 | Carl Witte, was born and raised in central Missouri, his father had a small family run farm equipment business. He then moved to Wichita the year after graduating from high school in 1977. Went to work for Molz Equipment, a large farm equipment dealer. Mr. Molz retired in 1989 and that is when Carl Witte and Max McDaniel started Maximum Tractor. In 1992 they started to move toward the lawn equipment business. In 1995 they gave up the farm equipment franchises.They had to devote 100% of their time to the lawn and garden equipment side of the business. In 1997 Carl purchased Max McDaniel's interest in the business. This allowed Carl to grow Maximum Tractor to one of the largest lawn and garden equipment and parts suppliers in the Wichita area. It is a family run business. Paul Witte is the parts manager, Alex Witte is the service manager and Luke Witte ( 3 ) ( a title one of our commercial customers tagged him with) works in shipping and also helps on the parts counter. Melanie Witte is the office manager and takes care of the office duties. Having a family business sometimes can be trying but most of the time there is no better way to have it. In 2005 Maximum Tractor changed the name to Maximum Outdoor Equipment And Service Inc. The name change was to identify the business better for the customers we are serving. MOES is located at 1002 S West (Kellogg and West) Carl can be reached at 316-943-0201and sells several brands of lawn mowers, trimmers, and chain saws as well as offering parts and service for most brands of equipment. |
Lawn, Garden & Landscaping
2007-02-01 13:49:00
Keeping your mower ‘happy’
ANSWER: In our effort to simplify chores and tasks, try something new this year. Do not wait until that first gorgeous spring weekend to pull out the mower that has been neglected all winter. Either service or have your mower serviced to save any frustration that may occur when your lawn is ready, but your mower is not.
Winter is a good time to perform regular maintenance on your mower. It’s recommended to have a good service program that includes changing oil, spark plug, air filter, oil filter, blow out the top shrouds on the engine, scrape the deck, sharpen the blades, check all belts and bearings, grease the machine, inspect the drive system and adjust as needed, start and run the machine to ensure good performance in the coming year. Lawn mowers have been around for a long time. Maintaining and caring for them has been a common household item that is often neglected.
A typical tune-up of a 2 or 4 cycle lawn mower is not that difficult if your mower was running good last year. If your mower was running okay at the end of last year, a simple tune-up should keep it running well this year.
One can expect to spend anywhere from $30 to $50 and higher. If your mower was difficult to start or ran 'rough' take it to a professional outdoor equipment company.
A good lawn mower can cost $300 or more, so take some time to protect your investment, and perform some simple preventive maintenance.
The first thing to do is to change the oil. Before doing this, though, determine whether you have a 2 or 4 cycle engine. If you have to add oil to the gasoline that you use for your mower, then it is a 2-cycle engine. If you have this type of engine, you do not need to change the oil. If you do not add oil to the gasoline, then you have a 4-cycle engine and the oil does need changing at least once a year.
Replacing the spark plug is a good idea; however you may need to purchase a special spark plug wrench if you do not have access to a deep-well socket. Spark plug wrenches are available at any hardware store and are inexpensive.
If you can, drain the old gasoline out of the tank. If you cannot complete this task easily, then add a gasoline stabilizer that should be available at your local lawn mower store.
It’s highly recommended that sharpening the blade is done by a professional mower service company. This is to insure that the blade remains balanced, and the specific angle is maintained, or the blade will dull quickly. Many mower repair services will sharpened your blade for $5 to $10. Spend the money and have your blade sharpen professionally.
Lastly, make a general inspection of all the nuts, bolts, and screws on your mower. Tighten any that are loose. Position all the wheels at the same height. Set the mowing height at the level that is best for the grasses in your lawn.
Check with your local outdoor equipment company as some offer early service specials. These could include but are not limited to free pick up and delivery, or a labor discount etc.
