Intec 12.5 Vertical

[Hammermechanicman]

For WIW a mower that comes in for a repair get the repair done then field tested for 1/2 hour and returned with a list of what needs to be done .

A mower that comes in for service gets a 1/2 hour run to evaluate it and heat the oil
The oil is changed then every problem I noticed when mowing gets attended to\
Every nut & bolt gets checked as does all of the bushes & bearings
Rear wheels & PTO come off for a derust , and coat of never sieze.
Flywheel comes off to check the stator & clean around the magnets & of course the fins
Under cowl wiring is checked for condition , starter gets a dusting of graphite on the bendix
Alternator output is checked as is battery capacity and battery cables get a visual and some times a terminal clean then over paint with liquid electrical tape .
All tyres are immersion checked for leaks at 40 psi then returned to correct value.
Steering bush is checked & lubed where required , some plastic ones get replaced as required
Steering & brakes adjusted
Belts checked & replaced as required.
Hydros get treated according to their type
Hydros with internal brakes get an oil change at around 200 to 300 hour intervals so it is not uncommon for my customers to get 2000+ hours out of the "non-Servicable " K46's and the like
Drive pedals get adjusted as necessary as does the neutral
Everything that can be lubed get a generous amount of dry lithium grease .
Front cross members with no provision for grease like all MTD's & most Husqvarnas get the pivot bolt removed , check grease & replaced where necessary
Particularly important on MTDs with pressed front cross member .
Air filters are always replaced regardless of their condition , but Donaldson type only get an outer change
Decks are leveled & attack angle adjusted.
Gauge / anti scalp wheels have axels checked and usually lowered to counter the effect of wear on their bore .
Governors are checked and the speeds verified with a tiny tach .
Magnetos on twins checked for diode failure
Cables removed flushed then relubed with Tri-Flow .
Float bowls come off for cleaning & checking the fuel solenoid.
Plugs come out and get either gapped& refitted or just replaced after checking the gap if they looked bad
Valve lash gets looked at if there is an indication that it is bad ( excessive noise or hesitation when cranking )
Generally takes about 1/2 day if I work dillgently to a whole day if I am being slack or have a lot of gate calls .
Customer pays fixed 4 hour service fee + parts.

There are way too many "cook book" mechanics out there who thinks a service is just replacing bits at prescribed hours

Wow. You make me look bad. Most folks with $1500 box store mowers won't spend more than $150-$175 for an annual service. I don't do all that you do. I need to spend 2 hours or less on an annual maint service. JD mowers are different. Those folks will pay more. The local JD dealers are $350-$400 for annual maint. I am around $250 for those. And i do change all filters and spark plugs on every annual maint. I throw away probably 100 good plugs a year.

 

[StarTech]

Sure they are will more for JD maintenance as I got a Z950R in the shop that parts alone are already at $200+ just for engine work and that using Kawasaki parts from my distributor and not ones from JD dealer.

At least it look like he would had needed a complete new carburetor for that FX850. JD is asking $556.70 [my cost] for the replacement carburetor. But it is only $396.82 from Kawasaki. Hopefully Home Depot have what I need for part of the repair. If not then I order the item from McMaster. I knew going into this project that choke shaft was complete worn in two which damage the carburetor main body and that there was a major oil leak.


Prices are each.

Of course this includes regular maintenance. The customer will be lucky if it get out under $600 after add the rest of the parts and labor.

 

[Hammermechanicman]

Since we mowed grass here till mid november i have had a dozen customers call wanting annual maint two weeks before Christmas and i had a mild case of covid that week so i am busy now. One of the mowers waiting is a JD 729 with a bad gearbox on the mower deck. The gearbox is over $500. Total bill will be close to $1000 and they won't bat an eye. Just had to put a starter, fuel pump, battery, deck idlers and annual maint on a Kubota ZTR and bill was almost $800. Folks who buy quality equipment know it costs to maintain it.

 

[bertsmobile1]

Wow. You make me look bad. Most folks with $1500 box store mowers won't spend more than $150-$175 for an annual service. I don't do all that you do. I need to spend 2 hours or less on an annual maint service. JD mowers are different. Those folks will pay more. The local JD dealers are $350-$400 for annual maint. I am around $250 for those. And i do change all filters and spark plugs on every annual maint. I throw away probably 100 good plugs a year.

Spend a bit more time on the services and stop throwing away all those plugs.
It is the throw away mentality that is destroying the planet .
Put a note on the bottom of your invoice stating that to help reduce pollution & global warming parts are now replaced as required rather than by scheduled service hours.
If necessay you can also tell your customers that you saved them from buying $ XYZ worth of parts that were not needed yet .
That will get the skinflints on side
The more you do the less time it takes as the initial greasing of the rear wheels can take 1/2 hour a wheel but the next time it will be less than 5 minutes because the greased wheel will slide right off .
While you can check he PTO oil seal with a cotton bud a visual pulley removed is better and again once greased the first time subsequent checks will have it falling off and you get to check the PTO clutch searing at the same time.
You can go one better and print out some nice looking check lists with everything you do on it and I mean everything like degrease dip stick cap & tube threads , Check engine breather , tyre pressure in & out for each wheel battery voltage engine off , engine on , engine on under load .
Then alternator output voltage ,at X rpm . Grease the seat slide rail and leave it in different position so the owners knows you have doe some thing with it .
Get a white paint pen and draw a line all the way round every belt & use this to run the belt fully around the pulleys, again takes a minute then on the check list note X no of burns & y no of cracks

 

[Hammermechanicman]

I used to do a checklist thing. Folks didn't bother to look at it. I just list everything it do on the receipt i give.

 

[artemjemmy]

It don't snow in NSW
Big problems with a lot of Americans is they forget there are more places on the planet than America
So I am in Gods own country way down south with 300 dry days a year so naturally we all drive black cars ( except me ) when a motorcycle would be the perfect mode of transport .
It is a bit on the flat side down here so the snow season is somewhat short and usually confined to altitudes of 2000' which there is not much of so Aussies go to NZ to ski.
This is why we invented the best snow making machine ever.
Several years ago the inventor layed 6' of snow in Death Valley to try & get some financial backing for his invention .
I think he went bust although we do have about 20 of his machines in what we call the snow fields.
Sydney is fairly close to LA temperature wise so here we mow weekly for about 9 months a year if there is some water .

Sorry bert, I had made the assumption this forum was just americans and canadians. My mistake!

 

[bertsmobile1]

Sorry bert, I had made the assumption this forum was just americans and canadians. My mistake!

you are not alone

 

[StarTech]

It call the WWW for a reason but there are even a few off worlders using the WWW. Even some politicians and voters that think they are living in an anti-matter universe uses the WWW.

 

[Hammermechanicman]

Should be E-begging for english lessons. LOL.

 

[StarTech]

Oh no lawnmowers now talking to us..... I knew equipment was getting brainy but I least thought it would after I kick the bucket before they started conversing with us instead our test equipment.