Well, it snowed about a foot the other day, and me and my grandson had to get the snow blower out. Now, during the summer I start it once in a while, and it will start on the first couple pulls always. It's an older Craftsman track drive 5HP Tecumseh, and I love those engines, they start better than anything out there. Well, when we started to blow some serious snow, it would run about 5 minutes and stop, like starving for gas. No amount of adjusting would make any difference. Then I thought, smart me, I have a new carb on hand just for these kinds of breakdowns. So we tear into it, get the carb almost on and the wrench slips and breaks the pot metal fuel inlet like it's made of glass. )(*)$%*#)%*, so we remove it, and drill it out. It had a 90 degree inlet, but I didn't have anything to replace it with, the old carb has a different type of inlet, )*)*W0t5, now I find a brass hose barb the right size and we JB weld it in place, but it's straight and fuel line won't go on it. %@%@, now I run a silicone line all around the outside of the engine to the carb. Go to hook up the primer bulb and the hose is rotted, ))*)*R)#54, now we rig up a makeshift primer. Now we can't get the cover over the carb, *)&&_)(*, now I have to remove the safety key switch to run it. We start it up and it's running great now, and we give it a try, and )*_)(*&_), the right hand turn cable breaks, We rig up a bicycle brake cable to use and it works.
Now, with our "baling twine and duct tape" fixes on this thing we set out to do a dozen driveways and back alleys for our neighbors and church family all over town. Not a single hiccup in the whole rest of the two days we blew snow. It looks crazy, but it works like a charm, and we made a lot of peoples days. We had a great time and did some good too. Funny how things can work out. I ordered a new carb, and linkages, a new fuel tank as the old one is starting to get brittle and crack, some new cables, etc, so if it snows in a couple weeks, this thing is going to be in first class condition.
Now, with our "baling twine and duct tape" fixes on this thing we set out to do a dozen driveways and back alleys for our neighbors and church family all over town. Not a single hiccup in the whole rest of the two days we blew snow. It looks crazy, but it works like a charm, and we made a lot of peoples days. We had a great time and did some good too. Funny how things can work out. I ordered a new carb, and linkages, a new fuel tank as the old one is starting to get brittle and crack, some new cables, etc, so if it snows in a couple weeks, this thing is going to be in first class condition.
