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Briggs and Stratten Touch n Mow Starting System

hsur
17 years ago

Has anyone used the Briggs and Stratton Touch n Mow mechanical starter yet. I have a neighbor that would like an electric start Toro 21 inch walk behind and this seems like a nicer setup than a conventional battery starting system.

Thanks Harold

Comments (11)

  • blacknumber1
    17 years ago

    It sounds like a cheesy gimmick which will work for about 2 years before some $100 part breaks. Another bell and whistle to sell new machines. Probably not worth it unless someone has a hard time pulling a recoil. All it will do is make new mowers more expensive. If someone is in such bad health that they can't pull a recoil they probably shouldn't be using a walk-behind mower.

  • nevada_walrus
    17 years ago

    Haven't seen very may in the shop but the few I have seen work OK. They use no brake mechanism like other modern non BBC mower, instead they have a rubber wheel which engages the flywheel. This rubber wheel winds up the mechanical starters spring when releasing the run bale lever. The starter then stores this wound up springs energy until you trip it to start.

    You do get just one go at it though (it does have a standard pull recoil start) so it requires user to properly maintain the engine. Keeping fresh fuel in it and proper tune is absolutely required or you will not get that one chance start.

  • hsur
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    Nevada
    Thanks for the information. That is a good point about keeping your mower maintained with fresh fuel and tune as the system gives only one try. From the web information it lookes like possibly less expensive and no battery alternative to those who need electric start.

    Blacknumber1
    I not sure I agree with you that if someone can not pull a recoil start then they should not be using a walk behind mower. The neighbor and another very small lady in our neighborhood are independant and enjoy the mow and excercise they get. Their problem is they have a hard time pulling the recoil fast enough to get the engine to start. Once started they are fine with the rear drive self propelled 21 inch mowers. I enjoy seeing them mowing especially the older gentleman. He is not fast but takes his time and completes his task. I hope, Good Lord willing, when I get very old that I still can keep active and tend my yard and garden. I do not want to get my excerise pushing the TV remote.

    Thank again

    Harold

  • bill_kapaun
    17 years ago

    You don't have to be in poor health to have trouble pulling a recoil, a bad back can do it easily!
    I can walk behind my mower all day if I need to. Bending over to start it is a different story. It better start within 3 pulls or I start to hurt.

    I think this "gimmick" is more useful for restarting the mower after dumping the bag etc., than initial cold starts. A BBC would pretty much negate that usefulness.

  • thawk1
    17 years ago

    Hi Folks. My wife has a Troybilt self propelled mower.It is a Smart Touch 6.5hp Briggs that has a self starter of sorts, it winds a spring when you let go of the handle stopping the engine,you grip the handle "parts" together and the mower startes. If it is cold you have to prime the motor, but it starts.We've had this mower maybe 5 years on a very rough piece of property and it has held together pretty well.
    The first start up of the season is the only one that requires some pulling, the rest of the summer it's a snap especialy when bagging.
    After buying this mower we haven't seen another like it. I hope that when this one is used up I can find another,
    See ya,Tim

  • nevada_walrus
    17 years ago

    Thanks for the follow up hawk. I just haven't seen enough to know how durable they are and your response is really the first input I've heard about one that has some time on it. I do know with a properly maintained engine and with proper priming proceedure they work.

    MTD had an exclusive with this system for the first year or two (they make Troy Bilt) but the system doesn't seem to have caught on. Maybe because of fear of it being a gimmick as Bill suggests, don't know. It does sort of leaving one warry of having only one shot at it before resorting to the recoil. Time will tell.

  • bill_kapaun
    17 years ago

    "Gimmick" might have been a slightly poor choice of words.
    I appreciate the fact that someone in the industry is at least trying to do something innovative.
    I think this device could catch on. The concept is good.
    My 18? year old Honda takes 1-2 pulls to start when being used regularly. Fired it off for the first time this year last Sat. I pulled the air cleaner off and primed the carb. 3 pulls and it was running. That was a lot easier than 30 pulls and then pull off the air cleaner....
    I think if this feature is sold with the caveat that sometimes one pull isn't enough.
    If it only worked 1/2 the time, it could still be a minimal cost feature if Briggs wanted to go that way. It might spur sales if presented properly and inexpensively. (relatively)

  • mikeaaa2007_verizon_net
    12 years ago

    If the starer spring can be wound up (energized) with ratchet like mechanism with a 18" long wrench bar (can be even longer--or attach a extention pipe to it), then you can wind it up easily at any time before you want to start it. This will make mower starter mecnanic structure much simpler, trouble free ( can try to start mower as many times as you want easily when it failes to start), safer ( no energized spring stored). Old weak people can use mower easily in this way without buying a electric start mower ( if engine cease fire and electricity is out of reach, or on board battery is weak, people may need to drag the heavy mower (with electrical starer equippped) for hundred yard to garage.

  • revrange
    10 years ago

    I just bought one of these a couple of months ago,,, second-hand about 3 - 4 yrs old. Works great! The thing with it is if it doesn't start on the 1st go you can use the pull-start to wind the starter up again pulling it slow & easy,,(great for "oldies") :) I'm absolutely stoked with this mower,, never seen one of these before and haven't since.

  • exmar zone 7, SE Ohio
    10 years ago

    Anyone remember the Briggs "crank" start system, I think from the 60's? The starter set on top of the engine like a conventional pull starter. A crank unfolded (opened one time) and the starter could be wound up. A mechanical twist release was operated and the engine would spin. As I recall they worked pretty well.

  • sprucegum
    10 years ago

    I've had a YardWorks Touch-N-Mow for about 15 years. The B&S 6HP "Quantum" engine is great. The engine has a plunger ball to prime - 3x still works from a cold start! The spring starting mechanism works wornderfully. I cut almost a quater acre - 10-15 bags dumps so the spring has started the engine a several thousand times!
    I'm needing parts but its the cheesy plastic control and cables.
    I'd buy another or even transfer onto another mower deck.