Is this for you, or someone else? If a person has breathing problems already, would this be a good idea? What if your nose gets stopped up or sinus congestion overnight? Be careful.
There is always one day at the end of summer when you can feel autumn coming in the air for the first time. It was yesterday. Doesn't mean it's going to cool off, but it feels different. It used to make me a little sad, but thinking back on this summer of rain, lawn-mowing, and insects, I'm kind of glad it's nearing an end. I sneaked a little mowing in just before dark yesterday and it was exhausting just doing my tiny front yard. The belt on the self-propelled mower must have stretched because it's hardly pulling at all, and I've adjusted it to the max. If the grass is a little wet the wheels spin. I'm tempted to try ordering a new part (gear box with belt). It is not designed well to just replace the belt. Maybe I should just go back to a little light 18" Murray push mower. If we have another warm winter, and next summer starts out like this, I may hire someone to mow the lawn in town. Most folks that do lawn care use one of those zero-turn mowers, go like sixty, and are pretty reckless with them. There isn't much they can hurt, except the paint on the truck. I hate giving up mowing because it was a good way to get regular cardio exercise. I guess I could start walking again instead. Seems silly to just walk and not do something useful at the same time. How can someone write 3 paragraphs just about lawn mowing? I think I'll head out this afternoon and tackle that kudzu on the fence. No rain in sight. High predicted only 85. Not as hard work.
I have had the teeth on the wheels wear away and loose traction on our Huskvarna 22 " self propelled. They are plastic, and I had to replace the two front wheels.
I thought this Honda mower had metal gears on the wheels, but I could be wrong. Maybe just the gear on the mower is metal. Will check again. It's by far the easiest to start I've ever had, so I hate to give up on it. But it's so heavy, and hard to pull backwards, like when you mow under a hedge. It tires you out. Have you ever had to replace the belt on yours just because it wore out, or started slipping?
(9/2/21) Thursday The only way to get to the fence covered in kudzu is through this gate (which appears in the open position in the photo). Then walk through somewhat dense growth. But not that far. Less than 100 feet. The neighbor's house shows in the upper right corner. The plan was to clear a path first, then return for the backpack sprayer, which I did. Turns out there was not that much kudzu on my side to spray. The power company had done most of it. But there were at least 2 large areas covered in poison ivy. Where did that come from? Bluegreen stuff hanging in the trees in upper left is kudzu. Light green in foreground is mostly briars. Everything else is poison ivy. I wanted it gone also. Cropped from above image I'm sure I missed some because it was hard to keep track of where you already sprayed. If things are still growing by the time the effects of the spraying show, I'll go over it again, otherwise spraying is all done for 2021. More than I had planned to do. Then cranked up the tractor and mowed all the way to, and on top of, the dam. Discovered you can mow going in reverse. Makes things easier because there are places it's hard to turn around. The new tailwheel is perfect. Mowed path on the road leading to the dam. I was afraid to make a wider path on the left because the tractor might go over the bank into the lake. The right is the side of a hill. From the main entrance gate up at the house. The silver gate on the right goes to the barn. All of this combined was not as much work as mowing the lawn in town.
Just took off a wheel. Both gears are steel. Another reason I don't want to give up on this mower. The belt doesn't look in bad shape, but what do I know. Just too much slack. I've already adjusted the cable so much, 1mm more turn and it will divide into two pieces. Not going to take it apart to check the little thing they call the transmission, because I wouldn't know if I looked at it. Going to gamble on the whole assembly, OEM. Easier to install than just the belt alone.
Hubby wants to rent a frontend loader to clear trees and vines around the house and open the trails back up some.Of coursethis will mean more mowing around fence area. We already have a few acres we mow .
Have you ever replaced the belt? If not, that could be the problem. Did you wear a mask, when mowing the poison ivy?
No mask. No mowing. Just spraying. However, I did take off the outer clothes I was wearing and put them in a separate bag to be washed later. My biggest fear was tripping and falling down in the middle of it with the sprayer on my back. The struggle to get up would have certainly disturbed the ivy. As to the belt... Yes, I did replaced it. Twice. And that could be the problem. It never propelled quite as well after the second replacement, and gradually deteriorated over the next 2 years. I'd rather not discuss the first replacement incident, which involved a missing screw driver.
A change of pace... I ran across this song by accident last night. Never heard it before. Such a sweet song and introduction in this performance. Griffith died last month at age 68. Love at the Five and Dime Written and recorded by Nanci Griffith in 1986. LYRICS
(9/4/21) Saturday We have had 3 straight days without rain and high temps only 86 or less. I am caught up in lawn mowing. Everywhere!!! I believe for the first time all summer. It took all day to do the back yard. A piece at a time. Fire ant mounds all over. When the mower hits a mound it scatters ants all over so no place nearby is safe to walk. Between the chiggers and fire ant bites on my ankles, poison ivy would be a piece of cake. Bring it on. Ten percent chance of rain tomorrow so the plan is to finish trimming and cleaning up the hedge. The deer has been trimming the other hedge so well I think he's going to kill it, but I won't cry. Think I'll go out and spray the kudzu coming over from the parking lot again tonight, and get in an hour on the hedge. Maybe I'll have time to finish up and spray along the road bank near the lake tomorrow. The rain starts again Monday for 4 days.