Four years ago, I was given a John Deere LX255 mower as a birthday present in essentially the same condition you see below. While a little rough around the edges, it provided a way to mow around the cabin. I used it on a few occasions but then part it near the shed for at least a year. It then failed to start so I just used the DR brush mower instead. This year, I decided it was time to get it running again.
To get it running again, the mower will need the fuel drained, new fuel lines, a new fuel filter, carburetor rebuild, new battery, new oil, new air filter, a new front tire and perhaps more. The plan for now is just to do the fuel, oil, and then try to start it using the battery in the truck. If it will run, I will invest the rest of the money to get it really functional.
I pulled the carburetor a week ago but one of the butterfly valves on it was frozen. After soaking it in carburetor cleaner and working on it a bit I was not able to loosen it up much. While I hate to do it, I ordered a replacement from Amazon as there were no OEM versions on eBay. The Chinese replacement carburetors are always a challenge but hopefully it works for more than 5 minutes.
Today, I put on the replacement carburetor, replaced some of the fuel lines (1/4"), installed the new fuel filter (Kohler AM116304), changed the oil (JD Turf Guard 10w30 w JD AM125424 filter)), added the air filter, changed the spark plug (Champion RC12YC), and cleaned it up a little. I would have tried to start it but I did not want to remove the battery from the truck and had no jumper cables. I sprayed some WD40 in the spark plug hole just in case so if nothing else this will give it some time to soak until I make it out there again with jumper cables.
