One Time, at Band Camp.... ( need advice)

[PearceTurf]

I started taking classes at the local Comm. College in Small Engine Repair to further my education with my own equipment and overall knowledge. We get to bring our own projects into the shop and tear it down and rebuild it. I have a couple of pieces that were donated to me from friends and family when they heard I started up my own business. But there is one clown that talks the entire class. He talks more than the teacher saying "well, I mow lawns for a living, so blah blah yadda yadda. I'm gonna kill him. So I know the class will drag on slower than I want, so I will ask the forum for some advice.

I now own a Craftsman 11hp 32 inch riding mower. It runs, but is loud as hell and wants to quit after about ten minutes. If have not looked into carb problems yet. One of the blades turns awkward and the schematic maps make it appear to be a bad jackshaft assembly. I have never assembled a jackshaft. LOL

The other is a self propelled 21 inch Yard Man. Hasn't been used in years. I cleaned it up, new plug etc.. But the cables seem to be broken or stretched too far.

So I'm looking for advice on those subjects, cause I mow lawns too, blah blah ..........

[ElephantNest]

Sell them both and get an Exmark, probably a 36" or 48" will take you far. Commercial equipment is worth it's weight in gold, trust me.

[TRANSMAN]

Hi Pearceturf. Im a little confused. Why are you messing with this garbage when i thought you wrote on other posts that your wife was a CPA and you saved money bought all commercial equiptment and had a million dollar insurance policy.Maybe im getting you confused with someone else.Or are you the person with the thriveing bussiness and useing this junk to learn the theory of opperation of the mowers.Im confussed,or have you mixed up with someone else KD

[PearceTurf]

I should be more specific

I hope I have not sounded ****y in other posts I have made. Yes my wife is a CPA. I did buy all new commercial equipment and I am in business, but I'm still small and nowhere near where I hope to be in a few years. I have hardly knocked the shine off of my new equipment, but I know that someday a problem could arise and I wanted to learn as much as I could

These donation mowers were given to me by people that don't know any better. They think they are helping and that's cool, but I don't use them for my business though. It is fun to have a "project" to work on. I have also been given two trimmers. One I threw away and the other I gave to my neighbor.

Please don't get me wrong, I am still a newbie and soak up any advice I can get. I am so much happier now that I have given up the shirt and tie, but I knew almost nothing about engine repair. These old mowers are gonna be a test of what I have learned. I do plan on selling both of them if and when I fix them. But I asked for help because I know there are people in here that can take their equipment apart and put in back together blindfolded. The problems may be simple, but I am too inexperienced to fix it myself at this point in my new career.

[TRANSMAN]

Hey Pearceturf,it almost sounded like two people writeing in but that was my misinterpretatation so i hope i didnt offend you with the question.If your takeing any junk engines and mowers you find regardless and tear into it thats great and with a book on the basics on engine operation and equiptment repair will well pay off for you in the future. If you get the basics and get more advanced in the workings of the equiptment thats paying your bills it will eliminate your dependency on repair shops and save you a heap off money but more importantly equiptment downtime.In the lawn bussiness i think its imperetive that you can repair or have a trustworthy mechanic on hand to keep your equiptment opperateing.If you have a sincere interest to learn mechanics you`ll pick it up quick and i wish you Good luck in your new venture! Again,GOOD LUCK,KD

[Cruzen]

Hey how ya doing Neighbor

Good luck on your little projects.
Where did you take the engine repair class, it sounds interesting.

[PearceTurf]

Lots of "nevers"

Cruzen, I sent you an email, but don't know if you got it. The class is about ten minutes from your house! So is mine. Drop me a line sometime and we can compare notes.

Transman, no offense taken and thanks for the kind words. I am two different people. One of me has a college degree in Economics and enjoyed successful careers in internal auditing and restaurant management. The other me just started in the LCO business and is "as green as the grass I mow". I want this company to last for the rest of my life, so I did it right this time. I got the equipment, insurance etc.. and am truly blessed to have my own little CPA. Every transaction I make goes into Quickbooks Pro and I am on my way.

What makes me happiest is all the "nevers" I have encountered lately. Until now, I never had commercial equipment. I never had a big truck, I never had a credit card with a business name on it, never owned a trailor (never knew how to turn around in tight spaces too). Never had spark plug ratchet.... Lots of nevers. Today's never: I never owned a chainsaw the day after a hurricane. I can't wait for the next never!

One disappointing never: I never got any advice about my projects. I figured out the carb problem, but those cables are still bugging me. I'm still waiting for someone to say, "Hey newbie, check this and try that. But I am a patient person.

[ElephantNest]

Only thing to do with stretched or broken cables is have them replaced, or buy them and replace them yourself. Some try to repair them by welding or something but they never last long enough to make it worth not getting it fixed correctly the first time.

[THE_CROOKED]

IF IT DONT WORK KICK IT A FEW TIMES lolz

joke lolz ahahahahha

[Maddog]

I get a lot of old string trimmers and push mowers given to me. I has come in handy. I was able to set my son up with a 42" riding mower, 21" push mower, 2 stroke string trimmer, 2 stroke hand held blower and 2 stroke weedeater hedge trimmer. I am working on getting my daughter's stuff together for them for when the move. Right now I have a 21" push mower, string trimmer put together and am working on getting another weedeater hand held blower repaired. It runs but needs the pull cord recoil fixed.

As far as your Craftsman riding mower. If you blade spindle is bad you will have to go to Sears or a parts place and get a new one an install it. The one I had to fix was sealed and it wasn't worth the cost and labor to try to get the parts to rebuild it.

On the push mower I have to agree with the others here get another cable and replace it.