I Fixed Up This Riding Mower. Before and After Pics

Tyler here.  I've been wanting a riding lawnmower for a while.  We have a big lawn and I could mow it a lot faster with one.  Well, riding mowers aren't cheap.  At Lowe's or Home Depot they are around $1,000.  Even used ones that run don't go for much less than $500.

We were visiting my brother Kevin to see their new baby and noticed there were two riding mowers that looked like they hadn't been run in a while.  I mean a while...like years.  I asked him to ask his in-laws if they were interested in selling me one for cheap.  He inquired and they said I could have the Husqvarna if I hauled it away.  Thanks Reeve family!

We showed up with a trailer to assess what I was getting into.  There were two flat tires and it looked bad.  But the engine didn't look too bad.  So we filled the tires and they held enough air to at least roll it onto the trailer.  The steering didn't work, which was puzzling.

Here are some before pictures so you can see what we were dealing with.

Here is what I did to the mower:

Replaced battery
Fixed two tubeless tires by sticking tubes inside (actually most difficult part of the job)
Repaired brand new tube because I poked a hole in it while trying to get tire back together
Replaced fuel filter
Replaced section of the fuel line
Replaced starter switch
Replaced drive belt
Cleaned out carburetor
Sharpened blades
Reupholstered the seat
Removed deck to scrape off rust and repaint.
Sprayed rubberizer on engine cowling because the fiberglass was disintegrating.
Repainted most of the mower orange and black
Designed new logos and had my Bro-in-law cut them out in vinyl for me

Total cost to restore so far: $106.60

Monica was away when I got it running for the first time and I was going to try to surprise her, but Ava spilled the beans telling a story of me driving the mower around the neighborhood with her in the PowerWheels next to me.  Monica could not believe I got it started.  My brother Kevin could not believe it either.

Well, believe it baby.

Here are the results:



Lest you think it is just eye candy, it actually runs!


 And here are some work in progress photos: