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Did you pull the flywheel off of the crankshaft to check the flywheel key? Did you have the engine at top dead center on compression stroke when checking valves?

The Confident isn’t a commercial grade engine, the Command is with Kohler (Rehlko). Don’t need to pull the engine to replace head gaskets. Overheating and lack of lubrication will cause head gaskets to blow. The engine shroud is supposed to be removed once a year for inspection and cleaning as...

Being out of patience works both ways. After scanning through this thread, I am done.

Older Cub Cadet, and Grasshopper mowers with horizontal shaft engines are a pain. Need to line up the stuff just right. Some of the tins are a huge pain to remove and reinstall also. So by experience, I have gotten more selective on certain types of equipment I don’t work on. Most shops won’t...

Pay cash.

Grasshopper is a pain to work on and I don’t work on them anymore as a result. Do everything you can to get it to charge before pulling that engine because it will undoubtedly turn into an ordeal.

10W-30.

Check all wiring for chaffing or chewing (from mice). Make sure your ground is clean and tight. Install a new correct ignition switch. Before doing all that, check fuses first.

Most of the time my experience has been that cheap Chinese carburetors are plug and play. However, occasionally changing jets or drilling out jets, etc. is necessary to get them to run right. Always try to clean and keep OEM carburetor!

Chances are your belt tension is not tight enough. Engage the belt with mower off and get down and push the belt at the farthest point between the pulleys. Does it seem tight or sloppy?

I disagree about fuel shut off valves and carburetors still getting gummed up. The primary job of a fuel shut off valve on a small engine is to keep the carburetor clean on occasional use pieces of equipment or during winter. A secondary benefit would be keeping the engine from hydro locking...

Production years from 2012 to 2019, what year is it? Probably worth about $1500-$2000.

A few times I have had calls from potential customers to convert gas to propane. I have never done it and don’t want to due to potential liability. You of all people know that a fuel shut off valve solves the majority of fuel related issues when used correctly. What problems are you having...

I have a light set up just like this and it is working now. The bulb had burned out a long time ago and didn’t think it was making any difference one way or another. The pump house is insulated, however, it has a few spots that need to be repaired. I ended up thawing it out with my diesel heater...

We were out of water for a few days here when the well pump froze. Last winter no water for a month. I need to address better insulation in my pump house. I am going for the Seattle Sea Hawks in the Super Bowl because the Patriots have won it enough times.

Regardless of how thick your business card is, the .010” air gap still is correct for ignition coil to flywheel.

We received 7” of snow and currently-10 degrees with a high of 18 degrees today. Too cold to work today.

I have a Noco battery charger that has “repair mode”, however, it is only for lead acid batteries where you add water. It has successfully brought back several batteries in repair mode and highly recommended Noco.

Never have used solder after crimping larger gauge wire on battery terminals. I will try it. Common sense tells me it helps secure the wire better and keep out corrosion.

I tip over every push and self-propelled mower that I do an oil change on to drain the oil. I think some people are overthinking this whole deal. Not uncommon at this point for the customer mower to have black, old oil that is either overfilled or barely on the dipstick. Never had a problem or a...

If the ACR was intact when you rebuilt the engine, then that is not your problem. First, charge battery to 12.75 volts. 12.3 volts is only about 50% charged. Second, check all electrical connections and clean and tighten as needed. Third, check the valve lash and make sure it is in spec. Do...

Residential is the term for lower hour use versus commercial for everyday higher use when it comes to outdoor power equipment. To change the oil in a push or self-propelled mower, simply tip mower on side (carburetor up), and drain. Most people are lucky if they change oil in these mowers every...

I fire about 3 customers every year, and it does get worse every year. Focus on the good customers (lots of them), and be more selective on the questionable ones. Not worth your health or the headaches of dealing with bad customers.

Off brand chainsaw with little to no parts available, little to no information on repair online, and little to no shops that will work on it. Stihl Husqvarna Echo

Your knowledge and ability to research equipment for specific issues for people is appreciated. How much longer are you going to work and do repairs for people? I plan on 3 more years and then officially retire on my business. At that point I will still work on projects for profit to sell on my...

Just remember if you open up the starter to inspect and clean/lubricate it, you have to deal with correctly installing the brushes, which can be a pain.

Rewiring everything by hand would be a lot of work. Even if you end up paying $200 for harness, and let’s say another $100 in parts to get the mower correct to resell. There should still be some good gross profit it in it being a 6 year old mower with only 80 hours. Otherwise just part out and...

The FR series Kawasaki is one of the most common Kawasaki engines I see by far. It is a residential engine. The bottom like is that the Kohler Courage gave Kohler a black eye that has continued to exist years later. Remember, the 7000 series Kohler is simply a redesigned Courage. Every car...

I have worked on thousands of pieces of equipment, many of those handheld, many of those Stihl. I make mistakes occasionally like any other human being. When I need to figure something out, I look it up online. Which, if you think about it, many of the people on this site could do as well...

It is hard to beat Kawasaki. Other than Kohler Courage and specifically single cylinder Courage, Kohler makes a good solid engine.

In this case, apparently there isn’t a Torx screw.

I purchased an aftermarket Chinese suspension seat for my Scag several years ago and have been very happy with it. Was roughly half the cost of OEM seat. Do your research online and go for it. Probably made in China and probably a pretty darn good seat.

This model was produced from around 2005 to 2016. Gravely and Ariens are the same company, with Gravely being the commercial side and Ariens being the residential side. Based on your serial number, my guess is 2006 year. The engine will have numbers stamped on block that may help also. Hard to...

There is a Torx screw (believe it is a T20) that has to come out to separate the clutch.

Merry Christmas to everyone. Take care of yourself, your family and friends.

I use a piston stop screwed into the spark plug hole, or a rope stuffed into cylinder, depending upon the engine.

I install fuel shut off valves on every piece of equipment that comes into my shop that doesn’t already have one. Obviously, some equipment there isn’t enough space for a shut off.

One trick you can do short term to overcome the compression release being broken is this. Rotate the engine on the grass screen by hand until you pass the compression stroke. Start the engine as you normally would with just the engine battery, no additional jump start battery. May take more than...

This year I saw more water in fuel than any other year on customer equipment. Just unbelievable how much water in fuel. Also helped people over the phone talking them through draining the tank and. carburetor if they could not wait for a shop to do. A very small amount of water will shut a small...

You buy a dedicated edger with a metal blade and wheel if you want this ability. Some commercial guys use edgers, very few home owners. Most people turn the trimmer at the desired angle to achieve a good edge on sidewalk, etc. If you are only mowing a few lawns a week, then stamina and energy...

I 100% agree about blaming ethanol on many carburetor problems. Old premium fuel (no ethanol) depending on the equipment, will cause no starts, hard starts, and poor running results. Non ethanol fuel with water in it, will yield poor or no start results. I see lots of fuel with water in it...

I use 1 part Super Clean to 3 parts water in I use Super Clean in ultrasonic cleaner.

It is amazing on handheld equipment how small adjustments on high and low mixture screws can affect the performance. On small engines, the carburetor set up correctly and having the air/fuel mixture is crucial.

Are you the dude that comes on “Taryl Fixes All” YouTube channel that says, “fire it up, fire it up, fire it up!”

The warranty work you are talking about is on newer vehicles. Warranty work for a newer car under warranty cannot be performed at any shop. The shop has to be set up to perform that make/model etc. car warranty, so they can get paid, from the manufacturer ie: Ford, Chevy. I do NO warranty work...

I have never even had a customer ask about a warranty on service or repair work I perform. If parts are used in the repair, then they have whatever manufacturers warranty there is for each part. I stand behind my work and take care of my customers, period. If I make a mistake and it is a...

2025 was my biggest, busiest year ever. Take care of your customers, and your customers will take care of you. There is no warranty or guarantee on any work that I perform, expressed or implied. That said, I take care of the small rare problems that arise. When a customer does not fit into the...

People do like clean equipment when you sell it. It is always easier to sell clean equipment that runs correctly and has been gone through versus dirty and is mechanically sound. People are sometimes more concerned about how something looks than how it actually performs. Also, I believe if you...

When this happens it can be a battery that is not fully charged or a starter that needs a little lubricant, among other reasons. Try a little WD-40 on the bendix gear and see if that helps.

Whether you are mowing with a 21” push mower, or a 61” zero turn, side discharge is always better than mulching, period. Get the clipping out as far as possible out of the exit chute. It will throw grass clippings 6’ to 8’ feet on a zero turn mower with the exit chute raised. This is the whole...