It's once again time to fix up my old mower and see if it will run through another season. I bought a Sears Craftsman lawn tractor shortly after buying my house and 2.7 acres in 1997. It's model number is 917.258581, it has a Kohler Command single cylinder 16hp engine, 46-inch three-blade deck, and 6-speed transaxle. Just for reference the front tires are 15x6.00-6 and the rear tires are 20x10.00-8. I'd list the belt sizes but I don't have that information handy. It's been a very good mower, especially considering I've left it outside year round for half of it's twelve years. This year's pre-season work in order of importance:

Replace start switch - the mower won't do anything and I think it's the key switch. I charged the battery, then with the key on I clamped a jumper cable from the battery to the starter and the starter spun, but the engine didn't try to fire. I pulled the switch out and it looks nasty on the back side, so the next step is to either check it out & replace it or just hot-wire the mower so I can cut the grass. If I bypass the key I may try to bypass the seat and deck safety switches at the same time, since I have intermittent problems with them.

Replace deck power belt - These last one to three years. If you don't replace them they'll either break (no mowing) or slip (noise, sometimes smoke, and it won't cut the grass). I don't buy these belts from Sears, they wanted $35 the last time I checked. It's just a v-belt, you can take the old belt to any mower or farm store and get a replacement for $5, or $10 for Kevlar and extra sheathing. Note that the new belt should be just a little shorter then the old belt, because they do stretch. BTW, I don't think I've ever replaced the deck belt or the drive belt. Or if I have I've only done it once.

Fix flats - three of the tires are losing air. One is new (three years ago) but the others are the original tires from 1997. I'll probably just keep airing up two of them for a while, but one will need to be fixed or replaced.

Replace valves or valve stems - I had trouble getting air in the tires, so the valves may be faulty. I bought a package of four valves with a tool at Wal-Mart for something like $1.36 so it's a cheap and easy replacement, just in case. Replacing the valve stems is more complicated but just slightly more expensive, I think they're around $1 each.

Sharpen blades - dull blades kill mower performance more than anything else. I have three or four sets, which is very handy because Sears does not stock these anymore.

Change oil & filter - this is vital. If you don't change the oil it will break down and sludge up the engine. Leave a comment or go to the contact page if you're in a similar situation.