Joshua 24:15 ...but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
Joshua 24:15 ...but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
Q: Why are there certain brands of equipment you do not work on?
A. This particular type of business is a little different from other repair services such as automobiles where a guy can have a repair shop and have parts and service information available to him for all makes and models. This business is very dealer orientated. Meaning that if you are not a dealer for Brand X, you can not get OEM parts, service information or support for troubleshooting through a distributor. This makes it very difficult from a service standpoint to properly repair or service Brand X. Yes, there are some aftermarket parts available to dealers for lines they do not carry; however it is not a complete line. While some aftermarket parts may work fine, (ex. blades), it has been our experience that not all aftermarket parts are desirable for certain applications such as belts, blade spindles, air filters, etc. We also feel we can better serve our customers by specializing on certain manufactures and not trying to get into other brands that we can’t completely support just for the sake of trying to make a dollar.
Q. If I supply the parts for Brand X, will you work on it?
A. In some rare instances we will. Please keep in mind that we try to specialize on certain brands and while all equipment may work on the same principle, each manufacturer may do something different to accomplish it. From a service standpoint we prefer to have a working knowledge of the equipment we repair without having to guess at how something is done or how to repair it. There will be certain brands of equipment that we will not work on even if you do supply the parts.
Q. Why do I have to have model numbers to get parts?
A. That’s a very good question. As mentioned before, this business is a little different from other repair services like automotive. You go to the parts store, tell them you have a 1999 Ford Taurus and you want some brake pads. He hits a few keys on the computer and you have your parts. Most outdoor equipment manufacturers have their illustrated parts list set up by model numbers and not year of manufacturer, color, width of cut or anything else short of a model number. Some manufacturers have “quick reference” books which list pictures of parts and this will aid in locating some parts without a model number. These “quick reference” books are mainly for high use items such as air filters or blades and do not include all replacement parts. Trying to locate most parts without a model number is very time consuming and sometimes impossible depending on the part you need. Our parts are stocked by part number, so for instance if you need a spring, we don’t have a spring assortment that we can go to and pull one out. In addition, the model number and respective numbers that may follow tell several things about the equipment or engine it is associated with, such as the year of manufacturer, horsepower, series, etc.
Another thing to keep in mind is that usually on a piece of equipment there are two manufacturers, the equipment manufacturer and the engine manufacturer. Sometimes there is even a third manufacturer for the transmission or transaxle. Each one will have its own unique model number. To add to the confusion, sometimes an “engine part” may not be supplied by the engine manufacturer. For instance, you may need a muffler for your Briggs and Stratton engine that is on a Murray rider. Murray could have supplied the muffler for that particular application so the Briggs model number would not help at all. So, while it may seem like a pain when we ask for the model number, it minimizes time and minimizes the possibility of you getting the wrong part.