While I'm pretty **** about taking care of my cars and motorcycles, I'm pretty much an abuser when it comes to lawn care and snow removal equipment. For the most part, I buy used **** and don't pay much attention to keeping it in good repair. I'm reminded of this because for the first time in the 6 years since I bought my 2 stage snowblower off Craigslist for $50, I decided to change the oil in it and prep it a bit for winter. Needless to say it was clearly well over due. So fess up folks, what do you mechanically abuse?
Equipment You Abuse
- Thread starter Ray916MN
- Start date
TinKnocker
Well-known member
I beat the **** out of everything i touch. My definition of beatings is not the same as most though.
Heavy tech
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 16, 2013
- Messages
- 272
Lawn mower, girlfriend, truck, pretty much everything.
The old saying about being a mechanic is true...you work on stuff all day long 5 days a week so when ya get home, ya just don't feel like turning a wrench. It was fun before I did it for a living...then it became a job. I still enjoy it, but not enough to say "man I can't wait till saturday so I can tune up the ol' snapper"
The old saying about being a mechanic is true...you work on stuff all day long 5 days a week so when ya get home, ya just don't feel like turning a wrench. It was fun before I did it for a living...then it became a job. I still enjoy it, but not enough to say "man I can't wait till saturday so I can tune up the ol' snapper"
my liver
but seriously I don't abuse much of my stuff these days. my vintage cars or motorcycles I take care of because I know how much time, money, and BS&T ive put into them. I mite get a wild hair and do a smokey burnout now and than just 'cause I can, but not often.
I will abuse my skateboard or BMX bike. that's whats they're made for.
but seriously I don't abuse much of my stuff these days. my vintage cars or motorcycles I take care of because I know how much time, money, and BS&T ive put into them. I mite get a wild hair and do a smokey burnout now and than just 'cause I can, but not often.
I will abuse my skateboard or BMX bike. that's whats they're made for.
pretty much that, except without the i still enjoy it part
Steevo
Well-known member
I'm with beatcad.
I show my liver no mercy, but I take care of all things mechanical.
I'm too old for a skateboard, but I even oil the wheels on my garden cart.
I show my liver no mercy, but I take care of all things mechanical.
I'm too old for a skateboard, but I even oil the wheels on my garden cart.
Jas29
Well-known member
going to go with the lawnmower also 20 years and 0 oil changes only added some if it needed it. but it has died the frame is all rusted out and split after a 9inch spike went through it and now the motor wont start.
So any suggestions on a new 1?
I have no mechanical sympathy.
I use everything to it's capabilities and beyond.
This is true for for everything from my stereo speakers, tools, mower, snowblower, motorcycles, cars, etc.
I like loud music, fast cars, dark chocolate, strong coffee, red wine, hoppy beer...
Most people are afraid to own a 12 cyl car.. I drive the wheels off of mine. I intend on driving it to a GPS verified 200 mph in the next year or 2.
Here is one of my 'slower' cars..
I use everything to it's capabilities and beyond.
This is true for for everything from my stereo speakers, tools, mower, snowblower, motorcycles, cars, etc.
I like loud music, fast cars, dark chocolate, strong coffee, red wine, hoppy beer...
Most people are afraid to own a 12 cyl car.. I drive the wheels off of mine. I intend on driving it to a GPS verified 200 mph in the next year or 2.
Here is one of my 'slower' cars..
ken w.
Well-known member
I beat the **** out of most of my lawn and garden equipment. I at least change the oil and filters every year.Sometimes I'll sharpen the blades too.
Packard V8
Well-known member
I can honestly say in more than fifty years of working tools and machinery, I've never intentionally abused anything by using it in a manner I knew would damage it. Take it to the redline, yes. Corner hard enough to scrape the chrome off the door handles, yes. Run it on the governor all day long, yes. Choose the right tool for the chore and pull until the job is done. There have been very few times the right tool didn't git 'er done without damage to the tool.
Abuse most often occurs when the person doing the abusing hasn't grown up, isn't paying the bill, hasn't had to walk a long way on a dark, cold night; as the old folks would say, "His momma and daddy tried, but that boy was born with a streak of mean and stupid a mile wide." Some I've seen or heard about lately:
Abuse is using the wrong tool, too big a hurry, breaking off a bolt in an Audi which required dropping the subframe, a $1500 labor loss.
Abuse is never checking or changing the oil, plugs, filters, coolant. First year at college and a used $20,000 SUV is toast. "OK, I'm sorry. Yes, it was a lot of miles. I was busy with rush and going to out of town games and I did loan it out a few times and there was that spring break trip to Cabo, but, I mean, I really need another car."
Abuse is showin' out, spinnin' brodies, hittin' the curb', blowin a tire, bendin' a wheel, tweekin' the suspension and frame, gettin' the cops called, gettin' a DWI, jail time, loss of license, $1,000 fine, high risk insurance.
Abuse is not knowing what that bright red blinking light on the dashboard meant after "getting air" over a suburban hill and ripping a hole in the oil pan when it crashed down.
Abuse is bringing back a $250 circular saw with the motor smoked and all the teeth gone off the $25 carbide blade.
Abuse is bringing back a borrowed chainsaw with the motor locked. "You gotta put oil in the gas?"
Abuse can be as simple as borrowing a car and ripping up $50 wiper blades being too lazy to scrape the ice and in too much of a hurry to wait for the defroster. "Is that a scratch on the windshield? You must'a needed new wiper blades"
Abuse can be a $10,000 engine rebuild after sneaking out dad's classic Porsche Turbo Carrera for a joyride and filling the tank with the cheapest regular so he wouldn't notice any gas gone.
Abuse is willful or stupid abuse of man's good and faithful servants. Most of us don't have flesh and blood horsepower any more, but IMHO, how one treats machinery tells just as much about one's character and intelligence.
jack vines
RivennHewn
Well-known member
I got a good laugh reading the owner's manual on my new metal cutting saw from Milwaukee.
It said to run the saw for 60 seconds w/o load to cool it down.
Like that will ever happen!
use it up, burn it out, and replace it. Everything is disposable.
It said to run the saw for 60 seconds w/o load to cool it down.
Like that will ever happen!
use it up, burn it out, and replace it. Everything is disposable.
kenburkholz
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 27, 2013
- Messages
- 241
A contractor at my old my old job was trying to beat a bolt out of a frame work with a 3/8" ratchet, his boss comes by and tells him " HEY STUPID, USE THE RIGHT TOOL", and hands him a 1/2 " ratchet, which he uses to finish his job! I used to be concerned, now I'm just amused! Ken.
upndown
Well-known member
Hers!! 
My snowblower is really the only thing that I don't take great care of. I got a 33" White off of CL a few years ago and finally changed the oil only because when I checked it it looked like chocolate milk (gas had somehow leaked past the rings over time or something) either way when I changed the oil there were blobs of **** in the oil. Needless to say it needed it.
Everything else I take care of; cars, tools, mower. My dad had the same Sears mower from 1973 until 2003 when he sold it because he moved to a place with 6 acres and got a lawn tractor. As far as I know it's still running and that is due to him taking good care of it. When I bought my Toro zero turn I have done my best to take good care of it (except parking it outside) so hopefully I will get 30 years out of it as well!
Rarely am I not posting from my phone....
Everything else I take care of; cars, tools, mower. My dad had the same Sears mower from 1973 until 2003 when he sold it because he moved to a place with 6 acres and got a lawn tractor. As far as I know it's still running and that is due to him taking good care of it. When I bought my Toro zero turn I have done my best to take good care of it (except parking it outside) so hopefully I will get 30 years out of it as well!
Rarely am I not posting from my phone....
pepi
Well-known member
Then I guess when whatever is abused, one will have no complaint about the cost of the new or a ***** about the poor design of the abused. Do I have that right?
So if abuse is associated with not properly maintaining something, how does this line of thought square with cars in demolition derbies? Does it make sense to service all the fluids and worn out items on a junker before using it in a demolition derby? Are demolition derbies an example of when mechanical abuse, becomes the proper use for something?
When a piece of equipment develops an impairing problem, but not a dead stop problem which will cost more to repair than economically prudent, should the equipment immediately be taken out of service? If you continue to use the equipment, should you continue to service it, knowing that its days are numbered?
I think we'd all agree when a radiator, head gasket or seals develops a leak, the right way to repair it is to is to replace or repair, but this implies you've never used or would suggest someone use Bars Leak. Proper maintenance is flushing and changing fluids to avoid the kinds of impairments to the cooling and lubrication systems implicit with using Bar Leak. Right?
When a piece of equipment develops an impairing problem, but not a dead stop problem which will cost more to repair than economically prudent, should the equipment immediately be taken out of service? If you continue to use the equipment, should you continue to service it, knowing that its days are numbered?
I think we'd all agree when a radiator, head gasket or seals develops a leak, the right way to repair it is to is to replace or repair, but this implies you've never used or would suggest someone use Bars Leak. Proper maintenance is flushing and changing fluids to avoid the kinds of impairments to the cooling and lubrication systems implicit with using Bar Leak. Right?
ken w.
Well-known member
When I said I beat the **** out of my lawn and garden stuff I meant that I will take my old rider and cut down the field that I should be using a brush hog for and using my tiller to hack thru some roots that I should use an ax for. I don't try to break me equipment on purpose I just am kinda hard on it.
creativecars
Well-known member
Then I guess when whatever is abused, one will have no complaint about the cost of the new or a ***** about the poor design of the abused. Do I have that right?
Yep, you got it right.
My accident, stupid ***, overuse should never be someone elses problem, and so it isnt.
These people who buy Walmart mowers abuse them and take them back should be beat.
No bitchin about breaking a spring on the 1/2 ton truck with a load of sand upto the rails...
outdoorsman310
Well-known member
it depends what mood i'm in tiny dirtbike gets beat on the most, ke250 well... 2t power! car/truck well the truck blew up and is getting a sbc350 instead of 2.2 mazda engine and car when i feel like it but I try to keep up on maintenance.
tiny dirtbike gets beat on the most, ke250 well... 2t power! car/truck well the truck blew up and is getting a sbc350 instead of 2.2 mazda engine and car when i feel like it but I try to keep up on maintenance.ajchien
Well-known member
Does using a shovel to get rid of the neighbor's cat poop on my lawn count as tool abuse?
I have an 8" Ryobi bench grinder with a wire wheel on it for cleaning old vises, etc. I am not kind to this thing. It shakes so badly I purposefully tried to kill it for a while. Very underpowered w/wire wheel, but no matter how many dead stops I bring it to she keeps going!
How much are you mowing?
If it's less than 1/4 acre or super hilly I would say get the cheapest $150 mower you can find. If it's 1/4 acre or more I would say start looking at a good self propelled unit. 20 years out of a push mower isn't too bad at all to be honest. Given the time of year I would actually be looking all over Craigslist to see what you can find. Might find some gems out there for little money. Just keep in mind what you can get a new one for.
My old Bolens push mower that was 10 years old bit the dust this spring. The crank case cracked. I actually took pretty good care of it. Changed the oil every season etc etc, but I hit a piece of angle iron this spring that had been buried forever and didn't know it was there. The winter thaw had pushed up and that was the end of it.
I have a 10 year old Craftsman push mower. It's the simple type -- no throttle, no self-propelled, and is the base B&S series engine. I use it on a pretty large lawn (all the neighbors have riding mowers for even smaller lawns). Just yesterday, I installed the little plastic cover on the discharge hole and mulched all the leaves with it.
Every couple of years (or 3) before putting it away for winter, I will drain the oil, sharpen the blade, then put fresh synthetic oil in it along with a new spark plug and filter.
I think I only paid $139 for it at Sears. I notice that the real cheapie ones at Wal-Mart are about the same price. And mine has the larger 6.5 HP engine and the larger rear wheels. Plus that Craftsman name, even though it's probably made by MTD or something.
Every couple of years (or 3) before putting it away for winter, I will drain the oil, sharpen the blade, then put fresh synthetic oil in it along with a new spark plug and filter.
I think I only paid $139 for it at Sears. I notice that the real cheapie ones at Wal-Mart are about the same price. And mine has the larger 6.5 HP engine and the larger rear wheels. Plus that Craftsman name, even though it's probably made by MTD or something.
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Yep.
If you have an animal of your own, the pooper scoopers are better for such purposes. Certainly lighter and easier to use -- the rake thingy and the scooper.monkeyspanners
Well-known member
Broke a 1/4 flexi hex drive the other day, i was using it to countersink some holes in a vending machine so the bottles wouldn't catch on the screw heads. It literally broke as i finished the last hole. It was better than stripping the whole machine in a busy shop.
I'd say in general i maintain things but expect them to run 100%
I'd say in general i maintain things but expect them to run 100%