And at 1 time, the American small engines were number 1 but like so many other American companies, greed took over and that took care of that. Today everything on the American small engines are all throw-away parts. Easy to work on if not cheap. Problem with electrical? Replace the electronics pack. Problem with carburation, replace the carburetor etc. And as was already mentioned, American small engines are fast vanishing. When we still had a lawn here, we bought a B&S small grass cutter. The thing was hell to start. When I went to school, the instructor use to tell us, if it doesn't start on 1 or 2 pulls, don't pay the man. He didn't do his job right. This crap their making today is garbage and the parts have to be replaced not worked on. The same thing with chain saws. Echo use to make a damn fine saw. Start it up and set it down on the floor and it stayed where you put it but the rest of those cheap made things, start one of those up and put it down on the floor and your chasing it out the garage door.
It's why if I buy a weed eater and it starts giving us trouble, it gets tossed and I get another one. They last maybe 3 or 4 years for about 80 bucks it comes out to about 20 dollars a year and it isn't worth working on for that. Alan Please click on: http://www.home.earthlink.net/~alanandsuzanne/ There, you'll find files of my arrangements and performances played on the Yamaha Tyros keyboard. I often add files so check back regularly! The albums in Technics format formerly on my website are still available upon request. ----- Original Message ----- From: "William Stephan" <wstep...@everestkc.net> To: <blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Saturday, June 12, 2010 12:39 PM Subject: RE: [BlindHandyMan] Tacumseh engine carbeurator question > > > Great story Alan, thanks for posting it. Back in the day, 1970s or so, I > ran a business with a tool rental component. We had a mix of engines, > B&S, > Koehler and Wisconsin for the most part in the air-cooled department > anyway. > The B&S engines were forever being replaced, and were twice as loud as the > Koehlers were. The Wisconsins we had had a spring magneto in them, and if > memory serves, some of the mechanics cursed them mightily. The Koehlers > though, were quiet, and the guys that worked for me really enjoyed working > on them. The Koehlers also seemed to require way less repair/replacement > than the Briggs did. > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > From: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com [mailto:blindhandy...@yahoogroups.com] > On Behalf Of Alan Paganelli > Sent: Saturday, June 12, 2010 09:43 > To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com > Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Tacumseh engine carbeurator question > > > > > > I never liked B&S and the rest of the American engines. Not a baring or a > bushing in there. Just a hardened steal crankshaft rubbing against an > aluminum block. How the hell long do you think that's 'gonna last. Now you > know why those things are going away. The bright-boys figured themselves > right out of business. > > When I went through the course, it cost around 40 bucks to get a small > engine tuned up. You had 5 dollars worth of parts into it so you did about > an hours work if you wanted to do the thing right and walked away with $35 > for your trouble. You could the job out of your garage and if you couldn't > make at least 200 that weekend, you weren't trying very hard. And, for a > totally blind person it's all done by feel. As it turned out, the guy who > was teaching the course at Perdue was a guy who played bass with us when I > was on the road. When I met him at the class, we both asked each other > what > the hell are you doing here! I said I'm here for the course. Whatta you > here for? I'm here to teach it. He said he had been doing this all his > life working at his old man's shop sense he was a kid. I wondered why the > school never gave me any crap about the old blind people can't work on > small > > engines. Don wouldn't have stood still for it. > > After I took and passed the course, my brother in law decided he wanted to > take it as well and asked me to go with him to kind of pave the way for > him. > > I said sure. Why not. When we walked in the place, the class was twice the > size of the one I was in. Don said I'm glad your here. I need you to help > me teach these guys. Are you nuts Don? I just passed the course 2 weeks > ago. Oh don't worry about anything. Here's what we're gonna do. We'll > split the class in half. I'll take half and you take the other half. I'll > be doing the teaching with my half. You show your guys the same thing I'm > showing my guys. I'll still be walking around helping people who need it > so > you'll be fine and think of it this way. We learn by doing and by doing it > all over again, it'll make you better at it. So, after taking the course, > I > wound up teaching it 2 weeks later. When Don introduced me to the class he > said this guy was on the road with us. He might be totally blind but he > knows his business. He is a graduate of this course and so, he'll be the > assistant instructor. To my surprise, nobody thought anything about me > being blind and some students insisted on calling me prof. Pretty weird! > > Alan > > Please click on: http://www.home.earthlink.net/~alanandsuzanne/ > There, you'll find files of my arrangements and performances played on > the Yamaha Tyros keyboard. I often add files so check back regularly! > > The albums in Technics format formerly on my website are still > available upon request. > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Dale Leavens" <dleav...@puc.net <mailto:dleavens%40puc.net> > > To: <blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com > <mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com> >> > Sent: Friday, June 11, 2010 10:21 PM > Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Tacumseh engine carbeurator question > >> Well therein lies the problem. I don't have a dealer that I know of >> anywhere near here. >> >> It is my understanding that they have about discontinued making Tecumseh >> engines altogether although there are loads of sources of parts. >> >> I don't much like the chipper either but neither do I like the price of >> new replacements. I wouldn't care that much but I do have about 80 feet >> of > >> privet hedge which gets trimmed a couple of times a year and this year I >> cut it down to about knee height and cut out a load of old trunks so the >> hedge will renew itself. I might be able to burn the debris along with >> the > >> pruning from my rose bushes but it is nice to chip it up and make compost >> or mulch. I get about a yard of compost every year between grass >> clippings, kitchen waste and other garden waste like hedge trimmings. >> >> While the town used to take stuff like that away they no longer do. I >> suppose they would if I bundled it and moved it out a bag at a time but >> that would take weeks and loads more work than feeding it to the chipper >> and that is a lot more fun anyway. >> >> I have Honda engines on my lawn mower and my plate compactor. They do >> behave wonderfully well. >> >> Thanks. >> >> Dale Leavens. >> >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: Alan Paganelli >> To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com >> <mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com> > >> Sent: Saturday, June 12, 2010 12:13 AM >> Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] Tacumseh engine carbeurator question >> >> >> >> As luck would have it, I went to small engine school in 1980 and worked >> on >> both Brigs and Stratton and Tacumseh3.5 horsepower engines. It sounds >> like >> you've got a real old engine. They've just about wiped out all the small >> engine guys. Everything on the new stuff is throw-away. I talked to one >> of >> the engineers who designs these things for Tecumseh. He told me his job >> wasn't to make a better engine but rather to figure out ways to make the >> engine do what it needs to do and to make it do it cheaper. So, on to >> your >> problem and knock of the wining. >> >> The part is called a needle valve. It attaches to a clip that lowers into >> the fuel flow closing it off. I would suggest pulling the carburetor off >> and taking it with you to your dealer so they can get the part number off >> it >> and just buy a rebuild kit. You will also need to replace the gasket that >> goes between the engine body and the carburetor. >> >> Alan >> >> Please click on: http://www.home.earthlink.net/~alanandsuzanne/ >> There, you'll find files of my arrangements and performances played on >> the Yamaha Tyros keyboard. I often add files so check back regularly! >> >> The albums in Technics format formerly on my website are still >> available upon request. >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "Dale Leavens" <dleav...@puc.net <mailto:dleavens%40puc.net> > >> To: <blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com > <mailto:blindhandyman%40yahoogroups.com> > >> Sent: Friday, June 11, 2010 6:43 PM >> Subject: [BlindHandyMan] Tacumseh engine carbeurator question >> >> > Good evening, >> > >> > I have a wood chipper and leaf shredder powered by a horizontal four >> > stroke Tecumseh engine. The damn engine has given me a lot of grief >> over >> > the years, trouble starting after periods of inactivity. Oddly, this >> year >> > it has behaved fairly well. Then it began leaking fuel around the top >> of >> > the sediment bowl. The problem appears to be the little pin like valve >> > arrangement which should close off the fuel flow when the float raises >> and >> > pushes the little beggar into the orifice. Well I disassembled it, >> there >> > is a little spring clip which I was trying to figure out where it >> connects >> > when I lost the little pin like valve closer in the grass. >> > >> > I need to know what this little bad boy is called so I can see if I can >> > chase down a new one. >> > >> > It is a 6 or 8 sided pin about half an inch long I suppose beveled to a >> > point at one end and with a ring milled out very near the other end >> where >> > this little spring wire clip snaps onto it. It sits on top of the float >> > so, when the float is up it pushes firmly into the fuel port from the >> fuel >> > tank. >> > >> > Those of you with mechanical training may know what this little device >> is >> > called. >> > >> > Thanks for this. >> > >> > Dale leavens. >> > >> > >> > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] >> > >> > >> > >> > ------------------------------------ >> > >> > Send any questions regarding list management to: >> > blindhandyman-ow...@yahoogroups.com > <mailto:blindhandyman-owner%40yahoogroups.com> >> > To listen to the show archives go to link >> > >> http://www.acbradio.org/pweb/index.php?module=pagemaster > <http://www.acbradio.org/pweb/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_ > page&PAGE_id=33&MMN_position=47:29> > &PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=33&MMN_position=47:29 >> > Or >> > ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ >> > >> > The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. >> > http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday >> > >> > Visit the archives page at the following address >> > http://www.mail-archive.com/blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com/ >> > >> > For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man >> > list just send a blank message to: >> > blindhandyman-h...@yahoogroups.comyahoo > <mailto:blindhandyman-help%40yahoogroups.comYahoo> ! Groups Links >> > >> > >> > >> >> >> >> >> >> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] >> >> >> >> ------------------------------------ >> >> Send any questions regarding list management to: >> blindhandyman-ow...@yahoogroups.com > <mailto:blindhandyman-owner%40yahoogroups.com> >> To listen to the show archives go to link >> http://www.acbradio.org/pweb/index.php?module=pagemaster > <http://www.acbradio.org/pweb/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_ > page&PAGE_id=33&MMN_position=47:29> > &PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=33&MMN_position=47:29 >> Or >> ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ >> >> The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. >> http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday >> >> Visit the archives page at the following address >> http://www.mail-archive.com/blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com/ >> >> For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man >> list just send a blank message to: >> blindhandyman-h...@yahoogroups.comyahoo > <mailto:blindhandyman-help%40yahoogroups.comYahoo> ! Groups Links >> >> >> > > > > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > > ------------------------------------ > > Send any questions regarding list management to: > blindhandyman-ow...@yahoogroups.com > To listen to the show archives go to link > http://www.acbradio.org/pweb/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=33&MMN_position=47:29 > Or > ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ > > The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. > http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday > > Visit the archives page at the following address > http://www.mail-archive.com/blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com/ > > For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man > list just send a blank message to: > blindhandyman-h...@yahoogroups.comyahoo! Groups Links > > >
