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

OK, so I was walking the dog about a block from my house when I stumbled upon a craftsman 10.5/29 model C950-52820-0, s/n 004199   9004 in excellent condition. It was sitting at the end of the driveway with a "to give away" sign on it, also saying the the speed control didn't work.
Needless to say I wheeled it home in a flash. Popped off the bottom service cover, & low & behold, the friction disk & drive plate were covered with oil. A bit of brake cleaner & 10 minutes later everything seems to be fine.

Question 1 is should I feel guilty about keeping  the machine?

Question 2 is where can I find a manual for it (kinda answers question 1)

Cheers

Paul7 wrote:

Really?  I didn't know he bought a Husqvarna, the kind with the hydrostatic drive by Hydro Gear, same as a Craftsman. 

I thought he bought a new Sno-Tek 28".

FrankMA wrote:

I'm sure if you dig hard enough, you'll find posts from 2004 from people that hasn't been active in years that has information on hydroelastic magneto emulsifier drive.  Search is your friend. 

It's quite simple actually, you just think how fast you want to go, the machine responds.  No levers, cables, nothing.  If you want it to crawl at 2.5423632 centimeter per hour, just project your thought into the hypersuperminimacro dyslexic hypnotic transducer, and off it goes. 

There's just one catch, if you have dirty thoughts, your snowblower automatically heads towards the gutter as default safety maneuver. 

aa335 wrote:

I'm not sure, but I don't think you're taking my question seriously. I don't think there is such a thing as a hypersuperminimacro dyslexic hypnotic transducer???

FrankMA wrote:

There is if you're from NJ.

FrankMA wrote:

Sorry FrankMA.   That's what Leonard Nimoy told me on "How it Works". 

aa335 wrote:
Well that's different - It all makes sense to me now!

I do not know exactly how a Hhdroststic drive works but I think it has a variable pitch pump. I did hava a 1963 toro single stage. It had a 2 dog clutches.  Chain drive for wheels and auger. The faster you rev it up the faster it will go. Full speed you have to jog to keep up with it.

Um well, getting back to the OP question:

The first owner did not avail himself of the knowledge needed to care for his machine. Or he simply doesn't care enough to do proper maintenance. Either way, the machine had a short service life under his ownership -- entirely due to his own negligence. Some guys simply don't understand machines, neglect them and then usually complain that they are "junk". I'd bet that his lawn mower, car and appliances are in no better shape. His need to buy another snowblower is the natural consequence of his behavior.

You on the other hand, have provided for yourself the knowledge and aptitude to repair the machine and now possession of a functioning snowblower is the natural consequence of your behavior. If he should see you using "his" old snowblower, he has no grievance. (If the cost is unimportant to him, he may even feel good that he has helped a neighbor.) 

Let's say you return the snowblower to him. The neglect cycle will begin again. If you really want to be a helpful neighbor, teach him how to maintain the machine, when you bring it back. Otherwise, he has given you the snowblower, free and clear.

However, had the neighbor been a female without much direct male support (older, or single mom) then you should certainly return it, and perhaps offer to maintain it for her as well.

The manual might be available on MTD's website.

samdog wrote:
My sister-in-law, who's the service manager at a Ford dealership in W. Pennsylvania, might disagree with your generalizations.

"My sister-in-law, who's the service manager at a Ford dealership in W. Pennsylvania, might disagree with your generalizations."

She might disagree but in reality, women with mechanical training and ability are far and few between.  

Not saying they're incapable.  Not at all.  It's just that our society has not directed female education toward mechanical fields until recently.   Even with the opening of historically male dominated fields to women, you don't see great numbers of women training to be mechanics.   Most women simply aren't interested in it.  Those who are, become very competent at what they do and will have my respect if and when I come across one.   However, I can say with full confidence that I will be wrenching for far more women before I find one who will be slinging her own tools.