Mowing Checklist

[yeehaw1960]

1. Mow yard until I hit stump.
2. Turn mower upside down to survey damage.
3. Go to store and buy a new blade.
4. Remove bent blade.
5. Go back to store for correct blade.
6. Return home and put it on backwards.
7. Try to pull start mower.
8. Figure oil squirting out of muffler calls for a new air filter.
9. Go to store for new air filter.
10. Install new air filter.
11. Try to pull start mower.
12. Go to store and buy an overpriced split fire spark plug the sales person cons you into buying because "it worked for him".
13. Install new plug.
14. Try to pull start mower.
15. Add another 10 oz of oil.
16. Try to pull start mower.
17. Take bolts out of starter housing (cowling), then stare at what's underneath.
18. Yell at neighbor kids because this is surely their fault.
19. Put mower on curb.
20. Go to urgent care to get sling and Motrin for sore shoulder from pulling.
21. Talk smack about the engine's manufacturer to people in waiting room.

 

[The motor guy]

Talk about doing things backwards, [censored]. lol

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: yeehaw1960
1. Mow yard until I hit stump.
2. Turn mower upside down to survey damage.
3. Go to store and buy a new blade.
4. Remove bent blade.
5. Go back to store for correct blade.
6. Return home and put it on backwards.
7. Try to pull start mower.
8. Figure oil squirting out of muffler calls for a new air filter.
9. Go to store for new air filter.
10. Install new air filter.
11. Try to pull start mower.
12. Go to store and buy an overpriced split fire spark plug the sales person cons you into buying because "it worked for him".
13. Install new plug.
14. Try to pull start mower.
15. Add another 10 oz of oil.
16. Try to pull start mower.
17. Take bolts out of starter housing (cowling), then stare at what's underneath.
18. Yell at neighbor kids because this is surely their fault.
19. Put mower on curb.
20. Go to urgent care to get sling and Motrin for sore shoulder from pulling.
21. Talk smack about the engine's manufacturer to people in waiting room.
When do you notice the plug wire is loose? Or that the crank kept moving another 20 degrees after the shaft was stopped by the rock hitting the blade. Yes there are keyways in many motors with shear pins in them. Once in a while the expensive crank bends to protect the 25 cent pin. I saw a nice John Deer push mower at the "dump" recently which had a crank so bent the motor wouldn't run. The pin wasn't broken, the blade still turned when the cord was pulled.

 

[yeehaw1960]

You only have to look at 10 or 20 oil covered mowers a year with new air filters, plugs and blades to put this story together in your head. I have to think of something to pass the time while I soak up the oil with paper towels before fixing the mower and putting it on Craigslist.

 

[The motor guy]

Originally Posted By: yeehaw1960
You only have to look at 10 or 20 oil covered mowers a year with new air filters, plugs and blades to put this story together in your head. I have to think of something to pass the time while I soak up the oil with paper towels before fixing the mower and putting it on Craigslist.


Did you hurt your shoulder when you sheered the flywheel key and threw the timing off?

 

[jhellwig]

This didn't happen to him. He is making a fairly accurate guess of how the mower he got off the curb wound up there.

 

[clinebarger]

Hire a mowing service too come out every week or 2 & mow your lawn, Quite cheap compared to what you went through.

Turning the Mower over could have filled the cylinder full of oil through the PCV system. A sheared Key-way is also a possibility but doesn't account for the oil.

I run cheap NGK's in all my OPE.

 

[pdxglocker9mm]

I find that the reason why they are covered in oil is they
Did themeslves a favor by servicing their mower.
They changed the oil and used a whole quart to refill. So it is about 12-14 oz over filled with super clean oil.
I have fixed several by just draining enough oil to the correct oil level then running them untill they clear out and run correctly.
The reason you find them on the curb is the super excess oil had gummed up the whole works they started and ran after they changed the oil but then the piece of junk died 1/2 way thru mowing and the piece junk would not restart.
I find lots of mowers on craigslist for various reasons including the one above.
Dirty carb is another common one, broken pull cord is another.
My favorite mower i ever repaired was the neighbors
He hit a tree root. Bent the shaft bigtime i actually just used a very large hammer to get the shaft bent back into shape.
I used a stick as a guide to know when the shaft was straight. Holding the stick in a fixed point while turning the shaft it was basically a point of reference. When the shaft didnt wiggle as it turned it was straight.
Replaced the broken key straightned the blade and sold it for 70 bucks. Actually ran pretty smooth.
Briggs amd stratton engines are the best IMO because they are cheap and easy to work on.
I took a honda mower carb apart once it was super complicated compared to a b&s

 

[Merkava_4]

99 percent of mower problems is attributed to dirty fuel and subsequently, clogged up carburetor screens.

 

[Jetronic]

mines electric, and on it's first blade after 8 years. I did sharpen the blade this winter though, after running over tree roots for 7 years. end of the season I remove most of the dry grass from the deck.

I have small yard though, so a gas mower makes as much sense as an electric mower for a 20 acre yard

 

[jhellwig]

Does anyone read?

 

[CT8]

The consumption of vast quantities beer was left off the list, rookie lawn care move !!!

 

[yeehaw1960]

Apparently not. This was me 35 years ago though...

 

[jhellwig]

Originally Posted By: yeehaw1960
Apparently not. This was me 35 years ago though...


We have all been there. That is how you learn. A guy I used to work with called it dumb f***ING yourself.

 

[JTK]

That's a great list!

I wish I could find some neighbors like that. I NEVER find OPE in the trash.