McLane Reel Mower engine and roller upgrade
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- čas přidán 28. 06. 2020
- This video shows how I upgraded my old McLane 20” reel mower with a new engine and front roller. This can be an alternative to purchasing a brand new one, and save you money if you do it right. Feel free to comment any added tips and mistakes I made, that way someone else can learn and do there’s better. Here’s some of what I’ve learned so far that may help you.
1. When shopping for a used McLane:
- reels are expensive, so find one with the one you want, and check for condition of the reel and bedknife. Will it cut paper evenly across the knife? If those are bad, it’s a big expense to replace.
- I would’ve preferred a deadman clutch system, because that’s $120 to replace on McLane’s website.
- the engine - adjust price for good or bad if your planning to swap.
2. When installing the engine, put the pulley on before bolting it to the deck. It maybe difficult to install with the clutch system in the way.
3. On my 20” deck, the right arm bracket hit the air filter. I had to space the bracket out with washers. Easy to do, but if you have a 25”, I don’t think you will have an issue.
Products:
Engine:
www.northerntool.com/shop/too...
Reel Rollers:
reelrollers.com/product/mclan...
Pulley:
Oregon OEM 78-677 Replacement Pulley 2.5 x 3/4 Power tr[808] www.amazon.com/dp/B0018U088K/... - Zábava
Great video! Glad you showed it in action at the very end.
Thank you for watching!
Thank you for making the video! I only found another video of someone swapping out the engine from Harbor Freight. This one is more detailed. I did the same and got the front roller too (flat one though). The new engine starts up within 1-2 pulls and no more messing with the carburetor throttle.
Modifications:
1. I had to add washers to raise the engine so that the new pulley shaft lines up with the clutch.
2. I had to get a new pulley (like you) since the shaft size is different.
3. I had to add a spacer between the bar from the mower body (the front bar, not the back bar) to the handle bar. The new engine is slightly wider. I did the same for both ends so the handle bars are now skewed. (I'm OCD).
Considerations:
I would echo you suggestion when buying a used one. This McLane I have is my first one. If I were to buy another one, I'd check the blades to see if there's enough metal left for several sharpening services. I wish I knew when I bought it. The service person told me that I could only sharpen one more time. Also, you would need to backlap it often (probably a few times a year). There are videos out there showing you how to do this using duct tap. I just didn't have good luck with it. The duct tape kept coming off. Another option is to buy the kit from ReelRoller (reelrollers.com/product/mclane-reel-mower-backlap-kit/). It has a tool that you can attach to the reel socket so you can spin the blades backward after applying the lapping compound. For $50 seems a bit pricey but it comes with compound, which will last you some time. But I think having that tool makes it easier to backlap. And when it's easier, you will tend to do it more.
Thanks again for the video. I ended sanding the old mower and spray-painted it to my school colors. =) It's now one of a kind (and probably harder to sell down the road too.
Awesome reply! I wish I could’ve made a little better video on it, but like reel mowing, I’m still new to all of this. I’m glad it’s getting the point across that this can be easily done if you know how to use a wrench. I am going to make another update video to point out the quirks, and goes along with what you said of things I wish I would’ve known. Funny you mention but I did just receive my ReelRollers back lap kit a few days ago! So that’ll be a fun project to learn. Thanks again for sharing your project, because it probably helped give the nudge for someone to join our “refurbished McLane club” haha
Good video! Ive done this on 2 units Ive owned (I cant remember if I made a video) but one thing I really liked was using a significantly smaller pulley. It lets me basically "run" at the rabbit setting and can adjust it down to the standard speed around midway on the throttle. New motor has plenty of Torque to cut at all speeds!
Thanks! That’s a good idea about using a smaller pulley.
Great video, I just picked up a 20” 7 blade McLane with the Briggs 3.5hp motor. It runs like crap and has scale in the fuel tank. I cleaned the carb and it ran for one day before clogging the carb again. I picked up a cheap predator motor from harbor freight and I will installing it this afternoon thanks to your video, thanks.
Thanks for the comment…. Got a buddy who did the predator swap and he’s enjoying it so far.
@bstew4841 I picked the same exact mower+engine combo from marketplace. I just rehabbed it and runs decent. How much was the Predator motor and did it mate up to the stock holes and everything? Did you have to get any aftermarket parts like a different pulley, belt, or anything?
I have an edger that is probably made in the 60's, my brother had it then gave it to me, he never used it, I had it for 16 years, finally did a electrical up grade on it, put some gas in it and I pull it started.
Gotta love that first pull start!
Great video bro. I been looking for a mclane for a couple of weeks and today I found one. The guy was asking 300 for it but didn’t run and it was a new mower. I was able to talk him into taking 150 for it. On my way home I passed by a yard sale and they had another one that wasn’t running ether so I picked it up for 180. Took both home and put some carb cleaner and both started up after a couple of of tries. One mower is a 2014 and the other is a 2018. really excited to start into the whole reel mowing.
You scored! I’m excited for you man. Give us an update once you get a few mows in and let us know what you think...enjoy!
@@ReelGreenLawn thanks man I will soon. Ran into a few problems in both mowers. One mower is leaking gas by the carburetor and seems like oil went into the exhaust or something. And the other mower won’t start anymore. Emptied out the gas tank and the carburetor and I put some mechanic in a bottle with fresh new gas and still won’t turn on. So I’ll be working on them here soon
Pulled my old Craftsman(McLane) out of storage. Ran great when put into storage, cleaned gas tank and replace carb. It still looks great, can’t decide if I want to sell it or keep. Originally bought it to build a putting green.
Well good ones are in demand if you decide to sell and go another direction, at least around here. Let us know if you do anything to it!
Saving for the day I have swap one out.
Dude you are a life saver. I got quoted on replacing my engine with a shitty engine, and I wanted a Briggs. I couldn’t find a video on how to replace until I came upon this video. Awesome tutorial
Thanks for the feedback! Ya mine is still running strong with no changes from the original swap. My buddy just swapped a predator engine and had to raise the height on the deck so the pulley wouldn’t rub, but since you’re doing a Briggs similar to mine, you shouldn’t have to do that step either.
@@ReelGreenLawn Thank you! Yeah, the engine I was quoted was for a Predator! lol. I am sure they aren’t bad engines but I know that engine is alot cheeper than a Briggs, and dude was trying to charge me almost $300 including install and told me he was giving me a deal, and I told him I would pass for now. After, I went and saw that Predetor engine he was trying to sell me was retail $124.99. He was trying to pocket almost $180 in labor which was ridiculous, considering he was just going to swap the engine. The good news is, he told me everything I needed done. I found the Briggs engine for $225, then looked up the model in CZcams and found your video. The instructions you gave was perfect, and Gave me confidence I could do the swap myself. I ended up removing my old beat engine, which didn’t take long, and gave my mower a nice cleaning and lube. Now I am ready to pull the trigger on buying that engine lol. The reel is backlapped, The only problem I have right now is the shift levers are a little loose and don’t lock as well as they used to. I can’t find any videos that show how to get it to lock better. I am assuming it has to do with tightening the clutch, but again, I’m a newb. If you have any advice on how to get those right and left levers to lock when I shift, it would be great to learn more as well about that if you know
Sorry this took so long…
For the self propel lever: start the video around 12:45 and he shows how to adjust the drive to keep the lever engaged.
czcams.com/video/7XPMlLedhyY/video.html
For the clutch lever, there should be a rod adjustment bolt in the middle of the long rod to adjust the engagement. The older models don’t have that ability like mine but I’ll have to get back to you on how I’d adjust that.
@@ReelGreenLawn thank you bro!!
@@ReelGreenLawn dude, I installed my new Briggs engine!! I installed it last night and it is a beauty. I still have a few things to do (new motor chain, greasing, etc) and will hopefully have the mower up and running by next weekend. Thank you again for this video and all your help! Saved me a shitload of money lol. I did have a question that I am pretty clueless about. The engine on the shaft side has 4 screw holes and one on the upper right corner, all the same size. My old mower had same 4 of the smaller same sized screws but a much larger one in the upper right that is not on the new engine. So it left me with only one of the smaller screws (which are all the same size as the 4 holes on the new engine) and I will need 2 to secure the bracket. Do you know what size hex screw that is? I am having a hard time finding it and briggs screws are endless if you google it. It is basically needed to attach the bracket. I wish I could send a pic on here but its a simple hex screw. Sorry again, newb here.
Thanks for the video, just picked up a McLane 20" 10 blade from early 2000's yesterday. Would love to see a video on backlapping process and adjusting reel to bedknife.
You’re welcome... and here’s a good back lapping/reel adjustment video from How to with Doc:
czcams.com/video/sfyTKfD_cNA/video.html
I use the back lap kit from ReelRollers.com and it works very well. Enjoy that McLane!
Did you have any issues with the alignment of the holes?
Do you know if a predator engine from harbor freight would fit?
How are you liking the grooved roller? I restored a 1985 Cal Trimmer last fall and I’m thinking of getting the grooved roller from ReelRollers.
I really enjoy it. It still works great, and really puts down the stripes. I did put it on pretty quick after getting my McLane, so I can’t really remember if there was a cut quality difference. I will say it really improved some scalping issues since I have a very uneven lawn. For me it’s proven it’s worth of cost to upgrade. I think you’d enjoy on your Cali. Let me know if you end up getting one and what your opinion is.
Why does my Mac Lane suddenly stop moving forward until I tip it backwards? I replaced the clutch belt and added a roller upgrade. The roller upgrade helped , but it still stops movinf at times
Thanks
Ron
Are your rear drive wheels turning when your clutch is engaged? If so, it’s sounds like if your having to lean the mower back, the rear drive wheels aren’t making enough contact with the ground, and either need a new spring installed or adjusted.
About 14 minutes into Doc’s video shows how to do this... hope it helps!
czcams.com/video/7XPMlLedhyY/video.html
*turning when your clutch and rear drive levers are engaged...
@@ReelGreenLawn Yes , the rear drive wheel is turning when engaged. The mower moves flawlessly on concrete , but when I get on the lawn and often stops moving forward.
Which spring are you speaking of? Thanks so much for your help
There’s a spring about knee cap level that holds the rear drive down when you engage it. Just a guess, but it sounds like when you drive on concrete it has enough downward pressure for it to engage, and when it’s on grass there maybe some lower spots in the lawn where the drive doesn’t have enough downward pressure from the spring to keep contact, or the whole drive needs adjusted to allow more travel when it’s engaged. Having to rock it back to engage the drive makes it sound like that’s the area that needs adjustment. The 14 minute mark on the video I previously mentioned shows how to adjust this. If that’s not what your problem is, you may have to contact McLane and ask them, because I can’t think of anything else to suggest at the moment. Hope this helps!
bought a semi-working McLane, i realized that two of the bolts that held down the engine were worn down and missing nuts. I cant find anywhere what part number/specs these bolts are supposed to be. Could you tell me the specs/part number for the bolts to hold down the Briggs and Stratton engine?
Try:
images.homedepot-static.com/catalog/pdfImages/83/8377fa7c-28f7-429d-99de-be702c84acc1.pdf
Page 12/13 reference number 44
Looks like part number 1044 for the motor mount bolts
mclaneedgers.com/product/516-24x1-12-engine-flange-bolt/
Doesn’t look like they’re in stock with McLane, but I bet you could find those dimensions at a hardware store.
@@ReelGreenLawn BRO NO WAY, THANK YOU MAN!!! I found the engine but i couldn't find the bolt part #. You the BEST
I’ve got the engine in the cart and the pulley ordered. Can I just use the belt that’s in the McLane right now or do I need to order a different length?
My belt was worn so I ordered a new one from McLane. So as long as your current belt is a stock size I think it will work just fine.
@@ReelGreenLawn thanks for the reply. The pulley and motor have been ordered. Thanks for this video. I really appreciate it.
I have a Maclane with a Briggs it's so loud
Old Briggs or newer Briggs? My old one sounded like an old farm truck with open headers. My new one is a lot better, and I usually run it at around 3/4 throttle.
Briggs and Stratton’s are really good engines. I would run Some seafoam in the oil to clean out the sludge in the crank case. After running in a while change the oil with synthetic 30 weight. Rebuild a carburetor , adding a little bit of arch oil friction modifier would really help that engine smooth out and run stronger. A Honda or Honda clone engine is in a bad idea if the Briggs & Stratton is completely dead. Good luck with your project!
I appreciate the information and thank you for the comment!
Any chance you want to sell your front wheel assembly?
I would but unfortunately I don’t have it anymore.
5 blade or 7 blade?
Mine is the five blade .. unfortunately lol
@@ReelGreenLawn Perfect, just got a 5 blade myself so this is the exact thing I’m going to do to mine. Still enjoy the mower?
I’m not gonna lie, I do window shop higher end greens mowers, but that’s mainly to add to the arsenal since my lawn hasn’t exceeded the abilities of the McLane. For me the new engine is nice having a one pull to start and ready to mow. Keeping up with the backlap is the best thing for it having good cut quality. The roller stripes Bermuda pretty good, but really does well on rye. The reason why I said “unfortunately” for a 5 blade is because McLane doesn’t have them anymore, so you have to find refurbished if that time comes. Usually a used 7 blade can be found for the same price. Overall I’m very happy with it. 2nd season with it and no issues. Same for my buddy who did a predator swap.
@@ReelGreenLawn Really appreciate that feedback, that’s very helpful. I’m getting it for $100 & it seems to be in pretty good shape. Obviously it’s old, but I enjoy tinkering. I live in an area where it’s tough to find them on FB Marketplace, Craigslist, etc. Also want a greens mower, and have noticed deals pop up in DFW btw, but they go in minutes. Usually school districts or cities selling them.
I know what you mean, I’m in the same area. $100 and usable is a good starting point for putting new parts on it and not going over the price of a new one. Thanks for sharing and let me know how it turns out.
Leave old engine your mad 😡
Care to elaborate on why I should leave an old surging engine?
@@ReelGreenLawn the lawnmower looks better with the old set up , just restore they look great 👍🏻