# Gilson Lawn Mowers ?? Any Good ??



## curley4270 (Apr 13, 2005)

I AM PICKING UP AN OLDER RIDING MOWER THIS WEEKEND AS A PROJECT. IT REALLY LOOKS LIKE A PROJECT TOO(see picts) . ANYWAY DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY EXPERIANCE WORKING ON THESE ??? IF SO , ANY POINTERS ON WHERE TO START. THE CURRENT OWNER SAYS IT RUNS BUT HE COULDN'T GET IT STARTED SINCE IT HAS BEEN SITTING FOR A FEW YEARS( I figure the carb need a good cleaning or rebuild). It is an 11 hp Briggs syncro balanced ? Don't know what that means(syncro balanced) . Please give me any info you can to help get me started. Thanks much , CURLEY4270














don't know how to download imiges so if there not there sorry


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## roperdude91 (Nov 10, 2004)

they are oldies, in a 1986 magazine, theyres a 16hp gilson gaarden tractor with an electronic keypad control
punch in your code and push start lol


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## curley4270 (Apr 13, 2005)

thats pretty cool , but this guy isn't anything like that I'm sure. Any way to download the picts?? I haven't had luck doing so...


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## curley4270 (Apr 13, 2005)

found one on eBay like you were talking about with the keypad. Pretty cool. Item #4376698577 if anyone wants to check it out.... thanks


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## roperdude91 (Nov 10, 2004)

yup thts it, just not spray painted green


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## curley4270 (Apr 13, 2005)

Ever Work On One Of These ?? I Was Told It's Chain Drive . Who Made These Or Was This A Stand Alone Company ??? Wondering For Parts If Needed??? It Was On Ebay Item #4375582062. Picts Are There. Love To Know More Before I Pick It Up This Weekend...


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## bugman (Aug 12, 2004)

well i don't know about the mower, but synchro balanced engines have balanced cranks to extend its life and give less vibration. back then i beleive it was a option, my old murray 8 has it boldly stated on the side, SYNCHRO BALANCED ENGINE. but when your diving into old stuff, make sure you take the engines head off and make sure you oil the bore lightly with oil, and turn the engine by hand to make sure the valves do good. also its a very good choice to clean the head, after setting up for a long time, without proper cleaning, the carbon buildup sometimes flakes off and will cause the valves sometimes to not seat right at first.


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## curley4270 (Apr 13, 2005)

thanks very much as you always give good advice !!!! Will be picking it up Saturday morning. Did you see the picts that were on ebay about it as I listed it in an earlier thread ?? Thanks curley4270


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## bugman (Aug 12, 2004)

yeah, doesn't look bad. i get a old one once in a while.


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## curley4270 (Apr 13, 2005)

what do you consider a long time sitting ? It has been sitting for I was told 2 years ?? What all is really necessary before I fire her up ??? thanks


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## bugman (Aug 12, 2004)

2 years is actually not bad, i pulled a noma that had been setting out for 2 years, had a I/C engine the man didn't want, and he had even put a new deck and all on it!!!, now with any engine thats been setting, i pull the head off and clean the head and all by hand, and use some carb cleaner to finish it off, oil the bore good with motor oil, and turn the engine over by hand making sure the valves do right., then i reassemble, then i turn to the carb, which by this point if not run out or drained is pretty bad and the old gas does not smell good so don't smell of it. i pull the bowl off, drain that out, spray up into the main jet good, spray it all down good, make sure the float is good and operates as it should, then pull out the nozzles out at the top, not the mixture screw, the other one which most of the time is covered in gunk. and you can get this out with a flat head screw driver, blow that out good with cleaner, then reinsert till tight. then i move on to making sure the linkage is free etc. then i go to fire it up, now sometimes if the air cleaner was left in place and no holes are on it, you'll be fine on crap getting in there, as for the tank it may have a little filter built in it, so it should fire up and run,, then let it run a while then cut it off, and try it cutting it on and off a couple times, also make sure you change the oil with a good hd 30 weight oil. now this oil may get dirty quick, depending on what oil he used, if it was detergent he used, it may not. also replace the old plug with a new one. or new ones. now as for it setting, it may was some crud out and the carb will get clogged and it won't do right, so go through the carb good. if now the carb looks bad, very bad, i'd go ahead and do a rebuild on it, this pertains to not the level of crud on the carb, which can be bad and have seen it very bad, but to the linkage and all, if the linkage is good and doesn't wiggle much and all to the eye looks good. hey it may not need but a good cleaning and a couple gaskets.and as for gaskets, any you rip or tear or are bent badly, don't reuse em, and don't put permatex on em. replace em and the gaslines as well, i'd go ahead and replace em since they are most likely dry rotted to peices and very brittle to touch. and if the trans in the mower doesn't want to do right, as for things like not going up a hill, the gear oil needs replacing or more. 80w-90 gear oil for that. since some do leak some and for 2 years will have leaked some of it out


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## curley4270 (Apr 13, 2005)

that was an awsome explanation on what to do , I printed it out and will be playing with it tomarrow if mother nature works with me, if not then Sunday. Thank you very much and if yuo think of anything else I need to do don't be shy , tell me! 
Thanks again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## curley4270 (Apr 13, 2005)

Well , got her home but its been raining all day here. I did find out the guy was honest and not being very handy. Some mowers have the gas shut off right? Well he has it closed and I asked him if he knew what it was and he said know , I explained and he just turned bright red. Well thats probibly whats wrong he said then... Anyway hope to get at it tomarrow if it stops raining. Grass is growing!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## bugman (Aug 12, 2004)

well be careful, the carb is most likely gummed some, most of the time just the float area and the main jet and nozzles can be blown out. but yeah some mowers come from the manufacturers of the mower itself with shut offs, most are put on by owners or by a repair man. very cheap anyway to replace as well. very very older model mowers actually came from the engine manufacturer with a metal fuel shutoff on the carb, my old murray 8 has one of em as well. not many had those though, they are mounted on the carb not inline with the fuel line. regualr ones are just a L shaped hookup. but even though the valves are turned to shut the fuel off, doesn't mean the carb is safe from it being gummed, the engine has to be run dry for it to be safe from gum, and most of the time it isn't run dry. of course some of the time the valve is turned to the off position and they go to start it, it starts, runs, then cuts out and they don't know whats wrong. but as for mine i pulled out, 2 years setting, 12hp I/C flat head engine. very old. did all that i wrote above, and had it started the very same day 3 hours later. though i replaced the carb with a 11hp one since the original, was well, original, nothing worked on it, stuck badly, worn out, etc. only thing i used from that as the float to replace the 11's busted one. I/C engines are by far the best briggs engines to get.


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## curley4270 (Apr 13, 2005)

Will Do , Thanks Again


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