picture I took of my mom’s riding mower

Why I hate the Riding Lawn Mower

I first saw this riding mower over three years ago.  I had just gotten out of the hospital from an allergic reaction to some medicine and could not go back to work for awhile.  My X-father-n-law wanted to get a riding mower for my son.  My son wanted to earn money mowing lawns and his grandpa figured he could make more money with a riding mower.

Now my boys grandpa is Jewish and is always searching for a better deal.  Most of the time, he does a good job of getting something cheap.  Sometimes he does not.

He saw an ad in the paper for this riding mower and thought it was worth looking into.  So we hooked up his little trailer and we all piled into the van and rode for three hours to a little town in northern Arkansas.  We had six people in that van.  They tried to talk my mother into going, but she smartly turned them down.

The riding mower was at a junk store.  I enjoyed going through all the junk.  I was hoping to find stuff I could use for crafts.  I was asked to take a look at the mower, to give my opinion.  At that time, I really didn’t know about riding mowers, but I knew if an engine was running good once you got it started.  It sounded fine to me.

Grandpa then started working his magic.  The original price was $75.  He got them down to $50.  We then loaded it up and instead of heading back home, we continued up north to a cliff side restaurant they wanted to eat at.  I wish I could remember the name of that place.  It was a great place to eat and the view was wonderful.  The time at the restaurant was the only time that was relaxing on that trip.

The day after we got it home, my son and I took the blades off.  He started before I came down and he was having no luck doing this.  He was on the phone with his step dad when I walked up.  I don’t know why he called him.  He can set up a security system, but don’t let him do any mechanics.  I told my son he needed a four inch piece of 2X4.  He gave me a puzzled look.  So I went and found one and showed him how to jam it against the blade to hold it in place while he used the wrench on the nut.  This time the nut gave with ease.  I took him no time to get those blades off after that. 

On a set of mower blades you have two places to sharpen.  So with these blades we had four places.  I did the first place, showing my son how to do it.  Then I let him do the rest.  I was impressed with his work.

The next day, he went and mowed a yard.  It worked fine.  Two weeks later when it was time to mow that yard again, my son was now back at his mothers.  So grandpa took the mower over and started on that yard.  He got about two times around and it quit mowing.  My older son and I were in the driveway when he came riding it back.  So my son and I got down on the ground and checked it out.  It appeared that the belt had come off and as we worked to get it back on, we discovered that the part that the shaft went through from the pulley to the blade had broken. 

Grandpa said he’d have that part replaced within a week.  A month later he sold that mower unfixed to my mother.  He couldn’t find anyone in town that could fix it. 

When they hauled the mower out to my mothers, they lost one of the blades.  My mother used the internet and found where she could order the part.  She order it and a new set of blades.   By this time I was back to work driving Over The Road.  Mother found someone else to put on the part and blade, but then the mower refused to start.  It had sat almost a year by this time. 

While I’m waiting for my disability to start, I recently moved out here to my mothers.  That mower has not been started in two years.  I was determined to get it started.  I already knew that it needed a solenoid.  So I got one right away.  I replaced that and put the battery on a charger.  After two days of charging, we found that the battery was bad.  Since my mother lives way out in the boonies, we have to go at least 13 miles to get to the nearest parts store.  So we went over there and got a battery and to keep from wasting time, we also got groceries and fuel for the car.  That is also where the nearest gas station is.

New batteries come without a charge.  It only took 12 hours to charge this one up and that is when we discovered that the ignition switch didn’t work.  I could get it to turn over, by crossing the posts on the solenoid.  It turned over fine, but still didn’t start.  So back thirteen miles to order an ignition switch.  This time to feel we didn’t waste time, we ate at the Sonic drive in.  We had burgers and Root Beer Floats.  The part came in the next morning and I went and picked it up.  Came straight back. 

The mower still did not start.  It turned over fine and fired up, but immediately died.  I’ve worked on motors before, but chokes were before my time.  That is why it took me three days to realize that I needed to choke the mower if it was cold.  The mower did not come with a choke.   I had to open the hood and put my finger on the lever while starting it.  I held that choke on for only five seconds and had the motor running so nicely. 

I was so happy, I hopped on and put it in gear.  Nothing happened.  It would not budge.  I tried rocking it and I even got off and pushed.  It would not go.

I went inside and got on the net and found the manual to this mower.  It gave me three things to check.  I prayed it was the first thing.  The other two meant that I would have to removed the complete mower tray just to see if that was the problem.  Back out to the mower, I removed the battery and the tray under it to reveal the oil portal on the hydro trans.  When I checked that it was empty.  Now another 13 mile trip just to get the oil.  And another meal at the Sonic.

When I got home, I filled the trans and tried again.  It took a few seconds, but it started going and the more it warmed up, the faster I went.  I bet I looked like a kid on a four wheeler.  Then I engaged the blades and started mowing.  This is a big yard and it had been over two weeks since our neighbor had mowed the yard.  I started out with the blade too low and had to raise it two notches.  I almost got one time around this yard when the belt to the blades broke. 

Now the nearest place to get belts for this mower is 50 miles away.  We called first of course and they had to order the belt.  It took three days to come in.  For that long a trip, we ate pizza while there.

To finish the yard this time, I had to raise the blades much higher than I wanted.  I mowed the yard like that and then lowered the blades to where I wanted and mowed the yard again.  Just during the second mowing the belt came off six times.   Then just as I was getting to the final strip of grass, the new belt broke.  This yard now has a little mo hawk near one side.

More of my Writting:

*  Twelve Dishwashers
*  I Got Something In My Hand
*  Banged Up Door