What's the best barter you've made on small engines?

I'll start this one off.

I had a guy call me and tell me he had a Troy-Bilt Weedeater that he and his brother tried to fix (Words that make me laugh, kind of like "It ran great 4 years ago, the last time we used it"). Anyway, this guy said "Just come get it, it's yours."

I go to his house and he left it of the front porch with a bag tied to it.. Uh-oh me thinks..

I got it home and looked in the bag and it was all the plastic parts that covered the engine. I put them all on and had to dig through my parts stash and find one screw.. Put fresh gas it it and it ran great.

The next day, a guy calls me, he ran a house cleaning business on foreclosed homes.. He had 2 4000kw generators, one fairly new, one old Tecumseh.. Had 3 Toro mowers, 3 weed eaters, a compressor (Never got that working) and a chainsaw.. I was seriously doubting I'd be able to come up with enough cash for this deal but, I asked him what he wanted..

He said "I want a good weed eater.."



An hour later I had my pickup truck and my 4x8 trailer overflowing with new goodies..

Sold the newer generator after putting gas in it and locating the fuel shutoff (He didn't even know it had one) and it ran like a champ..

Kept the other 4kw for my mobile van.. Gave the compressor tank to my buddy for a fuel cell for one of his custom cars, sold two of the mowers for $100 each, the weed eaters needed some work but, I think I might have put $20 in parts in them and rebuilt the carbs, all sold for $65 each..Still have other stuff left over for parts..

If I can find a couple of deals like that, I'll be in the plus column every week..

Sounds like some good deals. My problem would of been I would of told the very first person with the Troy-Bilt weed eater to throw it away. I have been offered free lawn equipment but never take it, just don't want it to take up shop space and just want repairs not sales. It always seem to me when ever I sell something that person wants a life time warranty.

reynoldston said:

Sounds like some good deals. My problem would of been I would of told the very first person with the Troy-Bilt weed eater to throw it away. I have been offered free lawn equipment but never take it, just don't want it to take up shop space and just want repairs not sales. It always seem to me when ever I sell something that person wants a life time warranty.

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I guess we're opposites then. I prefer to get older equipment at free or very low prices, get them back in running condition and sell them for a profit.

I don't take repairs as I'm not licensed or insured and I don't want to have something happen that I either can't afford to fix for the client or that he thinks is unfair.

Less hassle for me that way. I can work on them when I want to, sell things when I'm ready..

Just got 6 Stihl FS110/130 trimmers and 4 Echo 280s given to me in various states of condition and breakdown. The guy's son knows nothing about mechanic work but tried to fix them....so far I've made $300 in parts and have two working machines to sell from parts swapping. Last year I had numerous Husqy saws given to me in the same kinda state. Just two instances of many.

Traded a 5k generator and Craftsman chainsaw for this...

Two weeks later I traded the neighbors free MTD riding mower with an oil leak and needing a battery for the bike with the white fairing...

I THOUGHT I had a good deal when I got a John Deere that supposedly ran for $100 but then I figured out the governor gear was messed up,
So now i get to take it apart, restore it and sell it.
Better go for at least $800