# Inherited a mower



## chocolate-lab (Feb 8, 2008)

Well fellas, I inherited another craftsman, this is a 12hp, Model # 917.254920. It has a 38" mower deck on it, and it runs good. I have two questions, It has 18x8.50-8 tires on it, anybody know if I were to put 20x8.00-8 tires on would it rub on the fenders or mowing deck???? Also, I can't keep the battery charged, its a good battery, but it won't charge enough to start again later while the Lt(little tractor) is running, is there a voltage reg? and how many cranking amps should the battery have??? Your insight in these crazy questions of mine would be much appreciatted. Thankstiphat


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## chrpmaster (May 5, 2004)

I would measure the clearance between the current tires and the fender. If you have a couple inches you should be fine. As I recall the 20 number has to do with the circumference of the tire. Obviously you are looking at a taller tire but if it is only "growing" by two inches spread around the circumference then the total height change should be negligible. 

As far as keeping the battery charged I would make sure all you electrical connections are clean and tight especially the ground wire. Are you running the engine wide open? Some engines require the higher RPM's for the charging system to produce enough power to recharge the battery. I think my LT battery is only around 200 cca. (can't remember and its raining right now so prefer not to go out and check).


Andy


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## Bill Kapaun (May 8, 2007)

Briggs has a plethora of various charging systems available for that series.

Looking at the ign switch for it, I would guess it doesn't have a VR, but simply a "charge diode".
What are the color(s) of the wire(s) coming from under the shroud and the color of the connector?

Depending on the configuration, you should get either 14, 28 or 40 VAC minimum from the wires when unplugged.

PS as a quick test, put the meter across the battery (engine running fast) in the AC mode. It should so little to no AC component in the V. If you have "a bunch" of AC, the diode is shorted.
In DC mode, you should have in the neighborhood of 14ish V.
If battery V pretty much stays the same, running or not then-
There is an open circuit. It could be the diode(which is probably part of the connector) or the wire from the diode/connector to the "L" terminal on the switch, the switch between "L" &"B" terminals, or the wire from "B" to the battery. The fuse should be in there somewhere too.


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