My mower repair thread

[hanyoukimura]

What an @$$clown that neighbor must be. That sort of thing isn't really an issue where I live although my golden rule is to not have more than what will fit in the garage at the end of the day since I don't like stuff outside in my yard.

Slow sales in your area too huh? Things typically slow down in July but this year has been especially slow. I didn't sell either of the two mowers I had listed at the beginning of July. Got a couple biters last week but neither showed. Seriously, if only contact me if you actually plan to look at/buy it. Don't waste my time.

 

[Vervepipes]

I sold 3 mowers that I had ready to go as I was building my under deck shed. That was the Weed Eater with the Chonda that I re-powered to a Quantum 6 Hp, and the red Murray with a Briggs flat head that I picked up as a pair a while back, along with a 5.5 Hp black Murray that I didn't get a chance to take a photo of. I also sold 3 mowers with rotten decks with running motors to a guy a few streets over who does the same thing I do but on a smaller scale and 2 snow blowers that I was going to get ready for the winter. The rest easily fit in my shed stacked and I will go through them one by one to tear down and stock my shelves for next season. I will try to have a couple of mowers ready to sell first thing in May to start off my sales drive but for now I think the sales are done.

Slowed down but not out for the count, I will carry on! The important thing is that I was able to maintain almost all of my stock so that my year of setting up shop is not lost. I will tear down the motors on my shelves, keep good parts, scrap the rest and I'll try to keep a handful of running motors available for 5 minute swap jobs. On a side note, I sold over 30 mowers this year and not a single return or service call.

 

[Lawnboy18]

You did well! I bet it is fun to do when you come back home from work to change ideas. What is your job if I may ask?

 

[Vervepipes]

I'm an aircraft mechanic by trade, although I'm at a desk job now

 

[Vervepipes]

Somebody at work heard that I sell mowers and asked me if I had any cheap runners available. I threw together a beater mower from an MTD deck and Briggs 3.5 HP flat head. The cable is frayed, I'll have to check to see if the stores still have any in stock. It runs though, I mowed my yard with it today, but I don't trust the cable to last a while.


This is the one I put together, I swapped the motor out though, not because the tecumseh didn't run, but rather because I didn't have a proper cable. Seems kind of dumb considering that I still need to buy a cable, but the handle I chose out of the mix had a cable mount that accepts a cable that is identicle at the engine end and handle end, which is cheap and readily available in stores here.

 

[Vervepipes]

On a side note, my Honda HR194 has been giving me grief lately. The throttle cable seems to be stretched and needs adjustment, and the the starter rope stayed in my hand when I pulled it. It needs a little love yet, but when it runs, it runs great. I'm not happy with the bag size though, the front yard alone needs the bag emptied twice, the back yard is twice the size as the front. I can't wait until I have my '73 Lawn-boy running.

 

[Gerald007]

Awesome thread pipes! I know this is a little late to reply to this thread but i thought it was pretty cool. Nice to see a fellow Canadian on the forum. I'm from Winnipeg. I've been tinkering with mowers on and off for the last year. I've learned a lot. Its so much fun. When i see this thread it makes me wanna get back at it. You seem to really know your stuff. I hope to have such knowledge one day!

I can totally relate to your shipping rate issues. We get the shaft in Canada that's for sure.

 

[Vervepipes]

Thanks, I like to tinker and since I'm doomed to a desk job for the rest of my career it keeps my hands dirty and happy. I tried to replace the rope on my Honda but the recoil spring is wrecked. I'll order the parts over the winter. I finnished the season on my lawn with the '73 Lawn Boy which is running very well now and has some replacement parts from a donor. Now that I know it runs it's getting completely torn down for my personal collection. Next to be torn down will the the Sunbeam and Toro. The honda is near perfect so it just needs some mechanical attention. I need to build a shed just for my personal mowers! At some point I'll work on the Snapper ride on, but not until I source a deck, engoine and pressure plate. I may even take my pressure washer that I got for free earlier this year so I can repaint it, the paint is peeling and the frame will rust through in a few years I'm afraid if I just leave it.

I'm still trying to figure out what to do with a 1960's 2.5 HP Briggs side shaft engine I picked up for free. It looks very classic with it's copper paint and is both physically and mechanically in great shape. I don't need a water pump, already have 2 gas gennies, engine displacement is too high to be legally mounted on a bicycle, but it's just so cool that I need to use it on something.

 

[Vervepipes]

I haven't begun to take my parts stockpile apart yet, it gets dark shortly after I get home so I don't have much time to sort through it. What I'll do I think is get the common size tools together into a kit and have them ready to dismantle a few here and there so that I can at least get rid of the junk decks and sort through the engines later. Engines take a lot less room than full mowers. So much stuff to do and so little time. About a sixth of my 14x16 shed/shop is full of baby stuff like high chairs, bassinet, stroller etc that I need to clean up and sell. We were supposed to have a yard sale this year but that never happened, I think I can sell most of it on kijiji anyways but it's finding the time with work, 2 kids and my wife who works opposite shifts from me. My stash has dwindled some though, I have no trimmers left, I hate working on those so I sold them all as a lot. I have never been able to get one tuned correctly and won't spend any more money on parts, considering how cheap people sell used trimmers, there is just no money in them.

In the end after this busy season, I think I can make much better progress in the new year knowing what I've learned in my first year doing this as a hobby. My goal next year is to have enough money to rent a crane so I can move my shop to the other side of the house so my garage can get built.

 

[Flintmotorsports]

sounds like you have a very good summers I sell used mower when I can get to them when the shop is not busy
this summer I have not had time to fix many used mower I sold about 10 used mowers and sold a ton of used mowers
needing repairs to a who had more time then I did and I am in this for the money and some fun but it all come down to the
profit for me I go through a mower and see how much work it need if it need more then say $20 or more for a lower quality mower
I just sell it to someone with more time and looking for something to fix up but I will put $50 at the most into a good quality mower.