Cash In A Flash - Gas Engine Repair

Cash In A Flash - Gas Engine Repair

The morning chill bit through Drake Schnatter's worn jacket as

he cruised up the aisles of the weekly flea market. Schnatter's

eye scanned the vendor's wares until he found what he was

looking for - a neglected, dirty lawn mower with a three

horsepower engine. He bought the mower for five dollars and

carried it away (the wheels were missing). One week later he

sold the mower with fresh paint, new wheels, and an engine

tune-up for $175. (Normally the price would have been $200, but

Schnatter took $25 off because the customer brought in his old

mower for trade-in.) Now he had an old snapper mower to work on

and $175 in cash. Not bad for a five dollar investment.

If you have any knowledge about small gas engines (or are

willing to learn) you could turn that interest into extra

income. Schnatter started at age twenty and now invests the

profits from his "hobby" in real estate. His secret is simple -

find small gas engines, buy them cheap, and resell them at a

profit.

WHERE TO BEGIN

Where can you find small gas engines for five dollars or less?

For some the task might be difficult, but not for Schnatter. "I

first discovered a way to buy small gas engines cheap when I

exhausted my sources at the local flea market," says Schnatter,

"I remembered a friend in the hauling and clean-up business who

told me about the good, usable trash his customers wanted hauled

away."

Schnatter made an agreement with this friend and several other

haulers he found in the local paper.

"I asked the haulers if they would mind setting aside lawn

mowers, edgers, anything with a small gas engine in their

pick-ups," Schnatter says, "I told them I would pay up to five

dollars a shot, depending on the condition of the items. Most of

the haulers liked the idea. It left them more room in their

pick-ups and meant less trips to the dump. Plus, they received a

cash bonus," Schnatter is a firm believer in creating win-win

situations.

When Schnatter decided he needed even more inventory, he

placed an ad in the Magic Ads, a local give-away paper. The ad

brought in so many gas engines that Schnatter had to turn down

many offers. His ad read as follows:

Wanted! Cash Paid For Small Gas Engines - running or not - lawn

mowers, edgers, mini-bikes. (phone number).

"My phone was ringing constantly! I told the callers I paid five

dollars for non-running engines and a little more if the engines

run. Within two weeks I had a backyard full of rebuildable

engines, lawn mowers, edgers, rototillers, and a couple of

mini-bikes. I even got a few free mowers from people wanting to

clear out their garages," says Schnatter.

Once Schnatter felt his inventory was sufficient, he advertised

inexpensive small gas engine repair and sales. He built up a

good customer following by offering special services often

unheard of at commercial lawn mower repair shops. One of the

services he offered was a ninety-day guarantee on any lawn mower

he sold.

One of Schnatter's satisfied customers says, "Who ever heard of

a lawn mower shop replacing a broken mower with a working

mower?" In this case, Schnatter traded a bent up mower for one

he had just rebuilt. Schnatter says, "Well, I gave customer a

mower which only cost me five dollars and had just been rebuilt.

And I took his bent up mower for blades and later sold the mower

for $125. So, both the customer and I were happy."

About two weekends a month Schnatter gathers his rebuilt lawn

mowers and other garden equipment, and rents a space at the

local flea market. Schnatter also provides a pick-up and

delivery service that keeps his business thriving is offering

loaners to his customers. A commercial gardener says this is a

service he couldn't afford not to have.

From March through June, Schnatter can barely keep enough

supplies in inventory because his service is in such demand. He

charges between $125 and $150 for gas powered lawn lowers and

usually sells about ten mowers a weekend. Not a bad income for a

hobby.

Schnatter also suggest contracting with local commercial lawn

mower repair shops during the spring months. "Small gas engine

repairmen are scarce, and most shops are backlogged during the

spring rush," says Schnatter. "I suggest you get a contract with

them to do repairs and have a steady income from the shops."

Schnatter calls his business a hobby. He says anyone who likes

to work on small gas engines or willing to learn can turn their

knowledge into cash in a flash.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

HOME STUDY COURSES

NRI SCHOOLS, McGraw-Hill Continuing Education Center, dept

10-1,

3939 Wisconsin Ave., Washington, DC 20016. Offers a course on

Small Engine Servicing. Send for free catalog.

FOLEY-BELSAW INSTITUTE, Dept 10-1, 6301 Equitable Rd.,

Kansas City, MO 64120. Course, tools and equipment to start a

business in Small Engine Repair. Free booklet.

BOOKS

HOW TO REPAIR BRIGGS & STRATTON ENGINES by Paul

Dempsey. Tab Books, Blue Ridge Summit, PA 17294-0580;

$11.20 ppd.

HOW TO TROUBLESHOOT AND REPAIR ANY SMALL GAS

ENGINES by Paul Dempsey. Tab Books, Blue Ridge Summit, PA

17294-0580; $13.10 ppd.

SMALL ENGINES: OPERATIONS, MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR

Tab Books, Blue Ridge Summit, PA 17294-0580; $17.10 ppd.