I went by my local lesco dealer today.

[geogunn]

I was surprised today when I went by my local lesco dealer and tried to purchase a foam air filter gasket. you know, the gasket that sits under the air filter and on top of the metal carburator bowl.<p>their rep told me &quot;oh, that's an engine part. we don't stock engine parts. we never have. now if you want us to order it we will. but I'm sure you can find it some where else faster.&quot;<p>I was really surprised at this. in the last four years I have never needed an &quot;engine part&quot; (if thats what you call a foam gasket). therefore, I never knew they didn't cary parts for the engines of the mowers that the sell.<p>the mechanic happened to be there at that time. he told me to use some weather srtiping like you'd use on a door. he said he did it all the time. <p>I still swear by my lesco, 48 belt, with 14 kawasaki because it has been that good to me. however, I was shocked to find that there is a complete disconect on their side for engine parts.<p>if I'd walked in looking for a double oversize size piston and rings I could understand them not having it. but an air filter gasket? geeeze!<p>I am not posting this as a put down to lesco. HOWEVER...it just might be useful information to anyone looking to purchase a lesco mower. I know I've been looking.<p>in the morning I am gonna call the local EXMARK dealer and ask if they have the gasket I need.<p>thanks to all for reading.<p>GEO

[thelawnguy]

Id swear by (or, at) Lesco too if I needed a part and got the kind of answer you did.<p>Bill

[Lanelle]

Our UPS guy gets a work-out delivering Lesco parts to us. Look at their annual report for a hint about parts---as I remember, their growth recently has been on the 'chemical' side.<p>----------<br>Lanelle<br>

[lawrence stone]

I find it easier just to call Proparts.<p>They had a bowl gasket in stock for a<br>16hp Kohler side valve.<p>My power equipment &quot;dealer&quot; is now the<br>Maytag man of my world.

[geogunn]

YO LANELLE!--don't make me do any extra work;)! share what you know about corporate lesco and their parts...pleeeeeze!<p>GEO

[trebor]

Hi ,im a lesco guy and will get any part you need for your lesco mower or engine...we use kawasaki and kohler...correct, the parts are not usually stocked at the local service center(s) but are usually just days away, ups time...we will arrange to have them direct ship to the customer saving another day's handling time if time is of the essence. thanks for your comment...i hope i could help you in my store.

[geogunn]

trebor--thanks for the response and the offer to aquire parts.<p>my concern is that if I bought another lesco and had engine problems, there is no such thing as in common in store parts for the engine. as you can tell, I was real surprised to find that they didn't even have a air filter foam gasket in stock. especially since these things smash down and become distorted over time.<p>days down for a simple engine part repair would be a killer for my operation. I run solo with dedicated equipment.<p>anyway, thanks again. those guys at my local lesco store have been nice to me everytime I've walked through the door. they call me by name and I like that.<p>I'll swear by my old 48 belt even if it wont start tomorrow. but I'm gonna be looking at a wider arena of dealers for my next purchase and I am gonna have to ask if they stock engine parts and do the work.<p>thanks again.<p>GEO

[trebor]

it'd be interesting to find out if there are equipment dealers out there who stock a complete line of engine parts...that is, they would not only have to stock the manufacturers parts for the motor on your mower but also for any other brand of mower/motor they have ever sold...Kaw., B/S, wisconsin, kohler, tecumseh, on, and on and on forever ( if they were a big dealer).<p>I like the way we do business now with parts only day (or two) away...some times we have junked mower engines laying around... and can strip essential parts off of them...they are a gold mine! any way...geo, have fun...good chatting with you...

[The Mowman]

What you guys are saying is really interesting. The company I work for is small and runs two Lesco 48 hydros. Just today, the boss went to one of their stores to pick up new oil filters, air filters and the pre air filters. He did not have to order them or anything. One of our Lescos is 3 years old and the other is 1 1/2. By the way, we work in northern Maryland with two Lesco stores within 35 min.<p>----------<br>Stephen<br>

[lakegastonla]

I deal with two Lesco stores because of my(sometimes unfortunate) location. One is in Richmond, VA and the other is in Raliegh, NC. Each store is 1 1/2 hrs away. Both stock lots of parts and offer absolute first rate service. For non rush items I can have it at my shop in 2 days with am delivery! If it is more important, I will run to get it<br>myself while the guys deal with having only one mower.<br>There ARE local dealers I could have bought <br>other equipment from, but the problems are few and far between and the service absolutely makes it worth the while! No one around here has a zero down time guarantee!!<br>No loaner mowers available. I don't plan on having to take advantage of this but it is nice to have it in case!<br>I plan to buy my fertilizer by the pallet this fall and get it you know where! I am sick of the rednecks at the southern states stores,etc all pushing 10-10-10. The all purpose fert that is the hallmark of southern ignorance and red-neckery. :)<p>mow on BIG DADDY!!

[Guido]

Trebor, hope your still around. Drop me an e-mail when you get a chance please. Yours in your profile is private. Guido1@surf1.de<p>Thanks<p><p>----------<br>&lt;a href=&quot;http://communities.msn.com/guidosequipmentpics/&quot;&gt;&quot;Guido&quot;&lt;/a&gt;<br>David M. Famiglietti

[trebor]

thanks for the positive reply, Mowman...regarding your lesco experience...glad to know professionalism's not dead! Those parts you're referring to ( the air filters, pre-wraps and oil filters are called &quot;after market parts--AMP's) and are usually widely available from what I've gathered...the parts geogunn was referring to are actual engine parts...belonging to the specific engine manufacturer...there seems to be a line drawn as to what the manufacturer/distributors want to put into the dealerships<p>thanks, bye

[trebor]

Lakegastonla, i liked your letter, esp. about souther state///whom i worked for eight years in Metro Area...funny your experience with them...ie..ten-ten-ten as their answer to everyting har, har, har...i loved working for them while i was there but now am employed by lesco and i love what iam doing now...i have learned a lot, too. especialy about &quot;program lawn care&quot;...<p>equipment and pest control...I keep on trying to learn something new every day...grubs and disease control are the hot topics here, now...<p>thanks for this discussion

[The Mowman]

About a month ago, we had a Kubota front mount mower out of service for a week, and the local Lesco dealer let us borrow a demostration model to keep up with our work.<p>----------<br>Stephen<br>

[fdew]

It'd be interesting to find out if there are equipment dealers out there who stock a complete line of engine parts..<p>That would be Saxby's in Mendon NY. I don't know if they have blocks but heads, gaskets, bearings,rings. Yup, in stock. <p>