Services · Small Engines

Mowers, generators, chainsaws, and pressure washers

Most small engines that won't start were put away with fuel in them. Ethanol gas turns to varnish in a couple of months, the carburetor gums up, and the whole thing is dead by spring. That's most of what I see, and it's usually fixable in an hour. The other big one is the generator nobody tested until the ice storm hit.

Straight talk on the money: for a cheap push mower, a $150 callout doesn't make sense, and I'll tell you that on the phone. Where it does make sense is riding mowers, zero-turns, generators, pressure washers, and anything you'd rather not lift into a truck. If you've got several things down, tell me, and I'll look at all of them in one trip.

Text (512) 980-4368 Call for emergencies

Texting is best — I'm usually mid-job and can't pick up. Stranded or an emergency? Call.

No fix, no fee diagnostics
Quoted price is the final price
12 mo / 12,000 mi parts & labor
I come to you

What it's doing, and what it usually is

The most common cause first. It's a guide, not a diagnosis. That's what the visit is for.

Won't start after sitting: Stale fuel and a gummed carburetor, nine times out of ten. Otherwise a plug or a fuel line that's gone hard.
Surges up and down at idle: The carburetor running lean, usually from a partly blocked jet. Sometimes the governor linkage.
Starts, then dies: A blocked fuel cap vent, a dirty carburetor, or on a mower the low-oil shutoff doing its job.
Smokes: It was tipped the wrong way, the oil is overfilled, or on an old one the rings are worn.
Pull cord won't pull, or kicks back: Something jammed in the blade, a hydrolocked cylinder, or a sheared flywheel key from hitting a stump.
Electric start just clicks: The battery or the starter solenoid. Riding mowers eat batteries like trucks do.
Generator runs but there's no power: A tripped breaker, a lost residual magnetism, or the voltage regulator. Worth finding out before the next outage, not during it.
Runs rough at full throttle: A partly blocked jet, a bad plug, or a blocked air filter. All quick.

What I do in your driveway

Carburettors cleaned, rebuilt, or replaced. Fuel lines, filters, and caps.
Plugs, air filters, and the once-a-year service nobody does.
Recoil starters, electric starters, batteries, and solenoids.
Belts, blades, spindles, and deck work on riding mowers and zero-turns.
Flywheel keys, governor adjustment, and oil changes.
Generators tested under load, and prepared for storage so they start next time.

How the money works

$150: Flat, to diagnose it. It's separate from the repair. If I can't find what's wrong, you don't pay it.
Quote: Before anything comes apart. The price I give you is the price you pay. If I find something else, I stop and ask you first.
12 / 12k: Months and miles, parts and labor. If the repair doesn't hold, I come back and fix it free.

Travel is free within 30 miles of Bastrop. Further out, there's a flat travel fee. The full warranty terms spell out what's covered.

Questions I get asked

How do I get my generator ready for storm season?

Run it under load for half an hour every couple of months, change the oil once a year, keep the fuel fresh or the tank empty, and keep a spare plug. If it hasn't run since last winter, call me now rather than the day the ice arrives, when everybody's calling.

Should I use ethanol-free gas?

In anything that sits between uses, yes. It's sold at several stations around the county, and it's the single biggest thing you can do to stop the carburetor problems that bring me out. Failing that, a fuel stabilizer in every can.

How should I store a mower or a saw over winter?

Either run it dry, or fill it with fresh fuel and stabilizer and run it a few minutes so the treated fuel is in the carburetor. Half a tank of untreated gas is the worst option, and it's the most common one.

Is it worth fixing?

For a riding mower, a zero-turn, a decent generator, or a good saw, almost always. For a bargain push mower, often not, and I'll say so before I come out. I'd rather you spend the money on a new one than on me.

Can you do the tractor while you're here?

Yes. Tractors, UTVs, and quads have their own page. One visit for everything that's down is the cheapest way to do it.

Often goes with this

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Let's look at the small engines

Flat $150 to diagnose it, and you get a price before anything gets taken apart. Mon–Fri 9am – 6pm.

Text (512) 980-4368 Book a diagnostic

Stranded or an emergency? Call (512) 980-4368 — for anything else, a text gets to me faster.