Search results

I'm negative on battery powered OPE because it's being shoved down my throat. As are EV's and other "green" initiatives. Battery tools are fine for light duty. In some cases, they are easier to use. Like impact wrenches. I was recently at a Discount Tire, and got a look inside their work area...

What kind of filter are we talking about here? Paper or foam? If foam, are you oiling it. A dry foam filter will let dirt by.

I may have to keep an eye out for a good deal on one of those. I really would prefer a lap-bar ZTR, but my steering wheel ZTR just works SO much better on slopes and hills.

While you're certainly entitled to your opinion, I strongly disagree. I have a steering wheel ZTR and a "real" ZTR, i.e. one with lap bars. The slope holding ability of the two are not even close. The one with the steering wheel is much better. The lap-bar machine wants to slide down a hill if...

Why not go with a lawn tractor? I have a Cub Cadet steering wheel ZTR. It's main advantage over lap-bar ZTR's is it's slope handling ability. Lap bar ZTR's don't work well on slopes. So since she has such a ZTR, I'm guessing her yard is fairly flat. If I were mowing nothing but flat areas, I...

Sounds like a problem with the auto choke. I have a similar mower with a similar engine. There is an air vane that actuated the choke. There is a spring on that air vane. The spring on mine went missing, and I had the same symptoms you have. Well, almost. I could start it without starting fluid...

I was a skinny teenager at the time. "super fast ramp speed Dyno Cams"... Nope. I think my "career" was before those. Late 70's. Most of the aftermarket engine parts were Horstman.

Where did you race? My dad and I built and raced WKA stock & modified using Briggs 5HP flathead engines. We raced in upstate SC and western NC. I re-set the lash on the modified engine after every race, and we raced weekly. I can tear down a horizontal shaft Briggs flathead in my sleep. I'm sure...

I wouldn't pick Clinton over ANY other choice.

Have you tried removing the gas cap? The symptoms point to a possible clogged vent. Some caps are vented. Some vents are in the tank.

What kind of mower is the Bolens? Zero turn? Lawn tractor? How well does it handle the inclines? Do you need better slope-handling, or does the Bolens work fine on the inclines? If you need better slope handling, you should consider a steering wheel zero turn, which locks you into Cub Cadet...

Doubtful. I don't recall... have you checked the flywheel key? Backfiring would make me suspect the key.

Have you cleaned the carb and tank? I had a problem something like this with one of the newer Briggs with plastic carb. It would run fine, then act like it was out of fuel, sputtering a bit, then dying. I cleaned the carb. The bowl had water & lots of trash. I took the carb apart, poked wires...

Ok, then let me be the first. I came across a CC Pro Z 100 that needed some work, so I got it for a good deal. I fixed it up, and now I have a good running commercial ZTR that I paid less than the cost of a new big box store ZTR. I probably got lucky, but it happens. Would I buy a residential...

I have the EZT750 engine. I thought about using the 300 hr kit, but 300 hrs would take me several yrs to achieve. I'd rather do yearly services, so I use the yellow filter and conventional oil.

If the $36 Amazon carb doesn't work, you could cannibalize it for parts for the OEM carb. Command Pros are great engines, but they have the reputation of developing fuel leaks in the carbs.

I came across a Cub Pro Z100S on CL that had been on there for a couple of months. Asking price was $2500. It sold new for $9000. It ran, and mowed, but still needed some work. I bought it for $2000, and fixed it up. I think I spent around $300-$350 on parts and tools. It's a beast of a machine...

You're not wrong, but... you CAN get good deals sometimes. I bought a Cub Pro Z 100 used, with 350 hrs. It looked like it had more hrs on it, and it needed work. Parts were broken. It sold for $9000 new, and I got it for $2000. I knew it wasn't going to be "like new". I was able to test drive it...

6 days/week is a LOT of usage. How many hours are on this engine? I'd check compression. You may just be wearing out the engine.

Thick AND wet is a problem for any residential mower. Do you keep the underside of the deck cleaned out? Wet grass will stick to the deck far worse than dry grass.

That's a possibility. I'll check the spindles once I get it back together. I keep the oil changed, and the blades sharp. I'm not quite as diligent when it comes to spindles.

It COULD be that I need to cut more often. The problem usually occurs on my sister's yard. Her grass is thicker than mine. She has a boyfriend that usually mows for her. I do it when he can't, and the grass gets out of hand. Blades are kept sharp. I never cut wet grass.

Agreed. My CZ 4817 (48" ZTR) is underpowered with this engine. Or maybe it just needs to be running right. I just know that the last time I used it, I had to slow to almost a crawl when mowing thick grass uphill. I bought a replacement for it. One of my main criteria was more power. My "new"...

Walter Reeves is a well known gardener in the Atlanta area, and he used to have a newspaper column back when newspaper columns were a thing. Someone once asked him about his lawncare program. His main thing... mowing. He recommended mowing frequently. The rule of thumb is to mow to the best...

I've never used B12 as an engine treatment, but I've used it numerous times in cleaning out the jets of motorcycle carbs, and it works great. I think it destroys rubber and/or plastic at full strength, so I only use it at full strength on metal parts.

I don't understand this. Circuitry to protect electric motors is not rocket science. I'm guessing it would add maybe $10 to the cost of production. And that's for circuitry to protect ALL the motors.

I checked today, and the price is $2K lower again. 🤷‍♂️

You underestimate the cost of batteries. The Ryobi 80V 10AH batteries are $899 ea, and the 40V 12AH are $359 ea. The 54" mower uses 3 of the 80V and 4 of the 40V, Total replacement cost is $4133. Warranty is 5 yrs. Some here have reported Ryobi battery life of 3 yrs, some over 6 yrs. 5 yrs is a...

Ok, you didn't totally ignore the other costs, but you focused on "fuel", which, to me, is the least significant cost. I estimate that it costs me $5 per mow. If that went to zero, that wouldn't affect my opinion on what I wanted. A $2000 price increase? Wow!

Except you want to compare costs, and then use the one category ("fuel") that most favors electric over gas, while ignoring the biggest cost of electric... battery replacements. And really... operating costs aren't even a consideration to me. Whether it costs a few dollars or a few cents per mow...

Thanks.

Does the 17HP Command Pro (CV490S) have hydraulic valves? Do the valves require periodic adjustment? I've searched, but I can't find the answer. I've searched YT, and there are zero videos showing a valve adjustment on this engine. The manual I found online mentions "Adjustable Valve Lash...

I think we're seeing here another example of electric advocates overestimating the cost savings. $0.10/KWH? I paid $0.11/KWH 5 yrs ago, and I was getting mine from TVA, which has some of the cheapest electricity in the country. And $60 of diesel to mow 3 acres? That sounds high, too. Day-to-day...

Remove the gas cap, and try again. If the vent on the cap is plugged, it will crank, but won't run long. If it has a choke, verify that it is on (closed) when the engine is off and cold. Verify that it is off (open) after the engine starts.

I have several Battery Tenders with these leads on various vehicles and equipment. I keep my mowers on BT's at all times. They only get cranked at most once a week. BT's are great.

When it does this, immediately loosen the gas cap, and try again. If it runs fine, the problem is a clogged tank vent.

I had a problem similar to this with a push mower. Turned out to be trash in the carb & fuel tank. I cleaned out the carb, but not the tank. Problem persisted. Then I cleaned out the carb again and the fuel tank. It's been running fine since.

Re: chalking video... if you REALLY want to find the best tire pressures for your vehicle (I doubt this would work on mowers), get a tread depth gauge. Then check your tread depth every 1000 miles. Inside, middle, and outside in 3 places on each tire. 9 measurements per tire. If the middle is...

Do you work on your own equipment? If so, try the following, and check operation after each step: - Check the blade brake and cable. Make sure the brake is not dragging when the engine is hot. If you reach under the mower, and turn the blade on a hot engine, first remove the spark plug wire. I...

Briggs 125cc engine? When this happens, is the deck clogged with grass? A deck clogged with grass could make the starter rope hard to pull. Are the cooling fins clear? Maybe the cooling fins are blocked, and the engine is overheating. Remove the engine shroud. The fins should be easy to check...

Never mind. Apparently I'm an idiot. I don't know what happened, but it's working now. I just went out to the garage. I was going to make a photo of the linkages to see if I could see what was wrong, and... it's working fine now. At least I think it is. I don't have it running yet. When I first...

I have a Husqvarna CZ 4817 Zero Turn Mower (968999220) with a Kohler Command CV490S. It has the common leaky carb problem, so I I'm taking a gamble on a cheap Amazon carb. However, as I'm putting it back together, I notice that the throttle is not wide open with the mower not running. I can move...

Where is that in the spec sheet? I've never seen such a spec. The ANSI blade tip speed limit for a 22" blade puts the engine RPMs at 3299, so the optimum RPMs IMO should be near that.

Ok. I figured that any foam filter or pre-filter needed oil. In my fleet, I have two pre-filters and one foam filter. They all call for oil.

A mower mounted trimmer is a neat idea, but doesn't do much good in areas where the mower won't fit.

After what I've read here... I'm not sure I'd be surprised.

Do you oil your pre-filter? Those are supposed to get oiled.

I thought I'd follow up on this. I did a little more troubleshooting with my cheap cone balancer, and found that it has too much play, and can't be relied on for accurate balancing. So that leaves the Oregon and its clones, or taking my blades to a shop. Years ago, I took some blades to a...

I bet goats are more maintenance than just about any machine. They still need to be fed in the Winter. However... I have several areas of brush that's littered with Poison Ivy, and I'd love to be able to rent some goats.

So the PTO works with the deck removed.... Have you tried the blades and pulleys on the deck to see if they're all free to rotate?