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I posted here trying to figure out what was going on with this tractor I picked up...turned out it was a totally clogged air filter.

I got the machine for $130 with hard bagger... and it was covered with years of oil and dirt. A 1998 mower in otherwise GREAT SHAPE rendered useless because some ownert NEVER had the thing serviced... good for ME but its disturbing.

So I replaced the air filter ($20 retail price) changed the fuel filter ($6) and cleaned it up (1 hour)

I do enjoy this HOBBY and make a few $$ from my work, but it does bother me a bit that people neglect these machines and basically throw them away when they dont work any more.

yes i know it is very sad to see a good machine in the shape you see alot of them in i get them all the time form a dealer i deal with he takes them in on trade and then i buy them and most of them just needs a service sharpen the blades a power wash and a coat of wax and they look like new again i have made so much money buying and selling these things all cause there past owners are to lazy to take a hose to it when there done mowing my Exmark never goes back in the shed till its had a bath and it never comes out till i check the oil the coolant the tires and the air filter and make sure the radiator is clear its just common sense and don't take that long to do it if you that them with care and respect they will give you years of great service even the cheaper mowers

I guess we have all seen this. I am one that washes and waxes his equipment from time to time. I think that many tractor owners just do not realize that cleaning and changing fluids is necessary. "I only use it for an hour a week it can't be that bad" , in a car running at high engine speed 3,600 rpm for an hour may be 80 to 100 miles or more. Over one summers use that is a lot of time on the same oil. Lets not forget the environment dust and heat the air fileter is in real trouble.

I believe that many owners have the tractor not because they like them, but its faster than cutting by hand. Cut it and forget it.

good for ME but its disturbing.

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You find this disturbing because of your level of mechanical aptitude. You know enough about how a machine operates to determine how much of a waste neglect can be. You understand that the cost of maintenance is a small percentage of the cost of replacement.

You maintenance costs are low because of your mechanical aptitude. You perform this maintenance and repairs yourself, so the cost is negligible.

In contrast, the person who has no idea how to maintain equipment is left to pay someone else to perform the task. The cost of this type of maintenance makes the cost of replacement seem to make sense, especially if the owner does not have a way to get the mower to the shop. So the owner, with no knowledge or ability, tries to lower these operating casts by neglecting ( perhaps not intentionally) the machine and has resigned himself to the fact that the mowers last 2-4 years and then they should be replaced, amortizing this cost over the ownership period. He compares these costs to the cost of paying someone else to do the work and he sees it as "saving a bundle".

So, you see it's not really disturbing at all, everybody wins. :thumbsup:
The owner gets what he or she wants.....a new machine (and a new monthly payment). You get a used machine with a lot of hours left.
Jobs are created, the economy is boosted because he (Mr. Tyrone Neglectalot) bought a new mower, and you bought some parts, and life is good.
So thank you for helping out in these poor economic times :smile:

WELL PUT!

Its not that I cant see it, or how it happens...your absolutely right about the COST being high when you cant do it yourself. I guess I have always felt that a MAN that owns a machine of any type should know how to operate and maintain it himself. I will always feel that a MAN should know the basics of a motor and be able and willing to change the oil and filters regularly.... Yea, Im pig headed that way.

But your point again, if it wasn't for people like this, we wouldn't have the toys to fix up. It just pains me to see a great tractor come to me all dirty, neglected and sometimes abused.:thumbsup:

yup if it wasn't for those type of people we would not have our great hobby, i see it everyday and nothing seems to amaze me. sometimes i wonder how the machines even run the way i get them.

you are right $$$$$$$$$$