Minute Man Repair

We have relied on Eddie for the last seven years to tune-up our snowblower and lawnmower and have always been happy with his service. He usually returns calls the same day and returns our equipment within a few days of pickup (he and his wife do free pickups and deliveries. His rates are extremely reasonable and we trust his recommendations. We don't know what we'll do if he ever retires!

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I needed a shear pin replaced in my snowblower and a co-worker recommended Minute Man.  I dropped by the store to buy a couple shear pins figuring I could change it myself and the woman there -- I guess that was Beth? -  was very helpful.  Got home and tried and tried to get the pin out, but it wouldn't budge and I didn't want to break anything so I called them and arranged to have the snowblower picked up.  I called Tuesday afternoon and amazingly they came out Tuesday night.  They quoted the cost of the repair and said I might also need to have the belt replaced since I hadn't had the snowblower serviced in the 14 years I've owned it.  They thought they might be able to fix the snowblower by Friday, which was a godsend as we are expecting another big snow on Monday.
  I called Thursday afternoon since I hadn't heard anything, and the person who answered the phone said the work hadn't started yet but they thought they might get to it later that day. I got a call later in the afternoon and he said they were working on it and thought they might be done in another hour and would bring the snowblower by.  That night!  Thursday!!
   They brought the snowblower by later Thursday ngiht and it started right up.  It turns out I couldn't get the pin out because it was actually a bolt that had come loose from the handle and gotten wedged into the shear pin hole.  They gave me some maintenance tips and now I can't wait for the snowstorm on Monday to try it out.  Eddie also mentioned I could get an electric starter added to my snowblower so I didn't have to use the pull cord.  I will definitely get that done the next time I send the snowblower in for repair/tune-up.
  I give Eddie and Beth top marks because they 1) came promptly to pick up my snowblower, after I got home from work; 2) gave me an accurate estimate of the cost of the work; 3) were polite and professional with every interaction; 4) finished the work before their own deadline despite this being the height of their busy season; 5) returned the snowblower again later in the evening so I didn't have to miss work; 6) gave me some maintenance tips.  I haven't used the snowblower yet but I assume it will work like a charm.  If not I know I can call them and they will do their best to solve the problem.

It went great. My mower works like new and so do my knives.

This involved two different kinds of grinds. The owner knows exactly how to do this and has sharpened my push lawnmower many time.

I bought my refurbished Troy-Built 24" snow blower from the vendor for $450 in 2012.  I did not use it the first season due to no snow.  In 2013, I used the machine once - had difficulty but chalked it up to my inexperience with the new machine.  This season, I had the snow blower picked up for the vendor's tune-up special ($89).  The mechanic said that the carburator had to be rebuilt due to gasoline left in the tank.  During our first snowstorm in early December, the machine kept sputtering and stalling.  I called the owner (Eddie) who came out to look at the machine.  I was not present, but his wife left a message saying the snow blower was stalling due to no gasoline -- it was bone dry.  I filled the tank with new gasoline, and again the engine would not turn over.  I also noticed that gasoline was leaking from the carburator (it stopped when I closed the gas line).  In addition, the starter was loose and hanging down.  When I held it with my hand, the engine turned over for a little while.  It would not run without sputtering, and there was very little power for the tiller to turn or for the machine to move forward when put into drive.  I called the vendor but the phone's answering machine did not pick up.  During this latest snowstorm, I hired someone to move the snow from the end of my driveway, and then I drove to the repair shop and found it closed.  There were two signs -- "Out due to back injury, sorry" and "Closed during snowy conditions."  I am beyond frustration.  I am still responsible for removing the snow from the sidewalk -- a corner where the town's plows drop heavy snow as they make their turn.  I am 59 years old and also suffer from sciatica.  I said I would use them again because I expect the owner to live up to his reputation.  I don't believe this service is typical, and the machine I purchased may be "tempermental."   Eddie and his wife are long-time business owners, and will hopefully rectify this situation quickly.

The service went well; Eddie picked up the blower, serviced it, returned and then provided me with a host of tips for maintaining the machine.
Eddie was very friendly, knowledgable, and excited about his craft.  I'll certainly keep him on speed dial during the winter months.

Eddie and Beth were incredible.  Not only did they immediately know what to do with my mower, they showed me exactly what was going on (and entertained me in the process).  They truly know the meaning of service - prompt, professional, and anticipate the customer's need.  EXCEPTIONAL.

It always goes perfectly. They are the best! Bought my mower from them and weed wacker. I will not buy lawn equipment from anyone else! Been a customer of theirs for 10 years!

very The service was incredibly punctual and well done, though the light/snow director wire was disconnected when we got the machine back and had to be reconnected by us. The machine ran well throughout handling of the deep snow, and continues to run well.
Ed called to make sure that I wanted the belt replaced before they delivered the machine.
We're lucky to have found them, and are very satisfied with the service.

Minute Man was incredibly helpful in choosing a new mower that was appropriate for my lawn and needs, delivering it, and showing me how to use it. I would recommend them for new purchases and, based on their knowledgeable advice, would trust them to make repairs as well.

We just bought our first house and needed a lawn mower. We have never purchased one before and dont know one from another. We drove by Minute Man Repair and saw several old and new mowers out front so we stopped to see if they would teach us about what we needed. We spent an hour with Eddie and Beth, got a full education on mowers and weed whackers and ended up purchasing both. We had our small car with us so they delivered both to our house an hour later. They have also offered to pick up and drop off for service as needed even though we are moving about 20 miles away from Arlington. They were both extremely nice and patient with us and let us try out the items before purchasing. We have been to the big box stores and are very glad that we didn't buy there but rather found Minute Man Repair.

I don't really get tune ups for lawnmowers.  They seem incredibly expensive relative to the price of buying a new lawnmower.  It's not unlike getting a fairly major service on your car, but it takes less time and your car costs a lot more.  (Maybe the strategy should just be to buy a lawnmower, never get it serviced, and when it dies prematurely sent it to the dump and buy a new one?) All that said, Minuteman Repair's prices seem the same as or better than average, and they know what they're doing. My lawnmower had been sitting in my humid basement for 3 years, and they got it back and humming. (For those who live in Arlington or Lexington -- and who qualify for MR's free pick up and drop off -- this may be the best deal around.) Re. the guy who gave MR an 'F': one thing that's a bit frustrating is that MR doesn't tell you in advance what a repair is going to cost. They just repair it and give you the bill. But since you can buy a lawnmower pretty cheap these days, that would be useful information. No point in spending more on a repair than it costs to get a new mower. Overall: I'd probably use them again, but I'm also contemplating the "drive it into the ground and then replace it" strategy for my lawnmower. Sorry, sweet Toro.

Very professional, prompt, courteous. Excellent service -- they picked mower up at my home, returned it fully serviced a few days later. The price is a bit higher than expected, but the service was so good I would definitely go back nonetheless.

My lawnmower wouldn't run.  It would start and run for a second or two, and then stall out.

I called Minuteman repair (this was on a Saturday afternoon), and they said they would be happy to take a look at it, but there were a few people ahead of me in line, so I could either wait, or drop it off and come back.

So I opted for the latter and dropped it off.  I also asked them to sharpen the blade.

They called me back in a few hours and told me they could probably get it fixed by later in the week, and that it looked like the blade needed replacement.

As promised, they had it done by Wednesday and gave me a call.  They had given it a tuneup (carburetor overhaul, etc.) and replaced the blade. The total came to $162, which I thought was pretty reasonable, given that I got a whole new blade, not just a sharpened one.

I brought the lawnmower home and mowed my lawn.  It runs like a charm now (it was never this easy to start).

I highly recommend them, they did a good job, and kept to their promised schedule.

They were fairly easy to get to.  I recommend pulling off Mass Ave onto the side street, where it will be easier to unload your mower.  Also, they don't take credit cards, so bring your checkbook, or cash, or go to the ATM two blocks down the street.

It went great.  The shop is a step back in time and is reassuring in its one-on-one hands-on approach.  Eddie was thoughtful and informative in explaining knives and how to determine their quality.  He even restored the serrated edges to a 30 year old knife that I brought in.  It was so easy and affordable that I will most likely go to Minute Man Repair to sharpen my knives rather than use my electric sharpener at home which seems to have stopped doing such a good job.

I was very pleased with the quality of the work and felt I got a good value for my money.   They were clearly swamped with work due to the coming winter yet delivery was timely with solid execution and at a fair price.   I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them.

Fantastic!  While I might have saved a nominal amount buying online or at a big box retail, these guys are absolutely wonderful to work with.  From being shown what I need, answering maintenance Qs & including free delivery was really great.  They came by (calling me first!) right on time for the delivery and the machine was set up as promised.  The other plus for MM Repair for me was that they pick up the machine to repair it when it breaks - so it's nice to have that addressed up front.

If you're considering buying a new/used snowblower - you should really give Minute Man Repair a try - they won't dissappoint!  You need to look at the big picture w/all the advice, service, delivery - it's a really great value at the end of the day.

Your winter will be happier (I know mine is!) going with Eddie & Beth @ Minute Man Repair!

Thanks for the great experience Minute Man Repair!

Great.

wonderful

Dropped it off, he called a week later. all set.

We learned a lot about lawn mowers and maintenance. They have excellent service, are knowledgeable, and I highly recommend them for snowblower and lawnmover repair.

Service was excellent - moreover, the explanation of how and why maintenance of the lawnmower is critical was just as valuable.  I learned more about lawnmowers than I could have imagined and found Minute Man to be a wealth of knowledge.  He listened to the engine with a stethoscope to ensure the carburator and engine pin were OK.  To me, that is a ridiculous level of detail and dedication - and the type of person you absolutely want fixing your mower.  I only rated price a B because in general I don't like to spend money on this stuff.  Fact is, for the work done to the mower - including pick up and drop off in 24 hrs - Minute Man was an excellent value.  I'll be giving him a call to tune up the mower next year as well.

My lawn mower sat for 5 years. Now that I have a lawn again it wouldn't start. I tried unsuccessfully to start it using ether and fresh gas. I called Minute Man at around 1pm on a Saturday, described the situation, and they said 'if you bring it in right now we can fix it while you wait'. I brought it in, and they fixed it.

It's a small operation run by a couple who's been doing this for years. They're in a quaint old-looking shop crammed with mower and small engine parts. The woman helped me unload the mower from my car then wrote up the order while the man serviced another customer's mower. They were both friendly, knowledgeable and efficient. When it was my turn the man seemed to know exactly what to expect with my mower's engine. He replaced the fuel injector, changed the oil, and did something with the gas (changed it perhaps). He also sharpened the blade. The only downside had to do with pricing -- he didn't discuss what things would cost ahead of time, and the total ended up coming to two-thirds of what the mower cost me new (in 2003). I would have liked to know for example how much he was going to charge me for sharpening the blade before he sharpened it; maybe I would have chosen to go without, or to buy a new blade instead.

Overall, the mission was a success -- they fixed the mower on short notice, they did a good job, and I was able to go home and cut my grass that same afternoon.