Sometimes it just doesn't work
hchi...@hotmail.com
the ghost. It was close to fall and I let it sit as a lawn ornament
in the field.
This spring, I bought a used motor, cleaned out the mouse nests,
replaced the oil, cleaned and mounted the carb, and after much
invoking of gods and curses, managed to get it installed. It worked
great for a couple of mowings and then died.
I was able to get a second replacement motor from the same fellow for
a minimal amount, and with a bit fewer invocations, was able to get
that cleaned spotless, re-carbed, oiled up and installed.
It worked fine, sounding even smoother than the first replacement.
But since it was working, I then hit a guy cable hidden by the road
and broke one of the mandrels on the mower deck.
Back to the old feller and picked up a replacement mower deck at a
reasonable price. It came with a rear grass catcher, which is a
s---load of black plastic parts and some metal square tubing. Got it
on and it worked fine. Gently and slowly, so as to not overload the
mower, I mowed the front part of one of my lawns.
The engine sounded a bit off, so I drained and replaced the oil again.
Got back started mowing again, and the motor conked out within ten
minutes. I think I'm being told something.
What is the going rate for scrap metal like this? I'm in the market
for an inexpensive used compact tractor with a bushhog/haying
attachment. The grass here appears to be a mite tough.
On the plus side, I did get about 15 years out of the mower, and was
only out about $200 on the recent repairs. Still...
Marsha
> Last year, the engine on my circa 1993 craftsman riding mower gave up
> the ghost. It was close to fall and I let it sit as a lawn ornament
> in the field.
>
> This spring, I bought a used motor, cleaned out the mouse nests,
> replaced the oil, cleaned and mounted the carb, and after much
> invoking of gods and curses, managed to get it installed. It worked
> great for a couple of mowings and then died.
>
> I was able to get a second replacement motor from the same fellow for
> a minimal amount, and with a bit fewer invocations, was able to get
> that cleaned spotless, re-carbed, oiled up and installed.
>
> It worked fine, sounding even smoother than the first replacement.
> But since it was working, I then hit a guy cable hidden by the road
> and broke one of the mandrels on the mower deck.
>
> Back to the old feller and picked up a replacement mower deck at a
> reasonable price. It came with a rear grass catcher, which is a
> s---load of black plastic parts and some metal square tubing. Got it
> on and it worked fine. Gently and slowly, so as to not overload the
> mower, I mowed the front part of one of my lawns.
>
> The engine sounded a bit off, so I drained and replaced the oil again.
> Got back started mowing again, and the motor conked out within ten
> minutes. I think I'm being told something.
<snip>
You're being told to stop mowing your lawn.....
Marsha/Ohio
Al Bundy
You had a good streak followed by a bad streak. And it wouldn't have
been so bad if you didn't hit that wire.
Motors don't just conk out one after another without a reason. I'd
want to know what those reasons were. Your source of parts may be
cheap, but not dependable. Are these motors warranted for a season at
least?
Still, you don't have much expense involved. You know this machine in
and out (except for the motor). Why spend lots of money on a used one
with similar problems? Find a better motor with a minimal guarantee.
Maybe you should stock your own parts or have two mowers because of
your need.
PaPaPeng
<MSfo...@mcpmail.com> wrote:
>You had a good streak followed by a bad streak. And it wouldn't have
>been so bad if you didn't hit that wire.
>Motors don't just conk out one after another without a reason. I'd
>want to know what those reasons were. Your source of parts may be
>cheap, but not dependable. Are these motors warranted for a season at
>least?
>Still, you don't have much expense involved. You know this machine in
>and out (except for the motor). Why spend lots of money on a used one
>with similar problems? Find a better motor with a minimal guarantee.
>Maybe you should stock your own parts or have two mowers because of
>your need.
Hey Frugal Al, You telling Harry something he doesn't already know?
hchi...@hotmail.com
>Marsha <m...@xeb.net> wrote:
>
>>You're being told to stop mowing your lawn....
> Seconded.
I wish. However, in the country you mow not for appearance, but to
minimize ticks and field mice, and be able to see snakes before you
step on them. In addition, mowing before weeds get to the fruiting
stage minimizes the thistle invasion and sage grass that can be a fire
hazard.
hchi...@hotmail.com
<MSfo...@mcpmail.com> wrote:
>You had a good streak followed by a bad streak. And it wouldn't have
>been so bad if you didn't hit that wire.
>Motors don't just conk out one after another without a reason. I'd
>want to know what those reasons were. Your source of parts may be
>cheap, but not dependable. Are these motors warranted for a season at
>least?
>Still, you don't have much expense involved. You know this machine in
>and out (except for the motor). Why spend lots of money on a used one
>with similar problems? Find a better motor with a minimal guarantee.
>Maybe you should stock your own parts or have two mowers because of
>your need.
DW and I were talking over the situation last night and this morning.
In pointing out the differences between a tractor and bush hog and a
riding mower, I suddenly remembered that bush hogs have a shear bolt
that breaks to protect the tractor motor from sudden stoppages of the
blades. Riding mowers have a direct belt drive to the mower deck and
no protection from those piston rod jarring stops. Hitting the cable
end and breaking the mandrel likely started the damage on the latest
engine, and the load of cutting heavy grass finished the job.
I can't think of a way to include a shear or cotter or slip-clutch on
the mower deck without some serious welding and re-engineering, and
belly mowers are a pain to work on anyway. I'm thinking I need to
re-evaluate options and find the right tool for the job. Using a
screwdriver as a cold chisel and breaking it is cheap. Doing the same
with a mower is not.
Al Bundy
> On Sun, 8 Jun 2008 04:22:15 -0700 (PDT), Al Bundy
>
Good points, but you got by nicely for over 15 years with that old
mower. Has something changed?
I was unfamiliar with the bush hog design. That does sound better
long term.
hchi...@hotmail.com
>hchi...@hotmail.com wrote:
>
>>I wish. However....
> Harry, I *live* "in the country", too, and have done for many
>years; it ain't necessarily so;-)....
Yeah, not always. But ever since last year, when I let some thistle
head, I've been having more of them come up. A neighbor's field
hasn't been cut for a few years, and the sage grass there is a real
problem, since it catches fire easily, cattle don't care for it, and
it is trying to seed over here.
I've been keeping an eye out on pastured land around the area, and
some of it is gorgeous, while some is weedy and pretty ratty. I've
got plenty of acrage that is wild and I'm not trying to keep more than
about an acre or so under tight control. However, I am going to have
to address the problems in my fields before the boxwood and trash
trees get established.
hchi...@hotmail.com
<MSfo...@mcpmail.com> wrote:
>Good points, but you got by nicely for over 15 years with that old
>mower. Has something changed?
Maybe the move from a suburban and sandy area in south Florida to the
chert loaded country of north Alabama? :-)
>I was unfamiliar with the bush hog design. That does sound better
>long term.
I'm hoping so.
Dennis
>DW and I were talking over the situation last night and this morning.
>In pointing out the differences between a tractor and bush hog and a
>riding mower, I suddenly remembered that bush hogs have a shear bolt
>that breaks to protect the tractor motor from sudden stoppages of the
>blades. Riding mowers have a direct belt drive to the mower deck and
>no protection from those piston rod jarring stops. Hitting the cable
>end and breaking the mandrel likely started the damage on the latest
>engine, and the load of cutting heavy grass finished the job.
Yep, I've taken out the shear bolt on my brush hog several times.
It's a $0.75 bolt versus a $400 transmission on the brush hog. Keep a
couple on hand! (Be sure to get the proper soft bolt -- no grade 8
hardened steel. :-)
>I can't think of a way to include a shear or cotter or slip-clutch on
>the mower deck without some serious welding and re-engineering, and
>belly mowers are a pain to work on anyway. I'm thinking I need to
>re-evaluate options and find the right tool for the job. Using a
>screwdriver as a cold chisel and breaking it is cheap. Doing the same
>with a mower is not.
I looked and shopped and tried to work around buying a tractor and
brush hog for several years. Then I resigned myself to making the
investment. Even buying second hand is expensive. But after having
the tractor (i.e., the right tool) for a little while, I kicked myself
for not jumping in sooner. It is a major work saver. Mine is a John
Deere compact diesel 4WD model with a front bucket. I picked up the
brush hog mower new (on sale at a local independent dealer) and a used
tiller. I have never regretted any of these purchases.
I'm currently chopping up an old pickup to use as a trailer behind the
tractor. I've got lots of firewood to haul.
Dennis (evil)
--
The honest man is the one who realizes that he cannot
consume more, in his lifetime, than he produces.
Gary Heston
> it went for about the fuel
>cost of dragging the whole ball of wax to 'Bama behind my old ragged-out
>f150 -- which would have provided another opportunity to "camp" in the
>Monte Sano park.
And if you were lucky, your truck wouldn't break down going up Governors
Drive after that 1,000 mile trip.
> Damn; if I'd had a clue.... Haven't been to Hvlle since
>1997; my older brother was a principal in "John's Photo", which had a
>store just up the street from the War Criminal Center.
You have a brother here? Don't think you've mentioned that previously.
> Don't guess I
>should have mentioned the tractor, huh?
The Chickpea Karma is likely to start roosting above you. Be ready.
>>when I let some thistle head, I've been having more of them come up.
> LOL. Mow'em early and mow'em often ;-) I'm in a part of Florida
>that was settled by Scots because it is within the extreme southern
>range of thistle! In fact, I put fences around thistles (AWA around many
>other migratory and/or "butterfly" wildflowers) so as *not* to mow them
>until after seeds have dispersed.
You may have just converted Harry to not mowing the thistles. One of the
things they're enjoying the most about having moved to the area is hearing
and watching all the birds. Ensuring a food supply ensures more birds to
watch. (Note to self: pick up a bag of sunflower seeds before next visit.)
Gary
--
Gary Heston ghe...@hiwaay.net http://www.thebreastcancersite.com/
"a member or members of Osama bin Ladens' Al Qaeda network, posing as
computer programmers, were able to gain employment at Microsoft..."
claim made by Mohammed Afroze Abdul Razzak to police in India, 12/01.
Jeff
> Last year, the engine on my circa 1993 craftsman riding mower gave up
> the ghost. It was close to fall and I let it sit as a lawn ornament
> in the field.
>
> This spring, I bought a used motor, cleaned out the mouse nests,
> replaced the oil, cleaned and mounted the carb, and after much
> invoking of gods and curses, managed to get it installed. It worked
> great for a couple of mowings and then died.
I'm a little surprised that since you've gone through so much effort and
have a clue as to what you are doing, that you didn't find out why it
died. There's lots of reasons that aren't fatal. I can tell you that a
bad head gasket is no longer an unusual problem. I don't have a lot of
experience with powered mowers, but the couple I've looked at recently
have had problems that at first seemed hidden, but were obvious after
some poking around.
Jeff
hchi...@hotmail.com
>I looked and shopped and tried to work around buying a tractor and
>brush hog for several years. Then I resigned myself to making the
>investment. Even buying second hand is expensive. But after having
>the tractor (i.e., the right tool) for a little while, I kicked myself
>for not jumping in sooner. It is a major work saver. Mine is a John
>Deere compact diesel 4WD model with a front bucket. I picked up the
>brush hog mower new (on sale at a local independent dealer) and a used
>tiller. I have never regretted any of these purchases.
I've been looking for the past few months for something. I was
considering the old Ford 8Ns, but they are two wheel drive, and my
land is errr, seriously steep in parts. So, after seeing an ad for a
Mitsubishi grey-market tractor, DW and I drove up to Dickson again and
bought a used D1500FD (four wheel drive, two cyl diesel, Cat 1 hitch,
rice paddy tires). I overpaid, and it needs a little work, but it
should handle the basics. Came with a finish mower, will have to get
a 4' bush hog later, since we dipped into rainy day funds for the
purchase. Before buying, I checked with two parts dealers on parts
availability and their opinions to make sure I wasn't buying an
expensive orphan.
At least this one shouldn't get stuck at the bottom of the draw,
trying to get back up the slope. The low center of gravity is a good
thing as well.