the first thing I do is yank them guard covers off .. of all my lawn mowers .. my Ferris zero turns ..snappers and everything in between .. and I always clean and inspect the belts spindles idlers for heat buildup and play since I'm already down there cleaning it out anyway after each use ..and I checked the hydro pump fan covers and the little spinny flywheel mesh cover on the engine for debris blockage especial if I've been out mulching leaves and if it has a guard cover over the top of it I take that thing off as well as it's just another debris trap that will burn your engine up in a hurry (most common causes metal transfer between the Valves & valve guides causing them to stick open) and it definitely doesn't hurt to pull the shroud off the motor and clean out the heads especially those oil coolers they can look Fairly clean at a glance but actually be stopped up tight ... On my Ferris 3200 after just about 8 hours use the thing requires 70 pumps per spindle x3 both hands are cramping after that but it beats having to buy $400 spindles x3 that would be twelve hundred smackeroos down the drain plus time aggravation and them taxes
I leave the covers off my Cub Cadet. And don't go cheap on the spindles. I did that once and it was complete trouble. Great little tractors, though. I bought mine used four years ago and I have worked it hard. If you take care of it and feed it good gas, they will treat you right.
Have the same model for about 8 years with very few problems. I do oil changes and try to keep it clean. I have rough ground and moles as well. Lots of time sharpening blades! Having some ignition switch/starting issues right now. YT videos discuss its really is the solenoid not battery or switch. I'm going to order both to have them on hand.
Hey hands on Man,have you seen the latest supreme court ruling vote 9 to 0 to let the IRS look at your bank account without telling you ,might be a good topic to inform your viewers.
Long gone are the days where you could grease and maintain your own equipment. I think things are made to be broken so we can all go to the “Parts Store”.