What I Learned From Fixing My Lawn Mower

by Michael Hamline, Editor / Published July 2016

Growing up, I was never much of the handyman type. I didn’t derive satisfaction in taking machines apart to figure out how they worked and then putting them back together. However, I recently caught a taste of why such an experience can be so satisfying when I fixed my lawn mower.

The lawn mower in question was purchased in the summer of 2014, and had been used only once or twice in 2015 for reasons that would take too long to detail here. When I went to start it up this spring, I found that it would barely turn over. I replaced the air filter and spark plug, but it still wouldn’t start. Finally, I talked to a friend who told me that fuel had probably been left in it and that it had caused the carburetor to get gunked up. I looked my particular engine model up online and found a YouTube tutorial that showed me how to get to my carburetor and clean it. I followed the process, cleaned my carburetor, put the mower back together, and fired it up on the third try. It has worked great the last two times I’ve used it, and it taught me some valuable lessons that I believe translate over into the world of pressure washing.

First, it taught me to care for my equipment. Obviously my mower wouldn’t work because I had left fuel in it for a long period of time. Maintain your equipment because your livelihood depends on it. Second, it taught me the value of education. The guy I followed on the YouTube video was easy to follow—remember I am not the handyman type—and gave clear instructions. So if you are going to be in the service department for a pressure washer distributor, take the time to learn the equipment, how it works together, how to troubleshoot problems, and how to explain it to the customer. Notice, I did not say that you need to provide a step-by-step process of how you fixed the problem or create a YouTube video so that someone can skip out on paying you to service their machine. Finally, it taught me to be thankful for those who repair equipment like lawn mowers and pressure washers and to realize that those who excel in servicing equipment are worth their weight in gold and should be compensated well for their services.

Michael Hamline
michael@adpub.com
(800) 525-7038