Getting the grass cut around here has been a challenge ever since we moved here in "89" . 1st I under estimated the acre and 1/2 of ground and what it took to get it knocked down . I figured a 20" push mower and a couple of hrs early on a Saturday and I'm good , Shoot it might help keep a few pounds off . But what I thought would work did not include Life . Every day life bit me hard when it came to the yard .
The 80's in this area were busy construction and crane rental wise . My grass cutting Saturdays turned into Sunday afternoons and before to long it was evenings when I could . Middle of the 1st summer the company was working 10 to 12 hrs a day on short days , Saturdays and some Sundays . So if I had any daylight at all it was pushing the mower and 3 nights of that to complete it . I went 3 summers like that .
Summer of 92 I drug in late and was grumbling about the blasted yard . My dear wife said you need a riding mower . Well I knew that the second time I cut the grass in 89 but we were a single paycheck household and the youngest of 3 boys was 2 and 1/2 . Money was tight . And a new mower was out of the question . So from that time to this has been a long progression of used riding mowers .
1st one was a 35 buck machine with a bad motor . Brand name was Big Mow . Was anything but big but my tired backside could ride . It was a 3 wheeled affair with a chain drive front wheel , I you wanted reverse you just cranked the wheel until was faced 180 degrees . Strange set up but it worked . With me being 6'1" I'm sure I looked like a circus bear riding a tricycle . Oldest boy close to 10 years old at the time asked if he could try it . I took him out in an open area and let him get a feel for what it was like .
He cut R's and W's a few L's then I showed and told him what it took to get the yard done . 1st few times it was cool , He was having fun running a machine and all I had to do was bird dog him . That old mower was really slick in that if you got used to it you could go around small diameter stuff and didn't very much weed eating at all . I told Deuayne that you always turn to the left because the discharge was on the right side and will blow grass in your face if you try and get close to anything .
One Sunday afternoon I went out and started it for him ( He didn't have enough arse to start that rope pull 8 hp motor ) and off he went . There were 7 sapling trees planted in the front and as his normal part of mowing he was doing the tight , tough parts 1st so he could flop the control for speed to the high side to do the open spaces . He was doing good left turn around the 1st 3 . By then I had set down on the steps so I could watch . For some reason he had a momentary lapse and he turned the mower to the right . I figured this would be a good time to learn so I kept my mouth shut . He turned right a couple of more times , I saw the grass kicking back at him but he was still happy and rolling . I looked down at my glass of iced tea just in time to hear " Brraaapp" and the last sapling tree fell to the ground . It bent over just enough the blade caught it .
My dear Son had a look on his face of sheer terror when he looked up at me nearly sliding down the steps laughing . Wish I had a camera or video back then . That began a long succession of used mowers and when something major would freak out , hunting another . The boys took over the mowing for a lot of years and I could just relax when I came home .
Life has a way of reminding you that you have gotten a little to comfy . Oldest and middle boy moved to a place of their own . It was up to the youngest and Me . The last rider we had died (Frame broke ). I had mentioned to My Wife that I had never had a new mower and It's time to start looking . I'm not sure if she was freaked that I might spend a pile of money or she just wanted me to die in the yard . She bought a self propelled walk behind . The youngest and I kept things caught up until this year .
He found work in town and is gone most of the time so mowing is once a again my job . This is my 1st year retired so I have been saving every dime . Still using the walk behind even though the self propelled part died . Some of you know that I babysit My 6 years grand Daughter . Kids have always offered to pay for the help but I say no . That little gal is too much fun .
So One day the oldest said come go with me , I have a mower to look at that I saw on craigslist . Off we go and look at this mower . Runs good but has deck bearings bad . Deck is in pieces but everything is there . He asks if I have time to fix it . I said yeah and started hunting parts which were obsolete . Spindle shaft was bad shape from the bearing freezing . No place to find one . Had that been during my working day's that would have been the end of it , Look for the next one .
With the time I now have , I found a machine shop 7 miles away . The shop owner has a buddy that works on small stuff and he will have him look at it . 2 weeks later he welded it up and turned it back down to the correct size . This guy charged me 25 bucks to do that . I was pretty happy . Now that I see this , I'm beginning to wonder if some of those other mowers that I simply junked could have been saved . The pace of life seems to dictate what we do too much of the time .
I get this thing back together and it runs and mows pretty dog gone good .... But you know it needed to be tested in actual grass mowing conditions . Worked like a champ over my entire yard LOL , Called the oldest later told him it was done . He said " I have a mower , That one is yours " . Well he does like the old man after all . ;)
Well I'm back to riding a mower due to a little time to hunt things and places and a pretty good kid . Makes me wonder what else having a little extra time will show me .
P.S. Sorry so long but I am an Old Truck Driver
The 80's in this area were busy construction and crane rental wise . My grass cutting Saturdays turned into Sunday afternoons and before to long it was evenings when I could . Middle of the 1st summer the company was working 10 to 12 hrs a day on short days , Saturdays and some Sundays . So if I had any daylight at all it was pushing the mower and 3 nights of that to complete it . I went 3 summers like that .
Summer of 92 I drug in late and was grumbling about the blasted yard . My dear wife said you need a riding mower . Well I knew that the second time I cut the grass in 89 but we were a single paycheck household and the youngest of 3 boys was 2 and 1/2 . Money was tight . And a new mower was out of the question . So from that time to this has been a long progression of used riding mowers .
1st one was a 35 buck machine with a bad motor . Brand name was Big Mow . Was anything but big but my tired backside could ride . It was a 3 wheeled affair with a chain drive front wheel , I you wanted reverse you just cranked the wheel until was faced 180 degrees . Strange set up but it worked . With me being 6'1" I'm sure I looked like a circus bear riding a tricycle . Oldest boy close to 10 years old at the time asked if he could try it . I took him out in an open area and let him get a feel for what it was like .
He cut R's and W's a few L's then I showed and told him what it took to get the yard done . 1st few times it was cool , He was having fun running a machine and all I had to do was bird dog him . That old mower was really slick in that if you got used to it you could go around small diameter stuff and didn't very much weed eating at all . I told Deuayne that you always turn to the left because the discharge was on the right side and will blow grass in your face if you try and get close to anything .
One Sunday afternoon I went out and started it for him ( He didn't have enough arse to start that rope pull 8 hp motor ) and off he went . There were 7 sapling trees planted in the front and as his normal part of mowing he was doing the tight , tough parts 1st so he could flop the control for speed to the high side to do the open spaces . He was doing good left turn around the 1st 3 . By then I had set down on the steps so I could watch . For some reason he had a momentary lapse and he turned the mower to the right . I figured this would be a good time to learn so I kept my mouth shut . He turned right a couple of more times , I saw the grass kicking back at him but he was still happy and rolling . I looked down at my glass of iced tea just in time to hear " Brraaapp" and the last sapling tree fell to the ground . It bent over just enough the blade caught it .
My dear Son had a look on his face of sheer terror when he looked up at me nearly sliding down the steps laughing . Wish I had a camera or video back then . That began a long succession of used mowers and when something major would freak out , hunting another . The boys took over the mowing for a lot of years and I could just relax when I came home .
Life has a way of reminding you that you have gotten a little to comfy . Oldest and middle boy moved to a place of their own . It was up to the youngest and Me . The last rider we had died (Frame broke ). I had mentioned to My Wife that I had never had a new mower and It's time to start looking . I'm not sure if she was freaked that I might spend a pile of money or she just wanted me to die in the yard . She bought a self propelled walk behind . The youngest and I kept things caught up until this year .
He found work in town and is gone most of the time so mowing is once a again my job . This is my 1st year retired so I have been saving every dime . Still using the walk behind even though the self propelled part died . Some of you know that I babysit My 6 years grand Daughter . Kids have always offered to pay for the help but I say no . That little gal is too much fun .
So One day the oldest said come go with me , I have a mower to look at that I saw on craigslist . Off we go and look at this mower . Runs good but has deck bearings bad . Deck is in pieces but everything is there . He asks if I have time to fix it . I said yeah and started hunting parts which were obsolete . Spindle shaft was bad shape from the bearing freezing . No place to find one . Had that been during my working day's that would have been the end of it , Look for the next one .
With the time I now have , I found a machine shop 7 miles away . The shop owner has a buddy that works on small stuff and he will have him look at it . 2 weeks later he welded it up and turned it back down to the correct size . This guy charged me 25 bucks to do that . I was pretty happy . Now that I see this , I'm beginning to wonder if some of those other mowers that I simply junked could have been saved . The pace of life seems to dictate what we do too much of the time .
I get this thing back together and it runs and mows pretty dog gone good .... But you know it needed to be tested in actual grass mowing conditions . Worked like a champ over my entire yard LOL , Called the oldest later told him it was done . He said " I have a mower , That one is yours " . Well he does like the old man after all . ;)
Well I'm back to riding a mower due to a little time to hunt things and places and a pretty good kid . Makes me wonder what else having a little extra time will show me .
P.S. Sorry so long but I am an Old Truck Driver
Riding Mowers and Time that I have now
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