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Frequently asked questions
Servicing & Repairs
Common Issues
Advice
General Information
Robotic Lawnmowers
Although we service machines all year through the demand for our services is always high between February and May each year so early booking is advisable. The best time to service your machines is from November to January to ensure that your machinery is back with you in good time for the first cut of spring.
Collection is available for lawnmowers and garden tractors at a small extra charge within the local area, alternatively you can bring your mower to us anytime from 8.30 am - 5pm Monday to Saturday
We use a strict first come first serve system so depending on the amount of machines infront of yours it can take upto 2 weeks or so however if we are quiet we have been known to turn machines around in a day or two, obviously depending on the availability of required parts. In the busy season occasionally the waiting time can exceed our standard times however we will always advise you when booking in a machine.
Servicing does not repair a machine it is a preventative measure to prepare your machine for the work it needs to do and will reduce the amount of repairs that are required. Machinery can be very expensive and by servicing you are increasing the reliability of your garden equipment and it will last longer. Most new equipment has a warranty supplied by the manufacturer and part of the terms will require you to regularely service machines.
We always try and advise you of how much a repair could be however until your machine has been looked at by the workshop we can only give a best guess.
When a machine is not running correctly and not starting the approximate time taken can be from anything upto and above 1 hour to diagnose the issue also it could be repaired in 20 minutes so we take a £40 inspection fee when booking in your machine. We also offer to put a maximum spend limit should the repair be above your spend limit we then will stop work and no addition costs will be invoiced. The inspection fee will cover the work carried out by the workshop unless you have advised us to continue with the repair.
Fuel and Aspen
Fuel these days doesn’t last at all.
Most machines coming through are related to bad fuel and/or carburettor issues, so we
recommend Aspen fuels, which is an alkylate based petrol instead of ethanol.
1) Most Modern pump fuels now contain 10% ethanol which is very destructive to the fuel system your garden machinery. This increased to 10% in September 2021
2) Aspen Fuel is storage-stable for 5 years which means your machines start easier and perform better even after long periods of storage. The majority of garden machinery manufacturers recommend using regular unleaded petrol that is less than 30 days old.
3) Aspen Fuel is a superior quality fuel and contains 99% less harmful hydrocarbons.
We care about our service staff and our customers, so we always choose Aspen
4) Less emissions = better for the environment and a much more pleasant working environment
5) Aspen 2 is ready mixed with the highest quality 2-stroke oil resulting in optimum protection and machinery life for all your 2-stroke machinery
6) We advise you to incorporate a “filtered funnel” when pouring fuels into your machines to avoid foreign objects/debris being pulled through.
We strongly suggest that you use Aspen Fuel. However, should you wish to use regular “pump” fuel please ensure that you always use fresh petrol, preferably ethanol free (ask at petrol station sales desk). Please dispose of any “pump” fuel older than 30 days to avoid costly repairs and poor performance. If you choose not to use Aspen and have fresh fuel in your clean fuel container, we will highly recommend an Ethanol shield. It is a low maintenance, inexpensive option that we sell in store
We use Aspen with every service
Ride On Lawnmower:
1. If there is a grass box, make sure it is attached to the machine.
2. Ensure you are sat on the machine and that you have your foot depressed fully on the brake lever or ensure that the park is engaged.
3. Ensure the blades are not engaged.
4. Make sure you have fresh fuel in the tank.
5. Turn the key and you should be ready to go. Make sure you take the foot off the brake to engage blades without stalling.
6. If your machine has a choke, and for example, it is particularly cold, engage the choke to start your machine and once running, very slowly disengage.
7. ALWAYS Refer to your operator’s manual.
Power Drive Lawnmower:
1. If you have a fuel tap engine, make sure the fuel tap is on. This is often turned off in the workshop for safety reasons when the product is made.
2. If your machine has a choke, and for example, it is particularly cold, engage the choke to start your machine and once running, very slowly disengage.
3. Make sure you pull in the OPC leaver
4. You should then be good to go
Chainsaws and Hedge cutters (Fuel):
1. If there is a primer bulb, pump 5-6 times
2. Make sure the switch (if it has one) is switched to the “ON” position.
3. Make sure there is fuel in the machine
4. Ensure there is chain and bar oil on the machine
5. Engage the choke if there is one and pull machine 5-6 times on choke. If it does not run at this point, take off choke and pull 5-6 times again until it goes.
6. Make sure the chain brake is off and the machine should be ready to go
7. Always refer to your Operators manual.
Ride On starting Issues. How to start your machine when you haven’t used it for a while or just had it returning/collected.
1. If there is a grass box, make sure it is attached to the machine.
2. Ensure you are sat on the machine and that you have your foot depressed fully on the brake lever or ensure that the park is engaged.
3. Ensure the blades are not engaged.
4. Make sure you have fresh fuel in the tank.
5. Turn the key and you should be ready to go. Make sure you take the foot off the brake to engage blades without stalling.
6. If your machine has a choke, and for example, it is particularly cold, engage the choke to start your machine and once running, very slowly disengage.
7. ALWAYS Refer to your operator’s manual.
Lawnmower Starting Issues: How to start your machine when you haven’t used it for a while or just had it returning/collected.
1. If you have a fuel tap engine, make sure the fuel tap is on. This is often turned off in the workshop for safety reasons when the product is made.
2. If your machine has a choke, and for example, it is particularly cold, engage the choke to start your machine and once running, very slowly disengage.
3. Make sure you pull in the OPC leaver
4. You should then be good to go
Scrape off the grass stuck under your deck which will help against the rust that the grass could cause you later down the line.
Battery storage: During the winter periods keeping your batteries out in the cold can damage them. A car battery is different because they are used more frequently and daily, whereas a ride on mower or a lawn mower is only really used during the seasons as it is too cold or wet to cut any grass. The cells inside the battery deplete and will ensure the machine will not to start up, thus having to either trickle charge or having to spend on a new battery.
To prevent this from happening in winter months, disconnect the battery from your
machine and bring it inside, where it is warm and not able to cause any issues to your
machine. Over the winter period we recommend purchasing trickle chargers in case your battery either does not contain enough voltage or struggles to stay active. This way it ensures
you would not have to spend another 60/70 pounds for another battery, and you’ll be
able to keep it going for a longer period of time.
Damage to blades
Whilst cutting your grass, we recommend doing a walk around the garden to make sure no debris, toys or stones which could be harmful to your mower and ensure they are out of the way/cleared. Due to previous history of other people having their blades destroyed and or damaged while cutting their grass, it can destroy the blade boss which is what holds the blades in place or worse shatter your deck.
Belts
Is your grass too long to cut? Crazy question but the biggest complaint we get with ride on’s is that the belt slips off. This is nearly always due to cutting in the wet.
Always cut on the highest level first and work your way down. If it is too long, maybe strim first.
9 times out of 10 the belt coming off is from just overly long grass that your machine cannot handle but it can be an expensive fix
As a company, before any machines are booked in, we need to take a £40 inspection
fee. This is a non-negotiable term. This £40 inspection fee allows our workshop to do a
pre liminary inspection for 20 minutes to identify what is wrong with your machine.
We are often told by the customer that they know what is wrong with the machine, therefor they do not feel that they should pay an inspection fee.
Our technicians are trained to check all aspects of a safe and usable machine. This training takes a long time and alot of commitment from our technicians. Inspection fees are in place to ensure that they are able to do the best for you and your machine.
If the technician is able to repair your machine in this time, no further bill is payable however if there is more expertise needed, a techician will advise of the cost and take the inpspection fee off the final bill.
We would love to be able to offer this as a free service however you are paying for knowledge and experience.
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