14 June 2024

The second round of mowing was more eventful than the first. Today I was mowing the front lawn and there is an area where the tree guy mulched up branches from the downed tree dispersing them onto the lawn. While driving around the mulched area I went over a big piece of wood and a mower blade got stuck. When the blades get stuck, usually from too much grass at once, the engine shuts down. My theory is is things stop moving, that floods the engine with fuel and stops movement. At first I didn’t like gas engines because I didn’t understand how they work. The more I know the better I’m seeing the connections in a gas engine, whereas if something breaks with an electric component, the whole tool is likely trash. With my mower stranded in the front yard I assessed the situation, the blade was into the wood deep enough that I couldn’t pull it out and the piece of wood was so big that there wasn’t anywhere for me to attempt to pull it off to. With the blades turned off I started the mower and drove back to my shed where there was shade and tools. The solution came in the form of a hatchet, I began chopping at the wood until it was small enough to move around and I had made room for the blade to wiggle out. That’s when I noticed how much damage my blades have been through, they’re frayed on the ends. I’d like to put some mulching blades on to go through the woods and then get new grass ones. My brother told me how replacing the blades should be easier than I thought, that the mowing deck comes off and then I don’t have to work underneath the mower. The lose I encountered was another screw for the pully covers, at least now I know where to get more.