Recent content by Tiger Small Engine

I sharpen a lot of mower blades, mostly on tune ups for customer mowers. Most of the time, these blades are beat to hell, nicks, very dull, and needed to be sharpened a long time ago. Often an edge needs to be reestablished and they have been sharpened incorrectly, or are bent. It takes a...

If the pulley has spun and ruined the mount, get it welded, then you don’t have to go to more time, trouble and expense.

People don’t know, what they don’t know…Where else can you get free advice? At least people are trying, which is more than most.

There is no equipment that runs on 50% fuel and 50% oil. The Stihl FS91 is a 4-mix, meaning it is a 4-stroke that has no crankcase for oil. It has valves (unlike a 2-stroke). I have noticed in life that people sometimes have a difficult time in life listening. Listening is a learned skill that I...

I got hurt this year with a ratchet strap around a flat tire , trying to release it after being aired up. I have about one minor accident per year in my shop. I try to be as careful as possible. Please be safe and I’m glad your finger isn’t worse.

Put a towel or something over the ring when removing, because it might go flying off, never to be found again. Ask me how I know.

All small engines are designed to run 3600 RPMs maximum. Most of the newer (less than 20 years) residential equipment are setup to run around 3000-3200 RPMs, but can still run at 3600. You need a digital tachometer to be precise, cannot be dead on by ear.

The Stens representative contacted via phone recently because I had filled out a request online showing interest. He said he was coming by out on field calls in a couple of weeks (no show, no call). I asked him what kind of savings I could expect from Stens over Amazon and EBay. He said about...

The mower you buy will have whatever engine the dealer/store ordered. Just because you had one with Briggs engine and it would not start with push button start, but start while using rope recoil , really means nothing. It isn’t as if you can now eliminate all Briggs engines from your buying...

The Scag will probably be the last mower you buy, unless you buy 100 acres later in life.

So 80% of the grass you are cutting is not getting cut?! Are the blades sharp? Are the blades loose? Are they the correct blades? Is the underside of deck free of debris? Did you hit so, and now it isn’t Curt right, but befit was?

The whole secret to learning on YouTube is patience, finding the right teachers, and lots of months and years of practice. The old timers and mentors are simply not there in person to help like they were years ago.

52” or 60” Ferris. Since one of your main concerns is ride quality, Ferris has the only truly independent suspension on the market. There are knockoffs on suspensions, but Ferris has the patent and is the original.

Need to perform a leak down test to isolate issue(s). Otherwise you are guessing and will start firing parts from the cannon. How many hours/age of engine?

What I would recommend is having the transaxle oil extracted and replaced. How many hours on machine? What year? This applies to both previous posters. System may have water in it which causes less response. If you can catch it early enough and no internal damage is done, it usually helps.

What I would recommend is having the transaxle oil extracted and replaced. How many hours on machine? What year? This applies to both previous posters. System may have water in it which causes less response. If you can catch it early enough and no internal damage is done, it usually helps.

Technically it is called the anti after fire solenoid. Not correcting Bertsmobile, just stating the term. Supposed to stop/lessen backfire when turning off the engine. If people would idle down their equipment for 5-10 or 30 seconds, that usually helps with backfires. I see people turning off...

The front tires on a zero turn do little for softening the ride. The rear tire are more involved for dampening. I have run flat solid filled tires on my Scag zero turn and they work great along with a good suspension seat. No flats to ever worry about.

If you only make 10% gross on B & S parts sales, there is no point in selling them, way too low.

The 1% (or in your case maybe more) that cannot abide by your business hours and have some common decency, will ruin it for the rest of the good customers. I have similar problems, but apparently not nearly to the extent you have. Do NOT answer the phone after hours. Return phone messages the...

How many hours on the engine now? The Kohler Command is a great engine. Can usually get 1500-2000 hours with regular maintenance. New Kohler will be around $3000 grand plus labor. Kawasaki same plus additional cost for wiring, etc. could have Kohler rebuilt.

Honda GCV160 engines are rarely rebuilt (not cost feasible). Unless you want to open it up yourself and source some aftermarket parts. Perform compression and leak down tests if you have the equipment.

It is running lean if carburetor needs choke. Clean the carburetor again. Every passage poke with tiny wire, carburetor cleaner and compressed air. Get the emulsion tube out if it is removable. If that doesn’t work, order an aftermarket carburetor by model number.

Ok, so push and self-propelled mowers, and some pressure washers you can do this on. I already know about this method, it’s called the “quick and dirty “ carburetor cleaning method. The bowl gasket is sometimes difficult to line up, just cleaning the main jet and emulsion tube doesn’t always...

I can see about being concerned about a warranty on a $45,000 vehicle, but warranty on a $80 carburetor, really? The fact is most parts are now made in China, Mexico, India, Taiwan, Korea, etc. The United States sold out our manufacturing business many years ago (very sad). It is a different...

TobyU- So you are saying you can successfully clean a carburetor without taking it off the mower, trimmer, chainsaw, pressure washer, generator, etc? Can you tell me how you can do this in 8 minutes? Taking out the pilot jet, main jet, emulsion tube etc.

Kawasaki engine you screw oil dipstick to left until it drops on threads then check. Briggs and a Kohler you screw in all the way. Honda take out dipstick and place it in without screwing it to read proper oil level. Engine is not running rich, it is running lean and hunting and surging. Check...

The vast majority of my business is service and repair. Occasionally I sell a mower, etc. I have a small fair markup on the parts (mainly used on customer equipment for repair). The cost of everything these days is so high, so instead of buying OEM parts at 2 to 5 times the cost of...

The emergency brake on these mowers can get out of adjustment, and not allow mower to start. Had this happen to a customer mower I was working on, and couldn’t figure it out. John Deere dealer resolved the issue. John Deere is very secretive and protective of their technical information and are...

They are safety switches, not relays, quite a difference. If you tested all the safety switches and they were good, why did you replace them? Electrical issues can be frustrating. If you have done all you can, then take it to a shop and get repaired.