OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions on Engines Questions On Briggs & Stratton Engines Masport 635 B&S Vertical Pull Start Grrrrrr

Some years ago a friend gave me her late father's Masport 635. Was in good nick, far too good for my needs at that time as I was trying to tame rough areas on our rural property using a fleet of roadside found mowers as disposable slashers.

It had a good sized catcher and the only negative was the vertical pull starter mechanism which made cold starts a PITA. Once warmed up it started and ran well.

It was put into storage for several years and a few months ago was dragged out as I now have two thousand square metres around the house which deserve being mowed with a catcher mower rather than mulched leaving ugly windrows.

It wouldn't start, no spark and an old coil off a dead B&S fixed that OK so it was back in action but soon became very difficult to start, and that vertical pull system made me curse and sweat.

Turned out the exhaust valve wasn't closing so fixed that thinking all would be good, but no - the increased compression, combined with the vertical pulling made the damm thing leap around dangerously when given a good tug no matter where my foot was placed on the frame to hold it down.

Have resorted to drill starting .

One step forward, two steps back ;-) Just felt the need to share.......

Seeing you have heaps of old mowers kicking around, fit a later primer type carb to it and convert it to the later horizontal pull starter

Interesting, thanks Norm, had wondered about the possibility of somehow doing that. Looked like the large square fuel tank and the complicated carbie assembly wouldn't allow for a simple modification. BTW that Quantum 35 setup is the most fiddly B&S motor to work on that I've encountered.

Actually I am quite happy doing the drill start. My cordless drill gets it spinning nicely and once it's warmed up a pull start usually does the trick easily.

Those choke type carbys are the best, choke closes and motor will start, far better that the primer type that pump air and are very hit and miss because the filter housing gets distorted and doesn't seal