Lawn Mower Repair
 

Hi there. Does anyone know a lawn mower repair service around the Wolfeboro area? I called Wolfeboro Power Equipment and they told me they were 10 days out before they could look at it. Haven't had the best luck with those folks as far as repair turn around.

There is Mark Richter in Moultonborough... We have used him in the past to sharpen blades etc. We do most of mechanical work on our own. But I have never heard anything bad about his work....

I believe his business name is Mark Richter Repair....

Agreed, Cate. I hate to say it, their ten days might turn to 10 weeks. They seem to be so busy!!

Ethanol
 

I second Mark Richter in Mboro, however, this time of year all of the shops are busy with spring repairs (most are likely ethanol related).

Most shops now sell premixed non-ethanol 2 stroke gas. I use this for the storage periods between seasons. In the pre-ethanol days, one used to be able to drain the tank and run it dry, but the ethanol drys out the seals.

Ethanol is easily the biggest issue for boats, motorcycles and other seasonal machines:(

On edit... looking at the forecast, the mowers likely won't be needed for 10 days!!

We also like Mark Richter. We've used Wolfeboro Power but prefer Mark.

call 1-800-4- my home (sears } they will have U take It to the Concord store If Its a walk behind mower. If Its a tractor they will go to your house.

good luck

:D

Lakeport Power Equipment
 

I take all of my small engine stuff to Lakeport Power Equipment. Info can be found at www.lakeportpowerequipment.com or by calling 603 527-0940.

Hope this helps,
Bill

Yankee Ingenuity
 

Well, I think that Yankee ingenuity is starting to kick in after a few years back in my beloved New England. I watched several YouTube videos on how to clean and tune a Briggs and Stratton lawn mower and ended up doing it myself!! Went down to NAPA and got $10 worth of supplies and a spark plug, took out the carb and cleaned it thoroughly, drained the old gas, replaced the very black spark plug, checked the oil and voila! Done. It wasn't that hard at all. You just have to keep the tiny parts from getting lost and remember how everything goes back together.

Also, lesson learned...at the end of the season put Seafoam in the gas tank and run it through the engine. Should start right up in the spring!

One of the things I love about living here is the " can do" attitude and nobody questioned the fact that a woman was doing her own mechanical work on her mower. The guys at NAPA were really helpful.

I always run the small engines dry of gas prior to winter storage. Lawn mower, trimmer, chain saws and pressure washer. Fresh gas in the spring and they start right up.

Just a matter of planning on having an almost empty tank after the last use. Then let it run till dry.

Good Job Cate! Its the same process for all of your landscaping equipment.

But just to be clear, what you had kick in wasn't Yankee Ingenuity (unless you used some parts off an old pickup truck out back and put them in your lawn mower to get it running), what you were using is called Yankee Know-How!

Now keep a record of the parts you used and go buy another set when you are out and about in the next week or so. That will save you the special trip for the parts next spring and the repair will take you less time than traveling to the parts store!

The trick to most of this is to purchase the lawn mower from a local retail store that also repairs such. Most will place you at the top of the list if they know you and know that you purchased item from them.

Saving a few bucks at a big box store bites you at the other end.

Sears sends all repairs to Connecticut. No local repairs at Sears anymore. And many of Sears small engines are made in China.

The big box stores also contract out repairs to others and machine has to be shipped.

Find a local retailer and purchase from them. The few dollars more will save you time on the other end.

Now the repairs and time for repairs are only as good as the proprietor of the retail store. So do ask around.

And a note about gasoline.
Don't use ethanol gasoline from ordinary gas stations.
Pay extra for the small cans that are ethanol free.
Or find a place that sells gasoline without ethanol.
One of the marinas still sells ethanol free gasoline.
Moultonborough Airport sells ethanol free gasoline.

problem with running dry Is the seals and gaskets will dry out and possibly leak later

:D

Been doing this for 40 years, not a problem yet. Not with the same lawn mower of course.

Been 8 years for me on just one of my pieces of equipment and it fired up for the first time this season on the first pull last night. This has been standard procedure, from when I managed a landscaping crew with commercial equipment to my current personal equipment that is also commercial. I wouldn't handle it any other way!

The only thing I don't do this with is my motorcycle, but that is fuel injected and the last tank gets run as low as possible, while being heavily treated.

Cate, I have a lawn mower that's acting up. We're in Meredith. Do you make house calls? :laugh::laugh:

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

I have been too, but when speaking with Mark Richter, he noted that now he is finding that when the ethanol dries, it dries out the seals as well, making them brittle.

He recommended draining the tank and putting some of the new non-ethanol fuel (aviation fuel works too) that many of the equipment makers produce into the tank and running it to get it into the carb.

Taking off the carburetor isn't really necessary unless your lawnmower is real old and has been sitting for a long time.

The first thing to do is remove the fuel bowl, hinge pin, float, inlet valve, emulsion tube, and clean these items with carb cleaner and air pressure. Then blow out the holes where the inlet valve and emulsion tube went.

Put it back together and most carbs will work just fine. The throttle and governor linkage doesn't have to be touched when you do it this way.

The only time I take off a carb is when I need to remove the welch plug for some reason.

Removing a carb from these small engines is only a matter of 2 bolts and a fuel line.Its way easier to work on it on top of your bench and do the job right.In my case,I had 2 different engines for a pressure washer and a snowblower.Neither were fixed with just removing the bowl and cleaning the ports I could see and the emulsion tube.I later found out there was a port on each that was not immediately noticable while the carb was attached and could not be cleaned with a reaming wire wire unless detached.Good job Cate.

You're right about sometimes it is necessary to remove the carb. However I've been cleaning them for people and myself for years and very seldom did I have to remove the carb. It's a matter of using carb cleaner and blowing out the port holes.
Cate evidently felt it necessary to take it off and that was probably a good learning adventure for her.

I may have missed it... But rather then worry about remembering to put additive in at the end of the year.... My recommendation is to run additive at all times.

I do this with my boat, jet ski, etc... and then never have to worry, about doing it at the end of the season in time to make sure it circulates through the entire system...

I totally agree. I always put 2.5 oz. of fuel stabilizer per gal. in my fuel tanks .there for I always run it In my equipment


:D

Anybody try the Fresh Start Fuel Cartridge from Briggs & Stratton?

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Same here, I only use gas for the lawn mower and to make my mix gas, so additive is necessary. Everything else is diesel and my next lawn mower may be as well.

The motorcycle does not see additive until the end of the season as I am running through a tank or two of fuel a week.

Same here, I keep sta-bil in the fuel year round (except the cars). When I prep the equipment for storage, I just add a little more sta-bil.

Just want to update here. Lawn mower started right up on first pull so I must have done something right. Very proud of my new Yankee "Know-How".
I'll probably take the advice here too about including a bit of additive to the fuel.

Whose crazy idea was ethanol in the first place?

Finally today had to start the 15 year old push type Lawn Chief mower. Ran it dry last fall, fresh gas today and it started the 1st pull. As it has done every year.