So...I mowed the grass

[Mike.357]

so it was time to go mow the mother in laws grass again. recent rain has given her lawn a spurt of growth. No big deal, I been cutting it all summer long anyway.

Decided to throw the weed eater in the truck too and wack around her deck and a few other spots I can't get the Huskee into.

So I am mowing and all is going good. Got a real added bonus as I saw a huge blackberry bush. I stopped and picked a handful and they were good eating, let me tell you.

anyway I am about done, maybe two more passes in the middle of the yard. All of the sudden comes a big vibration from the mower deck. I am like WTF?????????

I stop the motor and get off the mower. On my hands and knees I figured I would find some crud wrapped on the belt or wrapped around the blades.

Well what did I find? My mowing deck belt was about disintigrated. Big threads hanging off of it. I looked at the yard and seeing two more strips I figured the belt would last five more minutes. WRONG. Lasted about twenty more seconds. Not enough belt left to hold onto the pulleys.

So I go to the Tractor Supply store to look for a new belt. Luckily for me they have my size in stock. Unluckily for me my pocket is now 35 bucks lighter.

But I do have the added joy of pulling the deck off the mower and putting the new belt on. I am hoping the belt just crapped out and not something with the pulleys that forced the belt to fall apart. So if I am lucky I will just be able to stick the new belt on. I think I am going to sharpen the blades while I have the deck off the mower. I am sure they are need to some serious TLC.

Ain't life good?

[Marswolf]

I mowed half of my lawn on July 4th before the rain hit. Today I got the rest of it. Finally dried enough.

Of course after the rain, the part I mowed on the 4th now needs mowing again. I took a look and decided to hell with it. If it's dry next week, I'll do the whole thing and get it back to even.

I'm beginning to like drought. We are only in "severe" drought right now but I'm hoping for "exceptional" with my creek drying up again like last year.

Drought linky: http://drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html

[Mike.357]

well, near two hours later the Huskee is back in working order and is able to earn its keep. Though Grannies yard will retain its "Mowhawk" look until the next time I need to cut her grass. (Sorry Granny but I am not hauling all 17.5 horses of rolling thunder back over for five minutes of cutting.) Knowing her I will have to tell her NO several times in a loud voice to keep her from trying to pay for the belt.

Anyway its on and boy did it suck. I pulled the blades and sharpened them. That was fun. I tell you, if you ever do any mechanical work you gotta have a breaker bar of sorts. I use a metal fence post that slides over the ratchet wrench. Works like a charm. And a torque wrench is a must have too. 80 lbs or force on the nut to hold the blades back in place. 3/4 of the repair time was messing with the blades. I also had to make a tool to pull a spring. Always keep a wire coat hanger or two in the house. It worked like a charm getting the spring back on the mower.

Now that's done I get to go back to work and pull orders for tomorrows deliveries.

The fun never ends...

[Guest c.a.s.]

Well I mowed my grandparent's lawn. Hit two wasp nests and got covered in a TON of june bugs and sweat bees.

[molonlabetn]

I got the front mowed yesterday before I had to go play softball... Still need to do the back, and do the trimming this afternoon.

[Mike.357]

I got the front mowed yesterday

details, we need details. Walk, ride, mower type etc....

Did nothing break? No bee stings or swarming pests?

[jughead]

Only if you carry while doing such...

i

always carry when mowing and drink what ever is handy that tastes good:cheers:

[molonlabetn]

I ran over a chew toy, and it blew the mulching guard off of the deck... so, I'll be spraying grass all over when I'm finishing up later.

It's a rider. My lawn is on a hill, pushing is hell. Besides, the rider has a cupholder for my beer

I also had a frigging walnut fall on me when I was mowing under one of the walnut trees... cracked me right behind the kneecap, damn thing must've come from the very top branch.

Uneventful otherwise. Didn't run out of beer... but I'll have to go get more gas I think, and I might just pick up some more beer

just in case.

[Marswolf]

I got the front mowed yesterday before I had to go play softball... Still need to do the back, and do the trimming this afternoon.

What in hell is trimming? I have an electric and a gasoline weedeater. I think they are both too rusted to use..

[molonlabetn]

What in hell is trimming? I have an electric and a gasoline weedeater. I think they are both too rusted to use..

I can't ride or push-mow the ditch, or get close enough to some of my bushes & shrubs, so I gotta get dirty... I usually only do it every other time I mow.

[Guest Grizzly Johnson]

I have a very good wife, she will NOT let me mow. Doesn't get any better.

I'm glad to know I'm not the only one with this kind of wife....... I bought a new John Deere riding mower and a weed-eater and I can't even use my new toys......... It's like your mom telling you....... "you can't go out and play in the sand box with your good clothes on"......... I love it and her!!!

[Marswolf]

I can't ride or push-mow the ditch, or get close enough to some of my bushes & shrubs, so I gotta get dirty... I usually only do it every other time I mow.

Fill in the ditch (floods are natural) and the shrubs will be better without flaying them with a plastic cord.

[molonlabetn]

Fill in the ditch (floods are natural) and the shrubs will be better without flaying them with a plastic cord.

I don't think that I can fill in the ditch without the city getting onto me... (it's by the road). I think that I'd eventually like to just lay pipe and fill in over it so that I don't have to deal with the ditch at all.

[Guest TNDixieGirl]

My husband does lawn and landscape for a living, so I never mow the yard. He and the young'un handle the outdoor chores. I do the indoor chores.

[Mike.357]

I forgot what I wanted to say

[Mike.357]

why would anyone not want to mow the grass or tolerate a wife not allowing you to do so? I don't stop my wife from vaccuming or doing dishes. She ain't stopping me from cutting and weed eating.

I don't think I want a beer can holder on the mower, the vibration from the machine causes the beer to go flat anyway. I used to want a cigarette lighter when I smoked. Now I just want a way to hook up my Sirius radio so I can listen while I mow. I just use a set of noise supressing ear muffs that have a built in AM/FM radio. Works good enough but Sirius would be better.

And Eddie filling in the ditch in and of itself would be fun. Getting to haul dirt and lay sod or put down seed. But then you lose the pleasure of weed eating the ditch. I don't have a ditch but I wish I did. I do have lime stone rocks lining all the flower beds and such. Them things destroy trimmer line. So I get the added pleasure of putting more string on the weed eater more frequently.

I ran over a chew toy, and it blew the mulching guard off of the deck... so, I'll be spraying grass all over when I'm finishing up later.

See thats the exciting details I love to read about. I don;t use the mucling guard. I have a bungee cord that holds the grass deflector up otu of the way so the cut grass blows all over the place. I never have a problem with needing to rake or bag. The clippings just seem to disappear.

I also had a frigging walnut fall on me when I was mowing under one of the walnut trees... cracked me right behind the kneecap, damn thing must've come from the very top branch.

Man my truck has dents in it from frickin hickory nuts. I have to be real careful where I park now days. I think we are going to have a bumper crop of nuts since we have been getting rain. And I can testify to nuts causing pain. I have been hit in the shoulder by one. It must have come from 100 feet up. It left a mark.

Edited July 17, 2008 by Mike.357

[Guest GLOCKGUY]

i told my wife now that my boys are 12 and 10 i will never touch a lawnmower again

[Marswolf]

Well, the weather is nice, so I plan to move the junk in front of my storage building to the newly cleared rear of the storage building and mow the grass where the junk was - about 10 square feet. Then I plan to come in, watch TV, play with the dogs, eat brownies and cookies and have something to drink.

Taco salad sounds good for supper.

Sounds like a good plan for a weekend.

[Guest Verbal Kint]

I'm starting to see why TN is 3rd in obesity.

[Mike.357]

eat brownies and cookies and have something to drink.

Taco salad sounds good for supper.

Sounds like a good plan for a weekend.

Mars has to be the only person who can turn a grass cutting thread into a

food eating thread, LOL

[Marswolf]

I weed eated the pets grave markers. Two minutes of work. To reward myself, I ate four more brownies.

[Guest db99wj]

I weed eated the pets grave markers. Two minutes of work. To reward myself, I ate four more brownies.

Does your grass and your brownies have something in common:crazy:

[Guest canynracer]

ROFL

[Marswolf]

You ever hear about parents who see that their child has a black stool and think they have internal bleeding? Feeding your kid Oreos does that.

[Guest canynracer]

Oreo's are BRUTAL.... if you open them up, lick the "white" and stick them to a car, it eats through the paint, you will have polka dots all over....