# A tale of two pretties ... Craftsman LT-1036



## skorper (Jul 6, 2010)

So I went out looking for a Speedex or something just because I wanted a simple old lawn tractor to fool around with. Ended up with a deal I couldn't refuse on a Craftsman LT1036. The only thing it needed was a pair of blade brakes on the deck. They are not available any more, and even the Husqvarna replacements listed on Sears Parts Direct were not available. I found an ad on Craigslist for a Craftsman LT1036 that needed work. I figured I could probably get it and use it for parts. I went over there and found that it was indeed a LT1036 but it was a completely different machine. I got it and brought it home too. As I understand it, one is perhaps made by Roper and the other by Murray? Maybe someone can clue me in.


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## skorper (Jul 6, 2010)

One has a Tecumseh engine and one has a Briggs. The drivetrains are completely different. The deck bodies are the same but all of the attaching/lifting mechanisms are not.


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## skorper (Jul 6, 2010)

In the parts machine it seems to be the case that every single element of the steering system is extremely worn out. It takes about 40 acres to turn it around. It is the one with the Briggs engine, to the rear of the other machine in both photos.


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## skorper (Jul 6, 2010)

Thanks to the sticky on this site for the Sears catalogs download, I found this from the Spring 1979 Sears catalog.


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## skorper (Jul 6, 2010)

I did manage to get my pair of blade brakes that I needed. Those and the spindles are the only interchangeable items between these two machines. The linkage rods were not the same either so I had to make my own from a pair of all-thread bolts. The







base of one of the brakes and the fabricated linkage can be partially seen here.


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## Thomas (Nov 1, 2006)

Cousins.


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## jeffc (Dec 1, 2017)

Nice find. If one is built by roper, and the other by Murry, I think the better built one, the more solid one would be the Roper.


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## skorper (Jul 6, 2010)

Well, I don't know which one is built by whom, but the one I was using to mow with just took a dive. While I was running it the engine let out a screech and seized up. I didn't run it out of oil, have no idea why. lol


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## skorper (Jul 6, 2010)

It's the one with the Tecumseh engine.


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