UpDate - Vol. 15, No. 29, Page 7
April 25, 1996
Ag club, fraternity put spark in old mowers

     Members of the Agriculture Engineering and Technology Club spent
Saturday, April 13, servicing 106 lawnmowers at their annual Spring
Lawnmower Tune-Up at Worrilow Hall. Since 1987, the club has offered
the event to raise funds in support of club activities during the
year.
     The tune-up, which priced at $20, was designed to get lawnmowers
in shape after a long winter in the garage. It included a new spark
plug, oil change, filter cleaning, wash and sharpening and balancing
of the blade.
     The majority of the people who bring their mowers in are from
Newark, and most of them are repeat customers, Benjamin Postles,
agricultural club secretary, said.
     "I've been coming to this for about the past six years, and I've
just been very happy with it," Newark resident Randy Cassidy said.
"You can't go to a shop and get this done."
     Friday night, Postles, a three year-veteran of the event, held a
refresher course for the mower mechanics. "It's pretty basic stuff.
All of the mowers get the same kind of oil, and we clean the air
filters rather than replace them. Spark plugs are the only things that
vary."
     Some mowers, especially ones that are very old or have not been
well maintained, are not as easily revived. That is not to say that
every old mower is beyond repair. It appears that a little TLC is the
secret to lawnmower longevity.
     "Last year, I brought in a Snapper with about an 18-inch cut that
had to be 25 years old," Cassidy said. "They got it running, so I told
them they could have it because I had already bought a new one. I
understand that they use it to do some of the trimming around the
building."
     This year, the club was assisted by members of Alpha Gamma Rho
fraternity. "They help us out and share in the profits," Postles said.
"It's a way for them to raise money, too."
                                                        -Scott Collins