My mower repair thread

[Vervepipes]

Lost a sale today :frown: I pulled out the Ariens and tried to test fire it before the customer came and it wouldn't start! then when it did it was sputtering badly. I texted them back to hold off coming for a few minutes, found that the spark plug wire wasn't on (because I was putting the drive belt on not long ago) and when I texted back they had accepted another mower. Boo. Oh well, maybe another day.

 

[exotion]

You advertise on craigslist? That's my experience with craigslist instant gratification they will just move down the list.

 

[Vervepipes]

I use Kijiji, Craigslist isn't very popular in Canada. It really was instant it seems because I don't think there were 3 minutes between texting to say it wasn't running right to texting again to say I was just dumb and forgot something. It's a decent mower, I don't mind hanging onto it but then again that mower sure can buy a lot of beer, and my beer low light is on, especially now.

 

[Vervepipes]

The Yardworks cordless held a charge for 40 minutes of mowing long, damp grass so it's good to go for sale now. Nice machine with a steel deck, but not enough battery to mow 1/4 acre. I'm going to list and photograph it after mt cool-down watermelon.

 

[Vervepipes]

My minivan is really getting dirty and beat up in the back from the constant usage. I use it as a work truck and it shows. I'm actually starting to keep an eye out for a diesel van, either standard or extended length. I used to have a short wheel base Ram Van years back and it really wasn't much bigger than my Grand Caravan, I think bumper to bumper it was actually shorter. An old 15 Pax van would be awesome, too bad Dodge didn't make them with oil burners (only oil drippers lol) because I plan to make biodiesel to keep costs down, but I like the pre- sprinter Dodge vans the best. My best bet is a Ford or GM, but I have a hate on for GM since my last one, both due to poor quality and poor customer relations. I prefer a van because it is covered and can still seat the family. A truck is a bit of a compromise for me, either it is comfortable for the family or it has a large enough box to hold stuff, not usually both. Crew cab long box trucks are harder to find in decent shape since they are usually used as work trucks.

 

[Vervepipes]

The Yardworks cordless has gone to a new home today. I think it's now time to buy some new springs for my utility trailer project. I picked up a 5x10' trailer for free but needing work, first t hing I did was get a VIN for it, removed the broken tongue jack and started prepping it for paint. I have all new lights for it and wiring harness, the tires look new so they can stay, but the springs are an issue, they won't even hold my weight (170 Lbs) without bottoming out, and I don't think they are trailer springs to begin with, so I have to relocate the front shackle to accommodate a standard trailer spring. No big problem but a big pain. I haven't had any time to work on the trailer because of all the mower action but I feel that I should try to make some sort of visual progress.

 

[Vervepipes]

Got this guy finished today, took off the ill fitting big wheels and put the little ones back on. In the end, the entire rear flap/handle mount assembly would have had to swap over to make the wheels work. I'll save them for a rainy day, I have something in mind for them. The spark seems weak on it though, it has an old plug. I'll buy a new plug for it and it'll be good to go.



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I repaired the pressure washer's starter today as well, I didn't go nuts on the Yard Machines because some paint was starting to lift. Still looks better than caked on mud though.

On a side note, my first service call on a mower I sold. This one went out to somebody who I had doubts about their ability to start a gas mower and now I got an email saying that he can't start it. I'll take a look maybe tomorrow to see what's going on but I don't sell any mower that I'm not confident in it's reliability, so I'm curious what's going on. Worse case, I'll bring the Yard Machines mower out and do an exchange, then repair the Murray if I cannot start it right there. I think I'll bring a spare carb/tank assembly in case the diaphragm is the culprit.

 

[Vervepipes]

Just got an email from the guy who couldn't start his mower, he just forgot to hold the engine brake lever, it runs quite well. That saves me a trip to the other side of the city and frees up some time today to break down some scrap mowers to fill my shelf and make my yard look a little less redneck. I built a shelf about 5' wide, 20" deep and 4 levels including the floor to hold all my parts from wheels to engine parts to complete engines. When I get a bit more cash flow I'm enclosing under my deck to give me a sheltered 8x12 storage area for complete mowers and snow blowers and I might build another 12' long shelf in the back of my shop for more parts. This sure takes a lot of space, but I'll be well set up for next year. This year almost all my mower money is being spent on shop improvements with the odd family dinner out. I figure next year I should see some decent profit since my startup costs will be taken care of and I can finally save for my garage.

 

[Vervepipes]

The Ariens is gone to a new home, I let it go for $150 which I think is a wicked deal for that mower, but only 10 bucks short of what I thought I would sell it for. To boot, I stopped at Canadian Tire for a spark plug for the Yard Machines (I borrowed another mower's plug to get it running) and a throttle cable for the Noma and saw they had a few "open package" clearances, so I scooped up a 20" and 22" blade, and a pull cord for $20, they were all half off. I've had a few hits on the Yard Machines mower today, I just listed it about 2 hours ago so hopefully that one sells and I can have a bit of space in the shop to break down my spares. Running out of decks again though, I think I have 2 that can go once they have a running engine, plus one that needs a lot of surface rust removed but is very solid. I think it's the same style deck as a very old Craftsman self propelled I have, which also has big rear wheels but a rotten deck. I'm going to cut into the deck as a provision for the self propel and swap the read wheel assembly onto it. This one needs the self propel, it's HEAVY

This is the one that will serve as the driveline/wheel donor if the decks are in fact the same. The good deck is an MTD "Super Cuts". I don't have a picture of it, but it looks like it was left in the back forty for several years and forgotten there. This has a backwards engine but the better deck has a standard mounting. I'll have to investigate the similarities.

 

[Vervepipes]

I don't have any before pics of this one, but the deck only had one wheel and the engine was seized solid on it. Everything seemed rusted in place in the engine, and the tank was full of watery rusty sludge. I had a good 3.5 Hp Briggs to go onto it, but the old engine didn't go without a fight. All three bolts sheared off, one of them causing me minor injury in the form of a large lump of blood pooling under the skin. But in the end, I got a working mower in less than an hour's work. The bag was improperly put together as well, with the fabric pulled over the handle. Fixed that, cleaned it up and it's a surprisingly nice mower considering the condition it came to me in. I'm glad I've repaired the pressure washer, it makes things so much prettier. It'll find a home quickly.






I also got 2 self propelled mowers yesterday, this one has a bad rod knock and a cracked engine base. I got my Quantum filter gaskets in the mail today so I have one destined for this mower.

This one was neglected and sat outside for some time. Either the pull starter or cylinder is seized solid and the gas tank is full of water. I think I may have another Quantum for this, or I may put on a running Tecumseh. The Tecumseh has a pulley/blade adapter seized onto the shaft, so it's a natural fit