I've been on a tricky 1 acre property for near 8yrs now. Nearly all the 4000sqm needs mowing, but there's a lot of trees, raised roots, decent slopes, kikuyu, Coffs harbour climate etc - haha so while I've maintained my health primarily using a 21" Honda HUT216 for most of those 8yrs in mid-Summer it can challenge you.
Hence many moons back @Norm & perhaps others had recommended a Deutscher - I'd considered but they rarely come up and the $6k+ new is a tad rick for me.
Snagged this one for $1200 though was a PITA to pickup from the boonies! Owner claimed largely unused for the past few years as he'd gotten a small tractor - ran well enough, cut ok with very blunt blades, SP seemed very good.
While these are reknowned as being tough as old boots, clearly needs a tad of TLC - so I'm looking to make it my project to have ready for assisting with SOME (not all) of my mowing next Summer.
Just seeking guidance on any tricks with these or stuff I should do?
In no particular order I've already flagged to attack: - Change engine oil (might put an oil flush through it?) - Change transmission gear oil (should I flush this at all? Or just run for a while till warmed up & then dump it? Any brand of 85W-140 better? I often use Penrite) - Change sparkplug - Change inline fuel filter - Remove bowl on carb & give quick clean - Replace airfilter (which looks partially broken to me? Yikes!) - Remove engine cover & blow out debris etc. - Grease/oil linkages, wheels etc - Remove & sharpen blades (did come with brand new set of blades as well) - Apply rust treatment & or repaint mower
The belts show a little wear, usable but likely need to be replaced in due course - not overly familiar with how to approach these as I've avoided using any belt driven gear.
Also have read some cautionary tales about the kickback on the recoil start of these - not sure if it's worth doing the valve clearances? Likely never done.
Mower will be stored in watertight & weatherproof shed
Last edited by N1KK0; 07/03/2401:11 PM. Reason: Photo link not working
Hi N1KKO, Yes those H660's are a beast but a fantastic piece of kit. Blades can be turned over or just sharpen them they will last a very long time. Seems like you are going to cover most of the maintenance on it. I assume it has a Briggs on it and they can be an absolute pig to start unless you are under 25 years of age. I have one here still that I have to set up with an electric start, I don't have a chance in hell of pull starting it
[quote=NormK]Hi N1KKO, Seems like you are going to cover most of the maintenance on it.[/quote]
Is there anything else you'd do? Do you think the valve clearance should be checked? I'm never sure how essential this is unless a mower is running particularly rough. I suspect it'll never have been done on this one (and to be honest my Honda HUT216 is certainly due for it as well).
If there's anything else you think I should hit or focus on I'd respect your opinion greatly? Do you think a full repaint is warranted or should I just slap some used sump oil on the underside + WD40 and keep dry in the shed?
[quote]I assume it has a Briggs on it and they can be an absolute pig to start unless you are under 25 years of age. I have one here still that I have to set up with an electric start, I don't have a chance in hell of pull starting it[/quote] Yup, Intek 10.5hp - hmmmm well should be ok I'm a pretty hardy 49 - but as mentioned I hear they're a bit of a bugger. Will be interesting to see.
Any particular brands of gear oil (mineral or full synthetic?), additives or tricks of the trade you'd try and use?
Not sure why but I'm having zero luck finding the manual on the B&S Intek 10.5hp engine. Tried the B&S site, but when I enter the 10 character code (which was tricky to get off the valve cover, as corroded but 90% sure it's correct) - gives me zero results, despite the fact that the site clearly recognises whats entered as it autofills it once I start popping it in: https://www.briggsandstratton.com/eu/en_gb/support/manuals.html#
10 character code is 015902 0113 E1
There's also this sticker (see attached on the rear of the engine but I don't think thats relevant, though have attached anyway).
Anyone have any ideas where I can get the manual for the B&S engine from?
FWIW - spent all day cleaning the mower up and lubing up the many joints.
Still unsure how is best to handle the corrosion on the panels & levers etc - painting would clearly be best but will be major pita. Maybe should just hit with a rust coverter?
The blade belt is in ok condition - but the gearbox belt is very much worse for wear, lots of cracks on the interior of the belt - needs to be replaced, The Deutscher manual advises it's part H09.
I'm always somewhat shocked when I buy other folks gear 2nd hand at how badly they treat things....kind of blows my mind as it's not that hard to do basic maintenance.
Hi N1KKO That is the way the world operates these days. As you know they still make the H660 and from memory they are about $5000 so if it was mine I would look after it
@NormK, yeah I don't understand it - get in arguments with clowns on Whirlpool forums who say they've changed their mower's oil twice in 20yrs, claim it runs great and on this flawed basis assert that anyone who does normal maintenance on their gear is naive. Go figure.
The HE660's RRP runs a tad under $6500 these days. So not cheap.
Any point trying to get a kevlar version of the drive belt (seems to be an A33)? Or just go with your bog standard rubber version?
Hi N1KKO, I just get my belts from ODK, whatever it is they supply. Drive belt might be "A" section, but I think the cutter belt should be a "B" section, without going outside to check
Any ideas on how to get the engine manual would be great - can't find anything online. Very odd that B&S don't have a work around for this.
PS. Agh....found something in the end : https://www.manualslib.com/manual/1022074/Briggs-And-Stratton-210000-Power-Built-Intek.html - looks like the right engine.
Only able to find as the part lookup on the B&S site accepted the model number I entered, despite not allowing it inj the manual look up. https://shop.briggsandstratton.com/pages/parts-lookup#/Briggs_%26_Stratton/215902-0113-E1/Cylinder%2c_Engine_Sump%2c_Operator%27s_Manual%2c_Warning_Label/2159020113E1/57050002/y
Ugh......spent HOURS cleaning and lubing the dirty old thing and went to start it this arvo, so that I could drain & replace the engine & gearbox oil. Did not even get close to starting it.
Think there's a major issue with the carb as when I pulled the sparkplug, thinking I'd flooded it and would dry it off - literally had petrol POUR out. Thats not good!
Very despressing - had to give up for the day, think something is out of place in the carb - had removed the bowl to clean out - the entire plastic section with the float attached to it had fallen off just leaving the brass section screwed up into the upper part, I'd slipped this back on and screwed the bowl back on - hoping it was all fine (had ensured the rubber seals were all in the right places) - but something is very off.
[quote=NormK]So you didn't see it running before you bought it?[/quote] No, I did. You have to give me a tiny bit of credit ;-)
As mentioned - I'm 99% certain I've either reassembled the carb with something not in the right place or maybe have broken a bit of the carb. I didn't want to do a complete clean of it, so as stated earlier took the bowl off, sprayed some carb cleaner on it, then took the fuel pipe off the side and shot a little compressed air in this hole to try and push out any crap that might have been in it.
The plastic section which has the float etc attached to it fell off, leaving just the brass jet screwed up into the top metal section. There were rubber seals all on this so I assumed it wasn't a big deal i/e I hadn't broken it, I placed it back in place - but it would fall off again, so I placed back on and assumed the fuel bowl KEPT it inplace when it was screwed back on as well.
Seems this isn't the case - am guessing I've either broken something - or the brass jet(?) needs to be unscrewed and thats meant to hold it in place.
100% my fault - as mentioned was a tad depressing as fuel all over the place and I was aching like crazy from doing all the other cleaning up of it - carbs & me are not a good pairing.
Will summon up the courage to take the engine cover off & unlink the carb later (taking photos of where all the connections go - learnt that one the hard way!).
So definitely runs - seen started from cold, no issues.
Sorry, but I wouldn't attempt to clean a carby without removing it, they need to be on the bench so you can strip it down and put it back together and ensure everything is working properly
Yes, I'll try and find the time this week to remove it and see if I've done any damage to it or if I can somehow get it back on properly configured. Silly mistake by me, was kicking myself for it as was quite backbreaking in the humidity here cleaning this thing up.
Hi N1KKO, I will keep my fingers crossed for you, I just hope that the compressed air has not blown something out, otherwise you could be looking for a new carby.
This forum has been terrific to me - so hopefully I've lived up to the expectations of the many members who've helping in my threads and also in others where I've just utilised their pre-posted knowledge.
The photo limits on the attachment manager mean it's easier (for all) to show the transformation via the below:
BEFORE pix - https://photos.app.goo.gl/bkVkKYPE6taoU3LG6
AFTER pix - https://photos.app.goo.gl/zkGyfSebvBXiks388
Sorry 'insert link' not working properly for me - have to copy and paste the above links to see them.
Alas my phone's camera stinks, but you get the idea. In no particular order here's what I did to it: - Flushed engine oil, replaced engine oil - Replaced air filter & prefilter - Replaced sparkplug & gapped - Flushed gearbox & replaced fluid - Replaced SP drive belt with kevlar belt - Lubed all moving parts, linkages - Regreased cutting deck (via hole) - Regreased kingpins - New cutting blades, bolts, nuts - Removed engine faring/cover, blew out and cleaned all built up debris etc - Removed entire carb assembly, cleaned and replaced gaskets - Fuel treatment put through it and allowed to sit in carb for a few days - Installed inline fuel filter - Flushed fuel tank to remove old debris. - Removed exhaust box, cleaned, repainted with high temp silver paint (after treating mild corrosion) - applied high temp grease when replacing bolts. - Repainted valve cover (? - on front the OHV) - repainted with high temp silver paint (after treating mild corrosion) - Cleaned entire deck thoroughly, degreasing and using steel wire abrasion disks etc - 3 coats of White Knight Epoxy Enamel on deck, 2 on rest of painted surfaces on mower - 2 further coats of Rustoleum Brunswick Green Enamel over this - 2 coats of a general auto sealant ovr all painted surfaces - clear coat acrylic over the stickers (just to shine them up a tad) - clear coat acrylic over the engine faring/cover (tried a plastic treatment but it looked dull - this shone it up nicely) - Ordered kevlar cutting deck replacement belt (though current one ok).
LOL over the top a tad? Was reminding myself today I'm going to use it in a day or so and will no doubt knock or smack it up somewhere. I figure if I'd paid myself $20/hr I'd likely have been better off going and getting a new HE660 for ~$6500 delivered. But hey why do that when you can be a smug bugger with a slightly vintage one.
Anyway again much thanks to all the responders and folks who in general make these the BEST Aussie outdoor equipment forums, it's invaluable to folks trying to maintain their gear well. Has beena good project to help me keep my mind of possible serious health issues, which has been about all I can do on that front.
Cheers,
Nick
Last edited by N1KK0; 04/12/2402:35 PM. Reason: Insert link function not working
Well done Nick that is a credit to you, I have a couple here if you feel you need to do a bit more restoration work, also a Y560 which is just a baby compared to the 660's
[quote=NormK]Well done Nick that is a credit to you, I have a couple here if you feel you need to do a bit more restoration work, also a Y560 which is just a baby compared to the 660's[/quote]
A kind offer Norm, but I will politely decline if it's all the same. I have a personal tendency to overdo things and there's been enough elbow grease into this one to sink a small ship - was polishing it this morning and hearing a voice in my head saying,"You're mowing with it tomorrow you moron!"
Go figure.
Surprisingly nimble bugger, nice centre of gravity so looking forward to seeing how it goes after ~9yrs of mowing the acre of sloping, tree filled kikuyu here in humid, rainy Coffs Harbour with essentially a 21" utility mower. I am hopful this will do around 60% of it - the tougher bits - which are slopey. The rest I'll be happy to do with the HUT216, which is a cracker now I've modded the chassis up to 'rural grade' - she'll get some aesthetic TLC on the chassis this winter.
Thanks for your kind words, did want to do a good job for the Forum - you and others carry this place and is only possible due to you.
Yes Impressive work! Nick, if this mower was mine I'd be thinking now it looks too new to get dirty I'd better buy another Deutscher to cut the grass.
They are one tough rooster of a mower and were advertised well.
The Deutscher HE660 mower is a world class self-propelled walk behind mower. It has been engineered to give continuous service in the most rugged of conditions, whilst retaining the ability to give a smooth finish to parks and gardens. With lockable front castor wheels and large tractor tread grip tyres on the rear, it allows for use in all types of terrain. This mower is the regular choice for many councils, shires, prison farms and mowing contractors throughout the country. The mowers are exported to a number of countries, including Papua New Guinea, South Africa, Kenya, New Zealand and other countries where rugged conditions require large, tough self-propelled mowers. Its design is deliberately rugged for long lasting reliability and safety of use. This mower is made from high quality materials and parts.
I see the limited slip differential is no longer available as an option for this mower-
After many years of offering the large 66cm (26”) side discharge mower with the option of a limited slip differential, due to the closure of their componentry supplier, they are no longer able to supply this option.
Yes, after a single use I reckon she'll have lost a tad of the lustre, doing under the deck etc even though we don't have a lot of rocks etc you know it's coming off soon enough - but I figure it'll be easy enough to top up each 'offseason' - and if nothing else she does look pretty darn close to new and I know mechanically I've got her back on her A-game. Just need to run for the first time with the new drive belt to see if I have the tension right, the new kevlar being a tad tighter, which I've tried to account for by backing off already.
Much thanks to you as well - as your posts on here are always terrific and a regular source of knowledge for a rural chap like myself trying to keep all the gear running well. :-)
Nice learning curve as I've a bugger of a property to mow and suffice to say it's very different to handle from a 21" utility mower.
QUESTION: I found that the lowest cut height level was barely suitable, don't mind staying at that - BUT the surrounding guard/deck is at this height a tad low i.e I'd like to make the blade's effective height 5mm or so LOWER, so I can cut at perhaps the 2nd lowest level & have same effective cut height. The deck was gouging bits of lawn out all over the place.
Would the best solution to this be fabricating a 'spacer' from some mild steel to place in between the blade carrier & the 'boss'/flange, which the 3 bolts attach into?
I would need to use 3 longer bolts to ensure the same effective grip/hold is made. But if there's a better way to do it I'm open to it.
Other thoughts: - she's a BIG girl, 120kg - which when you're ~65kg like me is a very solid workout for upper body on the turns (which I have a lot) - started out rough but got much better working the grears, flicking into N for big reverse turns and working the clutch on turns. - have to completely rethink how I cut the lawn as she's a straight line machine, turning a lot is a PITA - never expected to do anywhere near all of it with it, so best to fly around in H and then come back to tidy up with the utility mower plater on the bits too close to obstacles or that I'd have had to 3 pt turn to cut - the engine & cutter powers through stuff - hardly revved it and did it all super easy - washed under and hit with the blower, still looks pretty darn good - need to wear gloves next time, blisters on the hands from muscling the big bertha through the turns - can see why it'd be terrific on rough stuff, very strong machine. - I am pretty savvy at cutting, to get better access I did with the chute guard off (which I get isn't for everyone, each to their own) PPE'd up with sunglasses and steel caps, it also has very good clearance from your feet so really not an issue at all, I've had the chute off on my HUT216 since day 1 - get much better clipping throw from it.
Hi Nick, In hindsight you might have been better off with a smaller machine like the Y560 , they are only half the size with a 22 inch cut which for a 65kg person much easier to throw around. I haven't looked at lowering the blades but a spacer would be the way to go. Are you looking to lower it 5mm or 50mm, I'm guessing 50mm as 5mm would make no difference to the skirts dragging on the ground
A spacer sounds like the easiest path to lower the blade plate .
The tighter turns are a bit of a workout with a heavier mower.
Yes I've also got a a bugger of a property to mow on a slope but the good thing about the quad bike mower is you can still cut the grass on a hot day and it's especially easy to use when a lot of turning is involved.
[quote=NormK]Hi Nick, In hindsight you might have been better off with a smaller machine like the Y560 , they are only half the size with a 22 inch cut which for a 65kg person much easier to throw around. I haven't looked at lowering the blades but a spacer would be the way to go. Are you looking to lower it 5mm or 50mm, I'm guessing 50mm as 5mm would make no difference to the skirts dragging on the ground[/quote]
HI Norm,
Thank you as always for your reply.
Umm I'll have to do some measuring down in the shed to see what the offset between the blades and skirt bottom is. I would estimate anything from 10-20mm would likely do whats required. I assume mild steel would be essentially the only option.
Oh I just realised that the flange that holds the blade carrier on might be not so easy to get a spacer working on. The flange has 3 bolt holes, all abot 10mm - bu then there's also a central 'hub' which rather than being a bolt hold is just a ~30mm diameter raised round section thats ~5mm in height, this slides into the blade carrier. I forgot about that little feature until now, which makes a spacer a tad more complex.
Yes, look it's possible the Y560 will be shown to be the better choice, I considered them but hey if I need to I'll swap over in some way.
[quote=maxwestern] The tighter turns are a bit of a workout with a heavier mower. [/quote]
Yes, I remember part way through thinking "Bloody hell why am I so tired, this is meant to be easier" and it was - as I didn't need to push but it was like wrestling a sheep around every 180 degree turn. But like I said was the first use and I am loathe to rush to conclusions as I know it got a lot better when I became aware of it's nuances etc.
Hi Nick, Yes that nut on the bottom of the spindle is the same problem I have with getting blade carriers made for the Victa 24's, I can get around it but it does present a challenge How is your upper body feeling today, they sure are a workout when you have to muscle them around
[quote=NormK]Hi Nick, Yes that nut on the bottom of the spindle is the same problem I have with getting blade carriers made for the Victa 24's, I can get around it but it does present a challenge How is your upper body feeling today, they sure are a workout when you have to muscle them around[/quote]
Hi Norm,
Ah yes the Victa 24's, the 'apple of your eye' - I recall many a moon ago when I told of the challenges here on this property you advised me to hunt one down. In hindsight I kind of wish I'd given one a shot, if only out of curiousity - but anyway.
So whats the method you'd apply in getting around that - if one were to add a spacer in the 10-20mm ballpark?
Obviously that central 'hub/nut' would do a LOT of the holding on of the blade carrier, which on the H660 is darn hefty, reliance completely on 3 bolts might be not what the engineers wanted but likely still feasible though I'm not the best on the physics calcs.
Ah the upper body today is perfectly fine, though I have pretty nasty blisters on both hands as those hard rubber grips aren't the best - so made a mental note to glove up next time or I'll remove them completely and replace with some 'tennis racquet' wrap, which is my preferred hand grip material of choice on mowers etc rather than foam, rubber etc.
Again yeah I found the technique in the turns and figuring out whats worth cutting and what to leave to hit with the utility later (as I did) key - at the end of a straight run to turn, flick over to N, push up front wheels and pirouette on the rear ones, flick back into H and head back the other way. Again its a pretty nimble beast for 120kg, well balanced - so I'll be a lot better next time.
Hi Nick, It is quite complex to get around the spindle nut problem and the only way I could do it is to make up a ring the depth required to go over the outside of the boss and then weld a disc to the ring and then bolt through the disc. Like everything it can be done, just takes a lot of work. If you get really stuck I can look at it for you while I have a couple of those unit still here
[quote=NormK]Hi Nick, It is quite complex to get around the spindle nut problem and the only way I could do it is to make up a ring the depth required to go over the outside of the boss and then weld a disc to the ring and then bolt through the disc. Like everything it can be done, just takes a lot of work. If you get really stuck I can look at it for you while I have a couple of those unit still here[/quote]
Hi Norm,
Ah yes, that sounds like what I was envisaging. Hmmm that 'ring' around the boss is the tricky bit, as putting a hole that size in a piece of steel isn't something easy to do. How have you approached that in the past? I have a bunch of cobalt drills bits and I suppose you could do a buch of smaller holes and then grind these out to get the nice hole. Or perhaps easier just take to a metal shop in town and ask them to do.......likely the better option.
Oh no thats ok - I think I owe it to try and few more mows as is before modding, Mr Deutscher deserves a tad more confidence. But thank you for the suggestion - I think your approach would be the one to use IF I was to mod.
Thanks again, Nick
PS. Norm, on behalf of all H660 owners you can't be selling them off this cheap - bump it up a lil more and show Mrs Norm a good time out at the club. $1400 with you having given it the full Norm treatment etc is way too slim, thats easily $2,000 worth and even that would be a good price compared to new & current selling price for others. https://www.gumtree.com.au/web/listing/lawn-mowers/1330162515
