$30 Mower

Tuesday, 15 March 2011

Last week i bought a lawnmower on craigslist for $30. It runs, which means it is already better off than the old Snapper riding mower i bought last year. It can also mulch or attach a bag to collect the grass clippings. The one downside is that it isn't self propelled. That's not a huge deal because i will only be using this to mow in tight corners where i can't get with the riding mower.

So i got it home, cleaned it, sharpened the blade, sprayed it with WD-40 and then oiled everything. The motor is a Briggs & Straton just like the Snapper mower. It's 5hp and seems to run well.

One problem it had was the throttle cable was jammed. Apparently the last owner figured the way to un-jam it was to pull so hard on the handle that it snapped off. So i removed the cable and tried everything to loosen it. After about 30 minutes of bending the cable and twisting the wire it finally freed up.

Now i had to fix the broken throttle handle. First i thought of just cutting a piece of aluminum and bolting it on to where the original had snapped off. But then i noticed an old bicycle tire quick release. I ground off the rivet and the new handle fit perfectly around the broken plastic dial.

One bolt and nut was all it took. Simple and strong.

It almost looks like it was meant to be there.

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Michigan to Arizona - part 2

Monday, 9 November 2009

From Nashville we headed to Texas to stay with our old roommate from MSU, Josh. It was basically either driving:
or not driving:
One thing i learned from this trip...Texas is Big.
There are miles and miles of roads that look exactly like this.
Then in New Mexico we went into some stores selling Mexican blankets and unusual "Action Figures???" With removable stone tablets and "gliding action"

It took almost a whole day to drive across that state but we finally made it to Phoenix. Where upon trying to unload the bike, i broke the throttle cable. I had gone 0.00 miles and already had something break. The cable rusted and snapped in the tube. I was actually really lucky it happened there as opposed to the middle of nowhere. We had the closest shop order a new cable and overnight it.
Here's some other pictures from that part of the trip:

Then ready or not i was on my way back to Michigan...

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