More Helpful Tips & Things You Should Know

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Today's market for outdoor power equipment is changing like I've never seen before. While some of the ideas are actually good, MOST are really not UNLESS you know the specifics about them. This evening, I'd like to cover two things I am seeing a lot of....

 

1. Camshaft problems- the camshaft on your mower engine is much like what you have on your automobile. In a single cylinder engine (most riding mowers) that does not use pressurized oil lubrication (if your engine has no oil filter, then you need to read this)...the material that the camshafts used to be made of (solid steel) has given way to a softer, but more lightweight alloy that employs aluminum. There are two lobes on a camshaft for a single cylinder engine, one for the intake of fuel and the other for the exhaust to vent out the combustible gases. BOTH are essential for proper engine function. Please pay attention to the stickers on your newer mowers that tell you how steep an incline your mower can handle. With the softer materials being used today, the cam lobes can wear very fast from people mowing on steep inclines. With a non-pressurized (no oil filter) designed engine, tilting the mower at too steep an incline (people tend to run perpendicular to the slope) one of the lobes, depending on which way your mower is turned, can suffer from no oil. This is wearing out camshafts at a rate I've never seen before.

Solution: If you have steep inclines in your yard and you are looking at buying a new mower, please check the stickers on it about slopes. Many mowers of the same brand can be bought (at a higher price) with pressurized oil systems that can handle such things. However, your basic (oil slap) design simply throws oil around the engine and the higher points will starve for lubrication if used on too steep a slope.

 

2. The newer 4-cycle hand held machines- There are a lot of these coming into the market today. People like them because you do not have to mix oil with gas for your fuel. They have a crankcase just like any other 4-stroke engine, which means they also have a CAMSHAFT (see no. 1). These machines are creating a myriad of problems for the consumer. If you read no. 1 you'll know why....why? How many of you turn your weed eaters sideways to edge your driveways??? Most of us do. But if you are using the newer 4-stroke engine designs, these camshafts are made of PLASTIC!! They will wear off the lobes in a heartbeat if turned sideways. My suggestion on this? STAY AWAY from this design. It's worth mixing your oil with gas in the long run, as 2-strokes are lubricated and designed to operate ate up to a 90 degree angle with no problems. Not to mention that when you are using something with an engine as small as a weed eater, a 2-stroke will provide much more power, since it fires on EVERY stroke instead of every other stroke like a 4-stroke engine does. I would go as far as to say that whoever came up with this idea of making 4-stroke weed eaters was totally out of touch with the average consumer and how we tend to use such equipment. The bottom line for them is simple...they tear up quickly and you are NOT covered by a warranty, since you probably didn't read or understand the instructions on keeping the machine level.

 

I hope this helps some of you. I am always here for your repair needs, but educating my local customers and potential customers, still remains a priority. That said, always consider having your equipment tuned up before the start of the spring season. This will make them run for many years!! (my own personal equipment is over 20 years old and still running great) simply by maintaining them each year. Drain the gas from the machines at the end of each year to remove the ethanol-laden gasoline that is on the market today. But don't get paranoid folks...the E-Gasoline is just fine in your machine as long as you are using it REGULARLY. When storing for a few months, that's when you should purge the engine's carburetor and tank, as ethanol will accrue up to 2% moisture (water) in the system which will rust out carburetors and cause many other problems. It also swells the fuel lines from the inside out, and destroys the inner components of all fuel related parts if left unused for only a period of 60 days. Please visit my website for more information.

 

I gladly share this information with all my customers and will continue to do so as I see other new market items appear with inherent design flaws....and they are ever growing!! My goal is to fix what you broke on accident or just common age problems. We would all fare better knowing to avoid the "dumb" problems, don't ya think??

 

Thanks for reading this, and happy cutting to you all!!

 

Glenn

678-315-8794