Business in the Umpqua Valley

Business is booming in our area theses days, thanks in part to the local SBDC. To learn more about our business and my thoughts on business in general, listen to this podacst interview from the local radio statio KQEN. Thanks Kyle Bailey and Deccie Caterson for the opportunity!

http://www.541radio.com/play_window.php?audioType=Episode&audioId=7270442

Radio interview today at 12:30!

Want to catch up on our business happenings? Catch it today at 12:30

http://tunein.com/radio/KQEN-1240-s34806/ 

Spring has sprung in Roseburg and the surrounding Umpqua Valley!

Winter has been pretty easy on us this year. Aside from a low snowpack, the precipitation levels have been pretty normal, and kind enough to typically fall in bunches and in the evenings. I didn't miss the everlasting drizzle we normally see.

So what are your plans for the outdoor season this year?  We've been seeing a fair amount of outdoor projects going on, and the County permit levels seem to finally be on the rise, so you must be up to something!

In the theme of keeping this educational, I thought I'd mention workplace safety this time around, specifically as it relates to aerial equipment. We brought a 56' working height 4 wheel drive articulating boom into the fleet recently, our first self powered mobile manlift. With it came a new requirement for our employee's. Anyone moving this manlift MUST wear an approved safety harness and lanyard, they also had to watch this video; http://.be/AcJQOWLxjFc . 

As you can see there may be some unintended consequences while operating these things, and this brings me to my point. Regardless of what equipment your using, take the time to get to know the proper way to operate it, and some of the situations to avoid. Renting a piece of equipment comes with a lot of responsibility, and in the end, you and you alone are going to have the biggest impact on whether or not you get hurt. While time is money, it is a two way street. A little prevention can go a long way in saving pain, time and money. My personal recommendation is always take advantage of the manufacturers operators manual. In todays age, a quick Google search will typically bring this and usually some educational video's up that can help save a lot of heartache. 

For information on our lift, check out this site! http://www.niftylift.com/usa/news/focus-on/sp50-hybrid-4x4 

Good things happening....

So this week I've spent about 13 hours involved with four different community events;

Attended an after hours entrepreneur event where after some networking a local winery owner talked about his experiences as a business owner. 

Discussion with a COO of a local non-profit talking about (community) collective impact.

Had a great time working with some great folks doing a fundraiser for Special Olympics.

Went to a community wealth building seminar.

Every one of these brought some really good lessons. The trick is to put yourself into these kind of positions and not just join in the conversation, but to really listen and participate. It is one thing to network at these sort of events, but I can tell you first hand networking just scrapes the surface of the value a person can get with time commitment. I guess a pet peeve is hearing folks talk about spending time networking in various venue's and not getting enough value from it. 

In my experience, participation and really listening is the key. Not in the thinking about what your going to say next mode while waiting for the next pause to speak, but really listening. 

There is amazing talent all around this area. Most of the folks are willing to give freely of their knowledge and experience. With over 150 different non-profits in the area, there is bound to be some kind of effort you could get behind. 

How to get that manicured lawn look.

Alright, we're going to assume your mower is up and running and now you're looking to have the best looking lawn in the neighborhood.

While getting the right grass in place, keeping the weeds out, fertilizing and water are all important, the last piece is the mower, how it is set up, and how you use it. Mess this up and your yard will always look a little browner than the yard down the street.

Here's the secrets;

1. This should go without saying, but you need a sharp blade.
2. The mower needs to be set up so that the front is the lowest point. You only want the blade touching the grass once, if it gradually keeps cutting it shorter as you move across it you'll generate more heat usually burning the cut edge slightly.
3. The deck needs to be level, many less expensive walk behind mowers can't be truly leveled, if that's your mower, the best you can do is try to level it by taking advantage of whatever height adjustments you have. Sometimes you can set them at different points on the choice of adjustments and get things closer. On riding mowers there should be an adjustment. Lookup your owners manual and the adjustment procedure should be in there. Keep in mind, a bent blade can really foul this adjustment up, the blades have to be true.
4. A riding lawn tractor style mower will never give you the finish of a Zero turn mower. Every time you run over a blade of grass you do a little damage to it. A zero turn mower not only gets the job done faster but once you get the hang of it, you'll find you aren't spending as much time traveling across the same grass to turn around or get around obstacles. 
5. Pay attention to how fast you are going. On a real smooth lawn you can go pretty quick, but it you go fast enough that the deck starts bouncing around, it will affect the finished appearance. 

Many of these may be subtle, but added together these tips can change the finished appearance of your lawn pretty dramatically. Know of some tips I missed? Post it in the comments and we can share it with the other readers :)

How to diagnose small engine problems

If you're a handyman sort and want to do some of your own repairs to equipment I've got some tips I'd like to share from years of work in this field.

First a little background. I recieved my first ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) certifications after taking automotive repair courses through Umpqua Community College in 1990. Later I took advanced engine performance and electrical training and then took all of the (then available ASE tests and became Master Certified in 1996. I've also been trained and received Master Certification from Kohler and Briggs & Stratton in the mid 2000's. I spent most of my mechanic years employed by the local school district where I repaired and maintained everything from late model cars and trucks to mowers, floor care equipment, handheld power equipment and a host of miscellaneous stuff. The neat thing about that experience is I always got to see how the repairs worked out. It was kind of a lifetime warranty situation where if I didn't do it well it meant more work for me. Working in retail, you frequently don't get the chance to see the stuff that didn't work, it just doesn't come back.

Here's my take, the K.I.S.S. method if you will;

Pretty much everything is powered either by an electric motor or a gas powered motor.

It powers something that either goes up and down or round and round.

The power is connected between these two by either belts, gears, or hydraulic pumps and motors.

For now lets focus on that pesky gas motor, it seems to cause the most grief.

All gas motors have had the same basic technology since its inception. Four Strokes motors have the following cycle. Intake > Compression > Power > Exhaust .... then repeat....frequently.

For a motor to run there needs to be just 3 things basically. Fuel, Spark, and compression (or a mechanically sound motor). If these 3 are present the motor will run, perhaps poorly or for a short amount of time, but it should run.

Fuel and spark are the quickest easiest to verify so I start there (once I have verified there is correct oil and that the motor in fact doesn't run). I like to start with spark. I'll remove the spark plug and hook the plug wire back up, firmly ground the threaded part of the plug and turn the motor over. If I have spark I'll move on to fuel, if not I'll try the same test with a known good spark plug. If I still have no spark I now know I need to diagnose the ignition system. Most small engines have a magneto style ignition and you can remove the ground wire and retest. If you have spark now, it means you need to diagnose what safety switch or other point is grounding out that wire. If you still don't have spark chances are good the ignition coil/module is bad. The important points to remember are firmly grounding the plug, turning the motor over quickly enough, and KNOWING you have a good spark plug.

Fuel is easy, but somewhat dangerous. I like to add fuel either by dumping it into the spark plug hole before I put it back in, or after it is reassembled, dump about 1 1/2 tablespoons right into the carburetor (have to remove the air filter for this), quickly put things back together and try to start it. If the machine start and then dies, you know it is a fuel problem. Usually this is a plugged main jet. Some quick research on the web should get you the info you need to clean the jet on your particualr model of engine. If you don't know what a main jet is, you may want to take it to a shop for this repair. 

PLEASE use safe practices and common sense if attempting any of this. If you get hurt doing it,you're going to spend a lot more money on medical bills than it would have cost to just take it into a repair shop. 

If you liked this article please consider sharing it. Have some other challenges you'd like to get help on? Drop us a line and well write something up on it!

Riding lawn mower repair

Well I warned you it was coming!

If you've been mowing more than an acre for many years, you probably remember the "yard tractor", and certainly by today's standards it really was. Beefy frames, bigger tires, strong thick deck metal, maybe provisions for hydraulic attachments. Back in the day if you bought a Cub Cadet you were probably going to pass it on to the next property owner or one of your kids when you down sized. Alas, progress....

Cub Cadet, Yard Machine, TroyBilt are all now owned and manufactured by MTD. Husqvarna, Ariens, AYP, all owned by Electrolux. A couple of years ago we were sent to Lowes to repair some John Deere mowers. Seemed odd until we found out they were actually manufactured by Murray who is now owned by Briggs & Stratton. Confused yet?

More than ever a knowledgeable sales person is worth getting to know. After reading the above, do you really think a few hours on the internet is going to be enough to make a good decision on a mower purchase? Is the salesperson at the box store going to know the inner workings of the mower or just the highlights they're taught? Remember the plastic transmission I mentioned earlier? It is in the box store version of the same model mower we sell with a metal transmission. Our mechanic even pointed out that technically we could install the good transmission in the box store machine if a customer wanted to pay the price. 

Like the walk behind mowers, you can either do the maintenance over time or plan on some large repair bills to bring several deferred maintenance problems back up to par. Aside from the same issues noted in the previous blog, the riding mower will have a battery, starting system, safety switches, blade engagement mechanisms, a charging system, fuel pump, and lights, all needing attention. Leveling the deck and keeping good blades sharp make for a nice cut and you'd be surprised how much more fuel dull blades take, they also put a great deal more wear and tear on the deck belts. At $4.50+/gallon (you're buying non-ethanol unleaded right?) you can pay for new blades or blade sharpening pretty quick. I probably don't need to mention the cost (and stress) savings associated with better belt life

Change your oil at least once every 100 hours, keep your air filter clean or replaced, use only known clean containers for fuel, keep a trickle charger on the battery when the mower will be sitting for more than a few weeks, don't mow over rough surfaces too quickly, keep tire pressure correct (makes a big difference on how level the mower cuts), and grease the grease zerks regularly. Completely remove debris from under and on top of the deck at least a couple of times a year (Fall season so it doesn't sit there all Winter) and you'd likely not need our services, if you bought a good mower.

Got some other tips to share? We'd love to hear them as well as share them with our readers!