21 replies to this topic

[Bolens 1000]

Like it or not we as consumers are to blame for the ''Cheap" stuff made today, manufactures will make what they are forced into with the EPA regulations hence (Non adjustable carbs) and will then make and cater to what the average consumer wants (Cheap as possible equipment)

 

Any of these manufactures could bust out a classic garden tractor again but who is going to buy it when it costs $7,000 dollars, The average consumer dosent even want to pay $600 for a lowes special,  dont forget with inflation our beloved Bolens were just as expensive as a car was back in the 60's, it was an investment you made and something you were proud of and took care of , today the average consumer considers owning a mower a nuisance and will put little to no money in the machine until it breaks and they buy a new one, most push mowers never get their oil changed!  In the small engine world parts will always add up to more than what a whole engine costs its just a fact, any engine you buy would cost more to buy it piece by piece instead of whole its just they way it is.

 

Having a lousy economy dosent help much either but thats all I'll say about that

 

My .02

[29 Chev]

You could check and see how bad the holes in the old tank are and whether it can be repaired with modern day products - one of the nice things about the market and progress is that items such as JB weld and red-kote are now available at a reasonable price to repair what was once considered unrepairable in my opinion.  If the original tank can not be repaired and you cannot find a good used one then you could probably make a new one out of sheet metal and solder it together using the original as a pattern - you could probably reuse the filler opening and the fittings from the original.  A good metal working fabrication shop that makes ventilation ducting could probably bend up the pieces for you or a high school tech shop might help you out by making it a class project for a small donation - just some suggestions.  

[ClassicBolens]

Unfortunately this is the norm throughout the the small engine and power equipment industry from all brands of equipment. We are a throw away society in a mass consumable market. Nearly everything manufactured today is built with planned obsolescence. Sadly, it will continue to be this way. Even as collectors and enthusiasts, we are a dying breed. As even our own community here places lower and lower values on our beloved old tractors and equipment, it becomes difficult to convince people to put money into replacement parts to keep them going. The less parts sell, the demand goes down and the price goes up, until each part is ultimately discontinued. Many will simply go down to the box store and buy a $700 POS and put it on their credit card. It will break down in 1-3 seasons of use and they'll have to do it again (even though they haven't paid off the first one yet). The manufacturers know this and bank on it. 

[Bolens 1000]

I may have found a brand new tank for you, will let you know when I get it in

Should be in the $100-$150 range

[MailmAn]

I may have found a brand new tank for you, will let you know when I get it in

Should be in the $100-$150 range

 

How did you manage to find that?    I was just going to ask if you ended up having any luck with this at all or not.

[Bolens 1000]

Here's the tank, probably will need to be painted, they are "Take offs" which means they have never been used or have gas in them but were installed on a complete engine, then removed if a customer needed a different tank for the engine they bought new or engines that never sold.

 

Send me a PM if interested

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[MailmAn]

Change it now!  You should not trust old oil in an engine.  Do an oil change immediately when getting an engine.  It is cheap insurance.  It does sound like you may have a leaking head gasket.  Keep an eye on it for a while.  Use Marvel in your gas.  Good Luck, Rick.

 

Well, I do regret not changing it earlier, especially before I already ran it once this year to knock down some very tall grass and weeds with it.  In retrospect, I REALLY should have put some fresh oil in it before making it work under an extremely heavy load to mow tall, thick grass.  But, it managed to survive the one day abuse I put it through and then was rewarded with a fresh oil change for its troubles!

 

I WAS going to post the pictures of the oil change here, but I thought I should make its own post for it just in case anyone else might find the information useful. That way they won't end up having to hunt through tons of posts in a thread to find it and it will be in its own separate thread.  Pretty thoughtful of me, right?

 

Here is the link to the other thread:  http://gardentractor...e-keeper-ek-10/