Lawnmowing Tips & tricks.................
Hi all, I just thought it may be a good idea to start a thread where we all have input on tip & tricks of the trade (sorry if its been done before?) The idea being that every time you remember a trick or tip or shortcut that helped you, you add to the thread & pass it on. Don't worry if you think everyone already knows it, coz I can guarantee that there will be at least one person who has never heard it before & will be grateful that you posted it!
Here goes as a starter: Always remember that every piece of equipment you buy will require upkeep & servicing. Only buy what you need!
:)
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Here's another: you can add to the height of your pole pruner by inserting it into a swimming pool vacuum handle & tying a rope to the pull cord. Great for palm fronds! :)
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It's easier to cut down bunches of palm seed pods while they're still on the tree rather than wait for them to fall to the ground individually and become ammo for your mower to shoot around the yard ;)
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Keep a spare blade carrier fitted with new blades , in your trailer or ute, for a quick change over if needed :)
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If you use the alloy heads that have a single piece of line carry dog nail clippers in your pocket to trim the line at the right lenght on the head, also have plenty of spare pieces of pre cut line velcroed to the shaft :)
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A lawnie that’s been in the industry for 20 years just told me this one.
Not the type of thing I would do or recommend, but I did see the funny side of it and a lesson to place a quote in the letter box of well under the door.
It also made me think that others may have done the same to me over the years and I will now place my quote in an envelope in the letterbox and not on a card in the front door.
When doing a quote and you find another lawnies business card in the door. Remove the others lawnies card or if no price is on the card and write a higher price than yours on his card.
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After washing your mower always run it with blades engaged to displace any water throughout the moving parts, (i.e. pullies etc...) for a few minutes.
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With petrol the price that it is, try and cluster your jobs in the same vicinity each day to save running around like a chook with it's head cut off....saves time as well as petrol, and time is money :russ:
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Do like twin cities says, keep your run tight, do your run for the day in a circle from home back to home, don't criss cross past cuts to get to a certain customer at a certain time ;)
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When you receive calls from customers, never tell them you'll be there at a certain time to quote/mow/etc only ever give them a rough time that you'll be there; mid to late afternoon etc. Otherwise you'll end up putting yourself under the pump :dean:
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If you have a customer who doesnt like chemicals to kill weeds. put one cup of salt in 2 litres of white vinegar and make a weed killer. Then brush or spray it onto the weeds, in a day or two they will die. But remember your grass will die too if you spray it ! so just spray the weeds !
:frightene :frightene cheers heggie
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Before removing the spark plug, clean the area around the plug to prevent dirt and debris from getting into the engines internal parts. i use a airline or you could use your blower .
cheers heggie
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In hot weather fill up 2 litre bottles 3/4 full then freeze them, top up with cold water in the mornings and get a nice cold drink all day long.
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Source www.indmowing.com.au/forum
Fixing Starter Rope
Remove the starter assembly from the motor, most of the time there are four bolts or screws mounting just the starter onto the fan housing however alot of models require the fan housing to be removed with the starter assembly.
Remove the remains of the broken rope. If at all possible do not attempt to remove the recoil pulley ( pulley the rope wraps around) from where it is mounted.
Your new rope should be 5 feet in length (for most lawnmowers, etc.) add to this if you have an extended rope starter model (add the distance between the starter assembly and where the starter handle gets mounted).
The new rope should be braided nylon starter rope, burn both ends to fuse the strands.
Attach your starter handle with a good knot to one end of your rope. The knot should come to 1/4 inch to the end of the rope any closer and it may pull out over use.
Wind the starter pulley so that it compresses the starter spring completely, note: you will need a second set of hands or vise grips to hold the starter assembly in the wound position.
Keeping the tension on the spring, adjust the position of the starter pulley in the starter housing such that the rope holes in both line up.
Thread the free end of your new starter rope through the hole in the starter housing and through the starter pulley. Keep the tension on the spring! Tie a good knot on the free end of the rope.
Now you can slowly release the tension on the starter spring, it will pull the new rope in and wrap it onto the starter pulley. Re-mount the starter and this repair is complete.
Any body have a better way of doing it ?
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Thats the way i know,,it applys to brushcutters,edgers, mowers whatever.
My tip is to carry a few meters of spare cord with you so if the cord breaks you are back in business in a few minutes and not an hour after travelling to the workshop andstuffing around.
Carry spare spark plugs for every machine, plus belts ,chains , blades what ever you need for your operation. :)