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Do you get your hands dirty?

Mith

The Eccentric Englishman
SUPER Site Supporter
Just wondering how many here perform maintainence on thier mowers etc, from the sounds of the blade sharpening thread many people do.

Do you perform yearly/routine maintenance? How about small repairs, major repairs, rebuilds?
For those of you who dont, who do you send your machine off to, are you happy wiht the job they do? Anyone here never service their machines, how do your machines last?
 

Mith

The Eccentric Englishman
SUPER Site Supporter
Dave, I think you fit into the last catagory, run em into the ground maybe? :D
 

Spiffy1

Huh?
SUPER Site Supporter
Do pretty much all my own maintanence, usually any service for that matter. Since I ussually try to "kill two birds" so to speak, the line gets gray and I don't know how much maintanence I performed or how much service I prevented! :confused:


I think I spend less down time than the neighbors though.:smileywac
 

DaveNay

Klaatu barada nikto
SUPER Site Supporter
Mith said:
Dave, I think you fit into the last catagory, run em into the ground maybe? :D

Actually both...I maintain it ANDrun it until the wheels fall off.

Equipment these days is too damn expensive to get new stuff just whenever I want it.
 

Spiffy1

Huh?
SUPER Site Supporter
Big Dog said:
I do until I don't know what I'm doing!

Heck, that's when I get my whole body dirty!

Ah, that could be taken out of context....but nobody here would ever do that, no never!:eek: :D
 

buckle97

New member
SUPER Site Supporter
I do my own maintenance as far as changing oil, blades, spark plugs, etc. I don't usually tackle the major repairs unless I have someone close by that knows what they are doing. If it breaks, depending on how old the equipment is, I either take it to the local fix-it shop, or dispose of it and buy a new one.


Lawrence
 

Kubota King

New member
I grease, change oil & filters, sharpen blades & change spark plugs. As for repairs, I change starters, batteries, alternator's & relays. I have a machanic that comees to my shop & spends one full day a week doing major stuff like motor swap's, tare an engine down & rebuild, rebuild carb's etc. This week he removed my parking lot sweeper engine & is completely rebuilding, the only thing that will be original is the block when he is done. It's a 4 cyl motor.
 

Carm

New member
Since most of my stuff is old...I do it. Now if i need high quality welding done, or machine work...that gets farmed out.
 

bczoom

Super Moderator
Staff member
GOLD Site Supporter
I'll do the general or routine stuff. Bolt on engine components.

Not enough time to make it worthwhile to tear down an engine.

For the most part, all my stuff is relatively new so I don't have (nor expect) any major issues.
 

Mark777

New member
I try and do all my own diesel engine work and rebuilds, FWD and PTO repairs as well as routine maintenance.


My new hobby is rebuilding garden tractor/mowers...and I am actually very, very good at it. Why just in the last two months I have torn down and repaired the same 11.5 B&S engine, which lasts forever (or two hours which ever comes first). And just last week I have developed an acute sense of hearing and can actually detect that engine knock just before it explodes.

I am convinced that there is multiple problems with that engine, it's design and failure rate....because - Hey, it can't be the mechanic :whistle: .

BTW: I finally fixed the mower engine problem...I stuffed a Tecumseh in it. A before and After for ya Mith.

Mark
 

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DaRBy

New member
I do all my repairs and restoration`s , I`m not the best but it`s what I enjoy.
 

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XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq

Master of Distraction
Staff member
SUPER Site Supporter
I do as much as I can myself. These days though if I don't have the tools or time then I'll pay someone else who can do it right the first time.

I figure I can usually do it for at least half the price of a professional so that means I have two stabs at anything before it starts to get overly expensive.

I'm more into the learning experience and doing it myself than worrying about getting it perfect the first time.
 

OhioTC18

Gone But Not Forgotten
GOLD Site Supporter
I am much better on the maintenance of the tractor than I am on the riding mower. It doesn't get used much so it gets forgotten alot. I think I have changed the oil once or twice myself. When I bought it, I paid for the extended maintenance contract, so when it was a year or two old, it got new oil, filters, plug, blades, battery......etc.
Since then it has gotten new oil every 6 years whether it needs it or not :whistle:
 

XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq

Master of Distraction
Staff member
SUPER Site Supporter
Yup - the tractor gets babied way more than the mower. Maybe this year I will properly clean the carburator on the lawn mower instead of just spraying some crap down it. However, the tractor is strictly maintained and gets touch up paint in the fall and rust preventer. The mower gets the blades changed and new filters if I remember to get them.
 

DAP

New member
Mith said:
Just wondering how many here perform maintainence on thier mowers etc, from the sounds of the blade sharpening thread many people do.

Do you perform yearly/routine maintenance? How about small repairs, major repairs, rebuilds?
For those of you who dont, who do you send your machine off to, are you happy wiht the job they do? Anyone here never service their machines, how do your machines last?

Mith .... As a general question, no problem. With the specifics you mention later, I find the question somewhat puzzling.

My mower business is YOUR mower business, but wassup with that question? I find it both charming and peculiar.

I buy the JD maintenance kit. This entails changing the fuel filter, air filter, oil filter and spark plug. They give you everything you need, except the filter wrench which I've got, right in the box for about 70 USD (including the oil).

I sharpen the blades with a dremel if I can get them off. That JD 48C deck is a handful to move around. It also requires removal of one of the no scalp wheels in order to slide it out from under the tractor (LX 288). I clean the deck out meticulously every spring and its a real pain in the ass. Last year, I could not unfreeze one of the spindle nut/bolts so only 2 of the 3 blades got sharpened.

I'm thinking mower deck thing weighs in at about 125 pounds. The rest of the maintenance requires no gray matter.

:whistle:
 

BadAttitude

New member
Actually I hate getting my hands dirty, especially with diesel soot:coolshade

but yes I do all my own repairs...from A to Z
 

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BadAttitude

New member
Mark777 said:
Clutch problems??? Man, that sure looks like a nearly new rig to be splitting.
Nope...hydro leak from the input shaft. Leaked from day one, but got worse by 10 hrs. I did it myself due to issues with the dealer. Long story...:smileywac
 

BoneheadNW

New member
Geeky1 said:
Your shop looks cleaner than my living room!:eek:

Nice work!
I think that is his living room.
Hey PB, if you were to take your tractor in for a service, where would you take it? What type of tractor do you own, by the way?
Bonehead
 

Mith

The Eccentric Englishman
SUPER Site Supporter
Mark, be sure to post pictures, as I am sure you are aware thats what I am into too. Looks like you did a nice job on that mower too, did you snadblast to get the crud off, or all by hand?
if you were able to do a step by step on your next project I would most appreciate it.
Next summer i want to strip down that new Wheelhorse I bought, repaint, rebuild and make it good for the next 20 years, I gave it a quick rebuild the past week to make it mine as it were, think the whole rebuild bug mighta bit me.
What kinda equip do you use, any chance of you having a little post in the other projects forum maybe with what equip you use to rebuild?
Any info you can give I would be most interested to hear!
 

Mark777

New member
Bad Attitude...someday I'd like to hear that story. Obviously they (dealer) wouldn't fix it or you didn't trust them to do it correctly (or both). Just from the pictures I had a feeling that it was new or nearly new anyway. It does add credence to your member name!
 

BadAttitude

New member
Mark777 said:
Bad Attitude...someday I'd like to hear that story. Obviously they (dealer) wouldn't fix it or you didn't trust them to do it correctly (or both). Just from the pictures I had a feeling that it was new or nearly new anyway. It does add credence to your member name!

HeHeHe...got a chuckle out of that. I may just do what you ask and post the step by step with pics.
 

Mark777

New member
Mith,


The re-do and modifications are for my little brother (6'1" 290#) who suffers from arthritis in his hands, legs and shoulder. So the changes are to accommodate his physical size and ailments. The changes, so far include:

Lengthening the mono-tube frame
Replacing the front axle with a Craftsman 3/4" spindled front axle
Replacing the original 9.5" with 13" wheels and tires
Replacing the bicycle steering with a gear & sector HD Craftsman
Making a pitman arm and draglink for the new steering.
Adding Starter switch, kill switch, solenoid and new wiring
Installing a B&S, B&S, B&S and finally a Tecumseh 10 HP engine
Building the 1" header & flange
Adding the Allis Chalmers tractor diesel exhaust inverted 90*
Building a 5" flanged intake to carb-air cleaner housing
Adding a Tecumseh air cleaner housing (and element)
Moving the seat back 6"
Moving the fuel tank to the rear grass catcher uprights
Narrowed and welded front deck arms to frame
Narrowed and welded front deck arms to deck and shortened mount rod
Installing a 1 1/2" headlamp and switch
Modified sheet metal cover for steering gear and dash panel
Relocating and installing a full size battery with SS tray

....and this afternoon, little brother brought me a nearly new Craftsman seat pan and cover, and asked if I could add it on instead of the original.

No sandblasting. I had considerd it but what the heck...You can get great results with a DA sander on direct drive using 80 and 180 grit paper.

I will take more, and better pictures in the next couple of days.

Mark
 

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XeVfTEUtaAqJHTqq

Master of Distraction
Staff member
SUPER Site Supporter
BoneheadNW said:
I think that is his living room.
Hey PB, if you were to take your tractor in for a service, where would you take it? What type of tractor do you own, by the way?
Bonehead

I've got a Mahindra 2615 Gear and a really good relationship with my dealer (http://www.valleyviewtractor.com). His web site isn't the greatest and I've told him if I ever get free time (a rare thing) I'd re-do it for him.

I looked long and hard at all the colors and dealers in my area and pretty much liked the price/features/dealer that I found.

I had a Hydro leak once and emailed him a video file of the leak on Sunday morning and he called me back in an hour and told me what to do to fix it. Otherwise, the tractor is too new to have any big problems. I got the service manual and figure I can handle most of the repairs that could happen myself.

If it was something really complex of skill-centric I'd just haul it into my dealer.
 
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