"Backyarders" and where to buy used equipment

[GearHead36]

Have a CC LTX1042 right now that was given to me that was actually in good shape. Ran and mowed when I received it. Just needed a couple belts and idler pulleys, and just general maintenance.. Put about $150 in parts in it to get it running and operating correctly. I will be lucky if I break even on it.

But yet people are willing to spend $4000+ on junk from a big box store that will last 5 yrs if lucky.

 

[Auto Doc's]

I buy trade and sell mowers. I fix everything that needs fixing. I take the price I gave for the mower the price it took to repair it and add a little more to it and sell them for that price. This year has been a rough year to sell anything but zero turns. Had a Craftsman 26HP 54 inch deck was asking $800 for it. Guy came buy ask what I wanted for it told him $800 he said I don't want to pay that much for one wanted one for $300 or $400. Told him you won't get much of a mower for that price. He said I can get them on Face book Market place for that price. Told him he won't get much of a mower for that price. Made him mad. Went to face book market place and looked. mowers are cheap there. Like I said they are not in good shape like mine are.

Hello hlw49,

All the craze right now seems to be battery operated "Green environment" equipment. Unfortunately, many of them are starting to break down and there is no repairing them economically. So, what do they do? They just go buy another one. They are just piling up, and no one cares (yet). The salvage vendors are refusing to take them due to the batteries or them being mostly plastic.

Trying to sell a used gasoline mower in my area of TX has become difficult. Most are shopping around for a "like new" unit but don't want to pay anything for them. Repairs on most mowers have trickled to nothing. I've been mostly working on engine driven welders, pump units, compressors and UTV & ATV stuff because people use them for work and pleasure.

I occasionally do look around on FB marketplace, but most stuff turns out to be abandoned or worn out junk a 3rd party is trying to sell for a "family member". Most have no background history, but they want over 50% of retail. (Good luck with that)

Maybe things will change for the better, but I see many who are just giving up cutting their yards in the rural areas or hiring lazy crews who do a poor unfinished job for lots of money up front, then disappear.

 

[Auto Doc's]

But yet people are willing to spend $4000+ on junk from a big box store that will last 5 yrs if lucky.

Hello G.,

It's all a product of easy credit and low interest rates. I hope they (financial institutions) wise up and raise interest rates even more on credit cards and put a cap on borrowing. Quit letting companies file for bankruptcies, then restructure and do the same thing all over again.

 

[hlw49]

What I have started doing. I make a work order showing what I have done to it and what it would cost to fix it. Let them see what it would cost to fix it as compared to one they would buy that needed that work done to it.

 

[ILENGINE]

But yet people are willing to spend $4000+ on junk from a big box store that will last 5 yrs if lucky.

Actually what will happen is somebody will buy it off of me for $150 and then turn around and spend $600 to fix it. But if I went ahead and fixed it and tried to sell it for $600 they would only want to give me $150 for the mower.

 

[hlw49]

That is where you have show them what you have done to it to show it is worth the $600 plus the $150 you paid for it. I would not put that much money in a low end MTD CC Husqvarna or Craftsman mower.

 

[Auto Doc's]

At the moment, I have a young man (senior in High School) who claims he wants to "learn small engine repair".

It gets better...

Normally I just call him to pick up the parted-out cores and chassis I have sitting around, but he called me one day and said he wanted to bring a mower over for me to "help" him with. I said great, bring it over. He pulls up then gets out and cranks the mower up on the trailer he had and immediately wants to know why it is surging badly.

The carburetor had only one bolt stud holding it on. I started explaining a little about air leaks and how the carburetor functions. His eyes glazed over and he asked again, "what do you think it is the problem"? I went on to explain how the venturi in the throat of the carburetor works and had him repeat what I told him. Again, he asked, "what did I think the problem was"?

It took a few more times before he realized I was not going to just blindly fix it for him without him learning what was going on.

Finally, I told him it needed a spacer gasket that the carburetor was attached to. He called me a week later and he had replaced the gasket and sold the mower.

He simply wanted to use me for free so he could "flip" the mower.

In the following weeks, I called him with some more equipment salvage, but I think he is only looking for stuff he can flip quickly with little or no work involved. He has not called me back or showed up since, so I guess time will tell.

It makes me realize now why the old mechanics I grew up around never talked much, they just said watch and learn if you want to learn. Not all were that way, but most were.

 

[ILENGINE]

That is where you have show them what you have done to it to show it is worth the $600 plus the $150 you paid for it. I would not put that much money in a low end MTD CC Husqvarna or Craftsman mower.

The problem is the mower is only worth $300. That is the issue. The won't spend the money to purchase a repaired mower. They will purchase the mower cheap and then pay a large sum to repair it after purchase. But you as the seller can't purchase the mower cheap, repair it and then get your money out of it.

 

[Tiger Small Engine]

The problem is the mower is only worth $300. That is the issue. The won't spend the money to purchase a repaired mower. They will purchase the mower cheap and then pay a large sum to repair it after purchase. But you as the seller can't purchase the mower cheap, repair it and then get your money out of it.

Every part of the country and states are different. Even different parts of the state have different levels of buying criteria and debt, and cash available. That said, you as a mechanic that repairs and sells outdoor power equipment, ATVs, UTVs, etc., have to sell and build the service and value you offer to the customer. Sometimes, such as in my case, it is relatively easy to do because despite many people being broke and in debt, around here, people still have money. Some areas have higher poverty rates and the buyers are far and few between.

How the equipment is listed, with pictures, and sometimes a short video, on say Facebook Marketplace is important. A two line advertisement with one lousy picture is not the way to go. List what has been repaired and replaced, etc. Anyway, buying and repairing and selling equipment is what I am going to do after I retire from repairs for my customers, to keep productive and because I enjoy it.

 

[ILENGINE]

Every part of the country and states are different. Even different parts of the state have different levels of buying criteria and debt, and cash available. That said, you as a mechanic that repairs and sells outdoor power equipment, ATVs, UTVs, etc., have to sell and build the service and value you offer to the customer. Sometimes, such as in my case, it is relatively easy to do because despite many people being broke and in debt, around here, people still have money. Some areas have higher poverty rates and the buyers are far and few between.

How the equipment is listed, with pictures, and sometimes a short video, on say Facebook Marketplace is important. A two line advertisement with one lousy picture is not the way to go. List what has been repaired and replaced, etc. Anyway, buying and repairing and selling equipment is what I am going to do after I retire from repairs for my customers, to keep productive and because I enjoy it.

I am kind of in the situation were customers will have a cheap mower, and spend a large amount to fix it, because it is cheaper than replacement, but will not spend the initial money to purchase a serviced, repaired mower. Basically they will put $600 into a mower worth $200 if sold, but won't pay $400 to purchase the same mower.