Recent content by Hammermechanicman

I always try to get the highest capacity battery I can for any mower. As lead acid batteries age they lose capacity. The higher the capacity, usually listed as CCA, the longer the battery will last. Interesting fact. I take a battery tester with me that will measure actual CCA when I go to...

On a lot of new "stuff" without being able to scan for error codes you will never be able to diagnose and properly troubleshoot it. Been working on stuff for half a century and made a living carrying a toolbox for over 40 of it. The problem is usually not the scanner but people trying to out...

Had a guy just the other day bring in a JD445 and said I serviced it 2 years ago. The oil filter said 2021 on it. When I showed him he was surprised.

Normally you can just twist the belt onto the the PTO pulley. If it is too tight to to get on the pulley it sounds like something is wrong with the deck. I don't think you have a switch problem.

Put it all back together. Start it up and engage PTO at full throttle. Does it kill engine? If it does remove the deck belt from the PTO pulley. Start engine and engage PTO. Does engine stay running and PTO pulley spin? If yes then you have a deck problem as long as there is no issue with...

A guy had a new $20k mower in for service that burned. He was just out $20k

We had a shop burn down a few years ago https://www.whio.com/news/local/flames-have-engulfed-germantown-lawn-care-equipment-business/Q0La39LcEu8ZKUDvuMVSmK/ Had more than one new customer tell me they had equipment there and their equipment wasn't insured, only the building and tools not...

Don't put flyers in mailboxes. A guy who used to work on mowers before he got cancer was printing flyers and putting them in mailboxes. Got a visit from post office police and was given a mean letter.

Depending on your area a good place to leave business cards is a hardware store and auto parts stores.

Just a fun project. It was pulled out of a barn that was being cleaned out and was headed for the shredder. The town holds a farm day parade every year so I will drive it in that. Maybe I will use it to get the mail and call it my redneck golf cart. LOL

Thanks

Almost finished with my trash picked little deere. New tires, carb, starter, seat, fuel pump, air filter, battery, labels and rattle can paint job. Steering gear and spindles were seized, brake was seized, mouse nest in engine cowl.

Another starter generator/voltage regulator problem. Third one this month. Maybe I should throw some parts at it.

How to test a boat spark plug Drive to the middle of the lake Remove spark plugs Carefully place them on the water If they float they are good If they sink they are bad

The old 2 stroke LawnBoy mowers were very bad for blowing coils if the plug wire wasn't grounded or attached to the spark plug.

No snap ring. Just rusted and stuck. An acetylene torch is your friend.

I ran Into that with the first toro engine mower I got in the shop. Have to stock another filter.

I wondered who that was

8675309

Pretty sure I saw Scrub in the back row.

Nobody getting into OPE repair and working at a dealership is going to get rich. Tractor dealer near me just had their old 40+ year mechanic retire. He was the highest paid guy at the dealership. They won't work on anything more than a few years old now. They can't keep good new help because...

Yesterday a guy brought in an older water pump with a 5hp briggs that wouldn't start. Nobody else would work on it. Turns out the points plunger was stuck so no spark. Fixed it in about 20 mins. He told one of the shops what was wrong and they told him it didn't have points. Had a stihl string...

I have had those not work with the double gasket trick. I wind up using a very light coat of The Right Stuff sealant on both sides of the gasket. Let it set for about 20 mins then assembling and not overtightening it. Works with the warped covers too.

I have literally had customers with blades so worn you couldn't tell the front from the back.

After everyone has sharpened their blades to that nice razors edge at the angle of your choice mow for about 10 minutes and check the edge and see how sharp it is. Rotary mowers don't cut grass as much as rip it. Sharper is better but blades round over in a matter of minutes. Ever notice new...

I like the air cleaner. Looks custom.

She won't rust LOL

Rotary 15181 crosses to toro 136 7848

If you soak that 25 year old roll in a bucket of water for a few days it will make it less stiff and brittle.

I work a lot of 2 stroke stuff and OLD outboards . The carbureted engines have a couple different oil injection methods and they all have their issues. The early ones just mixed at 50:1 so no premixing. Next came variable rate injection which went from about 120:1 at idle to 50:1 at WOT. Early...

You are applying a mometary high voltage to a glass bulb filled with neon. Enough energy will dissipate into air to excite the gas. It doesn't take that much to excite the neon gas. The air has super high impedance so essentially no current flow. My old school noninductive timing light would...

Orange is nice but the only dealer near me is a high end "motorsports" dealer and doesn't like selling retail parts. I think their parts motto is. Hey John deere hold my beer warch this.

My oil is better than your oil but not as good as scrub's. 🥸

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Guy is going to try and sell it at a show in July. He brought it to me and said "I think it just needs the carb cleaned and a voltage regulator" I hope he gets good money for it. He is already at $600 and I haven't even got the engine started yet. Hitting it with a hammer may be next.

No. I use the regular stuff.

I have glued broken magnets to the flywheel. Usually there are two longer magnets. They go next to each other. Be careful to observe polarity and clean any old glue off magnets and flywheel. I use JB weld to put them back on.

When you finish the generator I will let you have this one. Replaced carb and gas tank, replaced voltage regulator, weld broken frame, rebuild starter generator, replaced starter solenoid, replaced ignition, PTO and light switches. Free up stuck throttle and choke cables. Repair a whole bunch of...

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I have repaired a few flywheels. The magnets come off on their own. No impact wrench needed.

Still looking for the Kohler dealer that recommends Kawasaki oil and the Briggs dealer that recommends Honda oil.

Still waiting for the "I put XYZ oil in my mower and the dang thing blew up" thread

Yeah. A let us not forget the STP commercials of Mario and a screwdriver. STP. Snakeoil Turns Profits We 'muricans just love to pour some magic juice into our engine. To bad the oil company PHD chemists aren't that smart to come up with magic juice.

Not if you run Slick50. Anybody remember the rigged commercials for it?

This oil works just fine. Millions of small engines have been run on about every oil out there. How many have worn the cam and lifters because of oil failure? Some engine have plastic lobe cams that are fairly soft and they don't wear with regular oils and no filter. Small engines have slow...

Why isJohn Deere green? It's the color of money.