My Tractor Page

Pictures of my Sears Craftsman 11hp, 36" cut, riding lawn tractor

Made by Murray, Inc.

Click here to see how it looked when I brought it home.

click on the thumbnails for a fullsize image.

Before Photos

Recent Photos

Model Number: 502.254.281

Serial Number: 00680269

Engine Number:

Model
252707

Type
0620-01

Code
87112331

You can decode your engine number using the
Briggs & Stratton Numerical Designation System page.

My engine happened to be made on 11/23/87.

History:

I bought my first home in 2001. Like every responsible homeowner, I had to keep up with the maintenance of my property. The grass needed cutting, and I didn't own a lawnmower. Since I'm lazy and cheap

, the search was on for a inexpensive riding mower/lawn tractor.

I had looked at new mowers (sears, home depot, etc.) and priced what it would cost for a basic riding mower. I figured I'd look around for a used one first, to see if I could get away cheap. I started reading the garden and farm section of the local Wantad. I saw a couple of decent candidates, but most of the ones that were listed were either hours away from me or were not that much cheaper then a brand new riding mower.

A few weeks into my search, I found a tractor close to home. One Saturday morning while driving thru the neighborhood I saw a tractor with a forsale sign on it. The guy around the corner from me had bought a new tractor from Sears and put the old one up for sale. His wife didn't want to be seen driving the old tractor, so the only way he could get her to mow the lawn was to buy her a new one.

I had my uncle preform a PPI (pre-purchase inspection) and everything looked good (pulleys, battery, etc). The most expensive items to replace on a used tractor are the engine, rearend/tranny and the pulleys (for the cutting deck). If any of these are items are bad, then buying a brand new tractor might be a better idea. The seller wasn't home, so I didn't know if the engine ran or if the drivetrain was good. I contacted the seller later and and arranged to take the tractor for a test drive around his property. Since the tractor ran and drove, we negotiated the final sale price and the tractor was mine.

Summary: It might not look pretty, but I only paid $100 for it and I drove it home

Parts I'm looking for (cheap):

Rear Tires: 18x9.50x8
Front Tires: 15x6x6

~~Blades: 20930E701 / 54390E701~~
Bought Gator Blades

Belts:	Murray part number	Gates part number
~~Blade~~ Trans	~~37X43~~ 37X55	~~6548~~ 6891

I'm also looking for a lawn sweeper or bagging system too.

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Last updated 10/01/04