On Fri, 05 Jun 2015 18:07:58 -0400, Arnie Goetchius
wrote:

I have a tractor (MTD 1998) with a 14.5 OHV Briggs & Stratton. The
starter has been giving me fits over the last year or so. The starter
would not turn the engine over.

What does this mean? You get no sound at all? You get a click only
(does this have a solenoid that would click?)? You get rrrrgh while it
turns a bit, but it doesn't turn enough to start?

I tried to turn the engine by hand but
could not.

What does that mean? You coudln't pull the rope at all? You could
pull it a little? You could pull it the normal amount but it still
didn't start?

Have brand new battery and some times I can jump start with the car

Why only sometimes? It's inconvenient the other times and you don't do
it for that reason? Or you can try that way but it doesn't start? If
the latter, please answer the first four questions at the top.

battery and will turn over. Once I get it running, there is no problem.
If I turn it off for an hour, it will start right up. Leave it off for a
couple of days and the starter will not crank. Any ideas?

When the starter will not crank, what happens next? It never starts
again? That's probably not it, so what do you do to get it to start
after a couple of days?