T210 blade removal

[Tiger Small Engine]

Kinda wish I had funds available to have extra equipment but I have try to buy what works all around here. And yes most times it takes longer to get things out then it take to resolve a problem.

It sorta like needing to crimp a battery cable. It takes time to get the crimper out and back up which is only needed for less a minute crimping operation.

So let’s say you actually have to extract a bolt, or you have a blade bolt, or any bolt for that matter, and it takes you roughly an hour to extract or remove vs a few seconds. Do you charge the customer an hour’s worth of labor, or eat it? I have battery, electric, and air impacts. I know how to remove and extract bolts. I am aware of bowtie and star blades. Work on a lot of commercial equipment as well that doesn’t use star pattern.
Thanks in advance for you input.

 

[StarTech]

So let’s say you actually have to extract a bolt, or you have a blade bolt, or any bolt for that matter, and it takes you roughly an hour to extract or remove vs a few seconds. Do you charge the customer an hour’s worth of labor, or eat it? I have battery, electric, and air impacts. I know how to remove and extract bolts. I am aware of bowtie and star blades. Work on a lot of commercial equipment as well that doesn’t use star pattern.
Thanks in advance for you input.

Yes then you charge for the time. Maybe not for full amount but it is labor time that would be used no matter what shop it is in. I had to re hex a Gravely spindle bolt last year that took 30-45 minutes so I could remove it. Darn owner tried using a 12 pt socket instead of 6 pt. Spindles themselves were over $300 ea so even a $65 labor charge is cheaper than replacing the spindle. I went from a normal 15/16 hex to a 7/8 hex. Of course I took my time to hex the right shape.

And which screw it is sometimes you can't extract but have cut it out using carbide bits as I did on a tiller last Summer to replace a head bolt. Briggs head bolts around the exhaust tends to gall in place on old L heads.

 

[bertsmobile1]

Here is question for those using the 1" impacts. What size air line and fittings are you using? Even though larger impacts are being used if the CFM is not there they are no better than a smaller impact.

Here I use an Aircat 1150K twin hammer. When I first got it, it was a major disappointment. Couldn't even remove lug nuts tighten to 60 ft/lbs. Then I temporary installed a gauge at the impact. Even though I had a standing pressure of 125 psi when pull the trigger it dropped all the way to 20 psi. In my case it was the couplers and plugs. They were too resistive for two reasons. First they were supposedly M style versions but when I spec'd them they weren't meeting the M style specs. They were btw HFT versions. Once I changed all the fittings out to V style Hi flow fittings it resolved the pressure drop problem on that 100 ft 3/8 air line. No longer hearing the air line refilling. Once resolved I had the full working torque available from the impact. I very seldom ever need to go above the lowest power setting of impact. I even remove those axle nuts that are tighten to 300 ft/lb and are thread distorted version so thread are already royally screwed up.

If I remember correctly 3/4 and 1 inch impacts require at least a 1/2 inch air line to help keep the CFMs up to spec.

IT is a 4 cylinder Perkins engine Boomwade compressor that used to run 4 jack hammers and has 1" hoses which are a real PIA as the gun does not have a rotating inlet nozel and to have one fitted to the hose was going to be $ 200

 

[bertsmobile1]

I get a few blade bolts each year that require a lot of effort and patience to remove. You have to remember that blade bolts on a mower are self tightening. The longer you leave them on in between sharpening, and the more stuff you hit, the harder they will be to take off. When you are using a breaker bar, penetrating oil, heat, and a 5’ cheater pipe, things are getting serious. So my question to the shop owners is this. Do you charge the customer extra to remove blade bolts that take say an hour to remove vs 30 seconds?

Fixed price servicing
What you loose on the swings you gain on the round about.
If they do not come off in about 5 minutes I chop the head off the bolts or use a nut splitter on nuts then charge the customer the mower companies price to replace the bolt I get from Boltmaster I keep most common blade bolts in stock so making $ 5 to $ 10 profit on a bolt eases the pain

 

[StarTech]

Some OEM bolt prices are quite high when sourced from the OEM distributor compared to a Nut, Bolt, Screw distributor. Now I not as greedy (just an opinion) on the sale prices but I do double and triple the cost price. Even when I do that the sale price way cheaper when the cost from the OEM distributor. Here is used two sources Fastenal and McMaster-Carr. I had one the other than the OEM wanted $15 for a bolt and it was only $2.50 including shipping divide the number extra bolts I had to get.

The problems is just figuring out the screw or nut specs and having to stock initially more than I need for a project at times but usually used them up in a year so I save multiple shipping charges.

It is same with bearings as the OEM tend distributor tends to eat us a live on them when compared to a bearing supplier.

 

[Hammermechanicman]

So let’s say you actually have to extract a bolt, or you have a blade bolt, or any bolt for that matter, and it takes you roughly an hour to extract or remove vs a few seconds. Do you charge the customer an hour’s worth of labor, or eat it? I have battery, electric, and air impacts. I know how to remove and extract bolts. I am aware of bowtie and star blades. Work on a lot of commercial equipment as well that doesn’t use star pattern.
Thanks in advance for you input.

I do charge for time to remove/destroy/break off fasteners. I work on lots of old stuff and I have an induction heater, impact tools and an oxy propane torch so most rusted nuts and bolts don't give much trouble. What I spend time on is tiller tines and rear wheels on some riding mowers.

 

[StarTech]

What I see here is everyone has different problem areas. Here I just take frozen fasteners in stride. Really don't see a lot repeat problems in a single year. But certain problems do happen over multiple years. Things like Kohler valve cover exhaust side screws getting froze in place and to be drilled out and the M6 have to resized to M7 screws. But you know about a common issue usually you can be prepared for it.

And yes rear wheel on axles are a pain at times but finding different ways of getting off easier over time. My main tiller problem is Troybilt small frame ones where the owner never shift the wheels into neutral position and they rust in place. Now they are a real pain to get off just to replace the axle seals.

But have been fairly lucky as I simply don't see too many seized fasteners. And on top that I have found new ways of getting a penetrating fluid into the areas. Not one common penetrating fluid will work on all problem areas, it take different one depending on what you trying to loosen. Sometime it just takes knowing how to loosen a fastener that has seized. No one technique works on all fasteners. This is where experience pays off a lot of the time.

It is like those seized screws in the Nikki two barrel carbs. I get a lot of them in here where other techs have nearly destroyed the fuel bowl screws which I have replace. They are simple to get out once a hammer and punch gets used. Just sale new screws when this happens.

 

[ILENGINE]

It is like those seized screws in the Nikki two barrel carbs. I get a lot of them in here where other techs have nearly destroyed the fuel bowl screws which I have replace. They are simple to get out once a hammer and punch gets used. Just sale new screws when this happens.

Those JIS screws really fool people

 

[Hammermechanicman]

Those JIS screws really fool people

Yup!

 

[StarTech]

But the JIS nuts are needed on those twin Kawasaki engine exhaust manifolds. Makes a world of difference to use 12mm (wrench size) hex nut as it nearly impossible to get a 13mm socket on the ones that JD wants you to use. Either way they are still hard to get on with the engines mounted as the muffler are in the way too. Or maybe my socket are just not thin enough. Non impact used here.