small engine repair

[DoryGray]

Does anyone know anyone that does small engine repair, like weedeaters, out of their home. I already know about Sears & Tex's. Mahalo

[Hotzcatz]

Bobbie LaBrie does great small engine work out of his garage but you have to drive up past Laupahoehoe to get to him. He's in Ookala Gym Camp, go up the Hamakua highway (the road between Hilo and Waimea) just past the third horseshoe (gulch) and at the big rusty tin roof (the old Ookala Gym) and the bus stop, turn makai (towards the ocean) and take the first right. That will be Bobby's garage behind the hedge of the first house on the inside of the loop of houses there. I think he has a small sign half hidden in the hedge. He does really good work on all kinds of small engines.

[oink]

Unless you have a commercial brand (read expensive) like an echo, weedeaters usually aren't worth having repaired if you can't do it yourself. Sounds wasteful, but from a strictly money viewpoint it's true.

Pua`a
S. FL
Big Islander to be.

[Hotzcatz]

Ah, Oink, you haven't met Bobbie LaBrie yet now have you?

[DoryGray]

Mahalo Hotzcatz, I have to drive to Honokaa for hay cubes anyway, so will check out Bobbie. I was kinda afraid weedeaters had turned disposable like almost everything else. A Hui Hou

[oink]

Nope, I haven't met LaBrie and if he can fix those things for a cost effective price, that's great. Those tiny carboraters are near impossible to clean if gunked up bad and $100 to replace. That's near the cost of a mid grade machine. Most mid and cheap ones are made by the same company (Homelite) despite what the label says.

Pua`a
S. FL
Big Islander to be.

[Hotzcatz]

I never have anything new for Bobby to fix but he does a great job on it anyway. Generally he gets all dismal and tells me they haven't made any parts for whatever it is for a long time and it will probably never run again and ... (he's Portugese - this goes on for quite awhile). Of course, while he is telling me all this grim and terrible news, he's running his hands over the machine and parts come off, get cleaned, get put back on, a few new parts appear out of as far as I can tell thin air and then while he's telling me it will probably never run again he starts it up and it purrs perfectly. He's very local and very good at fixing small engines and being extremely polite and respectful to him increases the likelyhood of the machine being repaired very fast, too.

[Hotzcatz]

quote:

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Originally posted by DoryGray

Mahalo Hotzcatz, I have to drive to Honokaa for hay cubes anyway, so will check out Bobbie. I was kinda afraid weedeaters had turned disposable like almost everything else. A Hui Hou

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Bobby can fix old machines (and new ones too) at really reasonable rates and the more polite and respectful you are to him, the faster the repair and the more reasonable the rates are. The last machine I took to him had a really junked up magneto and he made it all better. We may drag a 3HP hit or miss engine over there for him to fuss at just to see what he thinks of it, that would be a hoot.

Have you tried "Alfalfa Hay & Cubes" in Pauuilo? Just past Pauuilo Store and the pedestrian overpass, turn left up the hill and there is an old store called "Alfalfa Hay & Cubes". They also have "Cowboy Wisdom" if you need advice. (Someone got cute and put that sign up above the table the guys hang out around out front during the day.) They only have alfalfa and wisdom, though, it's no good asking them for chicken feed.

[DoryGray]

Yes, I go to Alfalfa Hay & Cubes & talk story w/ Lesley - he's quite the character. Almost worth the trip just for that.

[DoryGray]

Mahalo Nui Loa, Hotzcatz. Bobbie LaBrie more than met my hopes. He was friendly, worked magic on a seized weedeater engine & charged me half of what I was expecting. He took his repair sign down due to complaining neighbors, but now has a "Viva Las Vegas" sign. He talked story for an hour of local history which was fascinating - no charge. Thanks again for the referral.