Modification wise, I love having high quality parts on my equipment like my weed-eater, my phone, and my personal watch in order to make them run so smooth, and like a beast. Always enjoyed maintaining my own equipment, and definitely will keep doing it in the near future for more to come.
I've modified a lot of stuff with my stuff but it all helped or wasn't put on in the factory. Had both with safetys and without. They all worked for me and nobody growled when I gave them away. The all ran like Swiss watches. I have 2 grease fittings and 2 oilable deck rollers now. Seems like I made up for all the rest with the battery jobs. I had to fix stuff for us. It just pleased everybody else too. Happy week
I noticed you use torch tip cleaners too, lol. They are the best carb tool out there. I have two sets that belonged to my father that are about 50 years old, and they are my primary carb tool, along with raggedy old wire brush.
The most outstanding mod I have ever performed is that I once purchase a new Snapper rear engine rider. This machine feature a mechanical reverse gear lock out when the blade was engaged. I have never had small children and my pets are always contained inside while I mow. I found this feature very annoying because sometimes I need the blade engage while backing up to mow in tight spaces so I disabled this feature and used it that way for many years. While it wasn’t technically a permanent modification, I did mangle a spring that I repurposed to hold the lock out part into a normally open position. Usually, I would have restored the lockout device before selling the mower or at least informed the buyer about it, but in this case, I had been using the machine for over a decade like that and simply forgot all about the modifications, literally, until I watched this video and started thinking back about it! Next summer will be 5 years since I sold it. It is the only riding mower I have ever used that has had such a devise and I think most users would find the lockout to be more of an annoyance as well. In the past, I would usually bypass the clutch/brake and seat shutoff sensors but as I am getting older and seemingly more scatter brained and forgetful, I no longer disable them. I seem to need any help I can get to keep myself and my things safe and uninjured! These days, I could see myself hitting the starter with the mower in gear and running it into my car or something else in the mower’s path!
I agree with you. I don't sell anything that isn't working exactly as it was designed to from the factory. I won't sell anything that could potentially be unsafe or unreliable.
I think for a few of these modifications were similar to yours I did the battery one for the electric start mower using the drill that one turned out good and then I also did the drilling out of the plastic Briggs carb and that one turned out pretty good as well. Sold both of those mowers and the customers are still happy now..
I agree with you 100% I keep my mowers till they go to the scrap yard the only modification I've done is the the brake cable it works I put a off and on switch so I can shut it off when I want to shut it off and when I'm mowing the grass I'm trying to hold on to that handle that it don't die on me and usually I'm losing grip because of you know as I'm walking I'm still having problems with my knees so I concentrate on trying to keep myself from falling I didn't want to mower to keep dying so I got to keep pulling on it my shoulders are bad I'm a mess but I got a battery rated I have a Briggs just like yours you're showing and it didn't come with the key but I had the wires there and I jumped it and sure enough that thing started right up it was used and I don't mind used cuz we had a brand new Toro and the flywheel had a crack in it I didn't see it right away but the flywheel kept coming loose second time tightening it the motor started knocking like crazy and it was over thing was only 2 years old the wife don't like sending in the warranties on them I'm just going to put a Harbor Freight motor on there or get another Briggs & Stratton motor put on there anyways thank you for the video
thank you for letting us know and I know what you mean about injuries. For me I just use a strap to keep the brake handle down, while I try not to trip in the yard.
I do the same thing you do as a side hustle. I never sell a mower with a bypassed safety part. I have left a perfectly good mower sitting for half a summer waiting on a side chute to come in on another junk mower. When I do repair work, which is not often, I go so far as to write invoices with the recommendations that safety devices be replaced. I then make them sign and acknowledge that they have denied the recommendation. My neighbor had to pay a guy for a ding that his mower put in the guy's car. I had recommended to him that he might put the cover back on his mower because of flying debris. Any number of things could be tied back to the guy that repaired and sold the mower. Fastest way to NOT make any extra money is make a huge liability payout
I usually only increase the idle jet. Both jets work on high throttle, If the engine is surging I open up the idle jet only one or two mini drill sizes. The EPA has lots of small engines running way to lean causing issues at different altitudes. The old adjustable carbs are by far the best. Thanks for the video.
@@MUUKOW3 You are totally wrong, the idle jet lets some fuel in when the engine is at more than idle speed. That is some of the cause for surging at high engine speeds. The idle or low speed jets helps to prevent that.
@watermanone7567 No I am not wrong,If I could I would post the that actual factory service manuals . When the engine is running no load at full throttle the throttle plate is barely open so if the idle jet is plugged you will get a surge. Run it at full throttle under load even with a completely plugged idle the surge will go away. If it is surging under full load then have something in the main jet an air leak or something else going on . Drilling the jet is just a bandaid covering up the actual problem .
On my snowblowers and mowers I try to add a fuel filter and shutoff if there is room. I mow 4 acres with a CC 46 inch rider towing two push mowers behind it to give me a 74 inch cutting path. I Have all the discharge openings on the tows bungyed open. Then for close in mowing I uncouple the tows for a 46 in cut.
A few times, yes. I've drilled out the low speed jet on a Tecumseh carburetor to make it stop surging. It's not recommended, but was a last resort. Almost every mower I flip needs a new trailing shield. Most are easy to change, with the exception of older MTD models with the hinge clips.
I have a Troy Bilt Pony with a seat switch that is a pain, so I opened it up and stuck a piece of plastic in it to bypass it. It is not even permanent though. I generally like to leave things the way they are intended to be.
6:23 Yeah, I nearly had just 1 eye left this way: I was using a friend’s weedwacker and he took of the guard, while using it a flat rock was kicked up and luckily it hit my face flying upright instead of flat because the shape of the rock upright made it be to big to hit my eye, my eye socket caught it so I was just a few 10th of a millimetre away from losing an eye. If that rock was flying on its flat side or was any smaller I’d now look like a pirate😂 Also I don’t really do modifications to anything but chainsaws. I’m planning on buying a Stihl ms462 if I have enough money and then I want to put a full wrap on it, a barkbox, air filter upgrade, aftermarket dogs (probably from west coast saw), a west coast saw clutch cover, west coast saw faller’s suspension kit and port it So yeah, I’ll leave everything stock except for a chainsaw… those will be more after market than stock with me😂
@Wannabearborist Yes there are ! The Dolmar Makita 7900p will dust that thing is built better ,not a bunch of plastic . If you can find an old Shindaiwa 757 we had those running 13,000 on the tach for competition cutting . The older big Huskies they sound like a dirt bike at idle and have tons of bottom end don't have to wind it up to start cutting .While not practical my alcohol burning Mac 101 ported and polished with a Tillotson pumper eats Oak trees like they are for twigs.
@@MUUKOW3 well, that bunch of plastic makes the saw lighter which is a damn nice advantage because I’ll be using it as an arborist. I’ll be clipping it to my harness and climbing with it Also I have an old saw and I love it… it is however a lot harder to find parts for it and seeing as the chainbrake and top handle are about the only plastic on it it’s heavy. I als won’t buy husqvarna any time soon anymore after them c-*ts scammed me. The ms462 is a great saw, plenty of power, plenty of spare parts and plenty of aftermarket support. Old saws need way more improvising to have aftermarket for, you have to find someone who can make mufflers if you want to upgrade that, same for full wraps, dogs and stuff like air filters and suspension on the saw you can forget it to upgrade. Also I don’t want to do permanent modification to old saws as that just feels wrong. I’ll stick to stihl for my saws and hopefully eventually an echo 2511t
I recently picked up a parts machine with a Briggs flat head. I picked it up assuming the engine was bad since it was missing a lot of parts. When I turned the engine by hand, it turns freely and has some compression, but not as much as it should. I think it is probably a good runner for the parts stash, but needs a valve adjustment, and I have no idea what the clearances on this particular engine are supposed to be since I have never dealt with this particular engine before. It is a 1998 model #12H802-2675-B1. Do you know what the clearances are for this engine?
I recently picked up a Troy Bilt edger on Marketplace for a couple of bucks. It is not in bad shape overall, but for some reason, the axles are terribly rusted, and all three drive wheels are completely seized. I've never seen an axle rust like this, so I have no clue what it has been exposed to. The axles look like they sat in salt water for about 50 years. They are completely covered in thick scale. Have you ever seen anything like that? Do you have any tips for getting them off without causing further damage to the rest of the machine?
no I've never seen anything that bad before. If It was mine, I would take off the wheels and use a wire wheel to take of the scale and rust. I'm sure there's a better way, but i wouldn't know it.
Not everyone removes the head guard on the whipper snipper sometimes they break off from old age or cheap shit plastic i know because ive had a couple of whipper snippers do it
Im not really a permanent modification guy, but if the mower runs and does not need anything needed, no mods are needed, but i get it for some people who want to mulch the grass say the toro yards machine with briggs engine or whatever mower (this does not include the bigger self propeled push mower with both mulch and discharge, etc). But bypassing the brake on the fly wheel? Well, two things. 1. You would be running the mower out of fuel without holding the handle down and just walk away from the mower as it runs out of fuel. 2. You would hold it down with i dont know a clamper but i know how hard those are to use so i guess there would be a reason to bypass the flywheel brake. (Sorry for this being a long commet, im just an expert on this too much..)
Most of the items mentioned here are safety items. I MIGHT buy something that missing a safety item, but only if the part were cheap, as I don't operate my equipment w/o all the safety equipment. I bought a simple mower w/o the rock guard, which I replaced for $17. There's too much willingness to sue these days, and I don't need a rock going through someone's window, windshield, or worse yet, body part.
Me personally i like having a sheild on my trimmer, without it, it looks odd imo. The only thing ive modified iis i put zerks on my deck spindles because it didnt have any from the factory. Other than that i really dont like messing with my stuff if its running properly. (Like they say... If its not broke then dont fix it) Just my 2 sense
Something I really hate that people modify is the chain brake on chainsaws. I recently picked up a few old Stihl 028 Super AV chainsaws from a friend to rebuild and unfortunately one of them has the chain brake mechanism disabled. The chain brake handle is still there but all the springs and clutch band are gone. I find it super hard for anyone to justify removing the chain brake as chainsaws are already dangerous enough and even professional chainsaw users I know have been saved by the chain brake more than a few times. It's silly someone would remove it since its build into the saw and it's in no way in the way of operating anything with the saw...
I grew with mowers before the nanny state and devolution of human common sense. Having the engine shut off everytime you let go is a pain ,I definitely prefer blade brake or disarmed mowers. Other things like upgraded bearings or welding handles that get sloppy on cheap mowers. I cut the front off of a cheap mower to make it a brush hog and used some flat bar for the blade ,thing worked awesome. If you just start out with a good quality machine one doesn't really to change much ever But sometimes you gotta make do with what you got and unleash the creativity and I have seen plenty over the years good and bad!
He's just using this video as kinda a back drop while he talks of modifying equipment. He has already done a repair video on that craftsman mower. This video wasn't a repair video
Modification wise, I love having high quality parts on my equipment like my weed-eater, my phone, and my personal watch in order to make them run so smooth, and like a beast. Always enjoyed maintaining my own equipment, and definitely will keep doing it in the near future for more to come.
nice!, what kind of watch do you have?
@@INSIDEHOUSEGARAGE Apple Watch SE 2
nice!
@@INSIDEHOUSEGARAGE yessir! I watched your videos for a while, and I love every single one of them. Learned a lot. Keep them coming, brother.
thank you again!
I've modified a lot of stuff with my stuff but it all helped or wasn't put on in the factory. Had both with safetys and without. They all worked for me and nobody growled when I gave them away. The all ran like Swiss watches. I have 2 grease fittings and 2 oilable deck rollers now. Seems like I made up for all the rest with the battery jobs. I had to fix stuff for us. It just pleased everybody else too. Happy week
I know what you mean, I'm okay with safety bypasses if It was a personal machine. And if I was giving it away, I'd hope they didn't mind too.
@@INSIDEHOUSEGARAGE Too much trouble to rig up ones that didn't come with them. The OLD ones!
you're a good and smart guy! I stupidly have gotten rid of things from a few mowers, even though they were just fine... a lot of self regret
I know what you meant, I've done a few things I've regretted too.
I noticed you use torch tip cleaners too, lol. They are the best carb tool out there. I have two sets that belonged to my father that are about 50 years old, and they are my primary carb tool, along with raggedy old wire brush.
thanks, it took a minute to figure out they worked better than what I was using before
The most outstanding mod I have ever performed is that I once purchase a new Snapper rear engine rider. This machine feature a mechanical reverse gear lock out when the blade was engaged. I have never had small children and my pets are always contained inside while I mow. I found this feature very annoying because sometimes I need the blade engage while backing up to mow in tight spaces so I disabled this feature and used it that way for many years. While it wasn’t technically a permanent modification, I did mangle a spring that I repurposed to hold the lock out part into a normally open position. Usually, I would have restored the lockout device before selling the mower or at least informed the buyer about it, but in this case, I had been using the machine for over a decade like that and simply forgot all about the modifications, literally, until I watched this video and started thinking back about it! Next summer will be 5 years since I sold it. It is the only riding mower I have ever used that has had such a devise and I think most users would find the lockout to be more of an annoyance as well. In the past, I would usually bypass the clutch/brake and seat shutoff sensors but as I am getting older and seemingly more scatter brained and forgetful, I no longer disable them. I seem to need any help I can get to keep myself and my things safe and uninjured! These days, I could see myself hitting the starter with the mower in gear and running it into my car or something else in the mower’s path!
Nice mod and I see your point. I can't remember what other riders I've had, that used that feature, but I would do the same as you.
I agree with you. I don't sell anything that isn't working exactly as it was designed to from the factory. I won't sell anything that could potentially be unsafe or unreliable.
I know what you mean. Just too risky.
I think for a few of these modifications were similar to yours I did the battery one for the electric start mower using the drill that one turned out good and then I also did the drilling out of the plastic Briggs carb and that one turned out pretty good as well. Sold both of those mowers and the customers are still happy now..
you got it, sometimes these mods are needed to get stuff to work. And in your case it worked out great!
I agree with you 100% I keep my mowers till they go to the scrap yard the only modification I've done is the the brake cable it works I put a off and on switch so I can shut it off when I want to shut it off and when I'm mowing the grass I'm trying to hold on to that handle that it don't die on me and usually I'm losing grip because of you know as I'm walking I'm still having problems with my knees so I concentrate on trying to keep myself from falling I didn't want to mower to keep dying so I got to keep pulling on it my shoulders are bad I'm a mess but I got a battery rated I have a Briggs just like yours you're showing and it didn't come with the key but I had the wires there and I jumped it and sure enough that thing started right up it was used and I don't mind used cuz we had a brand new Toro and the flywheel had a crack in it I didn't see it right away but the flywheel kept coming loose second time tightening it the motor started knocking like crazy and it was over thing was only 2 years old the wife don't like sending in the warranties on them I'm just going to put a Harbor Freight motor on there or get another Briggs & Stratton motor put on there anyways thank you for the video
thank you for letting us know and I know what you mean about injuries. For me I just use a strap to keep the brake handle down, while I try not to trip in the yard.
TY for Sharing
Thanks for watching!
I do the same thing you do as a side hustle. I never sell a mower with a bypassed safety part. I have left a perfectly good mower sitting for half a summer waiting on a side chute to come in on another junk mower. When I do repair work, which is not often, I go so far as to write invoices with the recommendations that safety devices be replaced. I then make them sign and acknowledge that they have denied the recommendation. My neighbor had to pay a guy for a ding that his mower put in the guy's car. I had recommended to him that he might put the cover back on his mower because of flying debris. Any number of things could be tied back to the guy that repaired and sold the mower. Fastest way to NOT make any extra money is make a huge liability payout
you got that right. Funny story, I broke a neighbors window when I was mowing the wooded area behind their home. They're now my friends.
I usually only increase the idle jet. Both jets work on high throttle, If the engine is surging I open up the idle jet only one or two mini drill sizes. The EPA has lots of small engines running way to lean causing issues at different altitudes. The old adjustable carbs are by far the best. Thanks for the video.
you got that right, I wish the adjustable would make a comeback. Thank you!
The idle jet only works at idle and part throttle, that is why it is called the idle jet. The main takes over about 1/8 throttle opening .
@@MUUKOW3 You are totally wrong, the idle jet lets some fuel in when the engine is at more than idle speed. That is some of the cause for surging at high engine speeds. The idle or low speed jets helps to prevent that.
@watermanone7567 No I am not wrong,If I could I would post the that actual factory service manuals . When the engine is running no load at full throttle the throttle plate is barely open so if the idle jet is plugged you will get a surge. Run it at full throttle under load even with a completely plugged idle the surge will go away. If it is surging under full load then have something in the main jet an air leak or something else going on . Drilling the jet is just a bandaid covering up the actual problem .
@@MUUKOW3 Yes you are wrong, I have had a small engine shop for over 50 yrs. You better check you facts.
On my snowblowers and mowers I try to add a fuel filter and shutoff if there is room. I mow 4 acres with a CC 46 inch rider towing two push mowers behind it to give me a 74 inch cutting path. I Have all the discharge openings on the tows bungyed open. Then for close in mowing I uncouple the tows for a 46 in cut.
nice, is your Cub an older one or newer?
@@INSIDEHOUSEGARAGE a 2020 model - hopefully I can get 10 years out of it
thank you for sharing that
A few times, yes. I've drilled out the low speed jet on a Tecumseh carburetor to make it stop surging. It's not recommended, but was a last resort. Almost every mower I flip needs a new trailing shield. Most are easy to change, with the exception of older MTD models with the hinge clips.
thank you for your honesty. If it make it work better, I'm cool with it.
I have a Troy Bilt Pony with a seat switch that is a pain, so I opened it up and stuck a piece of plastic in it to bypass it. It is not even permanent though. I generally like to leave things the way they are intended to be.
I know what you mean, I think it's just easier than trying to "re-engineer it." I've done the same too. Hopefully I don't fall off the mower.
There's a big difference between what I might do to my own mower and what I would be willing to send someone else home with.
you took the words right out of my mouth
6:23
Yeah, I nearly had just 1 eye left this way:
I was using a friend’s weedwacker and he took of the guard, while using it a flat rock was kicked up and luckily it hit my face flying upright instead of flat because the shape of the rock upright made it be to big to hit my eye, my eye socket caught it so I was just a few 10th of a millimetre away from losing an eye. If that rock was flying on its flat side or was any smaller I’d now look like a pirate😂
Also I don’t really do modifications to anything but chainsaws. I’m planning on buying a Stihl ms462 if I have enough money and then I want to put a full wrap on it, a barkbox, air filter upgrade, aftermarket dogs (probably from west coast saw), a west coast saw clutch cover, west coast saw faller’s suspension kit and port it
So yeah, I’ll leave everything stock except for a chainsaw… those will be more after market than stock with me😂
I would probably just start with a better saw! Good idea to have some goggles with no guard.
@ a better saw than a stihl??? Well, I’ll be out on a life long quest to find that now…
@Wannabearborist Yes there are ! The Dolmar Makita 7900p will dust that thing is built better ,not a bunch of plastic . If you can find an old Shindaiwa 757 we had those running 13,000 on the tach for competition cutting . The older big Huskies they sound like a dirt bike at idle and have tons of bottom end don't have to wind it up to start cutting .While not practical my alcohol burning Mac 101 ported and polished with a Tillotson pumper eats Oak trees like they are for twigs.
nice, I respect your honest. And besides I have faith you know what you're doing.
@@MUUKOW3 well, that bunch of plastic makes the saw lighter which is a damn nice advantage because I’ll be using it as an arborist. I’ll be clipping it to my harness and climbing with it
Also I have an old saw and I love it… it is however a lot harder to find parts for it and seeing as the chainbrake and top handle are about the only plastic on it it’s heavy.
I als won’t buy husqvarna any time soon anymore after them c-*ts scammed me.
The ms462 is a great saw, plenty of power, plenty of spare parts and plenty of aftermarket support.
Old saws need way more improvising to have aftermarket for, you have to find someone who can make mufflers if you want to upgrade that, same for full wraps, dogs and stuff like air filters and suspension on the saw you can forget it to upgrade. Also I don’t want to do permanent modification to old saws as that just feels wrong.
I’ll stick to stihl for my saws and hopefully eventually an echo 2511t
I recently picked up a parts machine with a Briggs flat head. I picked it up assuming the engine was bad since it was missing a lot of parts. When I turned the engine by hand, it turns freely and has some compression, but not as much as it should. I think it is probably a good runner for the parts stash, but needs a valve adjustment, and I have no idea what the clearances on this particular engine are supposed to be since I have never dealt with this particular engine before. It is a 1998 model #12H802-2675-B1. Do you know what the clearances are for this engine?
I recently picked up a Troy Bilt edger on Marketplace for a couple of bucks. It is not in bad shape overall, but for some reason, the axles are terribly rusted, and all three drive wheels are completely seized. I've never seen an axle rust like this, so I have no clue what it has been exposed to. The axles look like they sat in salt water for about 50 years. They are completely covered in thick scale. Have you ever seen anything like that? Do you have any tips for getting them off without causing further damage to the rest of the machine?
no I've never seen anything that bad before. If It was mine, I would take off the wheels and use a wire wheel to take of the scale and rust. I'm sure there's a better way, but i wouldn't know it.
If I owned a mower without a fuel shutoff - I would always install one on the gas line. Not sure why you don't.
I need to address this question in a video but the short answer is, even if I install one, the next person who owns it will never ever use it.
@@INSIDEHOUSEGARAGE Informing them why should improve that. Most people want to own a mower that will last them a while without issues.
totally agree.
Not everyone removes the head guard on the whipper snipper sometimes they break off from old age or cheap shit plastic i know because ive had a couple of whipper snippers do it
ah,.. you're right about that
Im not really a permanent modification guy, but if the mower runs and does not need anything needed, no mods are needed, but i get it for some people who want to mulch the grass say the toro yards machine with briggs engine or whatever mower (this does not include the bigger self propeled push mower with both mulch and discharge, etc). But bypassing the brake on the fly wheel? Well, two things. 1. You would be running the mower out of fuel without holding the handle down and just walk away from the mower as it runs out of fuel. 2. You would hold it down with i dont know a clamper but i know how hard those are to use so i guess there would be a reason to bypass the flywheel brake. (Sorry for this being a long commet, im just an expert on this too much..)
not a problem thanks for the information
Most of the items mentioned here are safety items. I MIGHT buy something that missing a safety item, but only if the part were cheap, as I don't operate my equipment w/o all the safety equipment. I bought a simple mower w/o the rock guard, which I replaced for $17. There's too much willingness to sue these days, and I don't need a rock going through someone's window, windshield, or worse yet, body part.
you said it, "I'll sue for damages" is thrown around a lot.
Me personally i like having a sheild on my trimmer, without it, it looks odd imo. The only thing ive modified iis i put zerks on my deck spindles because it didnt have any from the factory. Other than that i really dont like messing with my stuff if its running properly. (Like they say... If its not broke then dont fix it) Just my 2 sense
I like your approach!
Some of those changes can be a bad idea to do lawn care equipment
I feel the same way
@@INSIDEHOUSEGARAGE okay 👌
Something I really hate that people modify is the chain brake on chainsaws. I recently picked up a few old Stihl 028 Super AV chainsaws from a friend to rebuild and unfortunately one of them has the chain brake mechanism disabled. The chain brake handle is still there but all the springs and clutch band are gone. I find it super hard for anyone to justify removing the chain brake as chainsaws are already dangerous enough and even professional chainsaw users I know have been saved by the chain brake more than a few times. It's silly someone would remove it since its build into the saw and it's in no way in the way of operating anything with the saw...
ah, I forgot about chainsaw, thank you for bringing that up
Some saws are so old they never had a chain break lol
Mine is so old it doesn't
I know right, kinda insane to think about
I grew with mowers before the nanny state and devolution of human common sense. Having the engine shut off everytime you let go is a pain ,I definitely prefer blade brake or disarmed mowers. Other things like upgraded bearings or welding handles that get sloppy on cheap mowers. I cut the front off of a cheap mower to make it a brush hog and used some flat bar for the blade ,thing worked awesome. If you just start out with a good quality machine one doesn't really to change much ever But sometimes you gotta make do with what you got and unleash the creativity and I have seen plenty over the years good and bad!
very good point, and for me, I use a strap to hold down the brake handle, so it's very temporary for sure.
@INSIDEHOUSEGARAGE Then because of emissions some of new mowers didn't even throttles so can't idle it down if you do clamp the handle.
I know what you mean, luckily high end Honda's still have a throttle
This is a very confusing video. The video does not go along with the commentary.
thanks for realizing it. You also missed the part about the link.
He's just using this video as kinda a back drop while he talks of modifying equipment. He has already done a repair video on that craftsman mower. This video wasn't a repair video