We bought a Craftsman 6.5 HP self propelled mower about 15 years ago when our ride mower died. After the tractor was replaced the craftsman got little use, then about ten years ago we put it in the shed and there it sat.

Long story short we just had our septic redone and the guy suggested we cut the drain field with a push mower to limit compaction. I pulled the craftsman out of storage, drained what little old gas remained and changed the oil. While changing the oil I noticed the underside of the deck was caked with old grass. Peeled it all off and it's pretty darn rusty. The top of the deck has some bubbling in the paint as well.

I tapped the deck with a tack hammer in a few places and it still seems solid. Thing started right up on the first pull too and cut the drain field with no problem (about 30-45 minutes of cutting). The powered front wheels still work great too.

So I'm wondering how much life this thing might have left in it, and what indications I should look for that failure is imminent. I know everything but the deck is just fine/low hours, but the motor is pretty powerful and I don't want it to torque itself off the deck one of these days... I was thinking maybe stripping and repainting but by this point the damage is done. Don't know whether I should sell it off at the end of the season for parts/engine value or just keep it until it croaks.

This post was edited by jjblanche on Wed, Aug 13, 14 at 3:30