Be Thankful This Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on all that we have to be thankful for. Our freedom, our family and our friends are a good start. As we go into this holiday season we need to slow down and take the time to enjoy what we have. As we prepare to go into the frenzy of the holiday shopping and parties remember that we shouldn’t take any moment for granted.

If you are like I am, the holiday shopping wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for the crowded stores and the lack of parking. The hustle and bustle is to some one of their favorite parts of Christmas. I on the other hand could do without that part of it. This time of year, or any time of year for that matter if you need a part for your chainsaw, or your snow blower, or your generator, why not avoid getting out at all. Use our handy online ordering and have the part shipped to your door. Let your mail carrier get out in the weather and you can order your part and sit back and wait for it to be delivered. Just one more thing to be thankful for.

My wish for all is a wonderful Thanksgiving, followed by a Merry Christmas and/or Great Holiday, and of course a Very Happy New Year.

Children & Toy Tractors

Every little boy loves toy tractors. My 4 year old son has all kinds of little tractors he plays with indoors and out. He also has a big plastic Kubota pedal tractor that he plays with all summer long. Those little tractors can sometimes be a pain when you step on them in the middle of the night. It makes me mad at the moment but when I get to see my little boy playing and having so much fun with them the next day the pain I had the night before quickly goes away. Every little boy and girl should have some tractors to play with. Many kids, especially in the Midwest have family members that are farmers or at least are able to regularly spot a tractor in the fields near their home.

Encourage your possible future farmer by allowing his or her imagination to run wild with a variety of farm toys and tractors. Our farmers are important to our country and teaching our kids this by encouraging them to play with toy tractors and to learn about farming is a good thing.

Are You Ready For The Snow??

Winter is around the corner. How will you handle the cold weather and the snow that Mother Nature may send our way? If you are looking to buy a new snow blower there are a couple things you may want to consider before you make your purchase. Take the size of your driveway, sidewalk or walkway in consideration before you purchase one.

If you are only clearing a sidewalk or small driveway an electric snow blower might be the way you want to go. Electric snow blowers are nice because you just plug them in and go.

If you have a decent size paved driveway you might want to check into single stage snow blowers. These have a rubber tipped rotor that scoops the snow from the pavement & throws it out of it's chute. They are very fast and light weight.

If you have a very large or graveled driveway you will need a powerful two stage snow blower. The two stage blower have two points of contact with the snow. An auger bearks up the snow and then is throws it out the chute.

Lawn Mower Filter Fouls

Lawn Mower Filter Fouls Are Not A Good Thing

I have a friend that is a HVAC repair person. When he comes to visit us he is known for checking the air filter of my HVAC unit. He charges me with a filter foul if it hasn't been changed in a timely manner and there is too much dirt on the existing one. He has stressed the importance of a clean air filter on more than one occasion. Air filters on lawn mowers are just as important as the filters inside your home.

The air filter on your lawn mower keeps dust, dirt, pollen & other contaminants out of the air intake manifold. These contaminants can damage the engines pistons, can clog valves and can cause expensive breakdowns. Your lawn mower engine won't last long if the filter isn't changed on a regular basis.

The air filter is porous with small enough holes to keep the bad stuff our but let plenty of air in. If the filter gets really dirty the good stuff, which is air, can't get to the intake manifold and it also allows the bad stuff to make its way to the engine.

Take care of the investment you have made in your lawn by cleaning and/ or changing your air filter regularly. Honda recommends checking the air filter element before each use and servicing it at least every 50 hours. More often if used in dirty/ dusty conditions.

A dirty lawn mower filter doesn't allow the engine to breathe and just like air is important to us, it is also important to an engine.

Author: Tara Funneman

Gotta Love The Fall Season

It is the time of year in the Midwest to enjoy Autumn. Where we live, Fall means hayrides, wiener roasts, and of course Smores. In order to build the perfect bon-fire to enjoy these things you have to cut a lot of wood. This job becomes easier with a Stihl chainsaw. With a large variety of models to choose from you are certain to find the right fit for your needs. If you are like many people that live where the winters are cold and blustery, you burn a lot of wood to help keep the heat bills down. Even if you only light the fireplace occasionally for the atmosphere you will need a good supply of cut wood on hand. Having a dependable chainsaw and having it tuned up and ready for the season are important factors to enjoy the coming months. A fine-tuned chainsaw with a sharp chain is the necessary tool for anyone from the one wanting to burn the occasional fire to the one that depends on wood to keep their home heated. It’s not too late to get your chainsaw in for its Fall tune-up and chain sharpening. You might want to get an additional chain to keep on hand so you are always prepared. Don’t be caught with a dwindled wood pile this winter when the snow is flying and the cold winter winds are blowing. Make sure you have a dependable chainsaw that is checked over and ready to go.

Winters & Generators

If you live in the states where Old Man Winter comes to visit with all his fury you know the uneasy feeling when the local weather person talks about an approaching ice storm. When will it hit? How much will we get? Is the power going to go off and if so how long will it be out? Now is the time to prepare for the unexpected.

Make sure you have enough water to drink and enough dried or canned food that you can prepare without electricity. Don’t forget to keep a hand operated can opener with the food supply. If you have pets, don’t forget to have a food supply for them stored as well. Next you will need extra clothing and blankets for warmth. Flashlights with extra batteries and/or the type of flashlights that don’t require batteries are a necessity. If you are using any type of space heater you have to make sure you have adequate ventilation and are using only the type of heater that is made to be used in enclosed areas. Carbon Monoxide is a deadly gas so don’t take the importance of this lightly.

Having a generator ready and available is something that can help you survive a long power outage and make a short one less of an inconvenience. Choosing the right size of generator takes some planning. Square footage has nothing to do with sizing a generator. Add up the wattage of the items that the generator will be required to run and then add 10%. You can also contact your power company to get your average usage. This will give you a general idea of what you would need to run the items in your home that you normally run. The proper generator ready and available will help make your life much better in the event of a storm or power outage any time of year.

Push Mowers Then & Now

Push Mowers Then & Now

Going to my great grandmother’s house was always a treat for me as a youngster. Some of the contraptions she had at her house were interesting in appearance. One of my favorite items she had was her push lawn mower. It wasn’t powered in any way, it was a manual push reel mower. It was a challenge for all of us to push, let along cut the grass with it. Granny didn’t feel the need to own what she referred to as “one of those new-fangled contraptions”. Dad would bring over his push mower to mow the lawn and have it cut before Granny caught on that he wasn’t using her mower.

Even Dad’s mower back then is a far cry from the walk behind, self propelled mowers that are now available for home owners lawn care needs. It is so nice mowing my lawn with my Toro Super Bagger walk-behind mower. It is self propelled, has a bag attachment to catch all the trimmings and leave my lawn so well manicured that all my neighbors are green with envy.

As I prepare to store my walk-mower for the winter, I fondly look back on my childhood days and Granny’s push mower and count my blessings that I won’t be mowing with it in the Spring.