STARTEGIES https://repairsmallenginemobile.com/ Mobile Private Mechanic Service - Snowblower Repair - Mower Repair Sun, 23 Apr 2023 16:31:15 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 216561908 Craftsman Zero-Turn TuneUp & Blade Replacement https://repairsmallenginemobile.com/craftsman-zero-turn-tuneup-blade-replacement/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=craftsman-zero-turn-tuneup-blade-replacement Sun, 23 Apr 2023 16:31:15 +0000 https://repairsmallenginemobile.com/?p=1635 Craftsman Zero-Turn TuneUp & Blade Replacement Lots of clients have me tuneup or perform recommended yearly service and maintenance on their Lawn Tractor or Ride-On Mower. Everyone wants the maneuverability of a Zero-Turn Ride-On Mower like this 42" Craftsman I tuned up and replaced the blades. We upgraded to Mulching blades and installed a

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Craftsman Zero-Turn TuneUp & Blade Replacement

Lots of clients have me tuneup or perform recommended yearly service and maintenance on their Lawn Tractor or Ride-On Mower. Everyone wants the maneuverability of a Zero-Turn Ride-On Mower like this 42″ Craftsman I tuned up and replaced the blades. We upgraded to Mulching blades and installed a universal MTD mulch plug for a complete solution.

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]]> 1635 Blade Replacement With Service https://repairsmallenginemobile.com/blade-replacement-with-service/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=blade-replacement-with-service Thu, 06 Apr 2023 16:41:56 +0000 https://repairsmallenginemobile.com/?p=1510 The Great Blade Replacement Debate-ment Let me start by saying this, if you are asking me to inspect and sharpen your blades when we talk before the service call, then most likely the blade(s) under your lawn tractor mower deck or lawn mower will need to be replaced. How sure am I, you ask?

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The Great Blade Replacement Debate-ment

Let me start by saying this, if you are asking me to inspect and sharpen your blades when we talk before the service call, then most likely the blade(s) under your lawn tractor mower deck or lawn mower will need to be replaced. How sure am I, you ask? The answer is, nine out of ten times or 90% percent sure, from the ten years of experience, repairing small engine power equipment in the field.

There are other factors to consider. What kind of lawn do you want? Do you have a lot of uneven, patchy or hilly terrain? Always having the blades sharp and actually cutting and mulching/chopping up the grass will make the lawn more plush and green. When you chop off the grass using dull blades, the grass is torn, creating a uneven edge that will brown easily in the sun and heat, among other things.

I am also often asked about whether bagging your grass clippings or mulching is better. Mulching is a “green” approach. You are (quote), naturally fertilizing the lawn, (unquote). Sure, you also do not have to stop and empty your clipping bags or worry about where or how to dispose of the debris. Some of us compost for gardening and landscaping flower beds, so you may want the clippings. Mulching is also “pet friendly”. Not a bad idea for your pets and others in the neighborhood. Organic fertilizers are good but the odor on humid days (after application) can be disturbing. Chemical fertilizers work best, but are not pet or environmently friendly. Sharp blades in conjunction with timely mulching are good lawn maintenance habits that will help keep the grass thick, green and plush.

I am presenting a ‘turnkey’ approach to blade sharpening and replacement with my mobile service. With that being said let’s have the replacement blades (we will probably need) onsite when I come over for your service. If you need a blade resource I will send you a link after we talk. You order the blades, they’re delivered to you in a couple of days, and when I come for the service I’ll install the new blades. If the old blades can still be sharpened then you can get that done at your local lawn or tractor shop. Next year, when you call me back for the regular maintenance on the equipment, we swap blades and then sharpen for next time.

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]]> 1510 Last Time Your Oil Was Changed? https://repairsmallenginemobile.com/last-time-your-oil-was-changed/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=last-time-your-oil-was-changed Sun, 02 Apr 2023 15:01:32 +0000 https://repairsmallenginemobile.com/?p=1474 When was the last time you changed the oil in your Lawn Tractor or Lawn Mower or cleaned the top of the Lawn Tractor Mower Deck? 4-Stroke small engines require good, clean oil to run and lubricate properly. 2-Stroke small engines do not have oil inside the crankcase, you mix the oil with the

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When was the last time you changed the oil in your Lawn Tractor or Lawn Mower or cleaned the top of the Lawn Tractor Mower Deck?

4-Stroke small engines require good, clean oil to run and lubricate properly. 2-Stroke small engines do not have oil inside the crankcase, you mix the oil with the gas 36:1, 50:1, etc. I recommend changing your oil, oil filter, and spark plug every fifty hours of operation or every year to keep your power equipment running strong. Most residential users will only put 40-50 hours a year on their lawn tractor or lawn mower, and even less with other power equipment powered by small engine.

Lawn Tractor Mower Cutting Decks need to be clear of grass clippings, sticks, leaves and other debris. Grass clippings and leaves increase friction, thus creating a lot of heat, that accelerates mower deck belt wear and even failure. The heat travels to other moving parts quickly, pulley and blade spindle bearings exposed to heat fail and seize. Mower deck blade engagement mechanisms become jammed and frozen, causing cables and springs to snap or break.

Following through on a maintenance schedule with regular service tuneups and grass clipping/debris cleaning out will most certainly extend the life of your lawn tractor engine and mower deck, as well as, your other power equipment. We use conventional motor oil of the recommended weight, for replacement when servicing your power equipment.

Generally, we use Champion or NGK spark plugs, Lucas Oil brand Red & Tacky Grease for grease fittings, tires/wheels and mechanism pivot points, PB Blaster brand spray Lithium Grease and Penetrating Oil for lubricating levers and other moving parts, conventional Motor Oil, and quality Fuel Filters, acquired with bulk pricing and the savings passed on to you, the client. Take a look at the prices below if you purchased locally at the big box store. Everything included with a TuneUp Service would cost about $50 plus tax.

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]]> 1474 Battery Failed or Not Failed? Now, that is the Question! https://repairsmallenginemobile.com/battery-failed-or-not-failed-now-that-is-the-question/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=battery-failed-or-not-failed-now-that-is-the-question Sat, 01 Apr 2023 16:21:30 +0000 https://repairsmallenginemobile.com/?p=1449 There are three common problems we encounter when taking our power equipment out of storage and begin use for another season. Carburetor fuel flow problems, mice nests, and Battery Failure! Has your Lawn Tractor or Power Equipment's Battery Failed? Often when a client reaches out to me, they believe the battery is good because

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There are three common problems we encounter when taking our power equipment out of storage and begin use for another season. Carburetor fuel flow problems, mice nests, and Battery Failure!

Has your Lawn Tractor or Power Equipment’s Battery Failed?

Often when a client reaches out to me, they believe the battery is good because the battery charger shows the correct Charged LED/Green light; or they attached jumper cables from their vehicle and the small engine electric starter still will not power or engage. The fuse has also been check and it is good. Well, Not So Fast!

More often than not, the battery’s internal components have failed, and the battery can’t produce enough Cold Cranking Amps (CCA) to turn the engine over and adequately deliver enough power to the internal wiring bus for other electrical components; even when jumper cables or another power source is present.

Lawn and Garden Batteries are not as complex inside as batteries found in today’s vehicles, and cost much less, but our mind is lead to believe quality/durability is similar, and it is not. The average life expectancy of a 12V Lawn & Garden Tractor Battery is 3-5 years and costs $40-70 dollars. Properly removing and trickle charging your battery during the off season months may extend the life of the battery a few years.

If your battery is older than three years and the battery was not maintained with a trickle charger for several months, and the engine starter will not turn the engine over; you should first replace the battery or call me for service.

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]]> 1449 Common Encounters With Mice Nests https://repairsmallenginemobile.com/common-encounters-with-mice-nests/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=common-encounters-with-mice-nests Sat, 01 Apr 2023 12:51:37 +0000 https://repairsmallenginemobile.com/?p=1436 There are three common problems we encounter when taking our power equipment out of storage and begin use for another season. Battery failure, carburetor fuel flow problems, and Mice Nests! Mice are a nuisance, often choosing the engine housing of your power equipment for winter nesting and

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There are three common problems we encounter when taking our power equipment out of storage and begin use for another season. Battery failure, carburetor fuel flow problems, and Mice Nests!

Mice are a nuisance, often choosing the engine housing of your power equipment for winter nesting and Spring reproducing. It doesn’t seem to matter where you live, but where you stored your equipment does increase the chance of mice nests. Equipment stored in sheds or outside under the deck are more likely to have mice nests. Consider your engine and the engine oil chemically breaking down as a bio-heater, of sorts. Nesting mice accumulate Acorn shells, debris and waste inside power equipment engine and crankcase/transmission housings. Mice chew the coating off the wiring, ignition coil, and the plastic housings; the mice think it’s food.

Most importantly, mice nests blocks air flow around the air cooled engine cooling fins, causing overheating. Overheating burns out ignition coils, causes engine stalling, damages the oil, melts wiring harnesses, and ultimately the engine will seize.

During inspection before starting your lawn tractor, this is what a mice nest can look like.

Be sure to check for mice nests before starting your equipment for use. Many engines and lawn tractors provide ‘peep’ holes for you to check. Often grass, straw and other nesting materials stuffed within will be hanging out the seams of the engine shroud/housing. If you encounter a mice nest during inspection, do not start the engine, call to schedule service and have us remove the nest and make the necessary repairs before attempting operation.

If your lawn mower or lawn tractor choke seems stuck or the engine keeps stalling and is hard to restart, you may have mice nested under your engine housing/shroud. If your snowblower or snow thrower’s drive is impaired, hesitating, and making noise when engaged, or the drive speed shifting mechanism is not moving, then most likely mice have built a nest inside your crankcase/transmission housing.

Mice nest removal starts at $60. Consider changing out burnt damaged oil and overheated spark plug(s) when I am there. Cleaning out mice nests is probably one of my least favorite things to do, hah! During cleanout you will encounter mice feces and urine, mice usually have separate areas in the nest to bed/breed, store food and excrete waste. Acorn shells will jam up electric starters and mice urine/waste getting inside electric starter housing’s can cause damage and failure. Sometimes the ignition coils are chewed beyond repair and need replacement. Mold, mildew and who knows what else can also grow. Mice are dirty and carry disease. Mice can fit through a hole the size of a dime, unbelievable. Some more mice nests and wiring repair examples are shown in the pics below.

What can you do about mice nesting in your power equipment during storage?

Actively setting traps or bait targeting and killing mice year round where you store power equipment. Eliminate food sources like stored pet treats, bird food and grass seed. Do not provide easy access to nesting materials. Take a look at the pictures again; grass and leaf clippings left under your lawn tractor on top of the mower deck or the push mower’s deck/frame; paper towels and brown kraft lawn/leaf material/debris bags; and filling/insulating/stuffing materials from outdoor furniture pillows, soft sided coolers and pet toys, are among mice favorite nesting materials. Years ago, a customer, while removing a mice nest with babies, from her lawn mower, out in Narragansett, RI, shared that usually PotPourri bags filled with the herb Sage worked as a natural deterrent for the mice. Make a few of those Sage PotPourri bags and place them around your power equipment and under the hood, on the frame near the engine mounts of the small engine power equipment during storage, it can help.

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]]> 1436 Carburetor Clean & Rebuild or Replace? https://repairsmallenginemobile.com/carburetor-clean-rebuild-or-replace/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=carburetor-clean-rebuild-or-replace Fri, 31 Mar 2023 20:34:00 +0000 https://repairsmallenginemobile.com/?p=1419 There are three common problems we encounter when taking our power equipment out of storage and begin use for another season. Battery failure, mice nests, and Carburetor Fuel Flow Problems! Is your lawn mower not starting, runs poorly or only runs for a few seconds then shuts down? Gas is only good 30-45 days,

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There are three common problems we encounter when taking our power equipment out of storage and begin use for another season. Battery failure, mice nests, and Carburetor Fuel Flow Problems!

Is your lawn mower not starting, runs poorly or only runs for a few seconds then shuts down?

Gas is only good 30-45 days, after that, it starts to turn into varnish inside your carburetor and brittle your fuel lines because of the ethanol they now put into gas. Varnish clogs up your carburetor and causes poor performance. I’ve seen varnish do amazing things like completely skin over large throughways inside the carb and completely stop the flow of fuel. In New England we have Summer gas and Winter gas blends that make stabilizing the gas for storage even more challenging. When ethanol burns, water is formed and then pushed out the exhaust. These engines were not designed to burn gas with ethanol.

When gas is left in our power equipment, carburetors will need to be cleaned and rebuilt with some parts replaced. Aftermarket carburetors are now $18-30 and readily available. The question to ask yourself is, why not replace the carburetor? Not all snowblowers and mowers come with Briggs & Stratton engines anymore. A lot of the engines being sourced for our power equipment are being built elsewhere. HUAYI carburetors made in China will need to replaced. New aftermarket carburetors are usually priced $18-30 and available on Amazon, shipped two days or less. We will spec the right replacement carburetor for your machine and send you a link via Text to purchase.

4-stroke small engines require good clean oil to run correctly, when was the last time you changed your oil in your lawn mower, lawn tractor or walk behind? I recommend that you change your oil, plugs and fuel filter yearly to keep your equipment running strong.

BEFORE YOU CALL FOR SERVICE… Try these frequently asked questions to make sure you need service:

1.) Q: Are you using fresh gas? Gas is only good for 30-45 days, if you put gas older than that in the machine before you tried to start it, then it will run poorly or not at all.

SOLUTION: Drain the old gas out and put fresh gas in, and retry. If you are not comfortable doing this, then please call me for service.

2.) Q: Have you checked to make sure your gas shutoff is turned to the open position? Some machines do not have a gas shutoff, it is usually located beneath the gas tank in clear view for ease of use.

SOLUTION: Turn the shutoff to the open position, prime the machine and retry starting, give it a few pulls or engage the electric start several times before you call for service.

If you are unsure or have questions… …I can provide knowledgeable, experienced answers using Voice Support and Startegies voice support is always FREE! Call me!

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]]> 1419 Franklin, MA https://repairsmallenginemobile.com/1042-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=1042-2 Fri, 24 Mar 2023 16:16:29 +0000 https://repairsmallenginemobile.com/?p=1042 "Startegies was excellent!! Very punctual and educated in lawnmowers and snowblowers. He makes it easy and affordable with his mobile service. We will being using Startegies every year for our lawnmowers and snowblower." -Michael L., Franklin, MA

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]]> “Startegies was excellent!! Very punctual and educated in lawnmowers and snowblowers. He makes it easy and affordable with his mobile service. We will being using Startegies every year for our lawnmowers and snowblower.”
-Michael L., Franklin, MA

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]]> 1042 Sharon Massachusetts https://repairsmallenginemobile.com/testimonial-customer-sharon-massachusetts/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=testimonial-customer-sharon-massachusetts Fri, 24 Mar 2023 16:15:09 +0000 https://repairsmallenginemobile.com/?p=1040 “Work was done properly and efficiently, and was given excellent maintenance advice and recommendations. Thumbtack is fortunate to have such a contractor for us to reach out to for services-Top Notch service!” -Brendan Sharon, MA

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]]> “Work was done properly and efficiently, and was given excellent maintenance advice and recommendations. Thumbtack is fortunate to have such a contractor for us to reach out to for services-Top Notch service!”
-Brendan Sharon, MA

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]]> 1040 Customer Testimonial Richmond RI https://repairsmallenginemobile.com/customer-testimonial-richmond-ri/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=customer-testimonial-richmond-ri Fri, 24 Mar 2023 16:12:50 +0000 https://repairsmallenginemobile.com/?p=1037 "Thanks again Joe! We very much appreciate you. Professional, talented and reasonable!" -Andrew & Mel Richmond, RI

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]]> “Thanks again Joe! We very much appreciate you. Professional, talented and reasonable!”
-Andrew & Mel Richmond, RI

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]]> 1037 Got Spark? https://repairsmallenginemobile.com/got-spark/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=got-spark Thu, 12 Mar 2020 09:20:32 +0000 https://repairsmallenginemobile.com/?p=65 Got Spark? An article about the spark plug in your small engine. Take a look at the picture above and guess what all of these spark plugs have in common? The spark plugs are all no good and foul out. Looks can be deceiving, right? Some of the plugs do look very old,

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Got Spark? An article about the spark plug in your small engine.

Take a look at the picture above and guess what all of these spark plugs have in common? The spark plugs are all no good and foul out. Looks can be deceiving, right? Some of the plugs do look very old, but a few of them look as though they should be good. 2-Stroke and 4-Stroke small engines basically need three things to run, fuel, compression, and spark.

This article is all about spark and spark plugs. Most of the time the spark plug needs to be replaced, but occasionally the culprit is the magneto coil that generates the spark as a magnet in the flywheel passes by, every few milliseconds as the engine runs. The coils in leaf blowers, from my experience, seem to go the most. If I had to guess, it is because of the nature of the way we use the equipment and the consistently high rpms probably contribute too. Coils are funny too, sometimes they just go, and sometimes they deteriorate over time, the latter is because of heat, heat is the enemy. If you don’t change your oil and keep air cooled throughways clear of grass, clippings and debris your coil will go. I recommend you change your spark plug every year. I use Champion spark plugs, and every Startegies tune-up includes a new spark plug, free as part of your service.

Do you know how to check your spark and spark plug? The old school way only requires a ratchet and socket of the appropriate size and a long flat head screwdriver. First remove the rubber boot from the plug, then use the ratchet and long socket to remove the spark plug. Then reconnect the spark plug to the boot and use the tip of the flat head screwdriver to touch the head area where the spark plug screws in and touch the bottom of the spark plug to the shaft of the screwdriver to create continuity and turn the engine over or pull the cord. Make sure the kill switch or key is in the ‘on’ position. You should see a nice white spark, if you do not, then replace the spark plug and test again. If you still have no spark then you need to replace the coil. Small engine repair at its fundamental basis is the process of elimination, 85% of my service calls are related to fuel, but almost all of the remainder are spark related.

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