*Sigh*

[gtarman]

So here's my first thread in this forum for a while.

So I'm in between jobs at the moment, which is fine because I have enough savings to cover it. But I can't really spend much money on non-essentials.

My housemate the other week tells me we're having an inspection soon and we need to get the lawns done, because they complained about it last time. So I call around for a few quotes and they were all pretty expensive, and because I don't have much money at the moment I decide to buy a whipper snipper off gumtree and do it myself.

I really could have asked my housemate to organize it, because he still has a job and I'm already organizing a fair bit of house stuff. But instead I decided to cop one for the team and just do it.

So the first ad seems like it's in good condition, and after asking the lady several times if it works and her assuring me it's in perfect condition, I drove the 30km out to check it out and surprise surprise, it didn't work. So that was 60km worth of petrol money down the drain with nothing to show for it.

Then later that day I enquire about another one and I drive out to see that - another 30km, this time in the opposite direction. But I get to this one, the guy seems to know what he's doing - he has a small side-business doing them up and re-selling them. I start it up and test it out for a bit and it works fine and looks in good nick, so I pay the $65 for it (that I really shouldn't have been spending, but I'm just trying to do the right thing by the house).

Then a massive storm hits and it takes me an hour-and-a-half to get the 30km back home, but I shrug it all off because hey, I now have what I need and I can just not spend anymore money.

This morning, I fire it up and make a start on the lawn and after about 10 minutes it conks out. Even though the fuel tank is certainly not empty, I optimistically think that maybe there's just not enough to get to the intake or whatever. So now I have to go out and get some 2-stroke, which actually meant that I had to buy a $14 jerry can, a $3 bottle of 2-stroke oil and about $12 worth of fuel. All of which, I really shouldn't be spending money on with the way things are.

So I do all that crap (whilst driving around wasting more petrol that I don't really have money to spare for), and re-fill it. It works for another 3 minutes then conks out. Turns out it can't run for more than a couple minutes without overheating and shutting down.

So now I have to wait another day for the guy who sold it to me to get back home so I can take it back to him and (maybe) get my money back, which also means another 60km round trip wasting more petrol that I can't really afford. And then to top it all off, I'll still have to pay for one of the professional mowing services, except now on top of that I'll be about $50-$60 more out of pocket because of all this nonsense. Not to mention the 2 days I've wasted, and now I have a jerry can full of 2-stroke that I have absolutely no bloody use for and can't really dispose of.

Why the fuck does this stupid shit and drama always happen when I'm only ever trying to do the right thing?! Seriously, I'm like the fecal version of Midas, everything I touch turns to shit. And I'm so abso-fucking-lutely ridiculously over it.

[shortly]

I have an old electric weed eater the last time i used it worked fine, i can plug it in & give it a test run after this storm. Your welcome to it if you like?

Might also have an old push cylinder mower hiding in the back shed, i can have a dig & see if its still around if you want?

[gtarman]

Thanks for the offer mate...but to be honest after all this f*ck-around all I really wanna do is just forget about it and make it somebody else's problem as originally planned. It shouldn't cost me too much after we all chip in.

[tripsis]

At least you don't have hypospadias. Well at least I hope you don't, for your sake.

[gtarman]

And now the fuckhead who sold it to me is telling me that I must have broken it by putting the wrong fuel in it, even though it stopped working before I put any fuel in it at all. And I only put two stroke oil mixed with premium fuel to the exact specifications on the bottle, but he's insisting on inspecting the fuel and the oil bottle and says that he "might" give me my money back based on what he thinks has happened.

Awesome, now I can add "shouting match" and "being accused of ripping off the asshole who ripped me off" to my stellar fucking day

[gtarman]

I'm not an angry or a violent person, but if after all this bullshit, I drive the 30km back there tomorrow and he tries to tell me he's not giving me my money back, I have no idea what's going to happen. All I know is that it's not going to be pretty.

[GoOnThen]

At least you don't have hypospadias. Well at least I hope you don't, for your sake.

Now that is something I didn't need to know about but because I didn't I of course googled it.

Gtarman there are a couple of rules that are worth knowing when it comes to 2 stroke powered machines especially lawnmowers and wipersnipers.

Rule 1: Never buy a second hand one unless you have heaps of patience and are a very calm person with one arm a lot bigger than the other.

Rule 2 : Never buy a second hand one unless you have heaps of patience and are a very calm person with one arm a lot bigger than the other.

Rule 3 : Never buy a second hand one unless you have heaps of patience and are a very calm person with one arm a lot bigger than the other.

The reason most 2 stroke machines are for sale is because people have had enough of the temperamental things.

Cheers

Got

[tripsis]

Now that is something I didn't need to know about but because I didn't I of course googled it.

Mwahaha, I knew some poor fool would fall for that!

If it's any consolation, I went through the same trauma last night after reading about it in one of my lecture slides.

[Sallubrious]

I'd run it until it conks out and then check it for a spark while it's still hot. If there is no spark then it's an ignition problem & his fuel hypothesis is irrelevant.

If it does have a spark then it would most likely be a fuel or air mixture problem. Sometimes those pissweak carbies /air inlets seal when cold but as they heat up they can start to leak and suck extra air which kills the engine.

[gtarman]

To be honest I'm not very confident with troubleshooting mechanically. And I'm pretty sure even if I was the tosser would just use anything I might do or check as an excuse for how I "broke it". But I'm 100% sure that nothing I did with the fuel would have caused this. The problem started before I even touched the fuel tank, and I followed every instruction and specification for mixing fuel to the letter.

[2XB]

Or compression is fucked and thats why it runs for fuck all... heap o shit... dont bother. recycle parts, dont add to land fill....

[gtarman]

If I don't get my money back the only way I can see myself disposing of it is through that douchebag's front window.

[quarterflesh]

OMG dont even get me started on hypospadias

[Sallubrious]

If it does erupt into an argument you could say something like

"I can see why you're so upset, if I had hypospadias I'd have a short fuse too"

An underhanded way to say that he has to sit down to piss.

But seriously take a notepad or notebook and writedown everything he says to you. People sometimes back down when they see you are building a case. If he asks why you are documenting what he says, then tell him consumer affairs (dept of fair trading ect) always like to have all the details when it goes to court.

[gtarman]

Yeah, I think I may actually have some legal options, or at least the threat of legal options. I wouldn't actually resort to violence...it just really angers me when people screw you over like this. But best case scenario he sees reason and realizes that I haven't done anything wrong, and he'll decide to do the right thing and give me my money back.

[bullit]

arrrrr fuk him tell him fuk off u no good cunt

[waterboy 2.0]

you need a can of ....

Seriously I am with GoT in regards to 2 strokes....the spark plug may be oiled up as well.... Not an uncommon fault.

Only two stroke I will own is a chainsaw.

[bullit]

i have an old skool 2 stroke bushee mower that beats any .. this cunt cuts like a made cow ..

[gtarman]

I reckon it's just new machines that are all made in China and stuff. I have a feeling they're all intentionally built not to last these days, like most things. It's because the companies realized that if it breaks, then you have to buy another one. Whereas if they did the responsible thing and made them properly like they used to do, they probably wouldn't get your business again for another 20 years. It makes me sad to think how much crap ends up in landfills for this very reason.

We live in society where far too much is considered justifiable in the pursuit of money.

[Foo]

Old 2 stroke wipper snippers break 2. They only last so long unless you spend time/money on them. Dont think ive ever seen a 70's wipper snipper and most of my relies still have the tools of there their youth,

[AnthromorphicGerbil]

I reckon it's just new machines that are all made in China and stuff. I have a feeling they're all intentionally built not to last these days, like most things. It's because the companies realized that if it breaks, then you have to buy another one. Whereas if they did the responsible thing and made them properly like they used to do, they probably wouldn't get your business again for another 20 years. It makes me sad to think how much crap ends up in landfills for this very reason.

We live in society where far too much is considered justifiable in the pursuit of money.

I would imagine that was another point in case against the hemp farming industry that led to its banishment. If people could grow their own bio fuels on their own land.... their own medicines... their own hemp seed nutrition... building materials and the thousands of other uses for hemp...... without adding anything to the toxic build up of modern industry.

[Halcyon Daze]

I just bought a small second hand generator for about $80. It works OK but leaks fuel overnight and stinks the shed out etc. Maybe a bit dangerous too.

It's not so bad I guess but I wish the guy had of just told me that when I bought it.

I'll prolly take it into the mower shop n see if they can give it a bit of a tune up. Maybe your whip-a-stripper could be fixed by someone who really knows what they're doing.

Good luck.

[LokStok]

check to see if the breather hole in the fuel tank cap is blocked.

[Subaeruginosin]

Why the fuck does this stupid shit and drama always happen when I'm only ever trying to do the right thing?! Seriously, I'm like the fecal version of Midas, everything I touch turns to shit. And I'm so abso-fucking-lutely ridiculously over it.

lol, it’s Murphys law brother. It stings when you fork out cash that you can’t really afford on something that in hindsight was probably a mistake, trust me I know. But you just have to take that shit on the chin, find a way to smile about it and try to take something positive from it. Like how Thomas Edison didn't fail 3000 times at making a light bulb, he just learnt 3000 ways how not to make a light bulb.

Anyway, probably doesn't help ya now, but next time your in a similar position, maybe just go straight to bunnings and pick up a cheap $100 one. That’s what I did last year when I didn't have a lawnmower, used that little sucker to cut my lawns all summer and it’s still going strong. Plus that way if it’s faulty you know you can get it exchanged for one that works.

[Bigred]

Check the oil as a lot of engines will over heat due to to little oil ( not the one you mix with fuel)