Outsmarting Broken Stuff

To fix anything in you home, you first need to know what it is supposed to do. That makes sense.

Back in the 1980s and '90s, my Dad used to say that he believed 1/3 of our parts business was generated by old mowers that one neighbor sold or gave away to another. The new owner would then be willing to invest $100 or $200 toward fixing it up, putting a new seat on it, or having the engine tuned up and the belts and blades replaced. I used to chuckle every time he said that, and he said it often. But I think his statement is still very valid.* Penetrating oil lubricates as well as reduces and cleans corrosion from metal parts.Translation: the willingness to at least try, to take a risk, to give it your absolute best shot. When I recommend someone in those terms, a light goes on for the prospective employer.But put these magnificent creatures in an enclosure in a zoo surrounded by just a three-foot wall, and they will not jump over the wall--if they cannot see where their feet will land. They will be killed rather than risk the unknown.* Graphite powder and spray is a fine powder lubricant (sometimes in a base of light oil) for lubricating locks, bearings, and other very small parts.Initiative is not a promise of perfect results. Sometimes, it results in failure. Sometimes, it results in a satisfactory but not remarkable outcome. Other times, the effort ends in a great success.* Lithium grease is a petroleum-based grease with lithium powder in it to enhance lubrication of larger moving parts such as automotive gears.The upside is that hopefully these real "shade-tree mechanics" are buying parts and engines from some of our customers--authorized service centers and contracted OPE dealers just like you. Long term, putting these recycled mowers back in use, creates future parts and service business for us all.* Silicon spray is a multipurpose product that lubricates, waterproofs, and reduces corrosion.An employee who can step up to the plate three runs down in the bottom of the ninth with bases loaded and two outs, and envision a grand slam instead of a pop fly is the kind of player I want on my team. That employee will wait for just the right pitch and send it over the fence.Maximizing Trade-in Value. Emmett says that keeping equipment too long will accentuate downtime and affect performance, something that can be avoided by trading in equipment every few years. "Many of our (professional) customers rotate equipment every three years," he relates. "Assuming they put on an average of 600 hours of mowing a year, they would be replacing the mower before that first large engine repair bill."

What about all the new gadgets coming on the market every day? Most really aren't new; they are new-and-improved versions of things that have been around for many years. For example, the new DVD/CD players are simply hybrid gadgets that use electricity to do mechanical things. Think of household things by their basic function and you can easily troubleshoot and fix them. You can outsmart broken stuff -- and save some money.

Author: Dan Ramsey