[AT] ATIS members

Fri Nov 9 04:20:23 PST 2012

Ken or others,

I've got a garden tiller with a 5 hp Briggs & Stratton.  It's got a lot of 
years on it but very few hours.
I converted it to electronic ignition probably 10 years ago.  The engine 
it's self is just fine but
it's got one of those carbs on it that connects directly to the top of the 
fuel tank and that thing is nothing
but trouble on a good day and now it's gone bad again.  What I'd like to do 
is find a carb that will fit it
and hook up to the governor, etc. that works with a remote fuel tank that I 
will mount to the handle bars
and gravity feed to the carb.   Have you got any ideas or recommendations?

I've got one very old carb here that is in good shape.  It's a Lawson Power 
products carb.  One of the old
ones with the stamped metal float bowl attached to the bottom.  I think it 
will work but there is no provision
to hook it to the engine governor.   I don't care about the governor anyway 
but I don't know what to do with the
linkage or how to bypass the governor.

New engines are cheap enough these days that I can't justify spending a lot 
on it.

Thanks

Charlie

-----Original Message----- 
From: Ken Knierim
Sent: Thursday, November 08, 2012 11:18 PM
To: Antique tractor email discussion group
Subject: Re: [AT] ATIS members

Ben,
    I did small engine repair while I went through electronics school
('82-'84 timeframe), and I now run a small business in electronics. Here's
my take on it: (beware; this got rather long. feel free to hit delete)

Cleanliness is cannot be overstressed! Pressure washers, air hoses,
cleaning equipment, whatever it takes. You can't find problems you cannot
see for the gunk.

As others have pointed out, when it comes to 2-stroke engines, carbs are
cheaper than labor these days. Replace whenever possible. Otherwise, get a
can of carb cleaner, keep it fresh, and get a new seal kit with each carb
and replace the diaphrams. They die and make 'em impossible to start.
Replace fuel lines wherever feasible.

Learn the method to starting a 2-cycle and follow it. It'll save your arms!
(primer until the bulb feels different if equipped, full choke and
throttle, pull it until you hear a pop, go to half choke, pull it once or
twice more and it should be running. choke off as it warms up.)

I used to use WD-40 as starting fluid for 2-strokes. Now it's useless for
that. I've started using carb cleaner but it's not as easy on the engines.
Ether is bad for 2-strokes because of how it thins down the oil. Find
something that works for you.

Get access to small engine repair websites. briggsandstratton.com is your
friend. Type in the engine codes, get an exploded view and order the parts
as required. Get yourself set up to order parts. Get tools. I highly
recommend the flywheel pulling tools from B&S if you work on those. others
exist depending on makes and configs. Seeing what the tools look like in
the manuals, which you'll want to build an archive of (electronic archive
these days), may help you find them at swap meets, etc. Better yet, if you
find an old timer that's hanging up his tools, see if you can work a deal
with him or her. Another one is to use forums like this as a resource.
There are a LOT of really good people out there that like to help when
there is an appreciative student.

Go to a reputable small engine repair shop and figure out what they charge
for prices to open something up, etc. Use this as your pricing guideline.
You can knock it down a little but SE repair is usually cutthroat. Find out
the going rates and stay competitive or you'll wish you had.

Don't cheap yourself. If you have a customer that just wants to cheap the
repair, they're probably going to whine when it doesn't run like a new
unit. No sense in loosing money AND having a whiney customer about it. The
ones that want to pay for a quality repair generally understand what it
takes and are better to deal with (general rule, but people are people). If
they want to "save" money on something and not put in a new spark plug or
carb kit or whatever (parts are cheaper than labor!), they may be telling
you they don't think your time is worth anything. Learn to deal with this,
be gentle but firm about pricing. Know where the nearest lowball competitor
is and offer to send them there. You want the business that pays you to do
what you love. It'll rarely pay well, but you DO want to make SOMETHING
because tools, parts, buildings and food all cost money.

Try and get yourself a fleet to work with; steady work is a steady
paycheck, even if you're just changing oil, sharpening blades and cleaning
filters. I did it as part of a lawn service company in Phoenix. Repairs
generally do better when economic times are rough, new sales are generally
better when things are moving along. You may need to repower old equipment
when the engines are too beat up and it's cheaper to put a new one on
instead. We had several decks (mower frames of the push variety) that would
wear out an engine every 6 months with daily oil changes, filter cleanings
and blade sharpenings. The problem was the carb throttle shafts, not the
engines themselves.

If you tear a Briggs down and have to go into the bottom end and it's going
on something that gets daily usage, don't. Scrap it; it's not worth it.
Similar with other makes, but you get the gist. If the bottom end is worn
or abused, the unit is probably not worth keeping on life support as
something else is about to go too. If you're putting a warranty on your
work, these basket cases WILL cost you. Do you and your customer a favor...
scrap the engine and find a replacement.

If you can convert the breaker point engines to electronic ignition (kits
used to exist; I haven't looked for them lately but they are WORTH it!) you
might consider it.

Cheap fuel ISN'T. Put the highest grade pump gas in these beasts and they
run better. 92 Octane is cheap insurance. Recommend it to folks using power
equipment. "Oh, but it's too expensive!" Horsepucky! One recalcitrant
starting engine can rapidly turn into a warranty call as fuel never gets
better when it's in the tank. Start as good as you can, use a fuel additive
(Sta-Bil has treated me well) and tell them to run it out before they park
the engine (they won't, but at least you told them when they bring it back
in 6 months or a year)

Little things like stocking a few fuel bulbs, gas caps, common carb kits,
air filters, oil and whatnot can be profitable. If customers know you stock
it or can get it, they will tell others. Do something wrong, and they will
tell a LOT MORE others though. Apologizing for poor quality really bothers
me, so I strive to get it RIGHT that much harder.

Older engines are enjoyable but the market is a lot smaller than the newer
stuff (at least in AZ). Most of it was designed to be throw away
(especially 2-stroke stuff), but many manufacturers put a lot of thought
into making the engines serviceable and maintainable. They make money off
parts and do know how to support the engines.

The biggest thing is, enjoy it. Take something that's been neglected, tear
it down, clean it up, and make it purr and there is a sense of
accomplishment. If you treat it as a hobby that's done with profit in mind
(while you keep another job), you might be able to build up a decent
clientele and not starve.

If you're going to go after restoration thoughts, you will likely end up
going a different direction. I'm a big fan of American Restoration on
History Channel. What they do is different and may be more to your liking.
It can also be profitable from the look of things... once you get that
reputation. To get there, you probably need to have a wider skill-set than
average... in addition to making the engine run, you have to beat the dents
out of the sheet metal, sandblast the rust off, put a couple shiny coats of
paint on it, polish the brass and then find a buyer. There ARE a few more
steps to that path, and each will require refinement. I'm stuck in the
"make the engine run" phase, which I tend to like the best.

Just my thoughts, and worth what you paid for it. I wish you well in your
endeavors and if I can help, well, let me know.

Ken in AZ

On Wed, Nov 7, 2012 at 7:17 PM, Ben Wagner <supera1948 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Here's one of the younger folks in love with his antique machines!
>
> I think one of the better ways to get my generation involved in antiques
> is to be ready to answer all the stupid questions you have heard for the
> twentieth time.  I know you folks on the list have been exemplary at
> that for me when I worked through my first restoration, and I know you
> still are for others, as well as when I get in a bind!
>
> On another note, I plan to be working with antiques for a long time.  I
> received a reputation as "that guy who works on those old magnetos and
> hand cranked engines" among mechanics and "that guy who bothers me every
> week about Grandpa's tractor behind the barn" among everyone else.  As a
> result, I am starting a small business working on antique equipment, and
> buying/repairing/restoring/selling anything old with an engine I can
> find.  Any advice is still (and will be) greatly appreciated!
>
> Thanks for all your help through the years I have read and asked too
> many questions.  Even though I haven't posted much, reason standing that
> I still think of myself as too inexperienced to talk, I have enjoyed
> quietly learning from all of your knowledge.
>
> If ever anyone is in the Shenandoah Valley of VA, drop by and say hello!
>
> Ben Wagner
>
>
> On 11/7/2012 9:49 AM, Cecil R Bearden wrote:
> > I was looking at Mike Sloane's albums of the atis members.   I feel like
> > I know you guys even though we have never met in person.   I just did
> > not realize how many years we had been "talking" on this list.   I also
> > am concerned about what we are going to do about getting more younger
> > folks involved in this hobby or just working with tractors.   I
> > personally will have tractors around until I can no longer move.
> > However, I have lately gravitated toward my tractors with the cab.  I
> > used the 930 Case to sow wheat this time just because I live to drive
> > it.  The steering gear started to lock up, I hope I can use the parts
> > from the 900 Case I have for parts. Here in OK, thewind is always 15 to
> > 25 gusting to 35.  When it is below 50 deg. riding a tractor is cold.
> > At 90 deg and upward to 110 as this summer was, that  can dry you out
> > real quick.  The cab on the Belarus tractors is good because you can
> > open the doors and all the windows.  The NH TS110 just has an air
> > conditioner that cools to 60 deg..    With the thoughts of skin cancer
> > from sun exposure, I am going to use the cab tractors.
> > Cecil in okla
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > AT mailing list
> > http://www.antique-tractor.com/mailman/listinfo/at
>
> _______________________________________________
> AT mailing list
> http://www.antique-tractor.com/mailman/listinfo/at
>
_______________________________________________
AT mailing list
http://www.antique-tractor.com/mailman/listinfo/at 