Websites for small engine technicians.

Almost always the fuel. Pump gasoline contains ethanol, which attracts water and turns to varnish in a few months, and that gums up the tiny jets in a small carburettor. Left long enough it eats the diaphragms too. Draining the tank and running it dry or adding stabiliser at the end of every season prevents most of the repairs we see.

We tell you the repair cost before doing it, and we will say when it is more than the machine is worth. As a rule, quality equipment with a good engine is worth repairing for years, and a big-box mower with a seized deck spindle usually is not. Age matters less than whether parts are still available for it.

Roughly every twenty to twenty-five hours of cutting, which is once or twice a season for most lawns. A dull blade tears grass rather than cutting it, which leaves the tips brown a day later and makes the lawn look sick. We balance every blade after sharpening, because an unbalanced blade vibrates the engine's crankshaft bearing to death.

September or October. Everyone brings theirs in the week of the first big storm, and that is when the shop is three weeks deep and parts are backordered. Off-season service is faster, and often cheaper.

Yes, for riding mowers, larger snowblowers and generators, within our service area for a flat fee. Handhelds are cheaper to drop off. Either way you get a call with the diagnosis and price before we start.