Bob's Small Engine Repair - How It All Began

How It All Began

I caught the repair bug at an early age. I remember taking my toys apart and putting them back together to see how they worked. Then when I got a little older I began taking other things apart. When I was 12 years old my Father caught me disassembling his electric drill. Needless to say I never did that again. This curiosity of how things worked transitioned into cars when I was old enough to drive. Automotive engine tuning was my first official step into engine repair. Not only did I desire to make things run at peak performance, I was always looking at ways to further increase the performance. This "Hot Roding" eventually took me into the world of engine rebuilding. I remember my very first engine assembly taking place in the kitchen of my wife and my first home. I didn’t have enough room in the 1 car garage because it was crammed full of car parts, so I put it together in the kitchen. You should have seen the look on Deb’s face when she came home from work. My 25 years of marriage could have ended after that 2nd year if it hadn’t been for her good nature. Needless to say that was another lesson learned. When I reached my mid 20’s I began restoring muscle cars. Several have been done over the years. The last one completed in 2007. I’m still looking for that next project car. I just haven’t found the right one yet.

This takes us to the present. I still have a love for those things mechanical. The internal combustion engine is still a marvel to me. How man is able to harness energy and put it to work for us. Small engine repair is nothing new to me. I’ve been doing small engine repair for family and friends for some time now. I’ve just decided to take it to the next level by opening my own shop. I could have chosen some other business to get into, but working on small engines kind of brings things full circle.

What separates me from others in the small engine repair business is the attention to detail that I strive for. When I’m working on a customer’s piece of equipment, I think of it as mine while it’s in my shop. My parents always told me to take better care of other peoples things than you would your own.

The best advice I can give a customer is to take care of their power equipment. Proper preventive maintenance is essential for the longevity and reliability of all power equipment. An example I often use is the lawn mower my wife’s parents bought us in 1986. It was a brand new 20” Murray with a 3.0 hp Tecumseh engine. It was a very basic entry level mower. I’ve changed the oil every season, kept the blade sharp and properly prepared it for seasonal storage each year. Its 23 years old, still runs like new and starts on the first pull. I purchased a self propelled model a few years ago and use it for most of my mowing, but once or twice a year I fire up the old mower for a trip around the yard. It’s now on its 3rd set of wheels and probably enjoying its semi-retired life.