Rock 1: Lawn mower 0

[gerisullivan]

My lawn mower blade has hit more than its share of rocks over the past 7 summers. The result is usually a loud sound, sparks, and, occasionally, the engine kicking off. It's always started up again immediately.

Tonight, the rock won big time. I was mowing some weed-ridden sandy soil near the bottom of the drive. *Crunch!* went the lawn mower with a ringing tone, the engine promptly dying. It didn't restart immediately, so I gave it a moment and went looking for the rock. There was a fist-sized lump of quartz lurking in the sand. Dings on multiple sides suggest it's been hit by that lawnmower more than once over the years. Tonight, though, tonight it looks like an entire side was sheared off, revealing a broad expanse of the beauty that is the quartz within. Impressive work for a lawn mower blade.

The mower still didn't want to start, so I started pushing it toward the garage. Huh. It wouldn't push, either. I tipped it up on edge and took a look. One end of the blade is bent at such a steep angle that the mower is resting on it instead of its usual 4 wheels. Impressive work for a rock.

I called it quits for the night, rolling the mower back into the garage on its back two wheels with the front raised high enough for forward movement and then some. I'll try taking some tools to the blade when I'm less sweaty and when it's also less humid outside.

The rock is now in my window box. I don't know that it will stay there, but wherever it ends up, it's going to be outside lawn mower range. Both the rock and the mower have earned that.

Comments

Good Job!

[dragonet2.livejournal.com]

That's the best I can think of. And a prayer of thanks for my city lot that takes Dr. P about 20 minutes to mow with a push power mower.

[debgeisler.livejournal.com]

I'm glad that it was the mower that suffered from being rocked, and not you. But the blad sounds...impressive!

[alicebentley]

Excellent news that the blade is bent rather than the axle having broken. If your mower is at all like the one I used to have, you will be able to remove the blade assembly with some sort of reasonably easy attachment and replace it.

I used to bend one of those every couple of years back when I had that sort of lawn (and mower).

[also-huey.livejournal.com]

My stock answer: It Depends. If it's just the blade that's bent, a new blade is mumbledy-dollars at the Home Depot and takes all of five minutes to replace if the nut that holds it on isn't rusted solid. If the deck or the shaft is bent, you're starting to get into the realm of "cheaper just to get a new mower".

Sand & rocks......

[mizzlaurajean.livejournal.com]

you're doin it wrong, the lawn mower is for the grass!

(duck & cover)

[kaffy_r]

The fact that you can say nice things about the chunkoquartz what done the puir wee lawnmower speaks volumes about you.

[thirdworld.livejournal.com]

Sounds like the mower won the battle for years... but the rock won the war.

Re: Term Papers

[madfilkentist]

Dear spamming sleaze: Real success comes from doing something to earn a living.

(But of course comments spammers never read their replies ... Geri, feel free to delete this annoyed comment along with the one it's replying to.)

[madfilkentist]

Whether the rock hits the lawn mower or the lawn mower hits the rock, it's bad for the lawn mower.

[le-trombone.livejournal.com]

Time to rename the game: rock, paper, mower.

[batwrangler.livejournal.com]

Wow. That's impressive. I'm glad you didn't get hurt.