Billy Kirk

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Garden Guides uses a knowledgeable team of editors, writers, and experts to create all our content. We dive deep into the ever-evolving conversations surrounding gardening and landscaping, striving to deliver the most current and helpful tips, strengthened by expert insight and tutorials from our talented team.

As we cover many fields of expertise, we make it a priority to ensure every beat remains fresh and comprehensive. Additional information on our editorial process available here.

Stories By Billy Kirk

  • Lawn Care
    Lawn Care By Billy Kirk November 4th, 2022

    How To Adjust The Governor On The Craftsman Lawn Mower Model Number 917.377561

    How to Adjust the Governor on the Craftsman Lawn Mower Model Number 917.377561. The Craftsman lawn mower model number 917.377561 runs at a governed speed in an effort to keep the mower safe for all riders. It is possible however to adjust the governor and deactivate it in a way that allows the Craftsman mower to run faster. Adjusting the 917.377561 mower in this respect does not require the aid of a professional repairman or any innate knowledge of lawn mower engine parts. You must keep in mind that adjusting the governor may void any warranty your Craftsman mower has.

    By Billy Kirk November 4th, 2022 Read More
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    Lawn Care
    Lawn Care By Billy Kirk November 4th, 2022

    How To Adjust The Mower Deck Height On A Craftsman Garden Tractor Model 917.272960

    How to Adjust the Mower Deck Height on a Craftsman Garden Tractor Model 917.272960. The Craftsman garden tractor model 917.272960 is a riding lawn mower manufactured by Husqvarna and featuring a Briggs & Stratton engine. This riding garden tractor model can effectively cut large yards quickly, but occasionally you need to make mower deck height adjustments to compensate for taller or shorter grass. Fortunately, you can make these adjustments in short order using an easily accessible knob on the Craftsman garden tractor. You do not need previous experience with lawn mowers to adjust the mower deck height of your Craftsman routinely and efficiently.

    By Billy Kirk November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Close-up of snow
    Lawn Care
    Lawn Care By Billy Kirk November 4th, 2022

    5-HP Tecumseh Engine Snowblower Won't Run Without Full Choke

    5-HP Tecumseh Engine Snowblower Won't Run Without Full Choke. The Tecumseh engine on your snowblower may need to run on "Full" choke temporarily under certain conditions, but if you have to leave it in full choke to operate the machine sustainably, something is not right. Troubleshoot. You'll need to consider cold starting, needle-valve air-intake adjustments and carburetor cleaning. Troubleshooting might get you back blowing snow even if you have no experience working on a Tecumseh engine.

    By Billy Kirk November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Lawn Care
    Lawn Care By Billy Kirk November 4th, 2022

    Why Won't My John Deere Hydro 175 Lawn Tractor Start?

    Why Won't My John Deere Hydro 175 Lawn Tractor Start?. The John Deere Hydro 175 lawn tractor is a riding lawn mower model from John Deere. The Hydro 175 mower bears strong similarities to the rest of John Deere's riding lawn mower line designed for consumers, and as such, the problems underlying its failure to start are common to a host of riding lawn mower models. Fortunately, this allows you to troubleshoot a John Deere Hydro 175 lawn tractor without the help of a professional and without any special tools.

    By Billy Kirk November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Lawn Care
    Lawn Care By Billy Kirk November 4th, 2022

    Craftsman 6.0 Mower Troubleshooting

    Craftsman 6.0 Mower Troubleshooting. The beauty of your lawn depends upon a properly operating mower, and if your Craftsman 6.0 HP (horsepower) lawn mower suffers from bad fuel, a disconnected or bad spark plug, a misaligned air adjustment valve or even a fuel tank cap problem, then your lawn will also suffer. You can avoid expensive repairs to your Craftsman 6.0 mower and troubleshoot the problems yourself even if you lack any previous lawn mower repair experience and have never attempted to fix a Craftsman product before.

    By Billy Kirk November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Lawn Care
    Lawn Care By Billy Kirk November 4th, 2022

    How To Test The Cub Cadet 2135 Solenoid

    How to Test the Cub Cadet 2135 Solenoid. A malfunctioning solenoid can cause your Cub Cadet 2135 riding lawn mower's Briggs & Stratton engine to fail to start. To fix an electrical conversion problem, you'll test your solenoid and troubleshoot a couple of related parts that interact with it. Solenoid failure leads to complete lawn mower failure, and that could have a negative impact on the presentability of your lawn. Fortunately, you can test your Cub Cadet 2135 riding lawn mower's solenoid even if you have no special tools or previous experience.

    By Billy Kirk November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Lawn Care
    Lawn Care By Billy Kirk November 4th, 2022

    Troubleshooting A Craftsman Lawn Mower 6.5

    Troubleshooting a Craftsman Lawn Mower 6.5. The Craftsman 6.5 horsepower bagging lawn mower is non-riding, consumer class lawn mower designed for personal use. The mower features a straightforward, common engine assembly design that often suffers from a similarly common set of lawn mower malfunctions. You can, fortunately, troubleshoot and fix all these Craftsman 6.5 lawn mower issues irrespective of your expertise with lawn mower and general mechanical repairs. Special tools are not required to fix your Craftsman mower.

    By Billy Kirk November 4th, 2022 Read More
  • Grass
    Lawn Care
    Lawn Care By Billy Kirk September 6th, 2022

    How Do You Change The Oil In A John Deere 314 Hydrostatic Transmission

    How Do You Change the Oil in a John Deere 314 Hydrostatic Transmission. The John Deere 314 Hydrostatic lawn mower is a riding tractor featuring a Kohler engine that heavily relies on clean oil for proper operation. You do not need to take your John Deere 314 riding lawn mower into a shop to have its oil changed. You can drain and replace old oil within your machine's reservoir even if you have no experience with changing motor oil.

    By Billy Kirk September 6th, 2022 Read More
  • Lawn Care
    Lawn Care By Billy Kirk September 6th, 2022

    How To Rebuild A Briggs & Stratton 12 HP Carburetor

    How to Rebuild a Briggs & Stratton 12 HP Carburetor. Briggs & Stratton owns the Snapper and Simplicity lawnmower brands and also produces small engines with carburetors for a wide range of mower manufacturers. The 12 horsepower engine is widely used but can face a number of carburetor problems that can result in your mower becoming inoperable pending disassembly of the engine block around the carburetor. Cleaning and rebuilding the 12 HP carburetor may be necessary to salvage your mower, and you can handle this procedure without professional assistance.

    By Billy Kirk September 6th, 2022 Read More
  • Lawn Care
    Lawn Care By Billy Kirk September 6th, 2022

    How To Troubleshoot A Briggs & Stratton Quantum 6.5 HP

    How to Troubleshoot a Briggs & Stratton Quantum 6.5 HP. Briggs & Stratton is a small-engine manufacturer that provides engines to a number of lawnmower manufacturers for use in their yard machines. The Briggs & Stratton Quantum 6.5 HP is has a displacement of 11.57 cubic inches and an oil capacity of 20 fluid ounces. The Briggs & Stratton Quantum 6.5 HP engine may require spark plug, solenoid and carburetor troubleshooting, but fortunately you don't need the help of a professional to troubleshoot and repair your Briggs & Stratton engine.

    By Billy Kirk September 6th, 2022 Read More
  • Lawn Care
    Lawn Care By Billy Kirk September 6th, 2022

    How To Purge A Husqvarna Lawnmower Transmission

    How to Purge a Husqvarna Lawnmower Transmission. A lawn mower's transmission can suffer when air gets trapped in the hydraulics. This problem often occurs when the mower is shipped, so it's often a good practice to purge the mower's transmission prior to the initial use. You can get your Husqvarna lawn mower into proper operating condition following a transmission purging regardless of your familiarity with this troubleshooting routine.

    By Billy Kirk September 6th, 2022 Read More
  • Lawn Care
    Lawn Care By Billy Kirk September 3rd, 2020

    How To Replace A Toro Z Master Clutch

    How to Replace a Toro Z Master Clutch. The Toro Z Master series is a selection of riding lawn mowers manufactured by Toro that feature their zero-turn technology to make cutting in confined spaces easier and to provide more mower maneuverability. These mowers feature Briggs & Stratton engine assemblies that include a clutch shaft that can become damaged or faulty to the point where full replacement is necessary. Fortunately, you can disassemble the necessary parts of your Toro Z Master mower to access and replace your clutch without any professional assistance.

    By Billy Kirk September 3rd, 2020 Read More