GardenKit

Its only the Kaaz 4 wheeled mowers that are 2 speed. The roller models are single speed.

Update. The owner is back from his holidays and is now cutting his grass on a shiny new Siga 740 PWX. Result!

Back to reasons (and proof) why some people should use Aspen. This carburettor is from a mower, which, not surprisingly, would not run. The carb bowl was full of jellified petrol. This is a product which forms in ageing pump petrol and blocks carbs and filters. We see a lot of this. The ethanol content of pump petrol has an electric charge that attracts other polar molecules. Water is drawn into the fuel. Because water is heavier than petrol, it collects at the bottom of the tank or bowl and turns into a gel. At about 0.5 percent water, this is called phase separation, and then that phase coagulates in cold weather, forming this gel, which once formed does not dissapear. The remedy is to always ensure that petrol is kept fresh, but this is difficult for occasional users or in equipment which is seldom used. This is one area where the use of Aspen (or other alkylate fuel) will have significant benefits, as the fuel system will remain perfectly clean, even after several years in storage. I hope you find this of interest.

Dont undersell it Eddie, I have used it thousands of times and its still OK!

For anyone not sure what a Fill Partner is, its the grey one. The green is the old Huskie one. The new huskie one looks similar to the Fill Partner I believe.

Bob, as Eddie says, the box is knackered. Some say that an oil change with a thicker oil will cure the problem. It may, but not for long. If your transmission is losing power or drive when gets hot, it is likely that the cylinder blocks and center case need to be replaced. It is critical to replace all components to include 2 cylinder block assemblies with new pistons and springs, and the center case. Most transmissions are dealer serviceable with the exceptions of the Tuff Torq K55 and K46e which have both been used by Countax, and as Eddie says can only be repaired by Tuff Torque themselves (via Countax) but the cost is high and a new box is the best alternative, but still not cheap. Make sure you know which box you have before asking for tech help. Hydrostatic units on the whole are very reliable but the Countax ones seem to me to cause more trouble than any others. They are generally considered 'maintenance free' but oil changes will extend their life.

No, there was a nice little bite out of the top of the port and a neat nibble on the piston edge with a deep vertical groove and pinched ring. It was an elderly, but much loved 361, but the customer prefers not to spend heavily on repairs of older kit, but to upgrade. On this occasion he actually crossed to the dark side and bought a 372XP.

If you are bad, then I am mega bad, as I seldom use a piston stop at all. I use the very bad method of an impact gun (used with care) or impact via a punch and large hammer. (I know,...I know..) But on the rare occasions I have resorted to a stop it has been a metal one, or starter cord. Have got a Stihl one somewhere, but not sure where.

Its not the same as the Huskie ones. It is far better.

Or you could do as one of my customers did a few weeks ago and stick the end of the scrwrench through the plug hole, over the piston and into the exhaust port. Then give the clutch a good heave with a knuckle bar in an anti clockwise direction.........

The Aspen Fill Partner is a marvellous device. Mine are used many times a day, every day, in the workshop. The one on the 2 stroke can is nearly 3 years old and still works perfectly. We did somehow manage to damage the tip of the 4 stroke one after 2 years and several thousand uses, so are now on the second. There is nothing 'crap' about the design.

The Tanaka THB260 PF is a nicely put together machine. Relatively quiet too. And bang on your budget, though a little more expensive than Stihl.

The only other failure I have seen on a Vanguard was a rod through the side (small 2p sized hole behind the starter), but the engine kept running on the other cylinder, sounded sweet. The customer bought a new mower, I let the scrapman take the old one. He must have sold it on, because it came back to me a few weeks later from the new owner who wanted it serviced as "its a bit low on power" I was able to make a very quick diagnosis:biggrin:

Ha, I know where you are coming from, but its a Hydrostatic Stiga. Belt drive to the hydrostat, and the gearbox comes to a halt between F&R, so no stress on the engine.

No, no clues at all, but the evidence shows that one of the big end bolts worked loose. The other one then snapped and the loose one bent as the cap came off. The con rod flailed against the bore before being hit by the crank and shearing it off.

I got it through my local independent tyre dealer. He got it from a national supplier he buys tyres through. They use them in all their fitting bays nationwide. But I do not know who they are! Half the price of any others I found though.

Never been apart before. I am a bit gutted by this one as I truly believe the Briggs Vanguard to be the best engine of its type on the market. I always recommend it to customers as being completely bombproof. I sold this machine to a domestic customer in 2000 and have serviced it every year since, with new oil and filter every year. Then this happens, but to be fair its only the second failure of one of these that I have had in the last 20 years, and I have sold other which have never been serviced and are still going strong!

Its PVC tiles 500x500x6. For years I would clean out the workshop 2 or 3 times a year and repaint the floor, usually on a Sunday so it was dry on Monday. Got fed up with that about 5 years ago and bought these tiles. Very quick and easy to lay, hard wearing and very easy to keep clean. Only ever brushed, never washed, but occasional paint or oil spills cleaned up with a petrol soaked rag. (the shop floor does get mopped occasionally) Easier on the feet and anything dropped off the bench does not bounce or roll as far! No damage to dropped things either. As for soft on the knees? Yes, I suppose its better than concrete, but I trashed my knees many years ago so I try not to kneel, but if I do I always use a kneeling pad now. (too little, too late!)

The owner is away and the gardener was using the mower. "It just died when I went into reverse, no funny noises or anything" he said. "Cant be much wrong can there?" he asked.

sorry Dino, the ones I have are only 7mm between the outer plates, otherwise OK

What it says, FRT, innit? Seriously though, it is the same fuel, but mixed with an even higher grade of 2 stroke oil. This offers even better lubrication and protection than the previous oil, and covers a greater temperature range, making it suitable for a broader spectrum of engines than before. I have to admit to not knowing the exact rating of the oil though, maybe Eddie will be along to help soon.

Its here! The new, upgraded formula, with 'Full Range Technology'

I am intrigued. The Kubota in the pictures has some differences over the current Kaaz product. The handlebars, grass flap and front protection bar are all different to a Kaaz. I will try to speak to Danarm tomorrow to find out more. (Danarm are the UK Kaaz importer and distributor) The current range of Kaaz has Honda engines on the 21" models and Kawasaki on the 19" ones.

Fair comments, but as a full time user of spanners, I certainly have worn out, and broken, plenty of cheaper brand tools. I have broken cheap spanners when abusing them by extending with another combo spanner, but cannot remember ever breaking on of my top quality ones. It is not a pleasant experience to break a spanner, and can result in injury. It is the smaller stuff that wears out fastest and it is in this sector that top quality really does count. 8mm spanners wear faster than 10mm, 10 wears faster than 13, but 17mm hardly wears at all. Silverline, Halfords pro, Kamasa, Palmera etc have all been worn out an chucked away whilst Britool and Facom just keep performing year after year. A comment was made in an earlier post that a Silverline ratchet will be repaired FOC every time it wears out. This is fair enough I suppose, but a good quality ratchet just will not wear out if used correctly. My old Britool and Facom ratchets are testament to this. There is nothing worse than a spanner which does not fit snuggly. Even the design of the the 'teeth' on a ring spanner will effect its grip and Facom are particularly good in this aspect. A high quality spanner will be slimmer and better balanced. They just 'feel' better, but maybe thats just me. I don't know why I have ever bought the cheaper stuff, but I have (rather late in life) learnt my lesson and it will only be Facom spanners and drivers from now on, especially as I now have an account with a good supplier. But I agree with you on Snap On. Not only is it very overpriced, but it is not particularly good quality.

This has been an interesting thread. I have a mixture of tools built up over the years and they are mostly of good quality. Britool were always a safe bet for spanners and sockets, but the more recent addition have been Facom, They are outstanding quality. I have a 40 year old Britool 1/2 drive ratchet that has never needed any new ratchet parts and still works perfectly, likewise a 30 year old Facom 3/8 drive. A couple of Bahco adjustables around 35 years old which have been subjected to serious abuse in my Ag days, and are still perfect. For so called 'mole grips', only Vise-Grip are worth consideration. I did try a set of very expensive torx drivers from Snap On, which are quite frankly rubbish compared with Facom. I wore the T27 out in 6 months. I would never again buy Snap-On. As for Silverline and Halfords, I have a few odd spanners etc from these brands, but they are by no means up to pro use. Ok for occasional amateurs, but wear out quickly. Facom screwdrivers will outlast any other make I have tried. The trouble is finding a supplier for quality kit such as Facom these days, but luckily I have an account with a good supplier.