Recent content by Tiger Small Engine

The fact is that Honda built such a great push and self-propelled mower, the mower lasts for many years, is very reliable, and the gross profit was not that great. The push for batteries was the nail in the coffin to quit making these Honda mowers. The best overall ATV is and always has been a...

Your biggest frustration should be with the seller who lied. Buyer beware. When I sell equipment I do a full tune up and repair any issues it has. I see and hear it all the time on Facebook or from customers about people selling equipment and either lie, or lie by omission by not disclosing...

Look at the condition of negative wire and the terminals. Are the connections tight and clean? The high pitched hum is the starter slowly being killed by too much resistance and possible voltage drop. Replace with the correct gauge wire after cleaning positive and negative terminals to...

It probably needs to be in neutral for it it have spark and crank over, without jumping the starter. What does cleaning the carburetor have to do with a no start/no spark issue? You need to get the shift linkage right and be able to shift it before going any farther.

Pulling the deck is not needed and adds time. I have a spring hook I use for many springs to remove and install.

You need to remove the tensioner spring on the deck. This spring tensions the tensioner pulley, which tightens the PTO belt.

You are talking about a two barrel Nikki carburetor and actually has slightly different size main jets. There is a Walbro carburetor on the mower I am working on. Usually it is a lean running condition that requires a carb clean. Running rich is a choke not opening correctly, float position...

How many hours on engine and year and model of engine? Good possibility the coils are weak and failing. I am working on a customer mower with Kohler Command right now exhibiting similar symptoms. Black, powdery spark plugs, running rich, occasional black smoke, low on power, idles poorly and...

My starter on my Scag with Kohler Command is howling. 1900 hours with OEM starter, and probably on its last legs.

A Yanmar diesel engine is a strong engine. I prefer Kawasaki and Kohler over Briggs and Stratton. They all have their good and bad points. A 48” deck for 2 acres is about right. Should take about an hour or so to mow.

Is it going to be a hauler (no deck)? Looks sharp.

I have used aftermarket camshafts and no problems. Remember, many of these OEM parts are made in China also, just to different specs and tolerances.

With an open mind, we can all learn from others. Slight modifications on parts, such as carburetor jets, is sometimes what makes the difference. Learned something new about the Nikki carburetor in this thread for example.

If you are going to go through all that time and effort to remove cylinder head, to replace the valve seals, because it is using a little oil, I would say that is a stretch. I would lap the valves, de-carbon everything, and set the valves while your in there. Do you plan on reusing head gaskets?

What normally happens with my customers is they don’t even try, or try very little to repair their equipment. They don’t fire the parts cannon, and neither do I.

So you are telling me an aftermarket camshaft had worn lobe after 20 hours of use? I find that difficult to believe, at best. I have put in more than one aftermarket camshaft when the compression release mechanism breaks, and have never had a comeback.

If you raised the deck height in the front only, and did not change the rear of deck, that is a problem. The deck on a mower should be pitched about 1/4” lower in the front than rear. This pitch allows the blades to cut a bit lower when spinning in the front, then catch grass again slightly...

A quick Google search for the Grasshopper 1210 you mentioned (12 horsepower), says it was manufactured in the mid 1980s. Why you would “restore” a mid 1980s Grasshopper is the question? It is 40 years old, and it is a Grasshopper, two strikes right off.

If it is new, take it back to the store or dealer.

There are websites that cross reference oil filters. Type in “oil filter cross reference” and it will help. Have used it many times.

Come up with a way to shield carburetor and fuel line from the engine heat. Aluminum?

Sounds like partially dirty carburetor, or low compression. How old is it? Have you checked the condition of piston, rings, and cylinder visually?

Walmart typically offers 230,275, and 350 CCA mower batteries. You can use a 230 CCA battery in a single cylinder, and need to step up to a 275 CCA for a twin cylinder. Generally, the larger the cold cranking amps, the longer and more reliable the battery will be. Periodically trickle charge...

Nikki double barrel carburetor. Star Tech-Thanks for helping people with torque settings, diagrams, etc. You are on it!

Since I was young, I have always wanted to know “why”. I have always been thirsty for knowledge. The DIY mindset I got from my Dad, but didn’t exercise it for many years because a job and life got in the way. I believe some shops just don’t want to take the time to figure things out on some...

Believe me, Scag has continued their record of excellence, reliability, cut quality, resell value, etc. While Hustler, in my opinion, is just a run of the mill cheaply built mower.

Mulching is for people that like the idea or theory of mulching. In practical real results it fails. Sure if you were cutting perfectly dry grass about 1” off the top, it works ok, but how often does this happen? Mulching doesn’t even work that well for a 21” mower in thicker and taller grass...

Glad you got it fixed.

Check for blown head gasket as Ilengine said.

I would think an oil cooler versus no oil cooler would be better.

Mulching grass versus throwing grass as far as it will go out of the exit chute, is a no brainer. Mulching is for the birds.

Just installed a bracket upgrade kit in Hustler Raptor yesterday. 3 out of 6 brackets were broken and 1 was bent. Hustler is not a great mower that is for sure. Also battery box bracket broken and will weld it. Problem was that customer replaced 2 separate drive belts and couldn’t keep them...

Start engine and hold the governor linkage to maintain a safe engine speed. Reset governor as needed. If no change then most likely the governor gear took a crap. Remove engine, crack case, replace governor gear, install engine.

Probably the carburetor is leaking. Use a flashlight and your hand to locate leak.

Put penetrating oil on the base of lever on transaxle and use a pliers to move it until it frees up. Check drive belt to make sure it is on all the pulleys correctly.

Any play in a pulley is not normal. It should be tight and sound smooth when you spin it. Just keep an eye on it and replace as needed.

I am sure you have to remove the gear box, take it apart, and install seal. Lots of work. Put some 00 Cornhead grease in the gear box and keep mowing.

23 years on an air cooled engine is a nice long life. The Kohler Command is a solid, great, reliable engine. Has it ever occurred to you that maybe Kohler doesn’t want your business? Someone who bad mouths Kohler’s entire business over a 23 year old engine that performed great until the oil...

I tend to err on the side of rich over lean when mixing oil and gas. So instead of 55:1 it would be more like 45:1. Today’s oils are incredible compared to say even 20 years ago.

There is no doubt that freshly sharpened blades lose their edge quickly. There is also no doubt that most people do a really poor job of how often they sharpen mower blades. Most of the blades that I sharpen for customers are beat to hell and back. Wouldn’t cut hot butter. Also, the longer you...

People cut grass too short, more often than not. I cut on 4” most of the year. Many people cut at 3” or less. It is not healthy to cut grass too short, and actually promotes weed growth. Check the factory deck height on any variety of riding mowers, not so much zero turns, and you will find...

Believe me, the stamped deck will not be your only disappointment on this mower. Wait until the batteries take a dump and you see the cost of labor and replacement. Wait until you need service and the nearest service center is in the next state 90 miles away. It is a choice people make when...

Most riding mowers are set up too low from the factory. With all tires aired up to correct pressure, on level concrete, measure from blade to ground. On the highest setting you will usually find there is only 3” to 4”. There are normally one or two rear deck hangers that can be adjusted, and...

Zero turn any day of the week on hills versus riding mower, period. Ten years of mowing professionally with zero turns. I would not touch some of the slopes and hills I have mowed with any riding mower.

Running for an hour, oil heats up in transaxle, then stops moving, not good. Running for 15 minutes, oil heats up, stops moving, near the end of the transaxle usually. The pump and drive motor faces (where it sits) are probably scored. Requires replacing expensive parts, and still not...

It turns out that if you already have a free Google page, it did not just disappear after June, like I initially thought. Nothing has really changed except one or two things that don’t affect me. Had a Computer Guy explain it to me. The phone continues to ring off the hook for me with new...

Sometimes it takes slightly bending the choke linkage in the right direction and right amount to get the choke butterfly to close completely.

You went to all the work of removing engine, taking engine apart, and checking the governor, and then reinstalling. Something is wrong with the governor if adjusted correctly. Probably means repeated all steps and this time replacing with a new governor assembly.

Faulty ignition or on/off switch will cause no spark sometimes. Check for continuity and function.

There is no drain bolt on these transaxles. You have to remove it from mower completely, turn it upside down, refill and reinstall. Or, siphon as much oil as possible out refill. I would think hard before going in deep and opening up this transaxle. Lots of work and no guarantees.

4 ounces of water in the tank will definitely cause problems. Drain the carburetor also, if you found water in the the tank.

Drop the deck down to the lowest setting, get on your hands and knees and look at the drive belt. Is it on all the pulleys? Is the belt in good condition and have good belt tension?

That how I do it with customer trimmers. Mystic red and tacky grease until it is full. Stihl sells a tube of grease that is threaded into trimmer head. Great if you are only doing one trimmer. Many trimmers rarely get greased so are low on grease when I do a tune up.

Everyone in this thread is focused on the ROPS, when the real question is what features and qualities do you look for in a zero turn? The zero turn market has been very competitive for the last ten years. There are several closely competitive brands of mowers on the market. My buying criteria...

I would check to be sure choke butterfly is fully closing when it should. A mower should not take 25 seconds to start. You will end up burning up the starter, etc. if this continues for long periods of time. You always want to bring engine to low idle before shutting off, not the opposite. Do...

Surface of flywheel needs to be prepped and cleaned where magnets are glued with JB Weld. Magnets must be placed in correct order and spacing. I have successfully repaired loose magnets to flywheel more than once, and repair has held.

1) How does the mower ride and handle 2) Reliability and longevity 3) Cut quality 4) Cost and features Note: If you really ever need a roll over protection system, then things have gotten into fluke territory. 1st thing most commercial guys who mow do is either completely remove ROPS bar, or...

Four pages and still going, We are talking about mowing, The tried and tested oil debate, Ain’t opinions and free speech great!

The run time on battery mower and handheld equipment is usually lower than claimed. The battery replacement cost is high. The life of the battery is often less than claimed. This is the tip of the iceberg when it comes to negative aspects of battery outdoor power equipment. Big box store mowers...

I love Gator blades and run them all year. 3” is very short, try at least 3.5” and preferably 4”. If you have an exit chute, bungee cord it up at a 45 degree angle and throw the grass out as far as it will go.

Number 1 through 5 on relays and swap them out until you can see if you are able to start and run mower.

So customer screwed up the valves, carburetor linkage, and should have kept and cleaned OEM carburetor. Other than that he did great, ha!

The loose carburetor stud is stripped and will not work. Possible air leak in intake therefore throwing off air/fuel mixture. Spray carburetor cleaner around intake while engine is running (carefully) and listen for change in Rpm’s, indicating an air leak.

John Deere is the the king of “proprietary parts”. There is something slightly changed so you must buy their part for it to work right. John Deere is also secretive about service and repair information making it harder to work on. I am not a fan of John Deere by any stretch, however, with about...