Export thread

Been swamped for weeks now. Worse than the last couple years and stens taking a week to get parts to me plus half their catalog backordered. Arrrrrrgh.

Yes I am covered with work too. Vendors are bottle necking orders. I manage to get three machines out today. Now if the weather holds then I might get halfway done with the current work load in a couple weeks.

I haven't ordered from Stens this year yet but FedEx deliveries are basically untraceable as bad USPS. I been ordering from Rotary for most of the aftermarket parts I used so far this year and they have been coming the next day. My main problem vendor is Gardner with the unusable website. 5 months and counting now. I just lost two Kohler v twin sales because of Gardner. I probably lost both those customers too.

After the latest screw up by Gardner I emailed my sales rep and told her I not placing any more orders until the website is fixed. It going to cost me business but I just can't keep fighting trying to get the parts.

Hammermechanicman said:

Been swamped for weeks now. Worse than the last couple years and stens taking a week to get parts to me plus half their catalog backordered. Arrrrrrgh.

Click to expand...

Busier than a one arm paper hanger.

Busy here also, but seems different. Not the normal simple repairs that take 30 to an hour to repair, and complete several a day. More of the less pieces but the stuff where 1-2 pieces is an all day project.

Currently have a Honda ATV that is blowing black smoke after warmup. A Troybilt tiller that needs carb work. A Craftsman rider with Kohler 25 with blown head gasket symptoms. A JD z-turn were the right spindle mounting bolts cracks through the deck shell. Will require a bunch of fabri-cobbling since a new shell is $1K, Currently waiting on the $5K new engine for the SxS that was destroyed due to low oil.

And have a CC waiting on tuneup and valve cover oil leak repair and another with electric clutch issues that I have to go pickup when i have room in the shop.

Glad to see it is not just me. Guy dropped off a "crack pot" yesterday. Hot tar trailer for sealing cracks in asphalt. First time for one of those.

Yep, dragging the deck around again, finish mower.

I had someone doxxing me, so I shut my business FB page down. So it's been slow.

ILENGINE said:

Busy here also, but seems different. Not the normal simple repairs that take 30 to an hour to repair, and complete several a day. More of the less pieces but the stuff where 1-2 pieces is an all day project.

Currently have a Honda ATV that is blowing black smoke after warmup. A Troybilt tiller that needs carb work. A Craftsman rider with Kohler 25 with blown head gasket symptoms. A JD z-turn were the right spindle mounting bolts cracks through the deck shell. Will require a bunch of fabri-cobbling since a new shell is $1K, Currently waiting on the $5K new engine for the SxS that was destroyed due to low oil.

And have a CC waiting on tuneup and valve cover oil leak repair and another with electric clutch issues that I have to go pickup when i have room in the shop.

Click to expand...

Well the ATV had the main jet fall out of the carb so that was an easy fix. The Troybilt carb work went fine and was returned to the customer. The Kohler 25 with the blown head gasket has had the gaskets replaced but is running rich and dumping fuel into the oil, so doing a carb repair on it. Have the $5K engine for the SxS but waiting on gaskets since the long block didn't come with them. JD deck shell turned out great but need an idler pulley since discovering that it is causing a deck vibration. Valve cover leak was fixed, still need to go get the one with the PTO issue and can now add one that I have to go get due to a bend blade from hitting roots in the yard. Have another Craftsman Z turn with the Courage twin that came in as a non running and the hydro's won't free wheel. Started out with a bad starter solenoid, which lead to oil fouled plugs, and after getting it running it also is blowing black smoke like the choke is on, but most likely the same issue as the Kohler 25 with leaking fuel into the engine while running.

ILENGINE said:

Well the ATV had the main jet fall out of the carb so that was an easy fix. The Troybilt carb work went fine and was returned to the customer. The Kohler 25 with the blown head gasket has had the gaskets replaced but is running rich and dumping fuel into the oil, so doing a carb repair on it. Have the $5K engine for the SxS but waiting on gaskets since the long block didn't come with them. JD deck shell turned out great but need an idler pulley since discovering that it is causing a deck vibration. Valve cover leak was fixed, still need to go get the one with the PTO issue and can now add one that I have to go get due to a bend blade from hitting roots in the yard. Have another Craftsman Z turn with the Courage twin that came in as a non running and the hydro's won't free wheel. Started out with a bad starter solenoid, which lead to oil fouled plugs, and after getting it running it also is blowing black smoke like the choke is on, but most likely the same issue as the Kohler 25 with leaking fuel into the engine while running.

Click to expand...

Well all that must've taking you all day long. I bet you're tired.

ILENGINE said:

Well the ATV had the main jet fall out of the carb so that was an easy fix. The Troybilt carb work went fine and was returned to the customer. The Kohler 25 with the blown head gasket has had the gaskets replaced but is running rich and dumping fuel into the oil, so doing a carb repair on it. Have the $5K engine for the SxS but waiting on gaskets since the long block didn't come with them. JD deck shell turned out great but need an idler pulley since discovering that it is causing a deck vibration. Valve cover leak was fixed, still need to go get the one with the PTO issue and can now add one that I have to go get due to a bend blade from hitting roots in the yard. Have another Craftsman Z turn with the Courage twin that came in as a non running and the hydro's won't free wheel. Started out with a bad starter solenoid, which lead to oil fouled plugs, and after getting it running it also is blowing black smoke like the choke is on, but most likely the same issue as the Kohler 25 with leaking fuel into the engine while running.

Click to expand...

Should have all that done before lunch.

Hammermechanicman said:

Should have all that done before lunch.

Click to expand...

That's makes me feel slow. I spent 4 hrs on an old Husq yesterday. Engine swap, making one seat and it's brackets fit another (had to drill holes). Looking up gas tank grommets, then realizing I bought extra's and then having to find them.
I think I spend more time looking for stuff than I do working on it.

Last week I had a troy bilt RZT50 that had a bad engine drive pulley. Had to take the engine off and proceeded to snap off a stud of the bearing separator trying to get it off. Heat didn't help. Wound up drilling a series of holes in a row in the pulley hub and then split it off with a chisel. 4 hours just to get a pulley off a crankshaft.

Hammermechanicman said:

Last week I had a troy bilt RZT50 that had a bad engine drive pulley. Had to take the engine off and proceeded to snap off a stud of the bearing separator trying to get it off. Heat didn't help. Wound up drilling a series of holes in a row in the pulley hub and then split it off with a chisel. 4 hours just to get a pulley off a crankshaft.

Click to expand...

And customers wonder why it takes so long to get their equipment looked at or repaired, And the tech is wondering why they don't get anything done.

I keep saying I’m thru w/ working on mowers etc.,
but I got a call from a senior friend just up the road.
Says his Bolens Single cyl 14.5 BS just quit. I went up
do a few checks, valve clearance, spark, but thought
I‘d turn it over by hand. Low and Behold NO compression.
He has 2 identical riders so I‘m trying to make 1 run. The
other has been sitting out for 5 years! Can’t wait to get over
there and begin the descent into Hell. He’s about #6 so far
in repairs! I’m starting to feel like IL w/ these Major jobs. Oh,
one more thing. On my last job, my cousin called me. Sounded
like a simple repair, nothing but 15 minutes Max, right? WRONG!
Walk behind Commercial mower started clanging and banging
like a Jackass kicking in a tin stall. He mows for a living, wanted
it back on line el pronto. Says he found the trouble. 3 missing
motor mount bolts, one loose just barely holding. I go 5 miles
to fix the thing. I tell him I’m going to loosen the elec clutch and
drop it down some to get some play to remove the belt so I can
line up the bolt holes. He had some trouble w elec clutch and replaced
it after eating 3 belts, so he won’t let me touch it. HE insists that “WE”
pull against belt tension trying to line up the holes and bolts! We
never got it fixed after 3 HOURS and he wound up taking it to my
friends mower shop. YES I know how you guys feel.

Update on the Bolens w/ a blown 14.5 B&S vertical engine. Switched carbs on the Bolens
rider look alike been sitting out 5 yrs under a tarp and amazingly it fired up and ran strong.
Switched out rear wheels, checked & greased spindles and sharpened blades and he was
mowing his yard when I left. Not a bad repair like I thought it would.

Tiger Small Engine said:

Busier than a one arm paper hanger.

Click to expand...

Or... busier than a one legged man is a butt kickin contest