how many of you repair small engines as a hobby? $$

[twinfords]

hello all, not to busy but i did clean up 8 mowers, strip them down and have them ready for the scrap man. i fixed several trimmers, Ryobi, Craftsman etc, fixed a Toro personal pace with bad shear pin and tuned it up, also fixed Murray ready for sale and a Craftsman with Honda engine. I have som many engines, i need to get rid of some of them< Honda, Briggs, Tecumseh etc 4HP -10HP/

 

[twinfords]

i sold three mowers today, Toro commercial, Craftsman front drive and Craftsman rear drive, finally making room for the winter storage. I also cut a few fallen trees up with a Stihl 170 and a Husqvarna 359. not a bad day. sat in a tree this morning and saw 11 deer.

 

[twinfords]

it has been fairly slow this week, a few calls for mowers, generator repair, chainsaw repair. the big storm is coming so we will see what happens with that. everyone play it safe out there if in its path.

 

[twinfords]

lost two trees on the road from Sandi, one nice Locust i cut up for firewood with my MS170 (plastic junk) and my Huaqvarna 359 (beast of a saw).

I fixed 3 saws, fuel lines adjutments/good cleanings and sharpened chains. Husqvarna 240, Poulan Pro 375, and Homelite XL Auto/

blew and raked tons of leaves also, split a 1/4 cord as well.

 

[BustedKnuckles]

I too have fallen (luckily) into repairing mowers as a hobby. I grew up helping my dad work on stuff at home and have always had a knack for fixing things and figuring things out pretty quickly.

It started for me about a year ago when I bought a go kart frame and built it as a Christmas present to my kids. I then proceeded to buy several go kart frames; I built a few but they turned out to be tons of work and not profitable.

Earlier this year, I bought a Snapper rear engine rider locally off of Craigslist for personal use. As soon as I unloaded it and put it into reverse, it had problems with the drive disc hitting the chain case. So, I studied it for a bit, and then proceeded to pull the engine making a quick and easy adjustment.

Let the snowball begin.

Since then, I'm scouring Craigslist every day, posting ads and use an Android app on my phone to advise of newly posted ads. I haven't kept a count of how many mowers I've flipped but I'm having a blast and making extra dough at the same time. I've even created a Facebook blog which is in my signature below.

Great topic!

 

[twinfords]

I too have fallen (luckily) into repairing mowers as a hobby. I grew up helping my dad work on stuff at home and have always had a knack for fixing things and figuring things out pretty quickly.

It started for me about a year ago when I bought a go kart frame and built it as a Christmas present to my kids. I then proceeded to buy several go kart frames; I built a few but they turned out to be tons of work and not profitable.

Earlier this year, I bought a Snapper rear engine rider locally off of Craigslist for personal use. As soon as I unloaded it and put it into reverse, it had problems with the drive disc hitting the chain case. So, I studied it for a bit, and then proceeded to pull the engine making a quick and easy adjustment.

Let the snowball begin.

Since then, I'm scouring Craigslist every day, posting ads and use an Android app on my phone to advise of newly posted ads. I haven't kept a count of how many mowers I've flipped but I'm having a blast and making extra dough at the same time. I've even created a Facebook blog which is in my signature below.

Great topic!

Jeff, great story, it is fun getting the equipment up and running, i like the idea of keeping it out of the landfills and salvaging the parts if possible. it can get out of hand with all of the equipment and storage is limited for me. i plan on getting everything i have that can be fixed done over the winter.

 

[twinfords]

i sold a mower over the weekend, i used the Homelite XL auto and tuned the PP375. both are running great. i rebuilt a carb for a Honda GVC160 last night and have it ready to install on something.

 

[BustedKnuckles]

Jeff, great story, it is fun getting the equipment up and running, i like the idea of keeping it out of the landfills and salvaging the parts if possible. it can get out of hand with all of the equipment and storage is limited for me. i plan on getting everything i have that can be fixed done over the winter.

I hear you on the storage space! I have a small shed and a 1 car garage but they both stay pretty busy. I even added a "loft" to my shed so I could make more mower room. See photo.

 

[twinfords]

I hear you on the storage space! I have a small shed and a 1 car garage but they both stay pretty busy. I even added a "loft" to my shed so I could make more mower room. See photo.

the loft is cool, i have a 16X20 shed and a 30 X36 two story garage. i do keep 4 cars in the garage but still manage to have it packed with mowers, chainsaw, power washers, trimmers, blowers etc. i have a car lift and a mowjack as well.and still have a good portion outside covered up with tarps.

 

[snapsstorer]

going to be a busy little beaver this winter i am, got 14 push mowers(wight's, mtd's, and lawnboy's) to repair. along with that have 16 riders that may get done in the process( murray, mtd, jc penny, snapper's, allis chalmers, and 2 JD-86's w/baggers). been looking for yard tractor snow blower attachment's to repair. :drool: i have had people asking me about thing's that may be wrong with their mower's, i keep telling them if they want me to look at it i might be able to tell them a bit better what it may be.