Recent content by Hammermechanicman

I may be wrong and it wouldn't be the first time but it looks like someone assembled it wrong. The handles are on the wrong sides and they go under the handgrips. Can you get a better pic of the drive belt idler assy?

If you assemble the air filter assy to the blower but leave the air filter out will it start and run?

Most portable generators really won't exactly 60 HZ over its range of light load to full load. If the engine is setup to run exactly 3600rpm and 60HZ at no load it will be slightly lower at full load. Most portable generators usually run at about 3700 to 3750RPM at no load so that it runs at...

If it is an old generator and doesn't have an AVR it may have a capacitor to help keep the genny polarized. The voltage will be RPM dependent. If the voltage is different at each receptacle then pull it and see how it is wired.

Been listening to a lot of Toby Keith and Garth lately then throw in some Willie and Merle. The new chit all sounds the same. Bad. The CMA awards show last couple years was trash. I don't know how they call the stuff country. Well, when you cross country with rap you get crap.

I don't work on many Hoosky saw but most strato saws i work on don't like having the throttle opened real qiuck or they bog. Especially if not completely warmed up. Like star said they tune a bit rich on the top end. Pulling the trigger fast opens both butterflies at a low rpm and the vacum...

I wasn't going to pile on but....... looking at the pics from the colors of the crank it got very hot. When the rod cap is loose it gets hammered. No hammering marks in the pics but wiping and transfer evident from overheating present. I have opened many engines with perfect bores but with rods...

I have no idea if it was low on oil while he ran it but it was full when he brought it to me. I know the shop he took it to that does warranty work. He called me to let me know that they told him the rod bolts came loose and that either MTD or Briggs, i don't know which, would replace it with a...

No dog in this but had a customer being in a push mower last summer with a briggs engine said it had 2 hours on it and it just stopped. Pulled the rope and no compression. Put a screwdriver down the sparkplug hole and piston not moving. Told him to call the mfgr about warranty. He picked it up...

Confucius say. If it worked before you changed oil slinger and govenor gear start there. Cam timing can cause that problem. Double check flywheel key. If it is good then spark timing is good. Double check valve lash and spark. Spray some starting fluid in the carb and try to start. If it...

There are 2 kinds of blades on a reel mower. The expensive type like golf courses use which have bevel ground blades and the cheap homeowner type which has barrel ground blades. The actual sharpening of either type takes specialized machines and you remove the reel for both. Bevel ground reels...

I have a chainsaw you can borrow. 92cc, 200psi compression and advanced ignition timing. Pull it like ya mean it or SONOFA.....! Had the rope break pull starting a 12hp briggs. Screwed up my elbow and shoulder for a month when i hyperextended everthing. Try pull starting stuff with the non...

Yes the GCV has a timing belt that runs in the crankcase.

I have worked on more 2 strokes than i can count and probably most of the 0xx series and newer Stihl saws. Every tank vent i have ever seen is a one way, usually some type of duckbill. Some saws when they get hot they can build enough pressure to pop off the needle and flood the saw but it was...

How 'bout them red, yellow and blue pigments mixed in a specific ratio?

The rj12c is a slightly different heat range than the cj14. It is a slightly colder plug plus resistor.

"Seriously, If I had had 100 push mowers and 30 riders ready to sell last summer, I wouldn't have a one right now" I had a 36" JD RX75 for sale for 3 years before i sold it. Nobody wanted a 36" rider. Most folks around me want used push mowers to trim with. You are right about having 100 push...

I am lucky enough that most of my customers are repeats and new customers are referrals. Very few try to take advantage of me. I have no sign out front and advertising is business cards and word of mouth. I get the occasional person wanting a quote for repairs over the phone or a ballpark price...

How 'bout them Browns?

No. Ah, no. Really no. Sorry but i am not a nonprofit business. I checked and the landlord says i can't pay the rent with a lawnmower. He wants cash so i guess that is what i want too. But thanks anyway. Been there. Didn't fall for it.

You say these are on generators. Do these generators have an eco idle mode? If not the idle screw at the throttle butterfly is not doing anything as the engine should be running arou d 3600 all the time. The speed is controlled by the govenor.

You have 2 things in the drivetrain. The axle has the forward and reverse gears. The speed is controlled by the 2 belts in the CVT. You probably need to replace the 2 belts and check the belt idlers and make sure the CVT pulley assy is working properly.

Yup, strato.

The pedal on the left is the clutch, the right one is the brake. Clutch is like a car, pedal up is the drive position. If you put gear lever in neutral mower should roll freely. Move lever to a forward gear position and mower sould not roll easily. Put mower in neutral. Clutch pedal down start...

I don't know if this is a strato saw or not. If it is Star is right about setting the mixture. These cockroach saws are clamshell crankcase design so swapping out a P&C kit would cost a customer more than a new saw. None of the dealers and big shops around me won't even work on them. I have a...

The difference between 150 and 105 is too much to just be wet vs dry ring. Those poulans just don't seem to be as robust as saws like stihls with nikasil plated cylinders. The 34cc poulans have thinly chrome plated pistons and bare aluminum cylinders (cheaper) that do not tolerate running lean...

I doubt it. Pull the carb and muffler and put the piston at BDC and look through the intake and see if there is any aluminum transfer on the exhaust side of the cylinder. If there is then cylinder is toast.

Not for sure but any scoring is not good. You said it started at 150 and now 105??? If that is true you did something wrong. You may have an air leak or dirty carb causing lean running at WOT. And another one gone and another one gone another one bites the dust hey hey.

"I will go look for someone else to pick any argument with. Anyone want to talk oil or ethanol??" My oil is better than your oil.??

Not sure what wrong but some things that can cause hard starting. I have seen engines that needed the air cleaner assy in place or wouldn't start but ran fine once started. If the intake valve doesn't have perfect seal it can be hard to start but run fine once started. Misadjusted float level...

Should be obvious. Bigger hammer.

Not 100% sure but looks like that model has throttle cable control. Whe moved to the idle/off position the pivoting metal piece contacts a copper connection sticking up through a small hole that should have a wire in a fahnestock style clip that grounds the ignition coil.

Oh boy! An oil thread.............. ?

Back in the day...... lots of mowers used starter generators. I don't know if any today. Be nice to know what engine OP actually has. https://isavetractors.com/starter-generator/

I got tired of standing in the bucket of my bro in law's loader to trim trees and got a Stihl pole saw. It does a great job. A couple drawbacks. A little heavy, my old shoulders would not want to use it all day. Wind direction matters. Get a good pair of wrap around safety glasses. And wear a...

Ain't that the truth?

028 super 50cc class saw Ms361 60cc class saw Ms181 30cc class saw Ms251 45cc class saw About the only saw smaller than you 028 is the 171 or 181.

When you install a new avr on most generators you need to adjust the voltage. Different folks do it different. Usually same result. Screw is uaually on the back of the avr. Let it hang on the wires. Hook up a voltmeter and a tach or meter that does frequency. Start it up and no load should be...

Yes you can. You didn't take it apart

Don't think that because you take time to put a jigsaw puzzle back together that you did not take apart that you need to give a customer a discount on your time. Just remember that they do not have the skillset or the time to do it themselves and they should be expecting to pay to have someone...

I would look for a used commercial grade ZTR. 10 acres a week is really nothing for a commercial Z. A new homeowner grade is still in the 3K range and will last a couple years. A decent used commercial machine is around 7K and will last many years if taken care of. Many times dealers will lease...

I have had people for whatever reason want one of of those cheap poulans fixed and i find one on ebay for $20 with the part i need.

One of those cockroach poulans. You ALWAYS charge the time it takes figure out the jigsaw puzzle THEY took apart and then brought you. I had an older gentleman bring me a Stihl MS440 in a box. It had a scored cylinder and his son disassembled the saw and never got around to trying to finish it...

Remove the engine shroud and look at the coils. If they have a single small wire it is not DSAI. if you have multiple small wires to the coils you have a DSAI system.

Stsr, have you gone to this website and checked on your status? https://www.irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment

So Bert, you buying Renminbi or Bitcoin? You need to find somewhere to stash all that money.

Time to bury that million in mayonaise jars in the backyard and try to find another case of ammo.

The way we are printing money and increasing the debt and handing out money like it is candy plus all the foreign aid to half the countries of the world we are screwed. They will just raise taxes and keep raising them so my grandkids are screwed.

Time for some hot wings and a new big screen TV (In my best Larry the cable guy voice) Maybe a case of 10w30 too.

A sears auto center cross threaded 15 out of 20 lugs on my mothers car when they put tires on it. Blew me off acted like i was trying to rip them off. Pretty much told me and her to eat s##t and die. I had to change all the lugs on her 84 Buick. Strangely enough i heard someone went crazy with a...

I have a good relationship with the police in my little town. I am the guy that made them and the volunteer fire dept flags And have told them they can park in my driveway anytime they want. They also know that probably 9 out of 10 homes have firearms in them. I am not too concerned.

I guess i am at level 63 but don't feel a day over 70. Couple years ago i almost called the police on some old guy intruder in my house. Then i realized i was just seeing myself in a mirror.

Whew. Glad not expired. Just smell that way.

WHAT! I am past my expiration date? Well that just ruined my whole day.

I have a bunch of the harbor freight cases for hardware and crimp connectors and carb parts

Man i need one of those for carb work. Scrub needs to get one and do a review

Slick

There are different ways to manufacturers wire up portable generators. If engine is running at approx 3600 and you have 183v at the outlet most likely the AVR is bad. Have you checked the 240v outlet voltage? Across the 2 hots, each hot to the neutral. Most portable generators with 240v will...

If you pick the mower up so it doesn't touch the ground you loose the ground connection and things won't work. Mower always needs a good ground connection.

I'm an electrical engineer, and have been for 38 years, in field service for heavy industry. I probably have some basic electrical knowledge. Well........ maybe.??

The big printers i worked on in the old day job had things called corotrons. A metal sheild with a wire inside the center wire has about 50,000 volts applied to it and bias voltage around 1000 volts applied to the shield. There was enough energy to applied to the center wire it glowed purple...

That is pretty good basic explanation for young students. One of the funniest things to watch was a kid we hired with a 2 years technical degree doing 220v troubleshooting. Lots of theory but not much on real world. He was always quick to point out he had a degree and i didn't.

PT said Watts, from what I understand, is sort of the power. The muscle, if you will. Amps is how much power Where as voltage is how fast the power is being fed. Sort of Voltage is a measure of potential. Devices are designed to be operated at a specific voltage or voltage range. Watts is a...

If you spray a shot of carb cleaner or starting fluid in the carb and pull the rope does it dire and run for a few seconds?

Lors of ways to do it. I use a free app called DeComp from The google play store.

When you work on generators it helps to have a meter that measures Hz. You will probably want to set the no load speed at 3700 to 3750 and then apply a heavy load and see if the revs don't drop below something like 3575. The AVR will regulate the voltage but frequency is still RPM dependent. You...

Yes, bad AVR can be high volts. You need to check the frequency. I am going to assume it should run at 3600 RPM unless it is an inverter generator.

Yeah, i am still waiting for them to give me some of your tax money.

One election was so bad with the mud slinging that it ruined my TV Just couldn't get all the mud out.

The guys that do chainsaw cylinder porting like this company for burrs http://www.ccspecialtytoolstore.com/porting-burr-carbide-s/170.htm

When i get in mowers with damaged stars on the spindles i just replace the spindle shaft. Actually cheaper in the long run for the customer for me to replace it vs. taking the time to dick with it.

Unfortunately a lot of small engine shops and dealers don't have techs with with electrical troubleshooting training. Even with a schematic many struggle. I have met some really smart youg men with decent mechanical skills and understand basic electrical theory but just don't have electrical...

My mother is on Medicaid in a nursing home and hasn't filed a tax return in years and she got a stimulus check last time around. Go figure.

Any 2 stroke will respond to a properly designed tuned pipe. There is a science to designing expansion chambers. Not really sure what you would gain because you would need to do carb mods to match up to the exhaust tuning. Plus increased power needs increased cooling. Hopping up a lawnboy mower...

Her favorite line used to be "What did that cost?" Now she just says "You got another box."

Where the hammer mechanic thing comes from. My father born in 1911 worked in an eastern Kentucky coal mine and worked as a maint mechanic for the CCC during the depression then a millwrighttill he retired. Tools were hard to come by and you had to take care of the ones you had. Anyone who...

You know you got a good one when you ask her to go to the bank and get $500 cash to buy a gun and she just says "OK"

Mine has put up with me for 37 years. No regrets.

your driving me nuts, find something to do.” She’s even start telling her friends that “I’m a handyman with tools“ to get me out of her way. LOL

<snip> After that they are all between 20 & 30 micron which if you know about filter media means they could all be the same paper. All have Anti syphon valves and all have a pressure relief between 8 & 15 psi but you would have to run your mower 100% rich for 10 year to totally fill a filter to...

Good luck Rivets! I know many people's livelihood has been devastated by the pandemic. I count myself to be very blessed that i wasn't. When my wife shattered her femur back in March and i became a 24/7 nurse for 3 months if it wasn't for others helping me while trying to run 2 small businesses...

Covid has been a pain in the butt but after going over the books i am doing OK. Besides Larrys Service Center which is my snall engine shop i have another small one man business, Audio Excellence Consulting. I design and install A/V systems in churches. Since the lockdown hit just about every...

Pretty much. I think Yazoo was first with the design. Not sure why but Ferris still makes the Pro Cut S front mount Never seen one actually in use.

I used to have a 76" Yazoo HPTOK. Very similar design to the SCAG. r.c Couple of issues. Sitting on top the wheel beats the crap out of you on rough ground. Machine pivots on the drive wheels. Quick pivot turn will throw you out of the seat. I had to wear the seat belt. Machine was 10 feet...

Sulkys used to be very popular with commercial companies to keep from wearing the guys out. They are tricky to use. Most commercial companies have gone to standers or ZTRs and reserving the walkbehinds for smaller jobs and trimming without the sulky.

Speaking of medical practices. I heard that alcohol kills the covid. I may have been exposed today and ingested some of the virus so to combat it i plan to ingest large quantifies of alcohol. Why yes officer, as a matter a fact speeding to the liquor store is a medical emergency. I need a...

Some of that new common core math there?