OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Repairs and Maintenance Questions On Ride On Mowers Questions On Ride On Mowers Frames Murray ride on identification/parts/manual(s)

Help? Anyone?

I have a Murray ride on, my father bought in late 80s to early 90s, I think.

The only id I can find on it are stickers saying Craftsman, 12ic/30, Briggs & Stratton commercial/industrial engine, and the 5spd + rev + neutral gearbox is Peerless and has model number but can't remember it (can look if needed). I have taken this mower apart completely to clean and service it but cannot find any model/serial no's stamped into it or any nameplate. It is a boxy looking thing - haven't found any similar picture on google, only later model photos which are more "streamlined". I could post a photo if required (dunno how or if it's permitted?).

It still has the original "deck" belt for the drive which is a Murray 37X27. The belt for the cutting blade is marked B77 which has obviously been replaced at some time.

So first, have I missed a nameplate or serial No. anywhere? How can I find out the model no? I have looked in all the recommended places eg: under the seat, on the engine. Am I blind?

Second, I would like to find out what the original Murray belt no. is for the cutting belt. Both belts need replacing.

Finally, it would be great to get hold of a manual for this, if only I could correctly identify the damn model first!

Hoping someone can help, and thanx in advance.

Rob.

oh yeah, and i'm sure this is obvious for those in the know, but it's a 12hp engine.

I have added pics to the photo gallery section, if that helps anyone.

I dont know a lot about ride ons, but it looks great in the photos!

Aha! Gotchya you elusive little sucker!

I have taken one small step forward: the Briggs and Stratton engine number is

Model Type Code
281707 0415-01 90042331

This is great, but doesn't get me closer to identifying the mower model number. Or does it?

Are the model numbers stamped into the chassis or were they on stickers? Again I looked all over and found nothing.

Hi,
The first two digits in the code number of your engine are the year the engine was built.
The next two digits are the month and the next two the day the engine was built.
So your engine was manufactured 23 April 1990.

Provided you engine is the original for the mower, then you mower was likely to have been manufactured in late 1990.

The Identification Label could be at the back of the mower.
I currently have a 1996 model Murray that I'm working on.
Here is a photo of the rear of that one and the ID label showing the year of manufacture and model number.





Hope this helps.
Regards
Murray

Murray,

Thanks for your post. I did figure out the engine manufacture date already.

It definately does not have the id label - perhaps it fell off after time, or maybe even the seller removed it? It does have the name of the place who sold it but i have tried calling and no answer. Maybe they have gone out of business? I will try to go there and see. Mower and Chainsaw Discounters, 183-185 Para Rd Greensborough, 9434-6700 and 9435-0071.

Although your mower is a different model, it is very similar in shape. Every bit of info that i can scratch together is useful and will hopefully lead me to deduce a likely range for a model number. Thank you again. A big complaint with Murray mowers is a stick on nameplate - surely they could have done better than that!

I do hope that eventually someone will come across a similar mower with nameplate still attached. And please, please, PLEASE contact me if you do!

I have heard that (understandably) people need to see the mower in great(er) detail in order to identify it.

So... please visit http://www.hatvani.com and hopefully that will be enough detail.

I'll also try to take these pictures to a few looooong established mower repair centres and see what they can come up with.

Hi,
I found some interesting information on another forum that explains how the Murray model numbers work.
It won't tell you your model number but will show you what it should look like.
Apparently they have changed the way their model numbers look three times.
Anyway, here is the page address: http://www.mytractorforum.com/showthread.php?t=145127

They also have a complete section on Murray mowers.
you may find some information that helps you there.

Regards
Murray

Thanks again for the info Murray.

Boy have I been a busy bee!

From online searches and cross referencing part numbers I came up with the following: the nearest model # and manual I could find is a 8-31515. My mower is VERY similar to that one abeit a few years newer. But I could go no further from there on my own.

Then I contacted a business to see if they had a 1990/1991 year book of Murray mowers that I can browse through myself (and not waste their time!). Today someone from the spare parts section emailed me with:

Looking at your pictures and using a parts catalogue
This Machine looks to be a 31520x72a 12hp 30inch cut
Hope this helps.

WOW! What an incredible thing for a business to do for someone, and what a stroke of luck for me!

Now, to hunt down a parts/repair/operator�s manual(s)� a quick search on google came up empty. Nor is there one on this forum in the manual section, although outdoorking.com lists a 30� blade for a 31519 and 31520 mower, so maybe outdoorking.com has one or can track one down????

Can anyone help?

P.S. If anyone has a 1990 and/or 1991 Murray book I'd jump at the chance to have a look through it to find that model #. If you're a business I'd gladly stand around for hours browsing on my own (so as not to waste your time) and pay for the copying of relevant pages. I'm in melbourne - pls contact me if ok.

The parts manual for your mower model has been uploaded to the parts list and manuals area of the forum.

Thank you so much Bruce!

Are there any variations to the 31520x72A model, ie a 31520x72B, 31520x73A, 31521x72A, etc? I noticed 1) the seat back is shorter in the illustration than mine (perhaps this is just failing to alter the drawing?), and 2) the grip on the blade engagement control seems different. I�ll look at it more thoroughly tomorrow. This is why I really wanted to view a Murray book to sus all these things out.

I noticed that the parts manual on the 31520x72A goes from page 28 to 38 but is missing pages 36 and 37. The mower housing details are pages 10 and 11 of the 9-31520x72 manual. Why is that?

As a fellow technician/engineer/scientist I hope you understand where I am coming from when I ask a few more questions. As you may have seen by my posts and research so far I always try to understand an answer rather than just get an answer. And I do like to be thorough!

I�d just like to say thanks to everyone who has helped out.

I now have a good understanding of what it�s like to be in this kind of trade and how difficult it can be to even find a damn manual for an older machine let alone the spare parts for it. I understand why repair shops aren�t interested coz it�s just too time consuming.

I also have a better understanding of why some members of these forums cherish their �vintage� mowers so much and take such lengths to restore and maintain them. I�m proud that when my ride-on becomes vintage it will be a stunning specimen!

For those who are in the same situation as me, missing a nameplate and searching for the model number and parts diagrams, I can tell you to NOT give up, be determined and resourceful. It can be very difficult, frustrating and time consuming, but the reward is well worth it if you are willing to make the effort.

Finally, it�s so sad that the original Murray is no longer and that all the documentation is so hard to find. (After seeing the 100s or 1000s of different models I�m not surprised that Murray went under as it is FAR too many models to develop, market and support with parts. Just my 2 cents.) It would be great if someone who has access to many/most/all of the Murray diagrams to put them all in one place on the net and create a Murray site for all the pre 2005 models which are no longer supported by Briggs and Stratton. A big job, but what an awesome site that would be!