Hi Thanks for all the replies even from Tennessee. I can not imagine anyone in the US even knowing what a Victa Rotomo is let alone how to work on it.
Jeff, That attitude is why I couldn't get a job after I was laid off in 1996. At that everyone was wanting me to be certified to do repairs; didn't trust my work history. I finally found a small office equipment company that was in a real bind as their copier technician just walked out and left a big mess behind. He was one of those techs that if there was a left over screw he just can it. I spent so much time replacing screws it got to where it wasn't funny anymore.
You would be surprised what I have worked on over the years. If you ever heard of Friedman Rotary calculator or the IBM Selectric typewriter you know they are way more complicated than a lawnmower engine. At one time I could nearly put them together blindfolded. It is just those tiny part is so hard keep track of when you got a hundred or so pieces laying on the work bench. Having a near photographic memory and the ability to assemble things in my mind really helps too.
The only official repair school training I have had was two years of electronics, the rest has been self taught. To me those OEM schools that I have attended are a joke as I already had working the equipment for a good while before my employer sent me to the required dealer schools. I usually knew more than the teacher of the class and was able show them a few things.
I have worked equipment that I have never seen before and repair it as long as I can get the replacement parts. That can be a problem with equipment vendor doesn't sell the replacement parts then if is off to places like this to find alternate source for the parts. The internet has really change things as somewhere the parts are usually available.
This ability to repair stuff is something is something really pissed my brother off as I could fix things that I never seen that he taken apart and couldn't figure out to put it back together or show him how to do it. He thought he was a smart a.. as legally I was the owner of his business and he quit throwing all the unfinished work in my lap. The worst things was he had already took payment up front and struck me having buy the parts out my own pocket. I was only doing the books and part sourcing for him; I wasn't even charging him to that. Most customers never knew that I completed the repairs before closing the business down and reopen under my current business name. That was back in late 2010. Kinda lucky there as I had already most of the needed tools from where I repaired my own and the family's autos.
After he went around telling everyone he quit the business and I had re-open under the new name, he start telling everyone that I stole his business. You can't steal something that the other fellow quit. I just fill in the void he left behind. I just couldn't turn the customers away when I knew how to do the work myself. The biggest problem I had was he was running off the new customers trying cause me to fail financially and he nearly did.
It is the nature for repair mechanic to be able repair just about anything placed in front of them. This last year I started work on ATVs and UTVs even worked on one motorcycle. My problem working on these is the new tools that I got to purchase. Specialize pullers are just one tools cost an arm and leg sometimes.
Some tools that I need are nearly impossible to get so I design my own and send the designs out to the machine to have them make it or I make it myself. Right now I am hand filing myself a new metering gauge tool for the newer Walbro carburetors as their W tool no longer works on the newer designed 2 cycle hand held equipment carburetors. The next project is the driven sleeve removal tool for the General Transmissions RS800. No one wants to sell me the tool but I have the official drawings so off to the machine shop it goes to be made.
