[AT] Indiana lovebirds

Wed Jun 9 06:40:07 PDT 2021

Happy anniversary!

On Tue, Jun 8, 2021, 11:13 PM Indiana Robinson <robinson46176 at gmail.com>
wrote:

> My wife (of 58 years today) also loves mowing. That is a good thing
> because we mow a lot of grass. Happily, son Scott takes care of most of the
> big stuff pulling a 15' bat-wing behind a MF-1155. We keep most of the
> horse lanes mowed with lawn mowers but he clips the horse lots 2 or 3 times
> a year along with a couple of acres of Scotch Pines and some Balsam Fir
> trees.
> A few years ago I bought a Husqvarna
>  27 HP 61" cut zero-turn. One of the best things I have done in some time.
> I had no learning curve with it, maybe because I grew up putting a zillion
> hours on a couple of JD crawlers. Steering with levers was very natural. I
> did have some trouble with stumbling over the name when speaking of it so I
> started referring to it as the "Aardvark" and it kind of stuck.  :-) I put
> Diana on it so she could try it out in a wide open space but she decided
> that she wanted to stay with a lawn tractor. We have a 54" cut 26 HP Poulan
> Pro  and a 48" cut 21 HP John Deere lawn tractor that is a back-up mower.
> We also have an older 46" cut 20 HP Yardman that needs some minor deck work
> that I am planning to move to the mini-farm (17 acres) in the next county
> so that I don't have to keep hauling a mower over there.
> Years ago we used to mow a number of large yards and I used to maintain a
> few factory properties. We also used to do small engine work as a part of
> our store operation. We used to repair a zillion carbs (mostly cleaning and
> a new diaphragm) on walking mowers.
> Personally I almost never have carb problems and I have always used E-10
> from the pump in about everything. I rarely use any kind of stabilizer in a
> tank over winter, just climb on and start them up. I do sometimes add a few
> ounces of oil to the fuel tank when I am working one particularly hard but
> rarely when cutting light stuff.
> We used to get in a lot of mowers that people had tried to fix at home,
> largely by just throwing parts at them. Most of the time they were just
> barking up the wrong tree and spending a lot of money. On common walking
> mowers the real problem was surprisingly often a slightly sheared flywheel
> key. Even a tiny amount of off-set in the key was enough to keep one from
> starting at all. We bought those keys by the hundred.
> 2020 really sucked in many ways and I lost quite a bit of mobility over
> the summer, fall and winter... Trying to fight my way back now and
> improving slowly. I acquired a used mobility scooter this spring, not for
> use here but so that I can still hold up at tractor shows and all day
> auctions.
> Finally back in the shop a bit more. I think I sat a new record today... I
> keep an older Coats 40-40 tire changer and was putting a new set on the
> van. I fumbled while removing a valve core and I believe that it may have
> gone out the open door and joined all of those zillions of WD-40 little red
> tubes that have been launched into the stratosphere over the years. See, I
> do still remember some old discussions here...   :-)
>
> On Tue, Jun 8, 2021 at 8:48 PM Jim Thomson <macowboy at comcast.net> wrote:
>
>> Cutting the lawn is also one of my wife's favorite things to do. In
>> Massachusetts we had a Cub Cadet with a 50" deck and a Kawasaki engine to
>> cut 1.5 acres. She loved this little tractor. I also bought her a Sthil
>> blower and string trimmer. Fast forward to Iowa where we have a solid 4
>> acres of lawn to cut. Our current mower is a Kubota B2301 with a 60" 3 pt
>> finish mower. I have to give the wife lessons on this as she is a little
>> scared of it. A funny story, last weekend our farmer/landscaper neighbor
>> called me and said he was coming over Sunday morning to cut our yard. There
>> is a cemetery a half mile from us and he wanted the lawn looking good for
>> Memorial Day . He brought over his big JD(Z945?) zero turns and asked if I
>> wanted to try it. I gave it a try and it scared me to death. This thing had
>> to be going 10 plus miles an hour with perfectly cut grass. This was my
>> first time on a zero turn so there was a steep learning curve. I thought I
>> would drive this right into the ditch. After 2 passes, I parked it and went
>> back to the Kubota. My wife then started using the JD and did just fine
>> with it. My neighbor created a monster and now she wants a small zero turn
>> mower! BTW, both Sthil's and our Honda push mower always start even with
>> old gas. My HF generator is a first pull starter too.
>>
>>
>>
>> Jim Thomson
>> Blairsburg, Iowa
>> Jim Thomson
>> Blairsburg, Iowa
>>
>> On 06/08/2021 5:40 AM Stephen Offiler <soffiler at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>
>> Couple general comments loosely related to Dean's mower and not sure how
>> to tie in to antique tractors.
>>
>> One, Honda engines.  I needed a small push-mower for some tight spots on
>> my 3-ish acres that I mow with a 48" zero-turn.  My one criteria was Honda
>> engine.  Got one at the big-box store.  And yes that thing has absolutely
>> never, and I am not exaggerating, never ever failed to start on the literal
>> first pull, even in the spring after sitting for 5 months (I do use Sta-bil
>> in my gas).  One of these days I hope to tear apart a Honda carb and maybe
>> figure out a couple of their secrets, but I need to find a dead one first,
>> which doesn't seem likely.
>>
>> Two, self-propelled.  I paid little attention to that feature when I got
>> said Honda powered mower.  It played up the "Front-Wheel-Drive".  Sounds
>> like a car commercial from the 1970's when that was a new thing.  Turns out
>> there's little weight on the front wheels and none at all when you tip it
>> back to steer it.  Stupid design, and my own damn fault for not giving it
>> more consideration before purchase.
>>
>> OK, tractors... some may recall I picked up a Cub last summer with a
>> sickle mower.  It got parked as I was very busy with home renovations at
>> that time, with deadlines to meet.  Then it got buried at the back of the
>> barn as winter approached.  Now I've got a couple areas I don't mow
>> routinely,  adding up to about 1-1.5 acres, with 3' tall grasses...
>> starting to eye that Cub again...
>>
>> SO
>>
>>
>> On Tue, Jun 8, 2021 at 3:18 AM Dean VP < deanvp at att.net> wrote:
>>
>> The Lawn Mower lives. Runs pretty good too. Idle setting is a bit
>> mysterious. Hard starting when cold. I’m not sure the choke butterfly is
>> working properly. It’s nice and free but I can put it on full choke and
>> nothing happens when it is running. Must be something not connected right.
>> I did hook up the rod when installing the carb. Did find out why it was a
>> little wimpy power wise.  The little flipper that drives the throttle
>> butterfly needed a little adjustment. Now get full RPM’s at full
>> throttle.   Need to try  to figure out if the choke is working properly
>> then I think it is ready to go.  I had forgotten how useless the geared
>> drive is. In low I can hardly keep up with it walking a fast pace. 2nd
>> And 3rd are not useable by this old man. .Anyway, cleaning up the carb
>> and installing the new kit gets me a running mower for my Grandson.  Need
>> to make sure it isn’t a terribly hard starter. Not sure why it had to be so
>> obstinate for a while
>>
>>
>>
>> Dean VP
>>
>> Snohomish, WA 98290
>>
>> "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and gospel
>> of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery."
>>
>> ..Winston Churchill...
>>
>>
>>
>> *From:* AT <at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com> *On Behalf Of *Cecil
>> Bearden
>> *Sent:* Monday, June 7, 2021 5:39 AM
>> *To:* at at lists.antique-tractor.com
>> *Subject:* Re: [AT] Lawn mower carburetors are a piece of cake..... Wrong
>>
>>
>>
>> I bought one of those little Stihl top handle saws nearly 10 years ago.
>> I love the balance of it.  I put the longest bar I could get on it from
>> Bailey's so I could cut brush in fencerows without bending down so much.
>> Within 3 hours of using it, the stop switch quit working.  I have to choke
>> it to kill it.  Still the same way 10 years later....
>> Cecil
>>
>> On 6/7/2021 1:29 AM, Dean VP wrote:
>>
>> Gene,
>>
>>
>> I’m jealous. I’m still fighting gas engines.  Your Stepson lives only 5
>> or so miles from us.  He is just North West Of Monroe, WA actually closer
>> to Monroe than Snohomish with a Snohomish address.  Looks like he is up on
>> the ridge North and above Evergreen State Fair Grounds which is the county
>> fairgrounds.  I suspect he gets to hear the Saturday night racing at the
>> fairgrounds really well. We are 7.5 miles out of Monroe and when the
>> weather is right we too hear the racing. The area where he lives is just
>> exploding with new homes since Monroe is within commuting distance of
>> Seattle and the High Tech East side. IF… one is willing to put up with the
>> traffic.  Monroe is right on the junction of 522 and Hwy 2y which heads
>> over the Cascade Mountain Range to the Wenatchee area.  522 heads toward
>> Seattle and also intersects with I405 which heads S into Bellevue.  522 is
>> now mostly a 4 lane road but where it is still only 2 lane it is a traffic
>> mess for commuters.  WA State DOT does not have a clue about how to build
>> roads that not only meet current needs but maybe a few years to the future.
>>   I’ve lived in this state since 1976 an d I have yet to see a road built
>> or refurbished that wasn’t overloaded the day it was opened. Ok,  I’ll
>> admit we have seen a huge influx of residents but newcomers are the ones
>> usually getting the higher paid wages so the tax base should be going up
>> dramatically.   But WA state is fixing the traffic problems by building a
>> multi-billion dollar North/South light rail system that nobody rides.    It
>> is pretty obvious they are going to let traffic get so bad that people will
>> finally give up and ride the light rail.   But those that come in from the
>> East such as those in the Monroe area are SOL.    With house prices and
>> cost of living going so crazy high here it won’t be long and we will have a
>> net loss in population.  The City Governments have so alienated the
>> population many want to leave and from what I am picking up on the street
>> is that many Western WA and Western OR residents are looking East at states
>> like Idaho and Montana. Several Eastern Oregon counties are trying to
>> attach themselves to Idaho and if successful Eastern Washington  counties
>> will do the same. Coastal cities in CA are losing population to states like
>> Texas, AZ and NV.
>>
>>
>>
>> We winter in AZ and it reminds me so much of when we lived in SO CA in
>> the 60’s and 70’s. They know how to build roads for future needs. Even at
>> commute hours one can get to work driving 30 miles in less than 30 minutes.
>> Yes ,there are exceptions but they are few and far between.   But….  There
>> is a huge problem staring California, NV and AZ right in the face.  The
>> lack of water. They are already restricting water usage and it isn’t even
>> summer yet. That is going to put a real limit on how many people can move
>> to AZ and NV.  That leaves Texas as the place to escape to. . IMHO, the
>> movement of people to the Coastal cities on the West Coast is coming to an
>> end. As a result of idiotic city governments, the defund police movements
>> and Covid 19, people want out.  They want to move out to where we live in
>> the country or further East out of the state. . I get phone calls at least
>> once a week from Relators begging us to put our house on the market. Have
>> active cash buyers they say.   I think it is a bit of BS but we have lived
>> here for 22 years and it has never been like this before. It is at best
>> called CRAZY. We are staying here until we can’t take care of the place any
>> longer. We figure we have about 5 years left. I will be dead inside of a
>> year if I have move back in the city.
>>
>>
>>
>> I almost bought a Battery powered chain saw a couple years ago but I
>> bought a Smaller/Lighter Stihl which is 2 cycle and I really like it. It
>> has started easily and I’ve worked its butt off.   More than I even
>> envisioned when I bought it.  I had a bigger Stihl which I had owned since
>> 1976 but is finally gave up  a couple years ago.  Coil went bad and they
>> are made out of unobtanium. Darn thing only gave me 40 plus years of
>> service.  They don’t make things like they used to.
>>
>>
>>
>> Dean VP
>>
>> Snohomish, WA 98290
>>
>> "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and gospel
>> of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery."
>>
>> ..Winston Churchill...
>>
>>
>>
>> *From:* AT <at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>> <at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com> *On Behalf Of *Kenneth Gene Waugh
>> *Sent:* Saturday, June 5, 2021 6:13 PM
>> *To:* Antique Tractor Email Discussion Group
>> <at at lists.antique-tractor.com> <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
>> *Subject:* Re: [AT] Lawn mower carburetors are a piece of cake..... Wrong
>>
>>
>>
>> Dean, THANK YOU!! I have never gotten as involved as most on this list,
>> and my experience with carburetors is pretty dismal. Not total failure, but
>> dismal! And my 2 cycle experience is really, really dismal! Over the past
>> couple years I have gotten rid of ALL 2 cycle equipment! :-)!! I have
>> replaced trimmer, blower and a couple other functions with EGO battery
>> powered equipment. Been very pleased.
>>
>> Dean, I have a stepson who lives with his wife on 126th St SE there in
>> Snohomish---nice area!
>>
>>
>>
>> Gene Waugh
>>
>> Elgin, IL
>>
>>
>>
>> On Sat, Jun 5, 2021 at 7:38 PM Dean VP <deanvp at att.net> wrote:
>>
>> You ATIS members need a good laugh once in a while.  This should help
>> provide that at my expense. ,
>>
>> One of my Grandsons just purchased his first house which has a small
>> grass lawn with it.  Small enough lawn a self-propelled 20 - 22" push mower
>> would be just fine.  Since he is moving out of an apartment he would need
>> to buy a mower.   I volunteered to give him one of mine that I have out in
>> the barn that haven't been run for a while. Don't even remember now when or
>> where I got this one, it was probably cheap at some garage sale or auction
>> and is a Toro Model 20216.  Probably 20" to 22" (haven't measured) deck
>> with a 4HP Briggs motor and it can be self-propelled with 3 forward gears
>> .Everything worked fine on it when I used it last probably several years
>> ago (ran when parked)  and my only two complaints about it were the 4HP
>> made it underpowered and the aluminum deck was pretty brittle  and has been
>> welded once. I have been blessed with a wealth of rocks on  my yard.   I
>> noticed the deck now has a couple more cracks but the mower is useable as
>> is all I have to do is get it running.
>>
>> I cleaned everything up, cleaned the spark plug, changed oil and put in
>> new gas.  I don't have a manual for the mower and the only way I could
>> figure out how to get the old oil out was to either pump it out or lay it
>> on its side and drain it out the fill tube. . Very dumb and very owner
>> unfriendly. . Anyway tried to start it.    Not even a pop. Choke full on.
>>  Tried ether. Yep, I could get it to run for a second or two but obviously
>> not getting gas to the cylinder. Check gas line, check bowl, yep getting
>> gas to the carburetor.  Sum Ting Wong with the carburetor.
>>
>> Now mistakenly I think I know what I'm doing relative to carburetors with
>> several successful Antique Tractor and Garden Tractor carburetor rebuilds
>> under my belt but it has been a long time since I have worked on a Lawn
>> Mower Carburetor.   But needing to be humbled a bit I guess I have
>> forgotten a key detail about Briggs carburetor's. I pulled the carb,
>> removed the bowl and found a sandy white substance (dirt?) in the bowl and
>> also in the needle and seat well.  Not typical of what I have seen in carbs
>> in the past. But continue to disassemble removing the float and needle.
>> Don't see a removable seat and disassemble the rest of the carb.  Run small
>> wires through any opening I can find and make sure they are clean and blow
>> air through any passage I can find.  One thing that happened worried me. I
>> had the air hose nozzle on the gas intake pipe and a little pop occurred
>> and something hit me in the face. My observation was that it had come out
>> of the bottom where the needle seats..   Hmmmm .............must have been
>> plugged right there. 😊  Couldn't find what came out. I bet the
>> carburetor will work now.  Operator now in full idiot mode!😊
>>
>> Moving on, soaked the carburetor in Pine Sol overnight and this morning
>> cleaned it with fresh water.  Carburetor looks like new.  Man.... I am
>> really good.     Hmm, the bowl gasket has expanded in diameter in the pine
>> sol. That is not good. But start reassembling the carburetor and put the
>> float and needle in place  and it is obvious the needle is dropping too far
>> down and not seating properly.   Aha, that is what must have blown out and
>> hit me in the face. Hummmmm  how do you blow out a brass seat?  Now I'm
>> confused.  Get on the internet and watch a video of an overhaul of this
>> type of lawn mower carburetor.  Gets to the part about removing the needle
>> and seat. " An easy way to get the little rubber needle seat out is to blow
>> air into the gas inlet of the carburetor"    Been there, done that.   Yep,
>> I can completely verify that works very well but I didn't know it when I
>> did it. @#$%^&*()   Now I sure as hell know what hit me in  the face. I
>> can't find that little sucker.  So... $9 gets me a carburetor overhaul kit
>> over night from Amazon.   Needed a new bowl gasket too.  Isn't it amazing
>> how the problem and solution can hit you right in the face???
>>
>> In searching for the right carburetor kit  I noticed I could buy a whole
>> new carburetor for $10.49. But I have been down that road before and I was
>> not pleased with what I received. So I'm staying with the OEM Carburetor.
>> One day delivery on the parts.
>>
>> BTW, I'm not very sure this mower is even worth the $9 carburetor repair
>> kit. But....  I am going to  beat this sucker into submission.  This is the
>> way us old folks turn one hour jobs into a full day's entertainment.
>>
>>
>> Dean V
>> Snohomish, WA 98290
>> "Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and gospel
>> of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery."
>> ..Winston Churchill...
>>
>>
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>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>>
>> Gene
>>
>> Kenneth Gene Waugh
>>
>> Elgin, Illinois
>>
>>
>>
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>
>
> --
> --
>
> Francis Robinson
> aka "farmer"
> Central Indiana USA
> robinson46176 at gmail.com
>
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