The Widow’s lawnmower

[Snagglefoot]

Here is my third posting on taking care of the Widow lady’s lawn mover. She has a recreation property down the road that she comes out to once or twice a year. Her useless kids, now useless grandkids come out two or three times per summer ( not the same kids each time each). I’ve attached the air filter photo from 2020, and now I’m posting the air filter photo from this year. I last changed it in 2022. The oil looks clean but but was down by 1/2 on the crosshatch on the stick. I noticed oil on the filter.

It’s a Murray mover with a B&S 6 HP Quantum with the plastic bulb primer. The gas tank was empty. It wasn't run this year until today. The kids didn’t attempt to start it.

After putting fresh gas in it, and giving it three pumps on the bulb, it started and ran strong for 10 seconds, then quit. I repeated it with the same results. Seems like the jet is plugged. I have a couple new carbs and will see if one matches. Meanwhile the next door neighbour to them is cheesed off. The grass is two feet tall.

 

[atikovi]

She has a recreation property down the road that she comes out to once or twice a year.

So what's a recreation property? You mean, beach house or mountain cabin? Why doesn't she hire a lawn service? Assume if you can afford a "recreation property" you can afford to maintain it. And if she only visits once or twice a year, why not rent it out to cover expenses, or just unload the place?

 

[Snagglefoot]

So what's a recreation property? You mean, beach house or mountain cabin? Why doesn't she hire a lawn service? Assume if you can afford a "recreation property" you can afford to maintain it. And if she only visits once or twice a year, why not rent it out to cover expenses, or just unload the place?

I hear you. The place has a mobile home on it that should be condemned.
It’s a frigging mess. The land under it is worth $200,000. ( about $140,000 US equivalent) Definitely she should sell. Her husband was a police officer.

 

[daves87rs]

Wow

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Shake the filter off, blow on it, and put it back in

 

[RoadDukie]

Good on you @Snagglefoot for stepping up to the plate for her once again.

It's never wrong to do the right thing! Even if her own squid won't.

 

[Highlander 1459]

no good deed goes unpunished.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

The more you get involved, the more the kids / grandkids and widow expect.
Unless you are a next door neighbor, or the property is directly across the road from your front door or picture window, I would only choose to call authorities and let them deal with the eyesore.

They are obviously not in deep poverty, not with a land value that high. They aren't wasting their time & money to keep the land relatively neat. So you shouldn't waste any time or money either, on folks that may be 'overall' better-off than you.

Help the poor and desperate, not the lazy butt-heads.

 

[cptbarkey]

Should not take long to take the carb off, spray down the insides, put it back on.

 

[Astro14]

Good on you for helping her out.

I’m a little disappointed in her neighbor, though.

In Colorado, I lived next door to a lovely lady who lost her husband during our time there .

Every time it snowed, it was a race among the neighbors to see who could shovel her driveway, sidewalk, and walk first. You had to get up pretty early to beat me to it, but I often found it done before I could get there.

I don’t care if the property in this thread is a rat shack, the fact is she’s a widow, she’s elderly, lend a hand - just like you’re doing.

 

[jeepman3071]

Should not take long to take the carb off, spray down the insides, put it back on.

+1

Sounds like a clogged jet to me and is just running off of the fuel pushed in by the primer. Situations like this are where battery equipment shines, vacation homes where they sit more than they get used, and if the person using it doesn't turn the fuel off after the last use it's almost guaranteed not to start.

As far as helping her out, good on you for doing so! The neighbor annoyed about the tall grass can go kick rocks since he doesn't seem willing to do anything about it besides complain.

 

[fantastic]

That air filter surely had some mice bringing that grass in? That's a lot of grass to be just sucked into it by itself. Regardless, it looks awful.

 

[jeepman3071]

That air filter surely had some mice bringing that grass in? That's a lot of grass to be just sucked into it by itself. Regardless, it looks awful.

It's the filter design on that engine. They draw the air from the bottom, which is right next to the mower deck, so it doesn't take long for them to get packed with grass. Not ideal for a lawn mower, in my opinion. Some have a foam pre-filter over the paper element, which does help it not clog as fast.

 

[fantastic]

It's the filter design on that engine. They draw the air from the bottom, which is right next to the mower deck, so it doesn't take long for them to get packed with grass. Not ideal for a lawn mower, in my opinion. Some have a foam pre-filter over the paper element, which does help it not clog as fast.

Sounds like the tall grass was a contributor as well but probably won't see a commercial type air system on these push mowers. Haha

 

[Snagglefoot]

+1

Sounds like a clogged jet to me and is just running off of the fuel pushed in by the primer. Situations like this are where battery equipment shines, vacation homes where they sit more than they get used, and if the person using it doesn't turn the fuel off after the last use it's almost guaranteed not to start.

As far as helping her out, good on you for doing so! The neighbor annoyed about the tall grass can go kick rocks since he doesn't seem willing to do anything about it besides complain.

Yep, the jet was clogged. On this carb, the nut on the bottom of the bowl is the jet. I used vice grips to pinch the fuel line ( no fuel valve) unscrewed the jet, the ran a pin down inside and cross wise. I also squirted cab cleaner up into the carb.

 

[wavinwayne]

I hear you. The place has a mobile home on it that should be condemned.
It’s a frigging mess. The land under it is worth $200,000. ( about $140,000 US equivalent) Definitely she should sell. Her husband was a police officer.

It'd be a shame if that clogged filter caused an engine fire, which caught the grass on fire, which caught the trailer on fire and burned it to the ground. It'd be a shame.

 

[Snagglefoot]

no good deed goes unpunished.

I forgot to mention that I got stung by a wasp getting the mower out of the storage shack. Her neighbour and I did a midnight attack and sprayed the dickens out of the wasp nest hidden in a pile of old books in an over turned cardboard box. They were chewing the pages of the books to help build the nest.

 

[nomas]

Add some SeaFoam to the gas . It'll help clean out the gunk .

 

[Bill Judson]

Help the poor and desperate, not the lazy butt-heads.

... and then go online to vent about it!

 

[mobilnissan1991]

Those carbs are super easy to take apart and clean