Commercial maintenance practices.

[bertsmobile1]

Are you pros aware of any private shops that specialize in offering a maintenance contract for keeping your equipment and machines in tip top working condition other than your dealer? If I was a pro(I am not), and I had several machines that require frequent maintenance/adjustments/parts replacement, etc., and I would have to spend many hours after work to attend to these tasks, would it be viable to use a service that does these things for me at at a reasonable price? I do these things on a very small scale for friends and family. I don't charge for labor. They buy and bring the parts for what they want to be done. it's fun for me to bring their machines up to good working order. If anyone has viewed my posts and threads, I especially enjoy checking and adjusting valve lash on an engine. This CRITICAL item will not only add reliability to an engine, but will allow the engine to make it's maximum power without fueling and other operating issues. Fun!

Until the drought kicked in it was my bread & butter.
Do all of the contractors in about a 5 mile radius because I do what the shops won't.
Overnight servicing for contractors.
It was an accident, originally I just offerred a "trade" discount by not putting any mark up on parts.
Then my best customer asked if he could drop off a mower that afternoon & pick it up in the morning and would be happy to pay extra for it.
So that started the overnight business.
They all have yard keys so I do the job, email them the invoice and they pick the equipment up at the ungodly hour that they start.
Do similar with parts, they can access the parts storerooms ( a couple of old trucks ).
So check around the local area for mechanics who work from home, live above their shops or do mobile servicing.

 

[Boit4852]

Solo commercial operator here. I do most of my own maintenance and simple repairs. Engine and carburetor work gets done by local shops. Proper maintenance of everything I maintain is difficult. 4 cars, my work truck, a landscape tractor with hoe and loader, a landscape trailer and a dump trailer, 2 zero-turn mowers, a hydro walk-behind mower, 4 blowers, 4 string trimmers, 3 hedge trimmers, 3 multi-tool powerheads and multiple attachments, 2 chain saws and a power pole pruner. No way I can properly service all that and get enough billable hours in. I sharpen mower blades myself with and angle grinder and magna-matic balancer. Never had to replace a spindle. I'm pretty good about oil changes, air filters, fluid levels and grease. No valves have ever been adjusted except on my 4-mix multi-tool powerhead.

Edit - forgot the 10 hp wheel blower, snow plow and snow blowers. I maintain 30 properties plus my own 34 acre one and do all the accounting. Kind of a lot on my plate to get picky with maintenance...

2nd edit. I just wanted to add that no "wet" machines are ever operated. If anything is leaking or weeping any amount of fuel it gets taken out of service until it's fixed.

I was a bit surprised that you haven't had the valves checked/adjusted other than the machine you mentioned. From my experience, valve lash will change the most in the early hours of operation of a new engine. If checked and adjusted often during the first 150 hours, the lash changes less and less as the valves, push rods, seats, and cam lobes all wear in together. After about 150 hours,the lash changes very little under normal use providing that the fan shroud is removed and the engine cleaned for optimum cooling, oil/filter changes, etc.Valves that are too tight or too loose are both detrimental to the engine by causing premature wear and mechanical damage to the valves/seats and cylinder heads. Too tight and the valves won't seal correctly and combustion/compression pressure will blow by. Too loose and the valves will slam hard into the seats and can result in catastrophic failure. The first symptom of valves out of spec is hard starting. Loose valves will click when the engine is running cold and will quieten some as the engine warms up. Other than dealing with valve cover gaskets, the valve lash maintenance is my favorite job. It's fun to me because the result of finely adjusted valves will have a dramatic effect on the engine's performance across the board.....starting, power, and lower mechanical noise.

 

[Boit4852]

Until the drought kicked in it was my bread & butter.
Do all of the contractors in about a 5 mile radius because I do what the shops won't.
Overnight servicing for contractors.
It was an accident, originally I just offerred a "trade" discount by not putting any mark up on parts.
Then my best customer asked if he could drop off a mower that afternoon & pick it up in the morning and would be happy to pay extra for it.
So that started the overnight business.
They all have yard keys so I do the job, email them the invoice and they pick the equipment up at the ungodly hour that they start.
Do similar with parts, they can access the parts storerooms ( a couple of old trucks ).
So check around the local area for mechanics who work from home, live above their shops or do mobile servicing.

I wasn't looking for shop like that for myself, I only wondered if they exist. There are a few small engine/mower repair shops here that advertise with homemade signs placed on roads near their shop. I have no idea if they offer maintenance type fleet services or just bring your broken machine in for repair. I only do work for family and a couple of friends. This past spring, I get a call from a stranger, referred by a cousin, who had a list of tasks he wanted me to address on his Toro ZTR. He had the audacity to expect me to provide my labor for free because I don't charge my cousin for labor. Plus, this guy expected me to go get the parts myself. From that point on, I ask for 'donations' for my labor. If I don't receive what I think is a fair donation, I turn them down when they call. It amazes me how people can be so damn selfish and take advantage of someone's good will. My widowed 78 year old aunt has a JD lawn tractor that I take care of and she feeds me some fine southern cooking from time to time and she's very thankful. I go out of my way to maintain her machine.