Hello Gentlemen! My mom and dad bought a Craftsman LT2000 riding lawn mower around 2009/2010. The mower looks great! However, it won't start. I'm assuming it needs a new battery. My mom wants to sell it but we have no idea how much we should sell it for. I'm not finding anything online and I don't know anyone with lawn mower knowledge. What price would you suggest for a great looking older mower that doesn't run? Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

"I would think that even if no maintenance was done in 3.5 years the engine shouldn't have failed" Depends on the conditions. remember LT's operate in dusty HOT Conditions majority of there lifes. OIL and Air filter maintenance is critical to how long the engine will last. Even in the owners manual the hourly time is reduced in such conditons. If you do nothing but check the oil 2 years is a stretch IMO. IMO Manufacture know it will probably last through the warrantee 99% of the time. The other .1 precent they can claim owners lack of pre-ventive maintenance. Most people really don't read the maintenance requirements required and 95% IMO don't follow those instructions verses the conditions they operate in. To make it short IMO 50 hour oil changes (50 hours could be two years for some owners)(IMO reguardless of hours oil should be changed minimum twice year, filter once year, before the hot weather and somewhere in aug or sept.) is big risk in most conditions LT operate in. There also is 10 hours pre-ventive maintenance requirements which most of us (except me cause I am the oil and filter nerd) over look not mentions the prior to use requirements. too bad we don't hear some more details about this one, but I suspect little was done including checking the oil and this maybe the result. I also suspect the poster maybe venting his anger towards the engine manufacture. Who knows at this point.

Think Timing... For power to be developed, the ignition of the compressed air/fuel mixture must take place at exactly the correct instant - just before the piston reaches Top Dead Center (TDC) on the compression stroke. Timing is set on older mowers with point type ignition systems by adjusting the point gap and generally only changes due to wear. However, these changes are gradual and unless the points come loose for some reason, will not likely suddenly prevent the mower from starting. On newer electronic ignition systems, there is basically no adjustment as the position of the electronic ignition coil/module fully determines ignition timing and this is fixed. However, timing can be grossly messed up if the flywheel key gets sheared and the flywheel then rotates a fraction of a turn on its mount on the crankshaft. The result may be a mower that does not start, backfires or runs erratically, lacks power, won't run and/or start when hot, etc. This is very likely to happen should the blade strike a rigid object causing the mower to stop instantly. In this case one or both of the blade lock key and flywheel key have sheared to (hopefully) protect the very expensive internal parts from damage. There are likely not going to be any timing marks for that old timing light you have sitting gathering dust somewhere. The only test really is to inspect the flywheel keyway to determine if damage has occurred.

14 years ago I bought my Deere STX 38. At the time I knew nothing of lawn tractors and I can't say today that I know very much more... I wanted a Cub Cadet as for years Cub Cadet was the offical lawn tractor of the Chicago Cubs... Yes, I know it sounds silly now. Problem was there wasn't a CC dealer anywhere near me. As it turned out, I mentioned wanting a tractor to our banker when we closed on the house. He happened to be best friends with the gentleman that owned the local Deere dealer and made a call on my behalf. As I stated, I've got the STX 38, 5-Speed, mulch kit, rear bagger and trailer delivered all for about $2k. My lot is almost an acre and I live in Chicagoland so my season is limited. I do all the regular maintenance and to date I have replaced the carb, and the PTO. My daughter thought the hood was a metal car hood so she dropped it after checking the oil and that has been replaced once as as well. After 14 years I don't feel I'm trying to justify a purchase, I know what I bought and she has been a great workhorse for me. I can see why folks fall in love with the green and yellow. I recently got the itch for a new tractor. I found this forum and several others and looked at several tractors I've never even considered before, Simplicity and Kubota. Both were amazing!! Looked at a X300 as well and was equally wowed. After all the forum lurking I've seen an underlying respect for well maintained old machines. Mine just finished the yard, got a good bath and a coat of wax. Looks like something new will not appear in my shed till this old STX just decides she's had enough. As for what's better, who knows... All companies made an Edsel once or twice, but all I can say is good maintainance and a little respect for your tractor, of any type, and most will last a long time.