Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

Hi I have been thinking about  taking a Small Engine corispondance corse. does any body  have any input on this?  are they worth the money and if so what is the best  one

  i think it would be a good idea.  ive been wtrenching on small engines for 8 yrs.  i was the last class to finish up at our local vo-tech.    employers want to know they are actually getting what they are paying for.  some shops up here in minnesota actually have you come in for a week and show them you know what you are about.  like ive said ive been doing this for 8 years.  there are two mechanics in our shop. weve tried to hire more but the cant seem to grasp anything.  the last thing i need to do is to babysit the new guy.    the last two hire said the worked on stuff,  boom the got hired.  within a week the could not diagnose valve problems from carb problems.  i said the are the valves.  do a valve job.  i got from him       how do you do that.   the end of his employment.       so    yes if you get a  chance take a course or two,  it will only help  never hinder you. 

Thank you both for your reply's I am 61 and was thinking It would be a good idea just to make some extra money.  I have allways enjoyed tinkering with engines. I have never been a mechanic but like the challange of seeing if I could get something running again. So I guess I will take the course, you are never too old to learn something new. Thank's again.

A course could be useful even if not so great. It shoud have a set of materials and study guides to organize the topics. You'll get you a background in various areas of small engines and become aware of things that a seat of the pants approach won't cover. For example most tinkerors won't know about a needle valve seat. <BR> <BR> As a supplement for small engines there's some fantastic short video's on UTube about small engine rebuild and repair. Some are done professionally and others by guys at home. Some of the one's done by backyard guys are excellent. Many of the presentations are organized well and have great camera shots that track well with the dialogue. This morning I've been watching presentations on valves and the videos have been a great free tutorial.

Just stay away form that $400 + courses over the mail.. (the one that sells you motor to take a part and learn on)

Good Luck

Friiy