the choke when pushed past full throttle.

Re-used the stock large washers for the head of the engine bolts underneath but used four new 5/16" x 1 1/2" grade 8 bolts along with nuts and washers and lockwashers to bolt down the engine. The stock Kawa has threaded mounting holes the Briggs is not.

Got all the wiring done except the starter solenoid and starter cable, not here yet, ordered the solenoid and engine from same place but engine was drop shipped from warehouse and the solenoid is coming from retail location, should be here tomorrow so i will finish the electric start then.

The Kawa motor had a nice oil drain extension on it, which i re-used on the Briggs, same size and thread. Funny thing is, i took the brass elbow and oil drain extension off the old Kawa and the brass elbow has a Briggs emblem stamped in it!! This was factory installed as shown in the manual, i assume since this model was available with a Briggs from the factory as well that they just used the same part when going down the production line.

The exhaust is on the right side now instead of the left, but it clears the hood and everything fine. It came with the Briggs deflector to screw onto the muffler, i have put that on, just not in the pictures. I aimed it down to keep the sound and exhaust coming back at me to a minimum.

Filled it up with oil and fresh gas, turned on the ignition switch, and pull started. Took a few pulls for the gas pump to prime and fill the carb. Runs like a dream! Drove it around the block, tried the blower again, everything working great until the main drive belt popped off again. I have a new one on order should be here beginning of next week and then i will fix that problem, it had that problem with old engine as well. The belt is just worn and in need of replacement. The idler pulley tension spring seems plenty strong but its over so far the two sides of the belt nearly touch, time for a new one!

Overall it was a very easy swap. Just have to make the electric start work now, that involves installing the solenoid and connecting the wires, i have everything made up and waiting to install. Charging the battery good, the lights all working nice, all the electrical changes worked perfectly.

If you run a Sno-Thro on her like i do the only thing i found is that the lift assist spring on the right side will just touch the muffler when the blower is all the way down. But i have a plan for that, just move the spring to the other side of the bar. You could put a different muffler on too if it really bothered you, but there is plenty of clearance, talking barely touching here. Otherwise perfect fit and a great replacement for the YT-12!

 

[kb0nly]

Final post... All done except for a few belts, waiting for them on order. Got a new fuel gauge/cap yesterday as well. Electrical done, hood bolted back on. New clips in all the attachment points, PO had some fencing staples and nails in places, got new ArmorSkids on, love the look of them, should help her float over the gravel driveway.