At Home In The Woods

[Obed]

The carborator on our lawnmower started leaking gas. My wife went online and learned about lawnmower carborators. She then took the carborator apart and cleaned it. The gaskets were bad so she ordered new gaskets. This weekend she put on the new gaskets and replaced the solenoid. The lawnmower now runs like a champ.

Since we put the mower in the garage a few weeks ago, the garage has been smelling strongly of gasoline. I was a bit concerned. The smell has subsided since the carborator has been fixed. A new carborator would have cost $200. The parts for the carborator job cost $30 plus another $30 for the solenoid. And now I have a small engine repair person living onsite!

As you may have noticed in some of our pictures, our grass obviously needs mowing.

 

[Diamondpilot]

That is a heck of a woman you have there.

I work on small engines part time and the biggest culprit I see is carbs gummed up from the crap ethanol fuel. If I were you I would get a fuel shut off valve, a few feet of new hose that is Ethanol Fuel Approved, and a new inline filter.

Put the shut off as close to the tank as possible then put he filter as close to the carb as possible. When you take off the old fuel hose that may look like new cut it open like a taco shell. 9 times out of 10 when I see carb issues and do this the hose is breaking down internally. It will either be letting little pepper sized pieces of rubber making its way into the carb causing issues or it will allow a gummy mix to travel into the carb.

When not using the mower turn the fuel off.

Also, if you smelled gas you have now diluted your oil. Check your oil level. I bet its high. Change it asap and put a new filter on it. Most take 2 qts of 10W30 and if you tell me what motor you have I can give you the filter cross over number for Fram so you will not have to spend $12 for a factory one.

Chris

 

[patrick_g]

I'm debating whether using a front-tine or rear-tine tiller would have been easier. I almost think a front-tine tiller would have faired better when trying to get the tiller to climb up the big clods of soil. We plan to purchase a rototiller. However, after tilling the plowed-up garden, I'm now not sure whether I want to buy a rear-tine or front-tine tiller.

When we bought our tractor my wife insisted on a rototiller implement for 3PH mounting. Rough single pass plowing and two trips (at right angles) with the tiller and you have fluff. Makes making a garden fun or close to it as the soil prep is virtually all easy seat time. Any fist sized rocks just don't matter and can be collected easily from the fluffy powdery soil.

Walk behinds are cheaper and you have the front or rear type considerations but the 3PH is a super nice way to go.

Pat

 

[scoutcub]

Obed -

I tried to estimate the size of your primary garden, but hard to do with the pics. If it's a fair size, I would also consider a 3-pt tiller. One less engine to maintain, and MUCH easier to till up a garden, or any future open areas/foodplots, etc. you might have in mind. Unless of course you have small tight areas around the house to be tilled....

Curious about the wood chips.....are you going to use them for trail maintenance or??

That very cute daughter is sure enjoying them!!!:thumbsup::laughing:


Frank

 

[patrick_g]

And now I have a small engine repair person living onsite!
.

Tenuously related humor... Local tribe had contest to name a new pediatric care center. Best I heard was "Small injun repair."

Pat

 

[PAGUY]

Obed - You are one lucky guy to have such a handywoman around the house.

Now what I want to know is can you cook, wash and iron the clothes and clean the house as good as she can?

 

[MotorSeven]

Next time your at wallyworld, pick this up:
Walmart.com: STA-BIL Marine Formula Fuel Stabilizer, 32 oz: Automotive

Use it in all your fuel for small engines. It kills ethanol, the North American scourge(hate the stuff). That is what gums up carbs costing us millions in repair(or your wife a half a day). Regular Stabil does not counter ethanol...only Marine. Kudos to your wife for learning how to clean/repair a carb!

 

[Obed]

Also, if you smelled gas you have now diluted your oil. Check your oil level. I bet its high. Change it asap and put a new filter on it. Most take 2 qts of 10W30 and if you tell me what motor you have I can give you the filter cross over number for Fram so you will not have to spend $12 for a factory one.

Chris

Chris,
Thanks for the help. I'll check the oil level.

We now only put ethanol free gas in our small engines. There's a station nearby that sells it in a special pump.

Obed

 

[Obed]

Obed - You are one lucky guy to have such a handywoman around the house.

Yes I am. I once heard someone make the statement, "Who wants a woman who changes the oil? Yuk". Well, I never wanted a woman who lives in a mall. I'm happy to have a woman who can change the oil. I was never attracted to helpless women. I don't see any virtue in that trait. However, I'm glad that other guys like the other types of women though and don't fault them for that.

Now what I want to know is can you cook, wash and iron the clothes and clean the house as good as she can?

Nope, I don't do any of those things. I do help clean up the kitchen after we eat but that's about all when it comes to the inside duties. I also frequently cook a simple breakfast for the family. I'm the primary bread-winner. My wife works part-time. I do most of the heavy-lifting stuff like digging in the dirt and cutting firewood.

Obed

 

[Obed]

When we bought our tractor my wife insisted on a rototiller implement for 3PH mounting. Rough single pass plowing and two trips (at right angles) with the tiller and you have fluff. Makes making a garden fun or close to it as the soil prep is virtually all easy seat time. Any fist sized rocks just don't matter and can be collected easily from the fluffy powdery soil.

Walk behinds are cheaper and you have the front or rear type considerations but the 3PH is a super nice way to go.

Pat

Pat,
The garden is about 30' x 40'. We have toyed with the idea of getting a 3PH tiller. However, it's been hard to justify the cost for something I will only use once a year. Plowing the garden and rotortilling it cost me 3 evenings at about 4 hours per evening. While I would love a 3PH tiller, its hard to spend $1100 for a used tiller that will save me 10 hours a year. It is still tempting though.

Obed