Lawn mowers

[LizStreithorst]

I went in to bitch at the lawn mower fix it people.  Thank God I was polite and didn't go in ranting and raving.  The guy looked up the work order and said that it wasn't fixed because it wasn't worth fixing.  He said that the engine got little compression.  I never ran it out of oil but that's what he said.  He said that it would cost $2,500 to fix which I know is a crock but that's what he said.

This is my second Dr. Trimmer.  The first one was a work horse.  God knows how many years I had it and worked it hard.  This second one hasn't been that great. 

After reading around some I discovered that may people had the same opinion...The old ones were great, the newer ones were over priced and not great.  So I went looking around for reviews of walk behind string trimmers.  They say that the Fields Edge M222 is the best one.  I can get it pretty cheap with free 3 day shipping from Amazon.  https://www.amazon.com/M220-String-Mower-173cc-Engine/dp/B00URO061M?tag=backyardboss-20The DR like the one I had twice cost $600. plus shipping!

Has anyone ever heard of Viper engines?  I never have.  I'm open to other suggestions on good string trimmers if anyone has one.

[Mugwump]

I went in to bitch at the lawn mower fix it people.  Thank God I was polite and didn't go in ranting and raving.  The guy looked up the work order and said that it wasn't fixed because it wasn't worth fixing.  He said that the engine got little compression.  I never ran it out of oil but that's what he said.  He said that it would cost $2,500 to fix which I know is a crock but that's what he said.

This is my second Dr. Trimmer.  The first one was a work horse.  God knows how many years I had it and worked it hard.  This second one hasn't been that great. 

After reading around some I discovered that may people had the same opinion...The old ones were great, the newer ones were over priced and not great.  So I went looking around for reviews of walk behind string trimmers.  They say that the Fields Edge M222 is the best one.  I can get it pretty cheap with free 3 day shipping from Amazon.  https://www.amazon.com/M220-String-Mower-173cc-Engine/dp/B00URO061M?tag=backyardboss-20The DR like the one I had twice cost $600. plus shipping!

Has anyone ever heard of Viper engines?  I never have.  I'm open to other suggestions on good string trimmers if anyone has one.

https://www.amazon.com/M220-String-Mower-173cc-Engine/dp/B00URO061M

https://www.amazon.com/Earthquake-600050V-Walk-Behind-Rolling-Trimmer/product-reviews/B004473WJG

[LizStreithorst]

Engine is made in China.  On well...sometimes Chinese made stuff is wonderful and sometimes it's nothing but a problem from the get go.  It's the luck of the draw.  I won't buy another DR.  I was this one wasn't the machine that my first one was.

An interesting aside...I noticed that my water pressure had dropped.  I saw it first from the pressure gauge on my RO unit.  I changed the filters.  No change.  I looked everywhere to see if  water was running or a pipe was broken and everything was fine.  So I drove up the road across from where my good neighbor's worthless grandson lives where the water meter is.  I was checking the meter to see if it was spinning which it was not, when the grandson came over.  I had the DR in the back of Charlotte and I told him the story.   He pulled on the cord and said, "hell yes there's compression".  I thought that the cord would pull without resistance if there was little compression but I know that I know nothing.  The guy is an auto mechanic and can test the compression.  I have the mower to him because I decided to take a gamble and buy the one with the motor made in China.  Perhaps the low life will return the favor one day but I won't hold my breath.

End of rant.

[Rjb3]

How could it cost $2500 to fix? On Dr.'s web site I saw a new electric start model for $1099 list, on sale for $899 w/free shipping. And, like you said, the M220 on Amazon is $417.09 w/free shipping.

[LizStreithorst]

I knew that he was handing me a line of bull of the $2500.  I'll be interested in finding out if he was lying to me about the compression, too.

[BallAquatics]

I'll be interested in finding out if he was lying to me about the compression, too.

It's the compression that makes the starter rope hard to pull.  If it had little compression it would pull easy and continue to spin longer than normal.  Sounds like a rip-off joint to me.  First they bill for work never done and then lie about the condition of your equipment as an excuse.  Neither you or I run our business' like that.

Dennis

[Mugwump]

I'll be interested in finding out if he was lying to me about the compression, too.

It's the compression that makes the starter rope hard to pull.  If it had little compression it would pull easy and continue to spin longer than normal.  Sounds like a rip-off joint to me.  First they bill for work never done and then lie about the condition of your equipment as an excuse.  Neither you or I run our business' like that.

Dennis

....or they're just plain lazy, and incompetent...

[wallace]

Or both maybe... I took my chain saw to the small engine guy around here last year. After it sat there for months I went by the place to pick it up. He said it runs fine. I thought, gee were you ever going to call? Got it home and can't start it the next time I need it. I think if he can start one of these #@^#$(& engines using his tricks of the trade then he thinks its good to go.

So I start to take it apart and it has a hole in the fuel line. Got a $3 part and fixed it myself.

[LizStreithorst]

 

I'd have tried to fix my DR but I couldn't find where the fuel filter and gas line were.  I could have tried harder but I figured it would be easier to take it to the shop than try to mess with something I know almost nothing about.

I'll find out the truth when I see the low life down the road.  If he said the compression is good, I'll have him load it in Charlotte.  I'll take it back to Ellisville Auto, crank it for them, and demand my piddly $25. back.

Sometimes this happens to women.  It doesn't happen to me often but it has happened to me before.  My ace in the hole is that I have a vindictive streak that surfaces when I'm done wrong.  I'll trash their name all over town.  I have a reputation of doing a good job and being a square dealer. 

I hope the DR's new owner finds out that compression was indeed too low to make it worth fixing.  Being out for revenge takes a lot out of me.  I'd rather not have to put myself through it.

[LizStreithorst]

Got my new mower today.  It is fine as wine.  Cranked on the first pull and mowed grass and wire weed high and tough enough to make a blade mower die.  I got the front and side yard mowed but the heat index is 110 so I quit after that.  Mr Sharp watched me take it out of the box and put it together.  He wanted to try it out.  He loves it too.  He's gonna buy one for himself.

The compression was fine on the old mower.  It new owner got it running and all cleaned up and shiny.  There is still something wrong with it.  It runs like a charm for a while and then conks out.  That's what pissed me off about it last year.  It will not re-start until it cools down completely which is a huge pain when you're planning on the big mow.  I'm sure he will get it all fixed up and then sell it.  The guy is pretty worthless.  He doesn't want to work.  He used to work.  He had a good paying job.   But he turned worthless.  His wife, a very nice lady, left him.  She got tired of supporting both of them.  He actually took a sledge hammer to his water meter and by-passed it so he could get free water.  Imagine that?  Our water here is cheap as dirt!  His grand father, a wonderful man, told me all about the cops showing up with the water company and him being shown what his rotten grandson had done.  The guy has hooked up to his grand father's back up wind mill powered water well for water.  The grand father said that the low life goes over to his house and complains about not having money to pay his bills.  We both know that he steals, too.  Heck, he lives in a house he got for free.  His land was given to him as well.  He's young and strong.  I'm old and I do for myself.  I hate it that my closet neighbor is pure trash.

[wallace]

A low-life can be clever in his thievery. We had a rental house one time and the worthless guy next door dug a shallow little trench across the side yard and ran an electrical cable up the wall and hooked into one of the panel circuits. He was getting free electricity. I couldn't believe it. Then I look around and find that he has also spliced into the TV cable for some free entertainment as well!

I called the sheriff and he thought it was pretty funny too. He said the guy is back in jail already anyway. He was just between jail terms.

[LizStreithorst]

This guys grand father and I both want the low life to go to jail.  It's up to the water department whether they will press charges.  They need to.  That kind of thing is unacceptable

The grand father, my wonderful neighbor, Jack, told me about how he laid out some lumber and other stuff to use later (no tools, thank God) and it disappeared.  I told him about my extension ladder disappearing.  He remembered where it was.  He said  that I had a step ladder in that place, too.  I had forgotten about the step ladder so I bought another.  I haven't replaced the extension ladder.  I can get up on the fish room roof to sweep it off with an 8' step ladder.

I have never locked a door in my life.  I don't want to have to lock a door.  It should never be necessary.  I'm considering starting to do it.  I do not want to.  Just the fact that I lock doors will make me feel less safe.

[wallace]

One more house picture if I might. This is my front door, it probably hasn't been locked in 150 years. I love this old door and I won't change it.

[LizStreithorst]

That is a work or art.  You need to find some old glass to put where there was once glass.

[wallace]

You can tell from the opposite side that it never had glass, they were always wood panels. The door is about 7-1/2 feet tall, an unusual height. I have plenty of wavy bubbly glass in the windows.