The only thing that really lets this machine down is the fact that it has a gearbox rather than hydrostatic transmission. It may be worth looking at the Mountfield 827H compact ride on with hydrostatic transmission. The first "real" race we had was a huge difference. The mower did much better. That said, there are still some issues. The biggest is that I chose not to install a high performance cam. This would greatly help with low end torque and faster acceleration out of the corners. This is relatively simple to do and only involves removing the bottom of the engine. I'll decide on what to do about this soon. Now that the chassis and other vitals are now complete, now its time to work on the engine. The engine I'm using is a 12.5 HP Briggs and Stratton with a cast iron sleeve. These are one of the most common engines on riding mowers. Mine in particular is what's known as a "flathead" because the other variant has overhead valves. These engines are extremely simple and inexpensive. The flathead takes up less space too.

Broader mowers tend to offer greater cutting width. A larger mower, with wider cutting width, reduces the number of passes needed to mow the lawn but may be heavier to carry and more awkward to manoeuvre.

Recommendations

The Racing 62PR boasts a compact 61cm cutting-width that not only makes it easy to work around and between obstacles, but also makes it possible to gain access to areas beyond narrow gateways (unusually for a ride-on mower, the Racing 62PR will fit through a standard 28" gate). The engine was then installed and the old clutch bolted on. This has been a fantastic clutch with over 3 years of use and hardly any wear. I did disassemble it and applied a very light coat of grease to the bearings. I also cleaned the shoes a bit. Powering the Racing RACT90EA Lawn Tractor is a beefy 352cc Loncin engine with a capacious five-litre petrol tank for extended intervals between fuel-stops; and an overhead-valve layout for superior fuel-economy and a significant reduction in noise and the emission of harmful exhaust particulates.

As well as the rear-engine ride-on mowers featured in this section, we also sell front-engine lawn tractors, which have more power and larger cutting widths, making them suitable for more expansive grounds, and for a greater range of tractor attachments. Extend the length of the frame. Why? The original frame was around 38" long. The width from wheel to wheel? 36". The problem was that when you're basically driving a square, you have very poor handling. I decided to lengthen the frame to the maximum length permitted for Mod-X machines: 42". Thus I would add 6" to the frame. For this build, I bought a pre-built front axle from a guy in Texas. He has a small business called " Acme mowersports" and can be found at www.acmemowersports.com. His front axles are a good deal because even if you were to build your own, the cost would be only slightly less. With the Acme axle, the proper caster and degree of inclination are already built-in, which will save you lots of time. These come with the radius arms as well as connections for the steering axle, which on mine runs down the center of the front of the mower over the top of the engine. Most mowers come with a gear driven steering setup. These are worthless and tend to pop out of place. So you'll need to make a "direct steering" system. In other words, a solid connection between the steering wheel and the front wheels.I am using a right angle gearbox for this build. Why? Because the other choice is to use a 3-5 speed gearbox used as standard equipment on mowers. These work fine, but it also means you'll have to change the grease in them and perhaps invest in hardened gears since the originals will strip out much easier. With a right angle gear box, or RAGB, there's only two moving parts. Plus, they are made for higher speed applications and therefor perfectly suited for this application. More simplicity means more reliability. Many of us like the idea of having a ride on mower to cut our lawn. However, many ride on mowers can be very cumbersome and not always as practical as you might think in a garden.

When I was cutting grass commercially, I used a similar type of ride on mower that was slightly larger. The great thing was that it almost enabled me to go where other ride on mowers cannot go. It also replaced two walk-behind mowers and two men as the output was so good! Overhead Valve EngineThe last major thing you'll have to do is to attach the spindle arms for attaching the radius rods. There's a pretty simple method for doing this: With both spindles absolutely straight on both sides, attach a piece of string from the ends of the spindle mounting bolts and attach the string to the center of the rear axle. Weld the spindle arms as if you are lining them up with the path of the string. Easy enough. So, don't lose your plot - instead ready, set, mow on a ride-on lawn mower. As we've mentioned, there are petrol or battery-powered models. If it's petrol-powered take note of the engine size and fuel tank capacity. Some of these nifty machines can reach 8mph which could put pay to any lawn croquet taking place - so be careful. With battery-powered models, much like cordless lawn mowers, be aware of the battery life and charging time. In general, you should get a solid 150 minutes of mowing done before the lawn mower needs a recharge. The Racing 6196PR boasts a compact 61cm cutting-width that not only makes it easy to work around and between obstacles, but also makes it possible to gain access to areas beyond narrow gateways (unusually for a ride-on mower, the Racing 6196PR will fit through a standard 28" garden gate). The second specialized part is what's known as a "dogbone" connection rod for the large cast iron counterweights. These large weights help the engine run smoother. The crank runs directly through it. The wimpy aluminum factory original is prone to breaking. If that happens, the counterweight will slam into the sides of the crank case, breaking right through it. Say bye-bye to the engine if that occurs. So again, a billet aluminum replacement is used.

Battery charger offered separately (starter battery will need recharging periodically if the machine is not in use) Pre-delivery inspection and assembly (optional extra - see above) Adjust the toe-out. As mentioned before, toe-out means how much the wheels splay outwards- as in they turn away from the mower a bit. It doesn't take much. Only 1/8" on each side. Doesn't sound like much but this will greatly help the mower become far more stable. Next, the governor is removed. You want to remove it entirely, including internally. That involves removing the oil pan. You will see a brass sleeve in which the throttle lever slides through. After you remove the throttle, use a punch to remove the brass sleeve. To seal the hole, I simply use a bolt and a nut, washer, and rubber o-ring.A high-capacity 196cc (6.5hp) four-stroke overhead-valve engine - with electric key start - provides dependable, fuel-efficient power; while five-step blade-height adjustment (35-75mm) ensures there’s a setting for every eventuality.