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Sometimes it takes up to 150 pumps from grease gun to get the grease to just start to come out. There is a lot of pressure that builds up as you fill the spindle with grease at the end when it is full. Once the bearing heats up as well as the grease, it migrates into the bearing as needed, along...

Most people these days, 2 out of 3, cannot pay for an unexpected cost/repair for around $1000. So no, they are not setting aside money for unexpected problems on the house, car, outdoor power equipment, or anything for that matter. People, like the United States, are broke and in debt.

Heat it, and beat it. Also apply penetrating oil. May get damaged and have to replace. It it is still functional, leave it.

Ferris is a great, solid zero turn. Parts are not hard to find. How can we tell what the general value is without details about the mower and a model number? LX188 is a John Deere riding mower and sounds like you have a liquid cooled Kawasaki. Pictures, condition, age, hours, etc. all play into...

If the factory put little to no grease in the new spindle, multiplied by thousands of spindles, saves them substantial money over the years. The whole controversy of whether the sealed bearings in spindles are actually receiving grease or not, once again. I have seen examples on YouTube where...

In order to really give it a good look, you will need to remove the deck and inspect the belt, pulleys, line of travel, and belt tension. Plus, you can test it and easily replace the drive belt if it comes off again until you hopefully get it figured out.

You are trying and learning and that is a good thing. I was being a bit of a smart Alec. Keep at it.

Sounds good in theory, however, since many people are broke, would rarely work in reality. Ask random cashiers and clerks what percentage of customers pay cash versus using debit/credit and cash apps and you will be surprised.

If it is a Kohler Command CH25, it may have a SAM module. We need more information for further diagnosis.

Probably a Honda GCV160. If it ran out of gas and now won’t even briefly start on carburetor spray, that ain’t good. Recheck for spark and go from there.

Knowing the intake valve versus the exhaust valve, does matter. When the valve guide doesn’t allow the valve to operate correctly and is at an abnormal height, that is called a pushed valve guide. Punctuation correctly used versus one giant run on sentence also matters. Don’t sweat the small...

Weak belt tension, and missing or improperly positioned deck belt guides are two of the most common causes of deck belts coming off.

Could be the operator…

There is nothing great about California. It is a beautiful place that has been run into the ground.

All zero turn mowers are different as to ability to hold a hill, as well as the operator. I know Scag and Ferris are good on hills from personal experience.

The first thing you do is properly charge the battery with a battery charger, and then load test. If you are getting 13.5 to 14.5 volts (give or take), at full throttle, then you are good. A flat battery is 12 volts, a fully charged battery at rest is 12.75. If you were starting at 11.3 volts...

If you cannot legally ship a small engine into the state of California, that says it all. God bless America.

Scag IS one of the elite zero turn mowers. Look at how many commercial lawn companies use them. One of my favorite mowers of all times and always recommend a Scag.

There should be little to no play in idlers, tensioner pulley, and spindles. Sometimes a new bushing or additional spring will mostly fix excessive play in the tensioner pulley bracket/arm.

You can always go back and read your post and edit as needed. That’s how I do it.

If it has happened, say 5 times in 4 years, that the deck belt has broken, whoever is replacing the belt is not doing any inspection of spindles, pulleys, belt tension, and overall alignment of belt. The initial belt should still be chugging along if everything were right. Take it to another...

Check the fuel cap, blow it out with air compressor. Check the tank vent and tank vent line if it has them. Make sure fuel filter is the correct one for application. Blow through fuel line to gas tank with fuel cap off. Make sure fuel line from carburetor is not touching the engine case. Use zip...

As previously stated, I have tried to educate people over the years of the benefits of cutting grass higher “than you may think you need to or like to”, and for the most part it falls on deaf ears. When you drive by a lawn and think it looks nice long term, it is because the owner is most likely...

Junk it unless you love the mower and want to spend time and money.

I have tried over the years, to educate and encourage people to mow at a proper height. In my area, the grass is primarily fescue, so around 4” is right. People love to mow too low. It doesn’t matter what type of grass it is. Height of mow, along with a properly leveled deck, and sharp blades...

It is ALWAYS better to do everything within reason to keep the original equipment manufacturer carburetor vs an aftermarket carburetor. Pull the spark plugs after running the engine a little and look at them. Are they white indicating a lean fuel condition? Check for are leaks also. Check...

I realize that greasing until grease comes out of the seal is not ideal. However, it is much better than a couple of pumps and walking away. Period

The odds that you installed a defective part right out of the box or made a mistake are much greater than the magnets on flywheel losing strength.

Glowing muffler means you are running super lean (not getting enough fuel). Do NOT run your machine like this until you figure out the problem. Same advice on this one. Thoroughly clean OEM carburetor and replace. Check all intake gaskets for air leaks. Go from there.

Carburetor cleaner is the best “starting fluid.” Better on the engine and if it doesn’t start after a 2 second burst, you have other problems than fuel related.

You tore into this engine and did not need to. Couldn’t have said it better myself. Read details from other posts for help.

Don’t throw any more parts at it (two ignition coils so far). You can buy a good used push mower for around $100 if all else fails…

Grease it until it comes out the seal.

I have one neighbor that mows with a POS Ryobi battery zero turn. He mows too short, leaves lots of thatch on top of lawn, and never changes direction. But then again, this describes lots of people. Anyway, I will stick with fuel until the bitter end.

For most people, a straight shaft trimmer is the only way to go. A shoulder harness also slows most people down and is restrictive. Your individual needs may be different. Echo equipment has always been very easy to start in my experience and makes great equipment.

1400 hours is a lot of hours. Probably a Kohler Command, which is a great engine. Buying a $3000 engine and putting it into a zero turn that might be worth $3000 is a personal choice. Hydro pumps and motors whining is not good. Are the hydros responsive? How loud are they when whining? Does it...

The FIRST item you always check with electrical issues is the battery. Charge and load test the battery and clean all terminals and make sure connections are tight. Then proceed to regulator/rectifier installation. Also the stator could be bad. Both these parts need to be tested before replacing.

Completely drain/siphon fuel tank and blow out if possible. Clean OEM carburetor and reinstall. Also check the items listed by sgkent.

Very slim chance the hunting and surging is the governor needing to be adjusted. As stated previously, probably dirty carburetor or water in fuel.

$22 bucks for a set. Funny thing is you can buy a new set of drive wheels for most mowers for about the same cost. Nice try Peter.

Hunting and surging is not a “feature.” It is a dirty carburetor, intake leak, or a tiny bit of water in fuel, or all the above. Take it back to the dealer. If it was from a big box store, take it to a shop and pay out of pocket.

So if you have an older (20 year plus) rider with all the safeties bypassed, do you rewire it so the safeties are operational before returning it to customer? Do you call them before doing this so customer knows cost involved? I understand all about liability. I see safeties bypassed sometimes...

How much does a good, reliable robot mower (including setup costs) cost that will effectively mow 3 acres?

On fescue, right at 4” is the correct height. Remember, many people mow grass way too low. Cutting too low stresses the grass, promotes weed growth, and causes burnout during periods lacking rain.

Good catch. I think he is trying to wow us with his knowledge.

Actual diagnosis versus throwing parts at it.

The opposite is also true: Not every dealer is crooked. Additionally, if a person doesn’t know what they are doing when attempting to fix something, they can make it worse.

Why would you buy a cheap, 19 year old riding mower if you are doing lawn care for a living? You should have two zero turns at a minimum and that is all you need. Deck hangers, etc. have a lot of slop and will require replacing parts if you want it right. I would level the deck and don’t worry...

Why would you do a partial rebuild on a 40 year old 3 horsepower engine? It ain’t worth anything really.

Yep, this is the turd trimmer I was talking about. It uses the heavy trimmer line you have to stop and replace manually when it wears down.