GardenKit

Is he by any chance using a ride on with a downward pointing exhaust?

I would simply keep to a 'main brand' mower and one that your local dealers sell, as spares and service will be much easier. To be honest you may find any single speed model a bit slow, but v/s models are of course a bit more expensive.

But it's surprising how many people think the idle speed is high just because the chain is spinning (due to clutch springs) Most cases are simply the springs.

More importantly, check the deck for rust. The Izy rusts faster than any other mower.

It's very, very common. Usually happens because the whole mechanism gets completely jammed up with sawdust and oil cement.

Glad you are sorted!

Correct. Side cover off, cylinder drive belt guard off, then belt and pulley, to get access to roller pulley. Remove pulley by undoing 19mm nut in centre (hold pulley with punch or similar through one of the holes) Note which way round the pulley was for reinstatement. Now you can tighten, or remove the bearing housing. The pinion shaft can be removed once the housing is off. Spoon, or pump, 1/2 cup of grease into the ring gear before reinstalling the pinion.

Your problem is almost certainly a worn pinion. You will find the teeth well worn which prevents a good mesh with the ring gear, this is very common. The early models used the triangular bearing plate for the pinion, but it was liable to go out of line due to side plate distortion (the panel it is screwed to) so a modified bearing plate was introduced which spreads the load lower down the side plate keeping everything in line, minimising wear on the pinion. It may be worth upgrading the support, but its worth checking first that the existing one is tight. They do come loose and that also puts the pinion out of line. I hate the mowers, so poorly built. early mount pinion later mount

All of my past 'fails' seem a bit tame now!

Word of caution. The saw has a brushed electric motor which can be prone to arcing (sparks!) Petrol vapour can ignite with a spark!!!!

Haha, I thought not, lightweight:001_tongue: I have however seen very many as I used to repair punctures and fit tyres to Ag tractors and combines. Now thats real man's work. Must admit I could not do it now though, its a young mans job.

Good question, and one which I was keen to find the answer to. I had thought that the current would 'track' through the salt water and rapidly discharge the batteries (there were 3 Optima red tops) so I sealed the terminals in PU sealer. The batteries were in the bottom of the cab, which was not sealed so it filled with water. The leads led to an isolator in the cab roof, and once again this was sealed with PU sealer, as was the starter solenoid. The earth leads were sealed and there was no bare metal anywhere. This worked, as even after 6 hours immersion the batteries were still fine, and carried on to give about 3 years of service, when they were changed as a precaution.

Sorry to be argumentative Steve, but there are inner tubes, and there are inner tubes. A tractor inner tube is made of some seriously thick rubber and would be perfect for the job, but a push bike tube would of course be rubbish. I don't have a tractor tube anymore, but do have a couple of farmyard hand squeegee blades around which I am slowly chopping up for the purpose. Bit like mudflap rubber but just a bit softer.

Thanks Steve, servicing mowers and selling Aspen is a bit mundane after those days. Nostalgia is best forgotten.

The boat with me at the helm circa 2002. They were good days.

Yes Steve, it was a one off for the local inshore lifeboat, to launch a 21ft rib straight off the steep pebble beach. I made it capable of being totally submerged and left until the tide dropped in the event of a breakdown. I tested it immediately after the drive round test in the photos by driving it completely under then shutting down the exhaust with a valve. The inlet shut off automatically with a double ball float valve. Then came a nerve racking 6 hour wait for the tide to drop to see if we could restart it, which we did according to plan. Only then did they hand over the cheque for £35K. I then joined the 'crew' to train tractor drivers in the fine art of driving into Force 6 seas and 10ft waves, then moved on to coxing the boat and being recovered by those I had trained. The tractor survived nearly 8years before rust took its tole and it was replaced with a similar unit, although by that time I was out of Ag engineering and into smaller stuff.

Spot on Steve. I would add to keep clear of solvents, especially if the US cleaner is heated!

A few old pics from when I 'tested' the Lifeboat launch tractor I designed back in 1997.

I might send all my filthy, oily, gummy , dusty saws your way Steve:sneaky2: I hate the bloody things. Oily sawdust all over me, all over the workshop and all over the nice shiny clean mowers I have serviced, and they take so long to do. Glad its going well for you mate. I seem to remember you telling me you wanted a 3 day week? Its been 7 days a week here for the last month or 6 weeks, mostly mowers and ride ons, but also more 2T than ever before.

Here you go !

42" deck 14,5 hp (its actually an L105, not an L107 as I said earlier) Will post up some pics in the morning.

How about a JD L107 circa 2004, mechanically sound and in good order, except for the cutting deck which is a bit thin from rust. A competent mechanic with a mig could patch it up, and keep patching it. Complete with a side pipe collector. All for only £400?

The problem with buying used equipment is that you often end up with what you can get, rather than what you need, if that makes sense. If you are mechanically minded, with the skills and tools to maintain your own kit, then you may be able to get a used machine fairly cheaply and make it work for you. But if you rely on others to maintain and repair your kit then be aware of the costs. A standard ride on service will be in the region of £200 but if repairs and spares are needed (belts, bearings, blades, pulleys etc) its not unusual to run up another £200-£300 bill on top of the service just to get the mower that seemed like a bargain into good, useable order. A classic example a few years ago was when one of my gardener customers wanted a ride on but could not afford a new one from my shop at around £2500. So he bought a Countax on ebay for around £1200, and hired a van to collect it from Northampton (from Devon). When he tried to use it he discovered several problems and brought it into me to get it right and give it a good service. He ended up with a bill for around £600 and the news that despite me 'patching' the deck, he would likely need a new one within a couple of years. So now a total of £1800 plus van hire, with another £800 due in a couple of years if he kept it. Then, about a year later, the Hydrostatic transmission packed up. Another £600. Just be careful buying used, especially if you are not that good with mechanics.

To clarify. The likes of Lawnflite Pro and the Asuka, Sarp, Cobra and Danarm equivalents are not made under licence from Kaaz. They are made in Japan by Kaaz themselves and the only differences are the stickers they put on them when they sell them to other companies. In the UK they are imported and sold under the Danarm brand, and many of the other brands are supplied their mowers through Danarm. The Kaaz gearbox is in fact probably the best gearbox fitted to any mower. It is extremely well built with precision quality from all metal components. Few people realise that Kaaz are gearbox and diff specialists, building high quality racing gearboxes and 'drifting' diffs. The gearbox can however suffer from two problems, both of which can be avoided. 1. The roller model has the gearbox low down between the roller halves. If used in wet, muddy conditions the shaft seals can fail, leading to bearing failure. Surely its best not to use a mower like this in those conditions? 2. The clutch is a 'dog clutch' and can wear a little on the corners if used roughly. Clutch life can be vastly enhanced if the operator just pushes the mower forward a little as he engages the clutch, so that it has to carry a little less torque. If I am honest, this tip will prolong the life of any lawnmower gearbox. The later model Kaaz mowers all incorporate a Torque limiter in the drive shaft which, if set correctly will take the load off the dog clutch, as well as uprated seals on the output shafts.

Good choice on the Kaaz Rich. Its the best built mower on the market IMO. Just remember to give it a little shove forward as you engage the drive to the roller and you will never have any dog clutch wear. Also best kept off wet and muddy lawns, the mud will pack in the bearings and seals and do no good. With regards to deck rust, I certainly do not agree with painting the underside unless you have got rid of all the rust, and the only real way to do that is to sandblast. Otherwise the rust just continues to grow underneath the paint and can make matters worse. A regular clean and a coat of waxoyl is favourite. I now use Wurth cavity wax in an aerosol, it seems to work well and is so easy to apply.