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Rarely does the flywheel key shear. I mean almost never.

Replacing spark plugs is usually unnecessary. You can clean, gap, and blow them out with an air compressor blow gun. Spark plugs in small engines usually last for several years.

I appreciate all the replies and interest in this thread on blade sharpening. Most of my blade sharpening comes from a complete tune up and sharpening the blades being a part of the service. It takes lots of practice to get good at consistently getting a nice sharp blade with an angle grinder...

The flap wheels would have taken all day on blades that are very dull. I tried them and they didn’t work. I have been reading up on grinding wheels getting glazed. The harder the wheel, the easier it is to glaze up. These are cheap wheels I am buying in bulk from online. I will try dressing...

It depends, upon a lot of things. How good is the engine to begin with? How is the equipment used and how often? How is the equipment maintained? Sometimes equipment will have a sticker on it with an hour rating. That is how long it is rated to stay within EPA standards. Lucky to get 3-5 years...

I have tried a flap wheel and did a horrible job. Would be good for touch ups, not sharpening dull blades. I switch out grinding wheels frequently. How do you clean a glazed grinding wheel? You may be onto to something here.

Maybe you should point out the misdiagnosis to the dealer on the clogged cooling fins. Most people do not know how important checking and cleaning the top of engine and cooling fins, on an AIR COOLED engine is. It is good to not be completely dependent on a shop to check things out yourself.

How you can sharpen a blade that is very dull and beat to hell in less than a minute is beyond me. It sometimes takes 10 plus minutes per blade for ones that are really bad. Believe me I do not like spending this much time. Which is why I posted the topic. Surely I can’t be the only shop...

If you are saying that fuel trickled out of fuel pump with line removed going to carburetor, when you cranked engine, then you need a new fuel pump. Fuel should shoot out with a nice steady pulse.

If all I did was sharpen straight blades, then I would not have to use an angle grinder. That is why I use an angle grinder on everything. When a blade is bent you can get it close with a sledge hammer and a pair of safety glasses while smacking it on concrete. Of course you can’t get it...

Fish- We don’t see you on here that much. How have things been going?

You need a new dealer. Apparently they can’t take ten minutes to remove engine shroud and check cooling fins for dirt and debris.

If a person has the time, tools, inclination, and experience, then doing an engine autopsy is really cool and interesting. On the other hand, if you are busy and doing it for a living, it doesn’t pay usually. I am a one person shop and do not offer rebuilds on engines and hydraulic pumps. You...

Simply fabricate a small metal bracket and mount to engine for safety.

Normally connecting rods break from lack of lubrication. Because engine has never “run dry” doesn’t mean it was not run low on oil amount. Good probability that pistons, rings, cylinders, crankshaft and cam have some scoring due to being run with low oil. Also, low oil causes overheating and...

If you have actually gotten around 2000 hours in 3 years out of a Stihl trimmer, consider buying a new, or low hour replacement, and keeping the older one for backup. That’s a lot of use in a short time. Lots of commercial guys will change out trimmers every 3-4 years. Vibration should have...

My question refers to customer mower blades. Many of the blades I see on customer equipment are really dull and beat up. It is not uncommon that I have to reestablish the angle and depth on cutting edge the blade is so bad. It can take 15-20 minutes per blade to sharpen correctly. I am not...

Also, hopefully you didn’t throw out OEM carburetor. Clean it and install preferably over cheap Chinese carburetor. If linkage adjustment doesn’t solve choke butterfly closing all the way, very occasionally the choke needs to be removed and sanded to get free movement so it will fully close. I...

You need to drain, syphon, and blow out fuel tank. Water will be all the way at bottom if present. Look for fuel pump coming off of fuel line, if no pump then it is gravity feed. If it will start when giving it a bit of fuel in carburetor, but not stay running, probably has a dirty carburetor...

So because the carbon monoxide sensor was bad, Dewalt told you to bring back the generator and get a refund. Now the store has a used generator to sell, instead of having a shop replace the CO sensor under warranty. Seems like a poor decision on Dewalt’s part.

With electrical issues, the first place to check is the battery. Make sure the battery is charged and load tested. Make sure terminals are clean and tight. After battery checks out, keep testing. In this case, before replacing the wiring harness, take it to a shop to get it repaired.

A PTO deck belt should last a minimum of 3-4 years if everything is correct. You need to go through every single pulley, etc. until you find the problem. Also, try calling the manufacturer or other people you know in the business for suggestion. Plan B is tell the customer to take it to another...

The great oil debate. Change it at regular intervals. Check oil and keep it at correct level. It isn’t a motorcycle revving out at 13,000 rpms.

Carburetor still not clean enough or air leak on intake, or both.

Video would not load. The pulley should never hit the tensioner spring. If the belt tension is not tight enough, consider buying and installing a new spring. You will damage the spring and pulley if you run it like this long term.

When the tensioner pulley rattles against the frame, I have added a piece of hose split and wrapped around the spring and zip tied in the past. May be able to do this for your rattle. Relocating the spring connection point is also an option. Just use common sense on amount of tension on spring...

We have been a throw away society for many years now.

I have never seen a mowing business running a Cub Cadet zero turn with a steering wheel on any hills, NEVER. There has got to be something more to that then my own personal experience.

Same with limiter caps on handheld equipment, low and high adjustments. Occasionally these caps need to be removed to get the air/fuel mixture just right as the equipment ages.

Ten years of mowing residential and commercial properties running my own business. Some of it you have to be very careful on and have the right equipment and experience. I would NEVER attempt mowing hills on a riding mower or Cub Cadet zero turn with a steering wheel.

Brand new under warranty, take it to the dealer and have them adjust it. Plan B, buy a set of 10 and do it yourself.

If you can manually adjust throttle, simply idle engine down for 5-10 seconds and turn off.

A good zero turn will hold a hill better than any riding mower, or a zero turn with a steering wheel like this Cub Cadet. You always make turns uphill when mowing across the slope. I have mowed some really steep stuff in the past with zero turns. When it gets too steep you go up and down and...

I said bypassing an anti-afterfire solenoid is an option. So can you show me the statute law that states this is a felony? Are the carburetor police going to come arrest you? This is like specialized screwdrivers for adjusting handheld equipment. I remember people saying how using these was...

The Chinese are masters of knocking off products in general. The difference is 25 years ago, the quality just wasn’t there, however, today, it is much improved. Much of what we buy and use everyday is made in China, etc.

Anti-afterfire solenoid on carburetor gumming up and not working is a fairly common problem. People also don’t understand how they work. The four options for a non working solenoid: 1) replace 2) clean and replace 3) bypass 4) replace with exact size bolt and gasket.

I understand the history of Dixie Chopper. They got big exposure from being on Orange County Choppers. I have mowed with a couple Dixie Choppers 20 years ago when they were much more popular. I was not impressed, at all. The only thing they could do well was go fast. Cut quality, build quality...

Unless you want the experience and have the time and money, I agree with not “rebuilding “ engine.

LCT=Liquid Combustion Technology. Says it is U.S. owned and operated business. I would think parts availability is somewhat limited. You state weak spark in heading, and say fuel is coming out of the muffler. You have replaced ignition coil and carburetor and apparently no improvement? Did you...

Is the engine burning oil, if so, is it excessive? Is it smoking? Do compression test wet and dry. Dry test is normal, wet test is add a bit of oil down spark plug hole, then perform compression test. Does the compression go up with wet test, if so, how much?

Most of the cheap Chinese carburetors I buy run just fine. This is yet another controversy along with what type of oil, anti-afterfire solenoids, ethanol fuel, etc.

$20 per can on Amazon for Slip Plate, which is a spray on graphite. The point is, that mowing dry grass is the key. When you have to mow wet then scrape deck with paint scraper. Many decks that come in for tune ups are absolutely packed with grass. I have never used any products that are applied...

Mow when grass is dry. Scrape deck underneath when sharpening blades. Avoid pressure washing except very occasionally.

Anything around 120 psi is really good compression on a 4-stroke twin cylinder engine. The compression release mechanism is on the cam and is on both cylinders, not just one. Also, there would not be a 120 psi differential with and without release. Also, 170 psi compression reading on a healthy...

Bad Boy was a crappy zero turn 15 years ago, but today has a decent market share and is a solid mower for the money.

Sounds like Dixie Chopper from 20 years ago and spot on. Dixie Chopper went out of business and was revived by a new company that brought them back about 3 years ago. Don’t know current details but doubt they will ever be a factor for zero turn market in the future.

That is one of the weird things that can happen. I wish more people would let us know what the final problem and solution was both on here, and from customers I have very occasionally that I cannot determine how to repair their equipment. It is a continual learning process in life.

Try removing the carburetor one more time and cleaning it again. Does it have a diaphragm that needs to be replaced? Did you remove all jets, etc. ? Did you use carburetor cleaner, a really thin wire, and a compressor blow gun to clean carburetor? Are the gaskets all in good shape and...

That cylinder does not look good from that one picture. Try to do a leak down and compression test if possible. If there was water inside engine there will probably be pitting, etc. that will possibly make the engine, for all practical purposes, unsalvageable.

Yep, if you are going to mow for hours on end, a diesel may be the way to go. I have only mowed with one diesel zero turn, and it was an Onan on a Dixie Chopper. You may also consider a 72” deck over a 60”.