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Last year, I bought a manual reel mower to mow a small area in my back yard. I wanted it short and thick. After a month of mowing at 2", I wasn't getting the results I wanted. So I researched my grass. Turns out, that grass is St Augustine, which likes to be mowed at 4". I discontinued my reel...

True, but not enough other people were agreeing with this. I thought it warranted repeating.

There is no single mowing height that works for all types of grass. You will 100% need to determine your grass type before this question can be answered.

I'm on team Echo, too. Almost all my 2-cycle equipment is Echo. I have a Stihl chainsaw that's a loaner from my sister. It's a small top-handle saw that's way harder to start than my big Echo CS-590. My string trimmer, edger, etc, is part of an Echo PAS system. I.e. a power head with...

Absolutely. There is no single mowing height that works for all types of grass. You'll need to determine your grass type before this question can be answered.

I agree with sgkent on looking for air leaks. Also verify that the gaskets between the carb and engine are installed correctly.

How do you check hydro fluid level?

Agreed. I used to live in the Atlanta area. While living there, I learned that the pollutant measurements that govern what blend of fuel an area needs... was taken at the airport. The busiest airport in the world. So I had to buy more expensive fuel that I should have because of the airport...

Because... reasons, you know. Kohler doesn't use canbus. They use K-Line (ISO 9141-2 / KWP2000 style) communications. Your question is the same though. Why does an OPE engine need K-Line?

I completely agree. Mine's working great now, but if it ever breaks, it will be expensive. The only saving grace, IMO, is that I know how to care for small engines. I've bought a couple of new mowers in the past. On the machines I've bought new, I've never had to go into a carb, even on machines...

A few years ago, I bought a well used ZTR with a Confidant EZT750, a twin cylinder 27HP engine with EFI. IMO, that was the worst part of the mower. The mower had all of the features I was looking for (fabricated deck, serviceable hydros, etc), but it had that #%#@%% EFI. I know how to fix carbs...

I apparently screwed up the link. This is the link to the video. The person in the video pulls a sealed bearing from a spindle, pulls a seal, showing green grease. Then re-installs the seal, re-installs the bearing, pumps the spindle with red grease until it squirts out, then shows that red...

Have you seen this video? He pretty much debunks this.

This video shows a spindle with sealed bearings getting greased, and then the bearing seals removed, showing new grease in the bearings. Those plastic seals aren't capable of keeping out grease pressurized from a grease gun. Just make sure you keep putting in grease until it squirts out.

You would think that someone with a tractor would know what diesel smells like, and would realize what he'd done when he did it. When I'm fueling up my tractor, there's no doubt of what fuel I'm using just from the smell. I don't solely rely on smell. My diesel fuel caddie is yellow.

I used to race go-karts with 5HP Briggs horizontal shaft flatheads. I refreshed the valves every week. I'd remove the head, re-lap and re-lash the valves, decarbon the head & piston, clean up the head gasket surfaces, and put it back together. I never replaced head bolts.

I notice that you didn't mention head gaskets. Since heads are "totally redone", I'd assume that includes head gaskets. If not, I'd replace them. Make sure the breather and reed is installed correctly, and none of the breather passages are clogged.

You don't HAVE to buy 2. They will sell you one. I wouldn't want 28 gallons of gas in my basement either. I wouldn't want 5 gallons of gas in my basement. I have a workshop, and that's where my gas storage is. I don't mow enough to use 28 gallons before it goes bad. When one caddy of gas gets...

For ethanol-free gas storage, I recommend one of these fuel caddys. 14 gallons, so you don't need to fill it every week, and tall and narrow, which minimizes exposure to air, which extends the life of the fuel. I have two of them. We get lots of power outages, and I want to be able to have power...

I found a big chunk missing from my deck belt last year, and replaced it. I couldn't believe how much further I had to move the tensioner pulley to get that new belt on. With the old belt, when I hit the PTO, it would squall a bit at first. With the new belt... nothing. So I agree, belts are...

I already use a leaf blower after every mow. That doesn't help. I can't get to the cooling fins without removing stuff. I think the whole cooling fin clogging problem has been due to oil leaks. I've been on a mission to eliminate all oil leaks. So far, the oil leaks have been winning. The last...

In hindsight, yeah, I was wrong. I should have cleaned the fins during the initial repairs. Roll bar. Bumper. PTO clutch. Fuel line. Starter cables. Muffler shield. Weight of the engine. It's a 750cc V-twin with EFI. It's NOT light. I can lift the engine straight up off a dolly, but if it's in...

I'm aware of the need to keep cooling fins clean. This mower is a great machine for mowing. It's a terrible machine for servicing. It's a pain to get to the cooling fins, which is probably why they were so clogged. The previous owner probably never cleaned them. Since it's such a pain to get to...

Yeah... when I saw the broken cam gear, I knew what caused it.

The cooling fins were almost completely clogged with oily dirt. I bought the mower, fixed a few things that HAD to be fixed, then used it for a half season. During the off season, I did a more thorough service on it, and found the clogged fins. I had the engine off, so I cleaned the fins really...

I don't want to derail this, but do you know anything about the earlier Confidants? I have a 2016 EZT750. It has some of the features you tout for the Kawasaki... dual element air filter, aluminum block with cast-iron sleeves. I don't know about bearings and tolerances, though. I've had some...

I finally got this engine back together. It was a pain. After having the thing apart, on my bench for a week, while the camshaft was being delivered, I noticed that the governor gear was damaged. And then I noticed the oil pump gear was damaged, too. So I ordered those, and had to wait longer to...

I don't have any good advice on the repair, but I have a Kohler engine that did the same thing. 4 engine mounts. 3 of them were stripped when I bought it. I helicoil'ed them.

Not all ZTRs suck on side hills. The steering wheel ZTRs do MUCH better. I have both, a lap-bar ZTR and one with a steering wheel. The steerable front wheels are a game changer on hills. A ZTR with a steering wheel is better on hills than a tractor style rider, as the engine sits lower, and both...

This is called tractor therapy, and it's not weird. I do it as much as I can.

This, IMO, is a bit of an exaggeration. My ZTR is an entry level commercial/prosumer model (CC Pro Z100), and it weighs in right at 1000lbs dry. 2500lbs is more like my utility tractor. The point is valid, though. The OP doesn't need a big heavy ZTR for 1/2 acre. This IS one of the advantages...

Wow! Did you keep them greased? If they were covered under warranty, then I'd have to guess that there is a problem with them. I have a Pro Z 100, likely with the same wheel bearings. It's WAY out of warranty. Should I buy a spare set of wheel bearings?

I'll 2nd the recommendation for a Snapper RER. Even that will be overkill for 1/2 acre. Oddjob is right that riders require more maintenance, but RER's are the lowest maintenance option of the riders. Tractor-style (LT's, GT's, etc) riders are next. Zero turns are the highest maintenance. I'm...

Ok, my preference for a rider DOES assume that it takes less time to use the rider. In this case, I'd be using a push mower too.

This. I'm surprised, too. I'd give those spindles a VERY good inspection. I'd still be surprised if they were all undamaged Yeah, but it's nice to be able to go out with 15 minutes of sunlight, and knock out the mowing. Even if you run a bit into darkness, you have lights. I used to think...

I was going to say Kawasaki all the way, but this is a pretty cool feature. Most mfrs say to not exceed 20 degrees on any slope. So now I'd say, if you need this feature, go with the Briggs. If you don't, go with the Kawasaki.

Forget the mask. This is a job for a respirator. I finally bought one a couple of years ago, mostly for mowing in dusty conditions. After using it, I wondered why I hadn't bought one years ago.

I had this problem on a Kohler Confidant. At the end of the season last year, the engine was using an unusual amount of oil. When I serviced it over the off season, I found the oil filter loose. Now I do a filter tightness check as part of my pre-mow routine.

I don't completely disagree. New engines are not like the old flatheads. However, I think that if this engine hadn't overheated, and had been properly maintained, this wouldn't have happened, and it would still be running just fine. The crank (with rods & pistons connected) turns over smoothly...

#%$^& $#@^. I found a chipped tooth on the oil pump gear. It's only chipped, and not obvious unless viewed from the right angle. If there's any gear in the engine that I don't want to fail.... If the oil pump stops pumping, I won't know it until the engine locks up. Grrrr! So now I need to...

I don't have the valves & valve springs out yet, but looking through the valve springs, I can't see that any of the guides have moved, and I was looking for that.

I've pressure washed the engine already, and have found dirt & grease that I missed. I plan to pressure wash it again. I want it spotless when I get through so I can identify any oil leak.

I must not have described this clearly. With two thumbs pushing down on the valve springs, I can get the valves to move, and they all seem to be moving freely. I don't have the cam out yet, but the new one has been delivered. Hopefully, I'll get to it this weekend. It's supposed to rain...

I have a Cub Cadet Pro Z 154S with a Kohler Confidant EZT750-3011 (747cc, 27HP, EFI) engine. I believe the previous owner neglected it. At 385 hours, I found that the cooling fins were almost completely blocked. I cleaned them out, adjusted the valves, and did the typical year-end maintenance...

Sorry to hear about Bertsmobile. I often enjoyed what he had to say. Oil... I used to fret over what to put in my OPE. Now, I just use oil from the mfr. I use Kohler oil in my Kohlers, and Briggs oil in my Briggs. Yeah, it cost a bit more, but I know the oils have the right formulations.

If you have enough engine access, like on a typical front-engine mower, I'll agree that pulling the engine is not needed for replacing head gaskets. On this mower, that is not the case. It has a large bumper, ROPS, and a fuel tank on each side of the engine. It's a very capable mower, but IMO...

A few years ago, I bought a used Cub Cadet Pro Z 154S with a Kohler Confidant EZT750-3011 (747cc, 27HP, EFI) engine. I got it for a good price because it needed repairs. I did the repairs needed to get it into service, and used it for about a half season. It seemed to run well and cut well...

In the video, Taryl shows Briggs & Kohler OHV heads. I agree that the photo is an L head, but that's not what the video shows at the point I saved it. You'll have to click on the video.

I'm in my 60's. I don't have the strength I once did. Taryl has stated that Briggs valve springs are easy to compress by hand, but Kohler's are not. Taryl has a video where he demonstrated removing Briggs valves by hand, but then said that he needed a compressor for the Courage engine he was...

Recommend me a valve spring compressor. I need to do some work on my Kohler Confidant EZT750-3011 (747cc, 27HP, EFI) engine. While I have it on the bench, I'm going to do a valve job. I need a tool that will work with this engine. The best candidate I've found is this...