Self-servicing

***WARNING - PLEASE DO NOT READ IF YOU FIND MACHINE TALK BORING!***

I would like to service all of my equipment this winter and have been planning it for a short while now. But what problems might I come across?

I did a basic van service last week - oil/air/fuel filters and engine oil change. Things seemed fine until I realised I needed a one-way pump to rebleed the fuel lines! A bit of mad dashing around, a visit to my local friendly garage (Elders of Kirkintilloch, www.eldersgarage.co.uk highly recommended) and a couple of hours of frustration later and I had the system rebled and running nicely!

But what of the machines used in landscape maintenance? These engines are much simpler than the van and shouldn't pose any problem. The engines are fine, given an oil change and clean up, but some other moving parts can create problems. Hedge trimmer blades need to be sharpened and cleaned, mower wheels/handles/blades/decks/drive systems need to be cleaned, repaired and lubricated and a lot of the season's grime has to be dealt with.

This all means that to fully service one machine to the standard I want can take a few hours. The question is whether or not it is worth it?

If it extends the life of the machine then yes, it is worth it. It also saves the business expending up to £1000 to replace a tool when it could function perfectly well with an existing tool for another year.

I like to keep a small contingency fund aside at all times to cover an emergency purchase if one machine lets me down though. Having a multi-function mower means I have cut down my range of machines, but if this one develops a problem I will be able to buy or hire something to replace it until it's fixed.

Having enough set aside for a new van, however. is a little more difficult! The van currently used by the business has been very reliable and been put through a lot of use since purchase in winter 09/10.

I hope to restart the contract year in March with an array of machines that have been well-looked after, that function properly and that won't let me down. I feel only by doing the work myself will I be confident that they have been properly serviced.

Servicing your own machines is a great way to keep costs down especially if you have the time and knowledge to do it.

giving them a good clean with a suitable cleaner to remove grime is a good idea as it is very hard to inspect parts for wear and tear if they are covered by a thick layer of stuck on grass.

sharpening blades might be trickier but if you remove and clean them you should be able to easily tell if you can do it yourself or if it would be better to take them to a professional or buy new ones if they are really out of shape. Remember that any dents in rotor shape will lead to vibrations which leads wear so it is important that if you are to fix them you do it correctly to keep them balanced.

One of the most important things to do when you are putting your machines away for any length of time is to drain out all fuel and run the machine dry. it is also a good idea at this point to check for any damages/wear to the fuel lines.

This is off course not needed if you are using Aspen fuel in your machine as that can happily sit in the machine for extended periods with no adverse affects.

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Comments

Axel@Aspenfuels November 11, 2011 at 8:39am

Servicing your own machines is a great way to keep costs down especially if you have the time and knowledge to do it.

giving them a good clean with a suitable cleaner to remove grime is a good idea as it is very hard to inspect parts for wear and tear if they are covered by a thick layer of stuck on grass.

sharpening blades might be trickier but if you remove and clean them you should be able to easily tell if you can do it yourself or if it would be better to take them to a professional or buy new ones if they are really out of shape. Remember that any dents in rotor shape will lead to vibrations which leads wear so it is important that if you are to fix them you do it correctly to keep them balanced.

One of the most important things to do when you are putting your machines away for any length of time is to drain out all fuel and run the machine dry. it is also a good idea at this point to check for any damages/wear to the fuel lines.

This is off course not needed if you are using Aspen fuel in your machine as that can happily sit in the machine for extended periods with no adverse affects.
Marc Cole November 14, 2011 at 8:25pm

Good post Dan. I serviced one of my mowers last year, it took me a good 2 to 3 hrs - the rest went to my local lawnmower service shop - cost a small fortune. This yr I will be doing all of them myself - primarily on a cost basis but I do want to expand my knowledge and skills.

I will set aside a few days each month prior to the new yr to make sure all are up to date and ready to go in March/April 2012.

Can you recommend any good service manuals/books that covers mowers, strimmers, hedge cutters etc
Geoff Fisher November 23, 2011 at 8:27pm

Hi Dan

I will be looking to service my mowers/blower/strimmer etc myself this winter. There's some good comments about how it's worth it. I also think that you get to know the machines and if they do go wrong when working you can get to the problem and sort it out quickly. Most of the books I've seen are relatively old or not as in depth as is needed for the more major tasks but will keep on looking.