Recent content by Joe Kuhn

If you're not going to try to fix it yourself, then you need a dealer who will. The dealers you're working with are not skilled enough to fix this. Change that or get some tools and go at it. Acting like it's running out of fuel and surging is probably carburetor related or maybe something as...

Just might shorten that part of the handle eventually. It is tough to turn in the tight spots. Thanks for your note.

Battery came, so I installed it. Before I did I checked the voltage coming back out of the machine while it's running and it's 45 volts. Will have to check Amp hours coming back out as well...

Cleaned the main jet with a spun wire cleaner and it starts right away now. Surges some at an idle, but runs evenly at the top end. Adjusted the drive cable so it moves sooner when you push on the handle, cleaned the plug, sharpened the blade. All ready to go except for the battery. Still...

I've mowed some with the door closed which worked fine. Even w a bag I don't understand the handle design because of so many other brands that allow the bag to go back past the handle. It is goofy. I'd cut a section out and re-weld it, but then all the cables would need shortening the same...

Spark plug was loose - and it still ran! Fixed that and replaced one of the handle bolts at the wheel mount. Handle is more upright now after adjusting/tightening. All simple and it's ready for some action. The wheels have grease zerks. Now where is that grease gun?

Ordered a new battery that is slightly larger than the box in one dimension. I think I can make it work with some washers and longer bolts.

Traded a hardly used, basic push mower for this antique. Never had an LB before although I have worked on my friend's. Put in fresh gas (50:1), a little starter spray and hooked it up to my 12V battery charger. It started, but smoked a ton, eventually clearing and then I cut some grass with...

I'll have to purchase some cleaning drills for comparison.

Here's a torch tip cleaner compared to a round file I happen to have in my shop. Torch tip cleaner is on top, round file on the bottom. Big difference. Torch tip cleaner is basically flat with grooves cut in it while the round file has flares.

Here's a side hole on that Brigg's jet. It's nice and clean.

Got me a new digital microscope to take some better pictures. Look at the resolution on the threads on this new Briggs main jet. I'm wondering what torch tip cleaners really look like up close...

I believe you are correct, but that kind of time is not a factor here. I'm just trying to get the crud out of the jet so it will stop surging after I put the carb back together. My metal cleaners did that for me per my son's microscope before/after views. We did NOT see any metal bits - and...

How do you know this? I've not seen any metal on my spun wires. Will have to look closer and report back.

I'll stick with the twisted wire tool. Thank you very much.

Hah. Water in a mower. Why would they think that? Cars have radiators that take water. I suppose that's part of their thinking.

Thanks for your reminder. I better make that clear to the neighbor boy who is mowing for the family down the street with a girl that has cancer. I've been mowing their lawn for a month to help them out and just handed the task off to this boy who's looking for work. They gave him $20 last week.

Just did a training exercise with the neighbor boy. I showed him where the level was, had him wipe the stick with a rag and check it again. I think (hope) he's got it. We'll see when he's done mowing. I'll have him check it again as a test and to show him that it doesn't change with one...

Have not seen that one.

@ILENGINE - what do you tell people to steer them correctly? I don't want to be insulting, but then I want them to understand.

Nothing like the old dipstick demonstration to bring their focus to the most important part, regardless of the bottle size, but you know this. "It's like your car..." is what I like to say. Now for Tesla owners, that's irrelevant. Hah!

Any damage caused by that? Sounds like an opportunity to train about the level on the stick. Had to teach my daughter that with her car after she ran out of trans oil. Ouch. Note I added damage photos from no oil in an 8 hp snowblower. See above.

I have seen a snowblower with no oil in it and a piston that tried to go through the side of the case. Ended up buying it and putting in a $99 Harbor Freight motor in that works great. Turns out the older neighbor who owned it is memory challenged and forgot to put in the good stuff. Wreckage...

Yikes. Have not seen that...yet.

...the rest of the story is - the neighbor bought his first home with a lawn that needs mowing, so he has no experience with mowers at all. I showed him where the oil level needs to be and he was content to test it noting that it smoked less. "You fill it with gas and check the oil, not the...

Ok, these must be what you mean as they are made to be used by hand.

Isn't your main jet being pointed to here with a punch? I'm after clarification. Not saying you shouldn't have bought new.