Thanks for Watching! Find a link to all of my "Must Have", Favorite Tools HERE!! www.amazon.com/shop/chickanic?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_aipsfshop_aipsfchickanic_9ERPFPBNGQ924P8NS63B
I repair all my own small engine equipment but I love your channel for it's honesty and integrity and true educational value. I watch every video. Thanks for the valuable content.
I feel you on the reopening reluctantly! I closed my business "officially" July first, 2014. Even today, I STILL have three customers that won't let anyone else work on their equipment. I keep telling them I'm retired, but they just won't hear it. I guess it says something when your customers won't leave. Glad you can keep your guys working.
Wow what a life / channel / shop closure, parts inventory, troubleshooter, RU-vidr, labourer, mechanic and wife, etc. Love th information you provide. Thanks
I love those weed eaters and they will out last most residential mowers and very simple to work on. I acquired a few of them because of the high and low throttle spring lever on the front that customers are not aware of and returned them to the store because of low rpm.
I'm in love! Got a Chickanic fix today. Would bring to you all my yard equipment 'cept 1900 miles away, and everything runs great thanks to your advice and clean treated fuel. Treated fuel is king!
Good to see you back up and running on your terms. Being local, small and reliable is the sort of business that so often fades in the community. So good to see you prepared to offer your community great service.
You are an amazing mechanic, love this Chickanic RU-vid channel! Wishing you and your family all the best on this new reopening. I am sure you have made a lot of your trusted costumers very happy. I've learned so much watching Chickanic.
Glad your back, I’ve learned so much from you the last year or so I’ve been in the mechanic world for over 50 years (school bus) your fresh ideas are awesome THANK YOU SO MUCH
A quick reminder or FYI for new pressure washer users, unless the manual specifies otherwise, always have supply water pressure on when running the engine, and two, never let it run more than a minute or two (whatever manual warns against) without pulling on the wand trigger a while to let water flow thru the whole system. If you don’t do that, the pump will overheat and burn up just sitting there while running. (The pump needs the trigger to be pulled to get the full cooling effect of the water flowing thru.)
…and don’t let your neighbor borrow it…because no matter how clear you are when you explain that to him, he sure as hell won’t do it and will burn your pump for you!
@@gangiolini6201 Agreed 100%. I NEVER lend out my mechanised gear. I always tell people that I'll be happy to help with my stuff, but never lend it out. I know that means that I'll end up doing 90% of the work, BUT if my gear fails, it's my fault and no-one else. My neighbours are then happy and I'll have done my neighbourly bit. It also avoids the thing that Bre shows so often, where a homeowner doesn't use his small-engine gear often enough to keep it working properly. As a retired person, I also need the physical exercise, so that's a bonus.
Congratulations on being back in business. A dozen or more years ago I stopped at a Saturday Farmer's market on a road trip where a guy had a trailer with customer equipment on it. Apparently people dropped it off one week picked it up the next week (or later). He would have been there for the time it was open and was where people were going to be anyway
For the fuel tank, CRC Evapo Rust, It works great and you just pour it back into the container when you are done and use it again on the next rusted metal item that you want to clean up. I paid $27 for a gallon and still have the gallon after 10 old neglected Stanly hand planes and lots of other old tools. Unlike Naval Jelly they did not re-rust or even flash rust after cleaning.
Good for you! You're a smart small business owner who will survive. You're open to change and new opportunities and choosing what's best based on your knowledge and experience.
Realy glad to see you back in business,although I live over in England,I find your advice very helpfull,I look after the grounds of our working man's boatyard,so I am pretty busy with strimmers and hedge cutters,best wishes to you and wishing your every success for the future
I just happened upon your channel and I am very happy you are back. (Saw the one that you were closing your shop). Not enough hours in the day to absorb your knowledge, thank goodness we can watch the videos over and over. Learning a lot! Keep it up. Thank you.
I heard you mention Lawnboy.... I have a 35 year old Commercial Lawnboy walk behind mower in my garage. It is a beautiful Green machine with the Bright Orange 1 gallon fuel tank. What do you think it would be worth today? Thank you for your great videos... I have learned so much.
Man, I'd kill to find an old bare bones Snapper like that! I mowed soooo many lawns in high school using simple, basic mowers like that, and I absolutely love them! Especially with that old Briggs and Stratton engines that are what? Maybe 3, 3.5 hp? But plenty powerful enough to cut mountains of grass when the whole mower (engine included) is probably no more than 30 or 40 pounds. I would love to find a shop like yours near me. I'd be in there every week looking for another old toy to pick up!
With the fuel tank, I had a piece of equipment that I could not get a tank for that we need to re-power muriatic acid and sloshing around in the tank, cleaned the tank, made it like brand new.
Thrilled for you. People will always seek out honest hard working technicians. You provide a great service. Customers know you are fair and honest. I am a loyal viewer for the same reason. Very pleased for your success. Best Wishes
If you ever did warranty work for a big box store you wouldn’t do it again, good decision keep it local and build relationships. Good to see things working out Bre. Cheers.
On your Predator Powered inverter ,try adjust both valves to near zero lash ! I had a brand new Predator doing the same BS,and I didn't want to return the thing ,I wanted to work with it! Some guys on a Predator Fan Page ,guys who build them and race them yadda yadda , they told me to try that !I did and it helped a lot! I checked the compression release on the cam was working but worked much better with the near zero lash. I had so many guys tell me the same thing I finally did it!
Fill the gas tank with white vinegar and let it set for a couple of days checking the status a couple of times a day. I had a 74 HD with silver dollar sized rust flakes in the tank and a friend told me to try this....the tank looks almost like new inside now.
The Weed Eater lawnmower made me smile. I have a 30 year old Weed Eater rototiller that I do my spring garden prep with every year using about one tank of fuel, and then it goes back in the shed to sleep for the rest of the year. I use a fuel preservative in the gas. It's always, every year without fail, started on the second pull and except for general maintenance, has never needed a repair. I'll probably will it to one of my kids.🙂
I have a home-based small engine near Jacksonville, FL. I average about 7-800 machines a year, but I primarily work on 2 stroke and 4mix equipment. I do all the repairs that the big shops won't do. It works well for me. With the equipment I also repair and sell I'm doing a bit over $100k net. Most of my work comes from a lawn pro group on Facebook. Lots of good guys there! I wish you the best in your transition. Can't beat the morning commute, lol!
Hi Bre, that revving concept you spoke of recently and again while working on the chainsaw really helped get my stihl yardboss tiller going well this year. Spring is coming very early for me (near Buffalo NY) and decided to risk it and get the gardens going in March. Thanks for the spring Revving tip
I had an 009. Worked great then died one day, I followed same process - fuel, spark and air for couple of days, finally brought a new MS180 and donated the 009 to our local dealer for parts. Never looked backed. Good luck with the reopening and I really enjoy your channel.
Congratulations young lady on getting your shop going again. So happy to hear you're doing well. Thank you for the information on the trimmers the Echo trimmers I took mine in and instead of getting it fixed I just got the part and I can fix it myself at home. The owners a friend of mine . They were overwhelmed with work and I needed my weed eater so I just got to park fix it myself no biggie. Thank you hun really appreciate it
More power to ya! I worked my way through High School and undergrad as a small engine mechanic, mowers, tillers, go carts etc. Now at 82 I get to watch. Thanks'!.
Nice to see you open back up. Working on that old chain saw with a case of "DEJAVUE" you are probably right. We always learn from mistakes but you gotta try. I love watching you bring back to life some old GOOD machines.
I live in a town of 100k people and we lack any sort of meaniful small engine repair shop. I would love to have a shop like your near me. On the bright side I have learned about how to repair my riding lawn mower. Thank you for putting the information out there.
Buddy, if you can fix your riding mower, you likely can fix other stuff. Maybe do a simple business where you outsource what you can't figure out and learn as you go?
It brings a tear to my eye seeing your parts inventory… been there, done that.. I had many doubles that I knew I would eventually use, when I didn’t, I made A lot of friends very happy. So happy ur happy again. THANKS
My dad taught me how to work on engines! One of his quotes was to tell if it's fire, whether it's the gas is a genius. Several possibilities, I would check the wires next. You're close to figuring out the problem. Don't give up yet!
Have a leaf blower that did the same thing. It ohmed out good on the coil, though it was junk. Replaced it because it was a logical guess after everthing else i tried. Sure as a fly on food it was bad. After replacing it, it ran fine. Sometimes you just have to tke an educated guess to make things work. Then again that chainsaw may have other issues like bad crank seals leaking air in. Did you smoke test it.
So funny. Well, with some thanks to you I have become "The Lawnmower Guy" at church and I have been sourcing and fixing lawnmowers for different people. I was so busy, my John Deere 325 yard tractor was down for a couple of weeks and I finally got to it and it is back in service. Oh, did I mention I have a 1969 Starcraft boat with a 1969 65 Mercury 2 stroke? Very retro and a blast to run! BTW, for the 3 blade John Deere deck, do you have a favorite blade? Someone mentioned "Bad Boys" blades??? God Bless, see you soon!
your expertise well its amazing. at the end of last season i drained all my 2 stroke garden machines, pumped through neat 2 stroke oil. now at the start of the season they all fired up 1st time. thank you for the tip. Joe from Cornwall UK
Sounds like a good move, it makes your business very fluid. You could easily move to a shop front again if the desire was ever there in the future, without disrupting this setup at all.
I used to work for a shop that did warranty stuff for Lowe's (and a few others). It wasnt too terrible, but it also wasnt great. You didn't seem interested in doing Lowe's stuff, but most of the machines I saw in the background are box store items anyway. Given that that's the stuff coming in, I would think doing the Lowe's stuff would be a good way to get more of that business. As much as the box store stuff isn't particularly great, it's constant and pays the bills.
That's awesome you reopened your shop I know you probably kept busy but you and your husband have way to much knowledge of small engines to just stop so atleast your loyal yard care businesses and loyal customers you know and serviced for years can still depend on you to keep them up and running!
That's how I've run my small computer support business for 12 years and wouldn't change that. In home and remote support only. Glad you're staying in the game!
It's amazing when you pull all the inventory out of a building. I had a 25 yr career with NAPA and relocated more parts stores than i can count. The nooks and crannies of a store that's been in business for years holds a TON of accumulated "treasures"
White vinegar will clean the rust out of a gas tank. It does take a few days. And you will want to keep flushing it out every day. But works really good.
