Hey Folks

[Scrubcadet10]

Keep in mind a good number of people on here have come here because either they WANT to LEARN how to fix their equipment or in some cases can not afford repairs from a shop and again, WANT to LEARN how to fix it... people who actually want to learn are few and far between nowdays.
Be patient with them.. they may not have your 10, 20, 40 or 50 year's experience with small engine repair.

-Scrub.

 

[Rivets]

Sorry Scrub but I must disagree with you on this one. I think that the majority of those who come here are just looking for the cheapest way to solve a problem. They only want to solve them problem quickly, but not solve the cause of the problem. How many times have you asked for additional information to help them, but they don’t come back or reply with only minimal info, which means you have to ask again and again. Others will assume that they know more than you and won’t attempt to try the solutions you suggest, How many times have you wished you knew if the problem was solved, but the OP never comes back. Less than 1% come back to say THANK YOU, and those are the few who WANT to LEARN. Don’t get me going on the DIY guys who reply,” I had a similar problem on a different brand 15 years ago and solved it like this” or those who never read a complete thread and make statements which are either way off base or been suggested before. Just my opinion, as I’m not smarter that anyone one this site, just made more mistakes than most, which I try to never repeat.

 

[slomo]

Ol' boy DH is killing me with his Ariens 20 year old mower never skipped a beat since new now it won't fire a spark plug LOL. Or it will fire a plug not 1/4" gap, or was it LOL LOL. Turn on the light. What does that mean? I see a bulb mounted to the ceiling? Do you think I need electricity to see at night?

 

[bertsmobile1]

Rivets has nailed it
Most come here after trying what some brainless ball of ego fat posted on You tube .
They want some one here to wave a magic wand so they can fix their mower at no cost and rarely ever come back.
Although it must be said, I get a lot more thanks yous as a PM than I see posted but who cares I am here to learn from the experiences of others.

As for people like DH I ask them to do some thing
If they argue or don't then I have better things to do with my time.
I do like to explain the why but most seem to just want the put tab A in slot B and fold answer.

 

[Rivets]

Guess some people think I’m looking for thanks, based on two PM’s. Couldn’t be farther from the truth. To those members I say this. If I only do this to get a pat on the back, I would have stuck around for 9 years. I do it because it is part of a teachers character to help others learn. Just like the real world, most people think that all professionals charge too much and feel because they pay the bills that’s thanks enough. Plus they have been hurt by the 10% bad ones, they feel we all are out to get them. That’s why you’ll see me belittle everyone of them who rants about them when they can’t get what they want on their own terms. That’s one reason why I wish this forum had a way to identify which members are technicians, so when professionals reply, the OP’s know it’s not a garage mechanic just giving an opinion. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of good DIY guys here, but only the pros can indentify them quickly, but most time they are professional enough to just let it go. Most of them “slept at a Holiday Inn last night” If you’re old enough to remember that commercial.

 

[bertsmobile1]

And what some would not know the go now days is for instant answers
So not uncommon to find the same post on a dozen or more forums .
This is of course because I am the most important person in the world and the whole universe revolves around me.
I have always wanted to ask these posters if they wee an only child.
In person I can usually tell people from a single child , two child or more than 2 child family.
Almost to a person , the single & 2 child people have a massive idea of their own self importance & generally self centered selfish nature ,

 

[slomo]

Keep in mind a good number of people on here have come here because either they WANT to LEARN how to fix their equipment or in some cases can not afford repairs from a shop and again, WANT to LEARN how to fix it... people who actually want to learn are few and far between nowdays.
Be patient with them.. they may not have your 10, 20, 40 or 50 year's experience with small engine repair.

-Scrub.

Most shops have terrible techs too. People want to learn to fix their own stuff.

Dad took his Toro pusher to one very large mower shop in OKC. Shops answer for non-starting was he was using E-10 87 gas. They wouldn't touch the mower because of that. Dad told them he used 89 real gas all the time. They still wouldn't work on it. LOL Kept blaming his fuel. They wouldn't dump the tank that holds maybe a full quart of gas and pull the rope using their fuel. So lame.....

 

[qmark]

I am a DIFer. I farmed for over 50 years using older equipment which I for the most part kept operational
That was without the blessing of the internet, which I now love for information. My mower is a hopper 725G2. I was unhappy with the gas engine so swapped in a 3 cylinder Kubota turbo diesel. . This is a very simple mower so I have to this point needed no advice on servicing. But if something arises I will happily ask on the forum, post any results and thank the re pliers who devote their time to this.

I now have a fleet of older autos and trucks which I often consult forums for wisdom. I also contribute if I have anything to contribute.

 

[oldlawnguy]

DIY stiff here with my U.S. $.02 (actually $.01 cuz of transitory inflation what a joke)

In my few years this site gets the full analog spectrum of OPers from various expertise level DIYers willing to slog the sweat & details and LEARN, LEARN, LEARN (rinse & repeat) all the way to lazy, cheap, arrogant, know-it-alls who want a quick fix at someone else's time and expense instead of theirs. Then you have the various mix & match combo of folks who fall in between the two extremes. e.g. you can be a cheap, arrogant diligent learner, a wealthy, polite advanced learner, a lazy, know-it-all who can't read the directions for a flathead screwdriver, but has PhD in theoretical physics or a musician with 40 platinum records that wants to learn how to fix stuff cuz he is both left and right brain dominant.

Basically this site brings all types just as we see in that thing called life.

Generally, what you get out of life usually is directly proportional to what you are willing to put into it. Yeah some folks may have gotten bitten by a bad shop in their view, but maybe they forgot to tell you they broke their JD tractor AFTER the shop FIXED it (TWICE for FREE)! Yes their are bad shops, bad customers and bad parts, but there are also good shops, good customers and good parts. Pick your industry: cars, doctors, accountants, stock broker, HVAC, attorneys, etc. All the same, your mileage may vary...

I get that this forum has basic ground rules as does life, but given it is FIX focused you got to bring the goods on specifics when asked and IMO that includes some calloused skin and especially a sense of humor. Nobody cares here that you are a member of Skull & Bones, or your the type that says "Do you know who I am?" (yeah your the OP who can't fix your mower), but we should all care if you have 30+ fixing stuff in your shop.

For me this site is great forum for getting FREE pro advice & teaching, great DIYer help too, but OP has to do their homework/research if "you" (not forum) want to fix your gizmo. I'd work in any of the above poster pro shops for free for a day or two just to pay it forward for their FREE teachings (would be fun too). Oh and pet peeve of mine, follow-up and saying thank you also costs nothing on this site -- core values.

Nothing better brings out ALL types when you include the word FREE...

 

[Joed756]

So, what's the purpose of this site? To lend a hand when you think you can or to analyze and discourage the people asking for help and those who try to help without your years of experience?