# My 1996 Ranch King



## TecumsehBriggs

Bought this last year; it was garage kept & from the original owner. 1996 ranch King, 16hp Tecumseh, 38" deck. Got all paperwork, including original bill of sale & delivery ticket. Owners manual, operators manual, manual for the rear bagger. When I looked at it, it needed a battery, starter, all 4 tires & a carb rebuild. Got it for $75. Replaced all 4 tires from Walmart (NEVER do THAT again!), sharpened the blades, bought a starter online for under $100, new battery, oil change & plug. This is the best tractor I've owned, and I've owned a few. Starts every time. My baby.


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## TecumsehBriggs

Those were the "before" pics. These are the "after" pics.


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## Thomas

Congrats..sure in nice shape.


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## dangeroustoys56

Nice machine - i just got finished going thru my old 92 white that my dad has used and abused for many years - had to put new blades on- one new deck mandrel, replace a steering arm nut, new tube in one rear tire, cleaned and painted the deck ( only had surface rust) and replaced all the drive and deck belts - considering nothings really been seriously done to it in the last 18 years ( including the belts) - id say it was due for some serious maintenence.

Also cleaned up and fired up his 88 MTD thats sat for 3 years , then mowed some yard.


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## HickoryNut

dangeroustoys56 said:


> Nice machine - i just got finished going thru my old 92 white that my dad has used and abused for many years - had to put new blades on- one new deck mandrel, replace a steering arm nut, new tube in one rear tire, cleaned and painted the deck ( only had surface rust) and replaced all the drive and deck belts - considering nothings really been seriously done to it in the last 18 years ( including the belts) - id say it was due for some serious maintenence.
> 
> Also cleaned up and fired up his 88 MTD thats sat for 3 years , then mowed some yard.


That my friend, is a good day in my book......:beer:


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## TecumsehBriggs

Sounds like a few days out of my week...


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## dangeroustoys56

Its funny how alot of people knock the quality of MTD's - but if maintained can last a long time . 

Pop and i also stopped by the local recycling place Sunday- they had some stuff out for sale and one was a newer MTD deck - had been repainted ( no rust holes ), but was complete with near new mandrels, belt and blades - guy said throw him an offer and i said "$20" ( they sell stuff by weight) - he accepted it so for $23 ( tax) we drove away with a perfectly good deck . I checked on ebay and similar MTD decks are going anywhere from $200 - $400 in used condition.


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## TecumsehBriggs

Just picked up a 38" Craftsman deck off a guy on ebay for $85. It was complete, but had a bunch of surface rust. Cleaned & painted, now on the tractor. Deals are out there. So are ripoffs...


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## Country Boy

dangeroustoys56 said:


> Its funny how alot of people knock the quality of MTD's - but if maintained can last a long time .
> 
> Pop and i also stopped by the local recycling place Sunday- they had some stuff out for sale and one was a newer MTD deck - had been repainted ( no rust holes ), but was complete with near new mandrels, belt and blades - guy said throw him an offer and i said "$20" ( they sell stuff by weight) - he accepted it so for $23 ( tax) we drove away with a perfectly good deck . I checked on ebay and similar MTD decks are going anywhere from $200 - $400 in used condition.


I agree that taking care of them is the biggest factor in longevity in any brand. My beef with MTD mowers is the mower pan itself. They seem to wear through easily and they also bend easily if they catch a root or lump of ground. They also rust quickly if you don't keep the underside nice and clean. I think it has to do with the blend of steel they use for their equipment more than the thickness. Ariens used the same thickness metal on their decks, but the Ariens decks seem to hold up better over time. I can't count the number of times I have had to straighten an MTD deck and weld patches over holes in them. We have a ton of sand in some of the areas around town because they used foundry sand from the Brillion Iron Works to fill in the marshes as the town expanded. Those mowers come in with the decks sand blasted underneath. The other areas of town where they didn't fill in makes the mowers caked with wet, heavy grass buildup.


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## jhngardner367

You're lucky!I had one come in on Tuesday,for new blades....AFTER they used it to mow the dog run! YUUUUUUCK!!


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## Country Boy

jhngardner367 said:


> You're lucky!I had one come in on Tuesday,for new blades....AFTER they used it to mow the dog run! YUUUUUUCK!!



 Yuck! I get the occasional dog patty stuck to a tire, but nothing that bad. :dazed:


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## jhngardner367

Yeah,needless to say,I skipped lunch.....and dinner....and breakfast!


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## dangeroustoys56

Country Boy: i got some pics of the White - ill make a thread of it.

Most of the MTD's i bot down here had that problem- rotted decks- my dad's 88 had the same issue - we welded a whole lot of patches on it - my white never suffered the same fate because i kept it clean ( after mowing i used an air hose on the top of the deck to blow the grass off) - always parked it in a shed out of the weather, never mowed wet grass - went thru it at least once a year, clean and painted the underside. All it had was some light surface rust after nearly 19 years.


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## farmertim

In my old life as a plumber, the company i worked for had the contract with the Police Dept to clean out their drains periodically, yes you guessed it, we had to rod the dog squads drains as well!!!! it is certainly a job that stops you biting you fingernails:lmao::lmao::lmao::lmao:


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## TecumsehBriggs

I'd like to know how my thread re: a 1996 Ranch King became a dog poop thread!

BTW, I noticed I made a mistake in the original post. It has a 42" deck, not a 38".


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## farmertim

Please take nothing I say seriously until you have triangulated the data!!!!
if I have offended anyone in any way with my stories i will have to become more diplomatic, and i do not mean offense in any way, I guess if someone opens the door, I will just walk right on through.:whine:


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## TecumsehBriggs

*Need a carb...*

Now my carb is shot. It's been rebuilt before & Bubba-rigged. Never did run quite right. Had to choke it half way to run, now it lopes & backfires. Cleaned it once, no need for half choke, but still loped & backfired. Took it apart again & cleaned more extensively. I'll throw it on in the morning. & see if it works any better (or at all). 

Anyone know where I can get a model 640000 Tecumseh carb cheap? Cheapest one I found was $89 plus shipping.


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## dangeroustoys56

Try a rebuild kit first - sometimes its cheeper to pick up a parts motor then buy new stuff .


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## TecumsehBriggs

dangeroustoys56 said:


> Try a rebuild kit first - sometimes its cheeper to pick up a parts motor then buy new stuff .


NO, I need a replacement. As I stated, it was rebuilt before. I appreciate the advice, but I DO know what I need.


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## TecumsehBriggs

Still using this tractor to mow every week. Time for new tires. I 've had tubes in the rear tires since they were new. Almost impossible to bead without them. The front no longer hold air. I guess I could tube them, too. All 4 have severe sidewall cracking. Been like that since about a month after I bought them at Walmart. Never buy Hi-Run tires. They are garbage. I have a new pair of Carlisle tires to go on the rear. I may swap out a good pair from another tractor in the "inventory". Time for a blade sharpening too, I believe. Or maybe a set of Gator Blades...


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## TecumsehBriggs

Dropped the deck, sharpened the blades, oiled all pivot & attachment points. 

Still use every week to mow.


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## TecumsehBriggs

Noticed white spots on the lawn every time I mow. Thought I had a grub problem. Turns out the deflector rotted off & was shooting exhaust straight down into the grass every time I stop for a couple seconds. Took off the hood & side panels to gain easier access. Took off the muffler & heat shield. I was going to grind off the remainder of the screws that used to secure the deflector to the muffler & bend a piece of sheet metal into a deflector. I found a good used muffler & heat shield sitting on a shelf in my shed. Luckily, it was the same muffler & a lot newer. Good deflector. I used my original heat shield on the new muffler. Fit right up. 
Pressure washed everything before I put it back together.
Air filter was filthy, even with a pre-filter. Had a new Briggs & Stratton filter of the same size & shape. It only had one hole on top for the stud to fit through; the Tecumseh had 2 holes. Marked & drilled where holes needed to be & made it work.
I was going to change the oil, but couldn't find an oil filter. Later, I guess.





































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## TecumsehBriggs

After a mow & while the oil was still warm, I drained the oil. Had to remove the left side panel to access the oil filter. Changed the oil filter. Removed the carb, replaced a hose, then disassembled the carb for a thorough cleaning. Reinstalled, then adjusted. Runs ok, not great. Still gotta play with the choke a little sometimes. Probably needs a new carb, but it worked for me for quite a few years as is. 

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