Small-Engine-Man

07/04/2022

01/03/2018

Don't wait until the grass starts growing to get your lawn equipment ready for the season. Appointments are filling up quickly as things start to "green up." Don't be stuck in line only to find out it's a 3-4 week turnaround time. Call or text 919-747-1097 for a full service repair done on site saving you time and aggravation.

05/11/2017

05/11/2017

WHY SHOULD I SHARPEN MY LAWN MOWER BLADE
It kind of goes without saying that blades should be sharp.
Scissors, box knife, steak knife…a dull blade results in a painfully ragged cut. And that is never a good look.
Not buying it? Go on in the kitchen and pull out that box of aluminum foil. See that jagged little cutter edge? Good. Now go shave with it.
But, in all fairness; keeping your lawnmower blade sharpened and balanced is easy to overlook.
That whole “out of sight-out of mind” thing can be a bo**er.
Luckily your grass doesn’t scream in agony when you spin a dull blade across it, but if it did that would make remembering much easier.
So you’ll just have to make a special effort to think about it from time to time. I find once a month is a good thing.
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SHARP IS GOOD
Any way you “slice” it, cutting grass damages grass. We all know that grass is pretty capable of taking care of itself.
Since dirt became fertile, grass has been bouncing back from everything from dinosaurs to DDT.
But, that’s what nature is all about. Heck! A little sunlight, a little air and a little water and them leafy little fellers will be sprouting again in no time!
When living things get broken (like when a lawn mower blade blasts through it), they have to heal and as we already discussed, grass will do that quite nicely on its own. But using a dull blade will only delay the whole “bouncing back” process. And over time, it can have a very lasting effect on the health of your lawn. And by “lasting effect”, I mean kill.
What I’m getting at here is that a sharp blade is better than a dull blade.
To put it in perspective; there is a valid reason why heart surgeons prefer the scalpel over the chainsaw when making incisions.
A chainsaw would make a mess. It’s bad enough with all the maniacal laughter and the co-ed’s running for their lives and the screaming and stuff. But the patient is now losing copious amounts of fluids at a record rate, the wound has left the patient vulnerable to disease and infection. Not to mention filing all those insurance forms. Then there’s the loooong recovery time and all the oogie-ness, which is pretty much a medical term for when stuff gets all gunky and drippy and- look! Let’s just agree to agree here that clean cuts heal easier, in less time and with less scarring.
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THE MAIN PROBLEMS
The same stuff happens to your lawn. Ragged cutting causes rapid moisture loss which is going to draw out the time it takes for your grass to heal and continue growing. Moisture-less grass is a bad thing. Using a dull blade in an arid region? Fuggedaboutit!!
Ragged cutting leaves you with an ugly lawn.
Loss of moisture causes a browning in the ends of the blades, which often results in lawn issues being misdiagnosed. Many a home owner has dumped ridiculous amounts of water and fertilizer on an otherwise fine lawn when they should have checked the blade first.
Ragged cutting leaves the grass vulnerable to infection and disease. Sometimes that brown, splotchy stuff isn’t dry grass, it’s sick grass.
Finally, a dull blade can cause undue resistance when cutting, specifically through longer growth. And that additional resistance on the blade is going to start to reveal all those little worn out parts on your mower. Not to mention you will burn more fuel.
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HOW SHARP AND HOW OFTEN
The life of the blade will be determined by how often you cut, how much damaging debris you’re banging around the yard, and the type of soil.
Cutting too often hinders the grasses ability to heal. You’ve got to give it a break every once in a while. Running over foreign objects is a bad, bad thing.
Take my advice and pick up your yard before mowing.
Like, “guess what you hit by the sound alone”. Lego’s make a quick, crunch/ping sound. Stuffed animals are more of a warbling, ripping / choking / “fffrrrap” sound.
And a baseball? That would be a resounding “I wonder how late the mower shop is open today?” bang.
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As far as determining when to replace the blade can be as simple as inspecting it.
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Never turn the blade by hand without disengaging the spark plug first. How does the engine start up? We turn the crankshaft, which is attached to the blade!
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Nicks, notches…not great but livable. Dullness needs to be fixed and for those of you with a bench grinder and a lot of gumption, just remember that you don’t need a razors edge on your blade. In fact, it has been argued that the narrower the edge, the
faster it degrades.
This has never been truer than when cutting in sandy soil.I have said it before and I’ll say it again…sand is the great equalizer. Sand does not care what blade you put on your mower. It will eat it up and grind it down to nothing. “Sand wins! I quit!”
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It’s just my personal opinion but when you’re cutting in sandy soil…buy cheap, buy often. Why pony up $40 for a high tensile snack for your sandy soil?
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TIME TO TRADE UP
Now this is an extreme but very common example of a worn out blade. Consider the following question when examining the picture…”Where did all that metal go?”
Answer: It went flying off the blade like tiny little ninja stars.
So, before a piece of your blade ends up whacking the neighbors cat from 60 feet away, make sure to inspect it regularly.
• Look for rounding on the outer corner of the cutting edge. Given that the outer inch to 1 1/2 is the part of the blade doing most of the cutting, you’ll notice the greatest wear here. Keep in mind that metal can’t be replaced, so once the blade starts rounding off, sharpening is not going to help.
• Look for thinning of the blade at the back side of the cutting edge. If erosion turned a creek into the Grand Canyon, your blade doesn’t stand a chance. And once it starts to thin out, that’s pretty much it. The image above reflects the blade of a person who either didn’t realize they get dull, didn’t care they get dull or didn’t want to pony up the cash for a new one.
• Look for nicks, pits or notches. A lot of these can be ground out, but they can also result in hidden cracks and fissures in the steel.
• Bent blades? Broken blades? Get rid of them.
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When in doubt, have a technician inspect the blade for you. You may not want to have to buy a new one, but you really can’t afford not to.
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IN CONCLUSION...
SHARP BLADE = HAPPY GRASS. Inspect your lawnmower blades today.

05/09/2017

05/09/2017

With Irma brewing off the coast, now is the time to be checking your generators and chain saws. Don't wait until the path is more defined and stand in line with everyone else trying to get your generator started. A sharp chain saw and spare chains on hand is a must if you have trees around your property.

06/07/2017

Have you ever wondered why when you put your lawn equipment away for the winter and everything works fine but in the spring they are hard to start or won't start at all? The answer is actually very easy. Probably 90% of the problems are caused by the fuel, more specifically the ethanol in the fuel. Ethanol actually breaks down and deteriates some plastics and rubber often making it brittle or gummy. Ethanol actually attracts moisture and over time the water and the fuel will seperate(phase seperation) allowing the water into the fuel system.
The first picture shows the difference between new and used fuel lines. The brown colored lines have no flexibility and will break easily. The new lines are clear, have total flexibility and are not gummy or sticky. The second picture shows how the rubber grommet has deteriated from the fuel and no longer seals the fuel tank.
How to combat this problem is fairly easy and just requires some thought. If you know that you will not be using the equipment for atleast 30 days or more, for example; winter storage, generators, pressure washers, tillers or other seasonal equipment. On larger engines shut off or empty the fuel then start the engine until it quits running. On 2 cycle equipment,empty tank and run engine till it quits(not long)leave the tank empty. Now there is no fuel in the carburetor or tank to cause damage. The larger engines with larger tanks will be ok if you use a fuel stabilizer and keep the tank full to the top. Just keep the fuel shut off until next time. I prefer to have no fuel in the tank at all.
Just don't forget to open fuel valve and make sure to use fresh gas in the spring and you will minimize or eliminate any problems saving you time, money and aggravation.
Stay Sharp!
Small-Engine-Man

21/06/2017

15/06/2017

If I could give you a single tip to save time, money and wasted energy while mowing your grass would you be interested? It is very simple and everyone can do it. Not only will you save time but you will also protect your investment and today a lawn mower can cost thousands.
The single best thing you can do is mow your grass when it is dry. Not only will you get a better cut but if you use a bagger it will work better allowing grass to be blown easily. Bagger units typically have a high lift blade installed to help increase the velocity of the grass and it helps to lift the grass before cutting it. If you don't use a bagger then you have a better chance of dispersing clippings instead of leaving that ugly row of cut grass. It also makes cleanup much easier, just hit your mower with your blower and the grass will easily disappear. Even mowing while the grass is dry you may have some build up occur because of the moisture in the plant itself. If you wash it away immediately after mowing it will wash off easily. If you let it dry than it bonds itself to the metal holding the moisture against it and allowing for rust to start forming. Then you have no choice other than a scraper or power washer. Always remember to tip the push mower carburetor side up. This will keep you from soaking your air filter with gas and oil. After tipping it may smoke a little from oil burning off. It will go away, just double check your oil level.
Stay Sharp!
Small-Engine-Man

08/06/2017

Small-Engine-Man can perform preventative maintenance and repairs on all manufacturers of lawn maintenance equipment. This is a mobile service that can do repairs right in your driveway. Pricing is cheaper than you taking it to someone and having to waste time looking for a trailer or load that nasty machine in your car and smell gas for the next week

07/06/2017

Being employed by a city in South Florida in 1992 when hurricane Andrew came ashore I had the unfortunate opportunity to see the devastation first hand. Our city offered mutual aid to Homestead and Florida City and sent a caravan of supplies, used police cars, bottled water and of course an army of chain saws the day after the storm hit. There are images in my mind that I will never forget and hope to never witness again. One of the trucks was loaded with bottled water as we entered the compound where they were setting up as a central facility for supplies. One employee handed a gallon of water to someone asking and before you knew it people came out of the woodwork like mice wanting water and the look of despair on their faces is unforgettable.
We set up at an open park where they would eventually use as a place for tents to house thousands of people. I spent the next 12 hours fixing and sharpening chainsaws for the crews as they cut up and removed the downed trees. As I returned home late that night and looked at the preparations I had made for the storm in my apartment the only thing that I could do was laugh. If a category 5 hurricane is coming your way, GET OUT!!! Board up your house and get away from the path. It is not worth your life. The last photo is a perfect indication of what power you are dealing with.
Stay safe!
Stay sharp!

Small-Engine-Man

04/06/2017

Now that summer is officially here the down side is that hurricane season starts for the East Coast. Now is the time to insure that your chain saw is in good working order with a sharp chain or two. Having a spare chain or two is crucial to being prepared. It only takes seconds to dull a chain and if you have no way to sharpen it you might as well put away the chain saw and get out your hand saw out. Hand files are for maintaining a sharp edge while using the saw. Once you have dulled the chain the only way to get that sharp edge back is to use a machine designed for that purpose. Not only is it faster but also more consistent. Clamping the chain down so the machine can sharpen allows it to remove the same material from each cutter which in turn reduces chance for kick backs and improves performance and safety.
Stay Sharp!
small-engine-man.com

26/05/2017

Just a quick look at the difference between a sharp mower blade and a dull blade and how it affects your turf. With a sharp blade the finished edge on the grass blades will be nice and strait with very few jagged edges(picture 1). A dull blade will leave jagged edges and signs of bruising and not a consistent height.(picture 2) Look closely at the blade towards the bottom left of photo and you can see the bruising. Not to mention that now this plant has to spend its energy healing instead of growing resulting in a stressed plant more vulnerable to disease.
Stay Sharp.
Small-Engine-Man

24/05/2017

Now that the warmer weather is here the down side is the increased chance for severe weather. Recently we had the top of a tree come down on the house causing some damage. Like most home owners with large trees on their property I have a chainsaw and I always keep mine stored with a sharp blade installed. You never know when you may need it and you do not want to waste time looking for a sharp chain. Always check your chain for sharpness before putting it in storage. The easiest way to determine sharpness is to look at the size of the pieces of wood coming off the log. It should appear to be chips of wood and not saw dust.
Stay sharp!
Small-Engine-Man

16/05/2017

Small Engine Man is a mobile service providing maintenance and repairs for all outdoor power equipment including mowers, trimmers, generators, pressure washers, golf carts and more.

16/05/2017

It's an exciting time as I start my new business, a mobile repair service for all outdoor power equipment including mowers, string trimmers, generators, pressure washers, golf carts and more.