The never ending Story of fixing Mowing Murray

Just thought I make a topic about the problems mower.

Mowing Murray is our Murray 12,5 I/C 40 Pan Frame Mower Built 1992. we have it since over 10 years,  (there are existing Pics where I was a baby with my plastic mower near the Murray).

The problems began 3 years ago or so. U selected your gear, and it skipped outta the gear sometimes, or drove, stopped, drove,.. . I and Dad pulled the Peerless 930, and replaced the worn shift keys. he threw in the old bentonite Grease again, and added some Oil. Then he had some trouble putting it back together, and used the bolts, tightening them carefully to close it again. Since then it had half way of the axle hard to spin, other half very hard. I Pulled the Trans again, cuz the belt fell off if U drove in gear, higher than 4th. I replaced the bentonite junk with 000 Transmission grease and sealed it up, and I gut it to closing. It spinned easier, but still had the harder to spin point. U couldn't drive uphill 6th gear, without losing the belt. So I pulled the Trans again, and opened up the 930 I bought as a spare for cheap, which was impossible to spin. I figured out dad warped the lower case half from the bolts tightening stuff, and replaced the lower case half with the 1 of the spare 930. It was now easy to turn, but U couldn't begin driving in 6h gear, without losing the belt. 4th without load, idle, carefully is possible. The Engine also made some trouble. The electric start doesn't work, but the solnoid works, and jumping the starter works. Probably a rusty connector somewhere. The Crankcase also flooded with gas, and luckily I checked the oil before firing it up. I put in a gas shutoff valve. New Oil too. Then the Engine smoked like hell the first 3 mins after firing it up,burning oil. Also when it runs, it pukes gas outa the carb into the air filter, causing it to run like on choke under load, no power. Probablathe Valves, cuz I overhauled the carb, and no change. Then I just decided to pull the Engine, it still has good compression, and swapping on the replacement 10,5HP flathead Briggs Dad bought 7 years ago for it. Now I pulled the Transaxle again, cuz I had tons of play in the shifting linkage, and the rear pulley wobbles. I put the rear pulley off Mud Murray on, and the belt off Mud Muray too, cuz the belt in this mower was pretty chewed up and worn. Fixed the play too. And I welded the lift lever (it was cracked 3/4 way, and I broke it off last time)







IDK where I always get the motivation, fixing that thing again and again,.....
We have the Bagger for it, and a 2nd deck, and a 42" snowblower too. And he do'nt wants to let it go. But broken it only hinders me, so I just NEED to fix that                        thing!

"Murrays are the best"

@RichieRichOverdrive wrote:

"Murrays are the best"

The best I can get in this country!

he also never maintaint it, 6th gear clutch dumps, mowing hedge clippings, close to flip it by mowing 45° angled areas, mowing tall stuff 5th gear 2nd height,... oil changed every 6 years or so,...

Failure caused during missing maintenance. That could also happen with every AYP too.

I have the same problem with my 930 kicks in and out of gear at 30mph, took it all apart and cant find anything wrong

Sounds like the regular stuff i do with my Snapper LT16

@Buck wrote:

I have the same problem with my 930 kicks in and out of gear at 30mph, took it all apart and cant find anything wrong

On Dads the shift keys were a bit worn. But I wouldn't say that was the problem. Cuz smtms it kicks outta 6th still after replacing the shift keys.

I pulled the wires from their connections, wire wheeled them, a bit of terminal grease, and the Electric start worked again!

Then I tried to drive it!

YEAH, I can finally drive again 6th gear uphill without losing the belt, clutch in in 6th,...

Made a small test-drive:



then I pressure washed it:







and Today I put it to work 1st time since few years:
hauling a trailer full of apples, those we pressed to apple juice at my grandparents home.



Hopefully it doesn't break again, so I can scrap the beater Gutbrod.

Nice job! Is it going to have a deck on it?

@Double W Cross Ranch wrote:

Nice job!  Is it going to have a deck on it?

Yep, I have 2 Decks that fit it, a 38" and a 40", I want to restore the decks first, before putting them back on, The Deck off my Mud Murray is in 90% good shape, just the white paint lets me puke all day! and the stock deck has to get painted since the underside is no paint left and rusty, and I don't want to let it rust out!

That thing looks pretty good, fender shift is neat! Got any pics of the engine? Is it a newer OHV model or flathead?

@MatthewD wrote:

That thing looks pretty good, fender shift is neat! Got any pics of the engine? Is it a newer OHV model or flathead?

Briggs 10,5HP I/C Flathead with the 11HP Shroud from my MTD. I can take Pics if U want.

So far, Mowing Murray performe good for a stock mower! I use it a lot, since it runs, and MTD wasn't running!

He has to work a lot, cuz we have apple saison right now, and we have 10+ apple trees! 90% are getting apple juice.

I understand having too much and stuff getting in the way.  Don't let the build-off get ya down if it has.

@MightyRaze wrote:

I understand having too much and stuff getting in the way.  Don't let the build-off get ya down if it has.

I expected not to win and if I was 1 of you guys I wouldnt vote for a MTD lol. I dont want to sell stuff, but I need to since the whole shop is overfilled with stuff and the yard begins to fill too, and I need money really bad!

Fired it up for the 1st time since 1/2 year or so and it runs really crappy!





Will buy a cheap clone Carb for it, since it has a pretty new Original Carb I want to keep!

Hope its gone then, was too lazy to adjust the carb at Saturday! It wont start on full throttle only when U go off the throttle and when U want to give it throttle it stalls. I think its running rich since it didnt surged

Fixed Mowing Murray again!
Repainted the Mower Deck I got off the Mud Murray in a red tone that matches this Murray Red pretty good & got the Engine running good again after adjusting the carb





this thing still loves it to throw belts.... Might tear into that problem in the next time..

Is that supposed to be a snow blower attachment on the front?

@Murraymountain wrote:

Is that supposed to be a snow blower attachment on the front?

nah thats just a front weight....

Finally Rescue 4 this Rig!

Since I have my new AYP & dont need 3 grass cutting Workhorses & I can barely keep this thing to run reliable Dad decided he could let it go out of our Family after 15years of family Owning...

With that being said, I slapped the carb off my new AYP onto it, cuz that stock carb caused nothing but trouble, fixed the Belt Problems (A Bolt on the Trans was missing & the clutch bent so it threw Belts all the time) & got the Bagger Deck back running

To make Work easier I ,,wheelied" it





Had to pull all the Mounts for the SNowblower attachment as well, cuz I want to keep that snowblower 4 my AYP

Then I got the Bagger Stuff all back working.



Today I decided to try the side Discharging deck (the old deck off my Mud Murray) & mowed the yard cuz my family will come on weekend so the yard should look ,@ least a bit better LOL





I was really surprised that it ran so well today & fired up great!

Kinda in half about getting it sold, cuz there are alot of childhood memories on it, but my 2 new AYPs will do the Job way better than this thing does!

Goodbye Mowing Murray

Cleaned it up...





Then Polished the Paint a bit with a old shirt & a mixture of heating oil & some waste oil in it









& then good Friends came & bought it...



Im pretty sad it is gone, but had good times with it, ripped it in the woods yesterday, & after being 15 Years in our Family, it was time to replace it with something better...

.............................The End.

How much did you sell it for?

@Murraymountain wrote:

.............................The End.

How much did you sell it for?

650 Its worth 800-900 here but since it went to good friends, we chopped the Price alot!

The saddest thing is, that I didnt got anything from the Money since it was dads rig.... But I got it to the shape it is in currently!

650!? Looks like German money is worth half as much as U.S. money. I'd be extremely lucky to get 350.

@Murraymountain wrote:

650!? Looks like German money is worth half as much as U.S. money. I'd be extremely lucky to get 350.

its almost worth about the same, a tiny bit less, but it comes that Mower Stuff is extremely expensive here, since everything is imported from the US & other countries here!
Prices raised again over the last few years a tiny bit, & I learnt that U have to throw ADs in the WWW thatr U R lookin 4 stuff even if you're fed up, cuz exactly when U dont think about getting something new, a guy appears & sells you stuff cheap!