Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

got a (1994?) troy-built mower self propelled. other than bad speed control..very nice.  paid $10.   is this mower worth investing in a new control? heard that part is very expensive.  just curious    thanks    Gene

If it's anything like my father's 93 front drive, forget it.  The design of the drive mechanism puts power to the front wheels via a metal-toothed drive gear to an internal plastic ring gear on the wheels.  There is a plastic cover "protecting" the plastic gear  on the wheels.  All it really does is let the dirt and grass in and not let it back out again. 

The plastic wears alot, the steel wears too.   I was told the parts are NLA.  Even if they were, I wouldn't bother. 

I just removed the drive mechanism.  Unfortunately, you still need to keep the steel drive gears on the end of the shaft (they hold the wheel mounting brackets on).  I wound up removing what was left of the inner plastic teeth on the wheels. 

It's a push mower now.  This drive mechanism is like a Rube Goldberg machine-it may work on paper, but not for long in the real world.  Really poor design. 

My 2 cents.

Ralph

Ralph,

Had the same "drive system" on an old Craftsman mower.  Another problem is that the metal gear is very strong and the plastic teeth on the inside of the wheel aren't.  Seems like every time I hit a fence post or tree with one of the drive wheels, a tooth or two either broke off or stripped.  Didn't take long before the drive didn't work.  The good news is that new wheels were not all that expansive and easy to change.

LL

thanks for the input guys- I have enough 'junk' around here..don't need more. I will look at the drive system and if it is like the 93 ( plastic ring gear on wheel) it is going to be on next trip to salvage yard.    thanks again      Gene.   p.s. the 5hp quatrum motor (BS) worth saving, or is it just a fancy name for a normal BS engine?

As I mentioned, it is now a push mower.  The engine seems fine- starts easy, pretty quiet and smooth (compared to the 1988 Tec on my Snapper). 

My brother in law uses it on his flat lawn at his house.  He seems to like it. 

Ralph

Geno,

I had the Troy Bilt mower with front wheel drive before Troy was bought out. If memory serves me well I paid about 600.00 for it at Sears. Worst POS I ever owned, after 2 years began having difficulty with the drive mechanism, then the bag deteriorated so quickly I was having to sew it. Engine was good but the rest of the mower was certified crap. Couldn't cut a straight line, every little rut threw it off course. I fianlly donated it to the local lawnmower repair shop so he could use the engine and for parts. Save yourself the aggravation, don't invest any time or money in that machine.

Thanks for the input gang..it is going to the scrap this week-end.  my hunch was just what I thought. JUNK.  I lost only $10..but a lesson learned.  have a great day             Gene

Hi folks...

Neighbor bought a new Troybuilt self-propelled 21" walkbehind last spring...

First to third time using it... the drive system wasn't working well at all... He wasn't happy...

Dave...

i serviced an older troybilt mower some years ago .it was rear wheel drive and was buily very very good.

i was impressed with its quality and the reason i remember it after all these years is because it had a D shaped handle that was used to adjust all the wheels height at once.and it set them infinate there was no notches or anything ,you just cranked it up or down simple.

had a real heavy tranny in it and 3 or 4 speeds,nice unit.

probably only made a few and never any parts for them now.

new troy stuff dosent interest me much now,im gonna miss those rear tine tillers.

later chris