GardenKit

Thats a downer Rich. Any more news from the consultant?

There was a programme on Costa a couple of weeks ago. The average annual spend of a Costa customer is £450. Many customers admitted to spending around £2k a year.

So it was refilled, ran for a short while and stopped? There may have been water in the fuel can which is now in the carb bowl. Take the bowl off, check and clean. Or, are you sure its petrol that was put in,not diesel?

If you are confident it has a spark then its not that, or the safety circuits, so be sure about the spark first. Try disconnecting the earthing wire to the coil first to eliminate all wiring and switches. It could be a blocked jet in the carb (at the bottom of the carb tube, just above where the bowl acres on. Remove the bowl and check it out, at the same time make sure the solenoid valve is working. It could be a stuck valve. It could be that the choke is not fully applying. Good luck

Use thick gear oil or semi fluid grease. I know you tensioned the cable, and I know it goes clickety click, but does it slot in when the mower is shoved forwards, and if so, does it stay engaged until next released?

If the transmission belt is tight and turning the gearbox pulley, and the trans disconnect lever is pushed in, then the mower should move, unless... 1, the gearbox top pulley has stripped its splines and is not driving the box. 2 the hydrostatic is low on oil or is trashed 3 a puncture has just been repaired.

I would just stick it back together as it is, tension the clutch cable and run it on. Or sell it on. But not spend any money on it.

The shortfall comes from the 'retained profit'. £30 will not go far.

And I would agree with you totally, but I would not suggest that you moved with the times and lowered your standards and prices to theirs.

i second that Ady. And warranty work is always in respect of some sort of failure, which in the customers eyes is a big negative factor. So if I were to take on a problem such as the oil pump in a recent post, which ends up in the saw going to Stihl for 12 weeks, it would be me that was the baddy in the eyes of the customer. I would never recover even a fraction of my cost under warranty. The original seller would get off scot free. So for that reason I never take on on warranty on machines that I have not sold, except for customers who have bought elsewhere prior to moving into my area.

Sorry Tom, that philosophy may well work for you and some others, but it will be the demise of the dealer network as we know it. Which is fine for some of you. But others will miss the local dealer. This fairy tale puts it in perspective. In the good old days local people bought from local suppliers and were very happy to do so. The customer was loyal to the dealer and the dealer was loyal to the customer. Everyone was happy. The manufacturer gave the dealer a discount from the RRP he had set and intended the dealer to retain as much profit as possible to fund his business, support the product with spares and to adequately train his staff. But then the internet came along and a handful of greedy dealers started to tempt the local mans loyal customers away with offers of greater and greater discounts, and started to sell saws further and further away. These greedy dealers were so greedy they began to fight amongst themselves and stole business not only from the local man but also from each other. They were giving away so much discount that they were retaining very little profit, so they gave even more discount in order to steal even more business to make up the shortfall. The customers who bought from the greedy dealer were happy with the price they had paid, but still wanted the benefit of their local dealer for service and parts, but by this time his volume of sales had dropped so much that it was no longer viable to commit money to that brand so his stock levels fell. Being a clever businessman this small dealer knew better than to try to compete on price. All he had ever wanted to do was serve his loyal customers, but to do his old volume of business at reduced profit would have been stupid, and he had no wish to increase his volume and dilute his service by joining the clan of greedy dealers. After all, he wanted nothing more than to serve his local, loyal customers, a large percentage of whom had now become disloyal. The local dealer was not allowed to complain about lack of support from his local customers, but it seems that it was now common practice for the disloyal customers to slag the dealer off. So the dealer adapted his business as he had been advised by the disloyal customers, but instead of selling the original product at ridiculously low margins he started to sell other products on which he could make a reasonable profit (they do exist). This left the manufacturer with a dilemma. he had to something to support the local dealers before they all moved to more profitable lines so he introduced policies to restrict the distance selling, but these policies were heavily criticised by the disloyal customers who by now had not only turned against he local dealer but also against the manufacturer and moaned publicly about how unfairly they were being treated. Meanwhile however, the many customers who had remained loyal to the local dealer, and to the product, were the ones who really suffered. They had always known that the best deal was not the cheapest one.

There is a lot of wild speculation flying around here, and the smaller dealers who play by the rules are getting an undeserved slating. This Scottish guy is playing by the rules and its understandable that he is annoyed by the actions of those who do not. After all 'rules is rules'. (not so sure that I condone the telling of tales though) Stihl are trying to bring some sense back into the professional retailing of their equipment for the long term good of all, but unfortunately the control of the market by the handful of discount merchants set on national domination is not helping Stihl's cause. The same thing is happening with many other brands of machinery, and those manufacturers are also trying new policies. Now, I am not trying to defend Stihl, as I am not a Stihl dealer and have ceased to sell their product even as a sub dealer, doing several loyal customers out of the chance to buy locally from me. I have not stopped selling in response to Stihl's policy, but in response to the price war by the few discount merchants intent on ruining the kind of local service that many users rely on. It is just impossible for me to compete if I wish to run an efficient business. So I am out. This was the announcement in the trade press in january which puts Stihl proposed policy in a slightly clearer light than we have seen so far on this thread. STIHL GB has announced a new e-commerce solution that will enable its Approved Dealers to serve customers via a high quality online platform. From April 2014, Approved Dealers can add online sales to their STIHL and VIKING offer. Many products will be available to order online for delivery to the customer’s place of work or home, while those which STIHL deems to require a detailed or personal handover such as chain saws and metal tool brush cutters will be available to ‘click and collect’. Announcing the development, Robin Lennie, Managing Director of STIHL GB said: “The new STIHL e-commerce concept will ensure all our customers – both valued Approved Dealers and end users, can enjoy the benefits of online sales, whilst critically retaining the high service standards expected of our brands.” STIHL continues to rely exclusively on the servicing dealer, but this latest change reflects the latest legal requirements within the EU as well as growing significance of the Internet for the power tool segment. The expanded online business will supplement the dealer’s local presence enabling customers to buy STIHL and VIKING at a time and place to best suit their needs. Ensuring that the high service standards of the STIHL Group are retained, Approved Dealers can sign-up for an official STIHL Online Partner Store – a customised online store with technical and marketing support provided by STIHL, or will be able to retail products online through their own websites using an approved ‘shop-in-shop’ formula. STIHL will work closely with its Approved STIHL and VIKING Dealer network to ensure that every dealership has the tools and support needed to take advantage of the opportunities this programme presents, providing guidelines for shop-in-shop concepts and access to specialist online marketing support. The STIHL GB team says it will work closely with its Approved Dealers over forthcoming months to ensure a positive and professional experience is maintained for every customer.

I guess you have had to weld one, or both of the deck hangers back on. I reckon you may have got the RH one just slightly out of line. The V belt runs very close to the drop bolt of the RH deck lift arm and its possible to accidentally get the belt the wrong side of the bolt (even easier if its a little out of line) This will wear the belt on the inside edge and turn it on its side when its profile changes through wear. It will also generate the heat, and as it is rubbing against a stationary object it creates friction which may cause the belt to slip on the crank pulley, hence the screech when engaging. If this is the case then a new belt will be required and pay particular attention to the routing, both when slack and when engaged, before starting.

I agree totally with Ady. You can never see much wear and its difficult to believe this is the fault. That is why its better to leave well alone and just give the mower a little shove when starting forwards, to synchronise the speed. The dogs will drop in and it will drive fine. But, like Ady says, I would replace the dogs whilst it is apart now. In fact I would replace both the sliding dog and the bevel gear part as well. But thats just me.

You are not going to be very popular at the next Stihl dealer conference!

By all means use non-resistor plugs, but be ready for complaints from the neighbours when they are trying to watch Home and Away.

Always assuming that it is in fact at factory settings. Many new mowers are low, out of the box. We PDI every machine and part of that process is to ensure that the recommended engine revs are achieved. Sometimes, by accident we exceed that speed.

If lubrication and adjustment of the cable fails, and the lever is not damaged, then the dog clutch will be worn. You will need items 24 and 25. Best to also get 2 x item 6 (seals) and possibly a new lever arm item 18. These items total just under £60 plus vat. Good luck

I started selling Eliet machines about 6 months ago as I had been very dissapointed with all the other so called chipper shredders on the market at around £1000. They simply do not work. Branches have to be trimmed of all side sticks to get them through the chipper part, and the brash which goes through the top and into the shredding flails, should not be any more than 13mm dia or it will pull the machine apart in time. I have tried every one I sold and have given up in favour of a big pile, a gallon of petrol and a match. Sure, the Eliet Minor is double the price, but it works. I knew it would, but wanted to prove it to myself. Yesterday I coppiced some 2yr old willow as well as pruning forsythia etc. Some of the willow was near 50mm at the base and 4m long. The minor tackled it with ease. I fed one at a time with the larger stuff, but around 6 or 8 at a time with the 25mm dia stuff. A whole armful of forsythia was a doddle. I also cut some branches from a leylandii which is shortly to come down. These were about 50mm and curved (like they are) with plenty of greenery. They went through no problem with no further trimming. Its strength is that its a shredder, rather than a chipper so takes everything through one parallel entry chute. Stones and nails to not cause it any serious damage. You must never compare it with a Timberwolf, its not in the same league. But it is a very capable machine for a gardener.

Good point about the lever, ady. They do sometimes bend or break, then the cable does not pull it far enough to engage the dogs.

It's a shame the chipper wheel wasn't the same size.

Nothing on my bench today!!! The first day off in 10 weeks and I still can't get away from machines. I caught up on 10 weeks of gardening in my own garden today, requiring the use of one ride on Stiga one hayterette two chainsaws one brush cutter one Eliet Minor shredder one blower one broom Still, it looks a damn sight better now:biggrin:

Remove the air filter and check these two things. If the engine has a choke, then make sure the choke butterfly is fully closing. If it has a primer then make sure the primer is squirting some fuel into the carb throat. Check this first and then report back.

The Kaaz (aka old Honda, Sarp, Lawnflite Pro, Asuka, etc) all suffer from this. The gearbox contains a 'dog' clutch and the tips get worn off the dogs resulting in the clunking. The reason for the wear could be one of two reasons. 1) the clutch cable has not been adjusted often enough and therefore the dogs have not had sufficient pressure to engage fully, resulting in wear. or 2) The mower has been used incorrectly. The correct way to engage the clutch is with a very sharp and swift lifting of the bail bar, coinciding with having already given the mower a shove forwards. (rather than slowly bringing the bar up and expecting the mower to move from a standstill.) The handbooks actually state this as the correct engagement technique. Either way, the wear is already present. Usually they are fine once the 'dog' has 'clicked in' and will drive fine until stopped. Adjusting the cable may help it engage more firmly. The gearboxes are repairable, but are expensive to repair. The 'dog parts alone are in excess of £100 but often other parts such as bearings and seals are required during a repair and a new box at around £300 may be required.

it is not suitable on a mower, as it needs to be aimed at a rotating part. Very unsafe. This is ideal though, and cheap. The Sirometer - TREYSIT Sirometer - Drehzahlmesser