fully charged, new sparkies, changed oil, Takes 4-5 times to turn over then blasts out some white smoke and it will run all day, until I have to start it again. I have at times left the same gas in tank for over 2 months.
What can i do?

Mike
21 Hp 42″ Deck, Ys 4500 Lawn Tractor

Experienced gardeners share their insights in answering this question :
Mike I just found your post after answering another post. If you still need help I can help you but need to know your ENGINE model number. (Engine brand too please) What your describing is usually caused by valve seats that are caked with carbon. The puff of white smoke you see can be caused by valve stem seals or the piston oil rings. I would not be too concerned about the puff of smoke unless you really lose a lot of power. Often you can remove the cylinder head and use valve grinding compound to re-seat / clean the valve seats. Sadly you have to remove / unlatch the sprong keepers of the valves to do this. It isn’t hard but without the first hand knowledge of how the spring keepers are installed it can be very frustrating. Again engine model number please and I can probably get youa link to an on-line service manual that you can use. Not sure why no one answered your question before but.. I am ready to help you now.

Thanks, Kelly

How to Identify and Fix Common Gardening Problems ?

We provide a variety of viewpoints on how to identify and fix common gardening problems. Our sources include academic articles, blog posts, and personal essays from experienced gardeners :

You can expect to get anywhere from six to ten years out of your riding mower, or longer with proper care and maintenance.
For most effective results, a lawn mower deck should have a pitch, or height difference of 1/8-inch to 1/2-inch between the front of the deck to the back of the deck. Naturally, this makes the sweet spot about 1/4-inch of pitch, depending on the mower model.
Aside from a deck adjustment gear, your mower may have a linkage that helps adjust the deck height. The linkage has a nut that you can tighten to raise the deck and loosen to lower the deck. If the metal linkage becomes damaged or seized, and you can`t make these adjustments, a new linkage is required.
(2) Mower Deck Spindle Assembly with Pulleys Fits Craftsman YT4000 YS4500 with 42″ Decks.
Model #YS4500 917287220 Official Craftsman lawn tractor.
As a rough rule of thumb, a single-cylinder mower with 500-750 hours would be considered a high miler, but that`s not to say it`s all worn out. A well-maintained mower will go on and on, as said earlier, my own ride-on mower has about 1000 hours and still pulls its weight around here.
Is 300 hours a lot for a mower? NO, I run mine about 1.5 hrs every 4-5 days for about 6–7 months.
To even out the tension in the belt, use a spanner or socket wrench on the crankshaft-pulley bolt and turn the crankshaft two full turns clockwise . Tighten the locking bolt first to hold the tensioner in its new position. Tighten the pivot-spring bolt, which has a precise torque setting.
Belt tension is adjusted by moving the drive motor position (forward or rearward) in an iterative process until the belt tension meets specification. Remove the drive belt. It is recommended that you walk the belt off the smaller drive motor pulley.
Identify if Your Lawn Mower Blades Need To Be Balanced

So to ensure that your lawn mower blades need balancing, look for unbalanced lawn mower blade symptoms like your lawn mower is not giving your grass a quality and even cut, as well as vibrating and making odd noises while running.

A good starting point for a medium-sized yard – an acre to an acre and a half — is a 42” mower. With a larger mower, you`ll spend a lot of time maneuvering into position and around tight corners. For homeowners with one and a half to three acres to mow, a mower with a cutting deck between 42” to 48” is a good size.
Just as stronger is better, deeper is duly so. “With the deepest deck and highest lift blade, the mower should do a tremendous job vacuuming and bagging,” Tegtmeier noted.
For most effective results, a lawn mower deck should have a pitch of 1/8-inch to 1/2-inch between the height of the deck rear to the height of the deck front.
The first step to a beautiful lawn is a level mower deck. Level your mower deck once or twice a season.
The top setting for most mowers gives a cutting height between 3.25 and 4 inches. This is best for your lawn, but at a setting of 4 inches you may sometimes see some “laying-over” of turf blades that some people find undesirable. For this reason, some people prefer to mow at 3 or 3.5 inches.
Aim to mow regularly, so you only need to remove a small amount each time – never take off more than one-third of the grass height. As a general rule, aim to keep the grass at the following heights: 13–25mm (½–1in) in summer and up to 40mm (1½in) in spring and autumn for ordinary domestic lawns.
These tools are US-made, appearing identical to their previous non-industrial US-made counterparts, save for the “Industrial” name stamped on them. They are manufactured by Apex on the US production lines that previously produced the US-made standard Craftsman product before production switched overseas to Asia.
CRAFTSMAN TOOLS? Select CRAFTSMAN power tools, hand tools, lawn and garden equipment, and storage are being made with pride in the USA with global materials–and it`s here to stay.
What is the Average Size of a Deck? For most builds, decks are wider than they are deep, with the longer portion of the deck running alongside the house. According to landscapingnetwork.com, the average size is between 300 and 400 square feet. Decks can also be multi-level, adding more space and dimension to your home.
42 In. Deck Drive Belt | CRAFTSMAN.
Step 1: Whether your deck is a perfect rectangle or an irregular shape, measure the length and width of the deck at its longest. Step 2: Take the length and width and multiply them together to find the area of the deck.
The Craftsman Professional tractor series is also built by MTD. Just like the yard tractors, they also have a plastic hood scoop.
However, other aspects of the machine, like the transmission, clutches, hydraulics, and more may need to be replaced to keep the tractor in good running order. A general rule of thumb is that 2,000 to 2,500 hours is well broken-in while anything above 35,000 hours is considered high.
How long will a residential lawn mower last? The average residential mower is used for 1-2 hours per mow with 35 cuts per year. Based on that usage, a lower-quality line of residential mowers is expected to last 450-500 hours, while a John Deere residential lawn mower will last around 1,000-1,500 hours.

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I have a 2 year old Craftsman Professional Series 24hp, 42″ lawn Tractor, PYT series.
My problem is that it is very hard to start. Battery is fully charged, new sparkies, changed oil, Takes 4-5 times to turn over then blasts out some white smoke and it will run all day, until I have to start it again. I have at times left the same gas in tank for over 2 months.
What can i do?

Mike

ANSWER : Mike I just found your post after answering another post. If you still need help I can help you but need to know your ENGINE model number. (Engine brand too please) What your describing is usually caused by valve seats that are caked with carbon. The puff of white smoke you see can be caused by valve stem seals or the piston oil rings. I would not be too concerned about the puff of smoke unless you really lose a lot of power. Often you can remove the cylinder head and use valve grinding compound to re-seat / clean the valve seats. Sadly you have to remove / unlatch the sprong keepers of the valves to do this. It isn’t hard but without the first hand knowledge of how the spring keepers are installed it can be very frustrating. Again engine model number please and I can probably get youa link to an on-line service manual that you can use. Not sure why no one answered your question before but.. I am ready to help you now.

Thanks, Kelly

Read Full Q/A … : 21 Hp 42″ Deck, Ys 4500 Lawn Tractor

I have a husqvarna 323L string trimmer. I stored it after running the tank & carb dry for about two years. I fueled it, then started it, & it ran for a minute then died like I turned the switch off. Since it would not restart, I found the fuel filter had broken off the hardened fuel line & it sucked gummy crap out of the tank & into the carb. Failing at cleaning the carb, I finally put a new carb on it & replaced the pump, hoses & filter. It has ran good till this year. I winterized it with stabilizer & left it with a full tank over the winter. The gas in the tank was gone when I got ready to use it this year. I filled the tank with premix, checked for leaks, then started it. It would run fine for about half a tank, start idling poorly (lean) then cutoff & refuse to restart till I refilled the tank. I finally found the tank had cracks & was letting pressure out of the tank & apparently this was causing the carb to lose it’s ability to siphon gas out of the tank. So I replaced the tank which came with new hoses & a filter, which I properly installed to the carb. It cranked right up, but when it runs a half tank, the carb quits sucking gas out of the tank. When I pump to prime the carb, it moves the fuel into the carb, but the pump never gets hard like it does when I prime the carb when the motor is cold. I have to keep refilling the tank, prime, & then it starts & runs until the tank gets about half empty. The new fuel filter is down in the gas tank properly, but It will not run after it shuts off until I refill the tank & prime. I’m baffled. New tank, new hoses, new filter, new carb, & I can find no leaks in the fuel system. It runs strong. The 323L is a two-stroke & it always cranks on the second pull from cold on a full tank. Any ideas?
ANSWER :

Read Full Q/A … : 21 Hp 42″ Deck, Ys 4500 Lawn Tractor

Craftsman lt1000 starts up and blows white smoke it stays started for only a short time
ANSWER : Hi, replace the fuel as it may be contaminated, also change the oil as it may be diluted with fuel (you can smell it on the dipstick if this is the case). Regards Phil

Read Full Q/A … : 21 Hp 42″ Deck, Ys 4500 Lawn Tractor

What type of oil for 17.5 42 500 cc – Craftsman 17.5 hp 42 in. Deck Lawn Tractor – CA Model
ANSWER : I use straight 30wt.

Read Full Q/A … : 21 Hp 42″ Deck, Ys 4500 Lawn Tractor

My tractor stalls like it is starved for gas although the gas tank is full. I,ve changed the fuel filter and the gas cap. I’ve cleaned out the gas tank, gas lines, and the carburetor bowl. The problem seems more acute when the gas tank is full or near full. At this time to alleviate the problem, I blow through the gas cap and the fuel filter fills with gas and it runs good again. But as soon as the fuel filter has no more gas, of course, it stalls until I blow on the gas cap. As the tank gets down to about 1/3 full, the engine runs OK. What else could cause this condition?
ANSWER : I had a similar problem with a sears tractor. close to the carbarator is a rectangle box with a rubber hose going to the engine block – remove the hose and spray carb cleaner in the hose wait a few mins and try again – its a vacuum for the carb

Read Full Q/A … : 21 Hp 42″ Deck, Ys 4500 Lawn Tractor

2000 white lawn tractor battery runs dead when mower deck is running
ANSWER : Has to be your stater or magneto going bad or had rust on it…

Read Full Q/A … : 21 Hp 42″ Deck, Ys 4500 Lawn Tractor

Craftsman lawn tractor. B&S engine 19.5hp runs
ANSWER : Try clearing the vent holes on the gas cap.
Gary

Read Full Q/A … : 21 Hp 42″ Deck, Ys 4500 Lawn Tractor

My 42 in Craftsman Tractor will not start. It normally runs great. I went to start it the other day and it ran for about 5 seconds before shutting down. It felt like it was getting no fuel. Any Suggestions?
ANSWER : Try and run it with the gas cap loose the vent could be plugged also see if it cuts out while keeping you foot on the brake and its just a bad safety switch shutting it off

Read Full Q/A … : 21 Hp 42″ Deck, Ys 4500 Lawn Tractor

My name is June Strandberg, and I am a florist and gardener in San Francisco. I have been working in the industry for five years, and I love helping people find the perfect floral arrangement for their special occasions. I am also skilled in troubleshooting and fixing gardening tools, so if you are ever having trouble with your tools, please don't hesitate to reach out to me.