Tractors, Mowers, Chippers, Trailers, Chainsaws, Generators, Driveway Erosion Control, ETC.

For fucks, sake!

Good thing I left the garage door open, I'd never get my swollen head thru a normal door.

As for the wheel, not yet. Fabrication is pretty easy for me.

Still got some bugs to work out in the key switch. Electrical issues is not so easy for me.

I just got the engine put back together yesterday and installed. Test ran it for 5 minutes and it quits! I'm thinking, "great. What else can go wrong with this pig?".

Turns out it was out of gas. I'd been test running it on 5 year old gas.

That makes a bad smelling exhaust!

It was nice to see the fuel injection didn't really care how old the fuel was.

 

I forgot to mention:

This mower has 2 tanks. I put 2 gallons in one tank and decide I should have fresh fuel in both.
Start pouring gas in the right side tank and gas is pouring out on the floor.

The bulkhead fitting at the bottom of the tank was bad. Grommet was split.

So, as you can imagine, this one will not be missed when I get it finished.

This happens to be the unit that I could not find correct bearings' for and ended up buying spindle assemblies.

 

The service life is really only 8-10 years any more.

 

They are good until they leak, might be a month or a decade.
Fortunately the elements are cheap.
Flush it regularly and keep an eye on it.

When I installed my new one I took the plastic drain valve off and replaced it with a copper pipe nipple and a 1" ball valve.

That setup moves some water.
I flush it every month or so.

 

I'll have to keep this idea in mind. I discovered mine is leaking and will need to be replaced soon. I've always hated the plastic drain valves for being too small and hard to drain.

 

Those plastic valves don't inspire confidence even when new and they can clog too

The ball valve is full port so nothing to clog, I added a fitting for a garden hose and keep a short hose handy tucked in by the heater.

I also have a brass cap on the garden hose fitting when not in use - just in case.

 

I haven't decided what I'm going to do yet. I initially was considering getting a tankless heater, but the power requirements are enormous. I would have to do some serious upgrades to my panel to handle one of those. I have a 1000 gal propane for my heater. So now, I'm considering running the gas line to convert to a propane water heater, putting in a 40 gal electric. I'm unsure if propane is worth the hassle, given the recent uptick in fuel prices. I've currently got an 80-gallon electric heater, which is wayyy oversized for my needs.

For Electric heaters, does anyone have an opinion on which brand is better: Rheem or A.O. Smith ??

 

I’ve had good luck with Bradford White but any good brand (one that makes there own products) will do.

 

State, Rheem, A.O. Smith, Reliance, Bradford White are all popular brands - I believe State and BW only sells through plumbing supply houses.

Really they are all a gamble, if the glass lining is good you have a long life heater, if it isn't you don't.

A longer warranty heater doesn't have any better lining than a cheaper one, it might have a better anode however.

If one was really proactive you can break the anode loose when the heater is brand new and tape the threads then pull it every year or two for an inspection.

2 or 3 people should be able to get along fine with a 30 gallon electric although a 40 is cheaper.

 

Can not recommend.

The bolt hole that you bolt the assembly to your crank is off by a few thousandths. Could not get bolt to thread into the crank.

I thought about borering the bolt hole a 16th bigger. Decided to just sent this one back and get an OX unit. I've used 6 of these and they all installed easily

and perfectly...plus OX sends you a cool sticker!

 

A propane unit came with the house, when it came replacing time I did the math, electric cost would have to double to match the propane operating cost.

Propane is brutally expensive here, I was paying almost $5/gallon 10 years ago. They always assured me "I was getting the middle rate" (water heating)

I said "oh good, there is one higher"...

 

yea this is the first time I removed the anode on this one and it was a real bitch to break loose. My drain was already brass so that’s a plus. Mines an AO smith

 

A O Smith has always been a quality brand.

Depending on the condition of the anode you can scrub it with some Scotch-Brite or replace it.

A longer anode protects better than a short one due to having more surface area.

 

Eh this ones toast I believe. The replacement one from the manual called for a 16” rod but the one I pulled out was longer so I’ll have to order a long one and just pull and swap in a few months or whenever if it lasts that long.

 

Note to self:

Back story:

I remove intact magnets from a Kawasaki flywheel and number them 1,2,3,4,5,6 clockwise.

Then I give my brother in law a Kohler flywheel to clean up and reglue in the Kawasaki magnets

He returned the repaired flywheel to me with the magnets glued in 6,5,4,3,2,1.
The stator will not produce proper voltage with the sequence reversed.

Hence, the 3rd time I took this engine apart.

I'm not gonna tell him they were backwards.

I slide him $50 to do the job to help with his confidence.

Battling the big "c" is really dragging him down.

It didn't really cost me anything.

 

Good on you, Mr. Kirk

 

Last night. Exactly in the box that I searched no less then 5 times. I actually moved the pack while looking for them. They were in a different type of package then I remembered them being in. Fuck me! I need something strong then bottled Arizona iced tea...

 

Glad it's not just me
I've learned that another important step is to make sure I throw away the receipt for the new thing I bought.

 

I had a similar experience with this brand's PTO for my deere riding mower. I ended up going to the dealer and buying OEM.

 

Damn, I didn't know anode's were even a thing, and I've replaced several water heaters over the years, I've also replaced just the heating elements a few times too.