1993 Grasshopper Maintenance

[PakProtector]

I inherited a 1993 612 Grasshopper and am doing what upkeep I can on it. The drive filters seem to have turned to unobtanium, and so on a hydro oil change, I left them. Engine oil in the 12.5 hp Briggs got changed and the easy zerks got greased. Acquiring a pair of filters would be nice...

Is there an easy way to get at the mower drive joints to grease them? and I assume there is a right angle drive to run the main power input to the mower deck. Could use some guidance on easy access to the joints, and what sort of service the right angle drive needs.

It cuts well, but I am thinking it could really use a suspension system under its seat. The only issue besides a tired battery was the vacuum/pulse fuel pump. The sintered vent got plugged and it refused to deliver enough fuel. A dose of brakeclean fixed that right up. The other mod this beast has is a vented belt housing for the deck. Allegedly the belts all died, before this bit was installed, and after that, no more issue...

Douglas

 

[wilso]

I’ve worked on an older Grasshopper mower (mine was a ’95) and yeah, some of those hydro filters feel like they’ve been wiped off the planet. A lot of folks end up reusing them until they can source NOS parts from small dealers or salvage yards. Sometimes Facebook groups for Grasshopper owners are surprisingly helpful for tracking them down.

For the drive joints: tilt the seat forward and remove the side panels. That gave me enough access to hit the U-joints with a grease gun. The right-angle gearbox on mine used 80W-90 gear oil, but I had to crack open the manual PDF online to confirm. Worth checking the fill plug because low oil makes them howl.

Sounds like yours is running pretty solid for a ’93! The seat suspension mod is 100% worth it if you plan to keep using it. My back thanks me every summer.