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Initially, going to this trade show was mainly about gathering, listening, and learning as much as I could from other people about mechanical and technical knowledge on small engines and outdoor power equipment in general. What I quickly found out was that most people do not know much more than...

I remember being at the Green Industry Equipment Exposition in Louisville, KY about 4 years ago and asking a guy selling pull start generators with no battery about the solenoid on the carburetor. He didn’t have an answer and I didn’t understand it either. Because these solenoids are the...

Probably missing a spring or linkage. Will need to find model number for people to give you help. Looks like a Briggs single cylinder possibly starting with 28 on model number (6 digit number).

Do you plan on running the mower for lots of acreage and hours? Why would you want a diesel? Costs for purchase and to maintain will be more with diesel.

If after 3.5 years the battery Greenworks trimmer dies to the point of complete replacement, then everyone else except the customer loses. Sending out brand new units from Greenworks is unacceptable and unsustainable. How does this affect the environment when Greenworks is ironically “being...

Almost 80 posts, and several phone calls to save $40 bucks, glad it is resolved. On the positive side, it gave people a chance to exchange ideas and methods.

If you pull the engine shroud and it is packed full of grass, dirt, and debris, then it may have overheated. If the cam is messed up, then replace it while you are in there, and it is cost effective. These engines are generally not worth spending a lot on. Finding the model, type, and code is...

Here is one other trick you can use, provided the spindles clear the underside of mower. Also, may have to remove spindle safety covers to accommodate increased deck height clearance. Remove the nut on the deck hanger rod and put in a washer(s) or bushing to give you more adjustment. If the...

What is a TVF diode? Sounds to me like a failing intermittent steering arm safety switch problem. Are the safety switches two or four wire?

Riding mowers are chronically set low from the factory and it is not uncommon to max out at 3.5” on adjusted deck height. When leveling the deck, take measurements on the deck itself for your height adjustments. To determine the actual cutting height, measure from the blade tip to concrete. Two...

Tires are like batteries, there is more to it then meets the eye. Ideally you want a low pressure tire gauge to check tire pressure. When a tire has sidewall dry rot I try a sealant which sometimes works and sometimes does not. If it works, great, if it doesn’t then I only lost the cost of some...

Yep, for liability I clean and replace spark arrestor. Torch it, hit it with a wire brush, hit it with air compressor and reinstall. Not uncommon to see clogged or partially clogged spark arrestors on equipment.

I use nothing except 10% ethanol fuel in all my two stroke equipment. The leaf blower from 2003 has never had the carburetor off and metering diaphragm replaced. People love blaming ethanol fuel for many problems. I see water in fuel and old fuel causing substantially more problems than ethanol...

I have no come backs on tires I repair by putting in string plugs. The amount of time it takes to remove a tire, break the bead, install a tube, and order or pick up the tube, and cost of tube, has all got to be accounted for and charged to the customer. By the time you add it up, you can...

Probably go with the little bit hotter spark plug. You mentioned gap with no further context. Gap should be around .022”. Ideally a plug should be a light brown color when checking. Draining the premix fuel every time you use it to “save the fuel line, etc.” is completely unnecessary. I have a...

When you get a puncture in a tire with no inner tube, you can simply plug it. With a tire that has an inner tube and gets a puncture, you end up putting in a plug. Much more time and cost saving to plug vs. putting in tube. Fix A Flat usually doesn’t work well and often rusts out the wheel long...

There are better products on the market than Slime, and they have their place, mainly when dry rot is the issue. If you install a tube, as soon as you hit a nail, thorn, glass, etc., you are back to square one. Plus you have to deal with the inner tube as well as the flat tire.

Unless you want the experience and expense, it would be a hard no. Try to find a good used one maybe.

I repaired I repaired low end handheld equipment for five years. That is enough time to establish not wanting to work on it anymore. Also, it gets expensive for the customer when the repair cost is at or exceeding half of original purchase cost. I realize that Husqvarna makes Poulan and has...

Handheld equipment brands I service and repair: Stihl, Husqvarna, Echo, Redmax. Used to work on the cheap stuff and no longer do for a variety of reasons.

Black Max is sold at Sam’s and Hart is sold at Walmart. Glad I don’t work on either when it comes to handheld equipment.

Once you g Once you get it back from dealer, if you can post and let us know what the problem was, we would appreciate it.

75 posts on 1 thread, Will this thing ever be dead, Measure it once and cut twice, I should stick my head in a vice. Happy New Year!

Wh Why do you need a new engine? How many hours on original FH721V? Why do you want to go to EFI engine? Besides the wiring, which will no doubt be different, you need to check crankshaft dimensions, muffler fit, and engine bolt pattern. You need to think this one out.

The local John Deere dealer charges 2.5 times more per hour than I do. They normally do good work, however the labor rate charge is ridiculous.

Because these are air cooled engines, making sure the cylinder heads and cooling fins are free of dirt, grass, and debris is also important. Oil coolers help no doubt, however, do not neglect checking and cleaning engine under the shroud and tins as necessary.

The quality of cut will suffer greatly. Clumps of grass left behind, etc. Harder on the engine also. When mowing grass, the whole idea is to let the cut grass fly out and disperse as much as possible.

The spam on this forum is now out of control. Something has got to be done to lessen it. Merry Christmas

New transaxle plus labor to remove and replace, costs way more than your riding mower is worth.

Do not convert it to permanent mulching with new baffles and block off plate. You will not be happy.

At this point, maybe your best bet is to take it to the dealer and have them check out snowblower and install the correct belt. I would not say people trying to help original poster is “clickbait.” Some people are very independent and like to try to do things themselves first, like installing a...

The solution is pretty simple. Put on some good clothes, layer up and go out and fix your snowblower. I work in the cold everyday . Takes a while for my wood stove to start putting out any real heat. Replace fuel line, install fuel shut off valve (if it doesn’t have one now), take carburetor...

Honda is very proprietary on their equipment. I have attempted changing engines on different self propelled mowers and was unable. Be aware of this.

Have seen a Spartan zero turn that needed a complete new wiring harness. I troubleshot it and customer ended up taking it to dealer for repair. I couldn’t figure it out and pinpoint the wiring harness as the issue.

Remember that a dedicated piece of equipment (snowblower) versus an add on (snowblower attachment) almost always works better. See if you can add a bracket to firm it up.

If i If you pushed a valve guide, you can’t simply tap it back down. It will work its way back out. Valve guides that have moved is usually caused by engine that overheated. Engine overheating is usually caused by cylinder head cooling fins and top of engine caked in dirt, oil, and grass. Long...

56 posts on a subject is a lot… If you have never done something (a particular task), then you have nothing to base your assessment on, other than what you read and what people tell you. Good luck and Merry Christmas.

Scoring on the piston, rings, and cylinder on a four stroke: Being able to tell if the compression is too low due to excessive scoring takes experience. There is no set “go, no go level.” You can only see the condition of cylinder, without removing the head and taking the piston off of the...

Or simply drill a small hole in rod and install a hitch pin clip or cotter pin.

I have found some oil drain plugs on mowers are very tight. Probably because the last one to tighten it over tightened it. To install the oil filter I always put oil on the seal and use two hands and a grunt to tighten it. More oil filters are too loose rather than too tight when removing them...

I still have leaves to tackle. There is no winter storage for my Scag zero turn.

Without some modifications, probably not. Also, with some modifications, probably not. Manufacturers specify certain transaxles so it becomes proprietary and you must replace with same one for a smooth installation and operation. Also remember that there can be dozens of different designs with a...

If compression reading is accurate, then 45 psi is too low for engine to start and run. You need about 60-70 psi minimum for most 4-stroke engines to start and run. The problem is that there is often a compression release involved and it throws off reading. The compression tester may be off on...

Qualified good new employees are hard to find these days. When you know more than the person that is helping you, it is not uncommon. It is better to keep exit chute on and keep it raised while mowing. Lower it around people, vehicles, or windows to keep potential rocks from being thrown.

If you can get the engine opened up, can you show us pictures of what a “melted camshaft “ looks like please? Lobes can be compromised, but never heard of a small engine turning 3600 RPMs, melting a cam.

Don’t pressure wash a generator.

Deck height on riding mowers is often set low from the factory. Often some adjustments can be made. Measure from blade to level concrete with tires inflated correctly to determine actual cutting height.

The zero turn market is highly competitive and saturated. Stihl is obviously banking on their brand name to sell these mowers. I believe it is a good looking mower, however, they are expensive and are very late to be introduced to the market. Time will tell. Yes, they are built on the Ferris...

Regarding the Kohler Courage (single cylinder specifically). I have never seen the “Kohler crack”, or any catastrophic damage due to sump bolts backing out. Plenty of loose sump bolts that I tightened after removing engine shroud. Is it possible your oil leak came from not tightening the oil...

If your belt tension is not adequate, you may need to buy a spring at hardware store that is close enough and will work. In a pinch you can heat up existing spring and cut it shorter to restore good belt tension.