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I've run lawnmowers for 35 yrs, and I've yet to shear a flywheel key.

Yeah, but they would get 3 mpg. :ROFLMAO: I've had good luck with 2-strokes. I raced 2-stroke dirt bikes in the 70's. Since then, I've had numerous 2-stroke trimmers, leaf blowers, chainsaws, etc. I'm just a homeowner, and I've never operated a 2-stroke engine commercially, but I've never had...

A bit of an update. It starts & runs MUCH better than before. I've been an Echo fanboy due to several factors. One of the big factors is that Echo's are supposedly easier to start. This saw, before I fixed it, was very hard to start. Now... it starts just like the manual says it should. It has...

The bolt wasn't broken. I stuck a thin spray tube down both holes, and they went to the same depth. I bought a couple of new OEM bolts. Stihl is proud of those bolts. $6 ea. I asked the parts guy what thread it was. D5. Some Stihl specific designation, I'm guessing. That's not SAE or metric. I...

That's possible, but I don't think so. The bolt goes in, and slowly gets tighter. If there were a broken bolt in there, I'd expect it to go in easily, then hit a hard stop. I'll check tomorrow.

I recently took apart my Stihl MS 192 TC chainsaw to clean it and rebuild the carb. I found that the muffler was completely loose. I found one of the two bolts needed. I reinstalled the muffler with the one bolt, and cranked it to see if it made it quieter. IMO, that saw was way too loud for...

Thanks StarTech. That did the job. That carb was a bear to get off, though. It was stuck on there quite tight. I've never pulled a carb on one of these saws, so I wasn't sure if I was missing a bolt, screw, etc. After getting everything back together, it wouldn't crank. I thought, oh, geez, what...

Neither have I. I suspect that mowing business that handles hilly properties would use a 4x4 mower of some type. The SW ZTR's, IMO, are an improvement over lap-bar ZTR's, but probably still not good enough for serious hills. My Pro Z154S works great on my property, with it's moderate hills. The...

A steering wheel ZTR will hold a slope much better than a traditional ZTR with lap bars. I have a Cub Cadet Pro Z 154S. I found it cheap (it needed repairs), and bought it to replace my lap-bar ZTR. The CC had numerous benefits over the mower it replaced, but I bought a mower with the steering...

I have the above top-handle saw, and when it runs, it works great. But it's been getting more & more reluctant to stay running. I'm almost certain that the fuel diaphragm in the carb needs replacing. It's acting like it's starving for fuel. But I can't find a parts diagram or parts list with...

IMO, the engineers who designed the engine know more about what oil is best than any shop owner. Also, most engines that die from oil related problems do so because the oil never got changed. So the mfrs are probably recommending the best oil for their engines, but these engines are notoriously...

I'd be ESPECIALLY irritated if I took good care of my equipment, and it still died in 3 1/2 yrs. Worthless warranty... obviously not Echo then. Was your crappy gas equipment from one of the big three? Echo, Stihl, Husqvarna? If you had cheap gas tools, I'm not surprised at the problems. If you...

Well, yeah... that IS great customer service, but... I'm not sure I'd be pleased if my 3 1/2 yr old trimmer needed a complete replacement. I have two Echo PAS systems, both of which are over 10 yrs old. Not a single engine or attachment has needed replacement or repair. OK, except the trimmer...

But you can trust a cabal of pedophiles? Pedophiles should be slowly tortured to death.

The old flathead engines have very low compression. The new OHV engine have higher CR's, but I don't know what they are. If I were making E0 for a flathead, then I wouldn't worry about low octane. Not sure if that would work with an OHV engine.

Ethanol is an octane booster. Removing it lowers octane. So if you do this, start out with premium (91-93 octane) fuel.

The video has been pulled. See Taryl's response/reasoning: I Felt It Was The Right Thing To Do

I have a Pro Z 100S. I think it's a 2017 model. I bought it used. It had been used commercially, and used hard. It had several problems when I bought it, but steering wasn't one of them.

I'm in this boat, too. Several years ago, I bought a 2000 Ranger for $1000, and it was a basket case. It needed work on: engine, transmission, suspension, brakes, A/C, radio, window and door lock switches. I put about another $1000 in it, and it runs, stops, and steers like new. Still looks...

I have two push mowers. One has a paper filter, one has foam. The new small Briggs engines without chokes... have foam filters.

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...

You know... I wouldn't even be mad.

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.

Sorry to hear that. Startech was one of the most helpful members here.

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...

PTmowerMech was referring to a mattress. If your grass is tall enough to conceal a mattress, you need to mow more often.

Did you check the seat switch? :ROFLMAO:

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.