# Lawn Mowers & Sod Plugs



## Smitty (May 21, 2005)

OK,

So my 4,000 sq. ft. of sod plugs showed up on Thursday with *explicit* instructions to mow the yard first (I got the instructions on Monday).  

I pulled out the brand new 4-stroke lawn mower that's been used 2x and started mowing away.  About half-way through there's a *huge clank!* and the thing stops dead.  I figgered that I'd hit a rock (which I couldn't find, but is certainly reasonable considering what I've pulled from my yard), but it was half-past dark, so I rolled the beast out of the way to where I could work on it on Tuesday when I got home.  

Through the week when I got home, I went through various stages of tear-down on this nice Troy-Bilt lawn mower (blades wern't bent, pulleys were in order, etc..., but still NADA).  

I finally gave up this morning and pulled out the old hand mower from the barn.  After a near heart attack and trying to Tim Allen the thing a bit, I called the closest tool rental place (at my wife's insistence, but she's in Texas at the moment, so I of course ignored her), $45 to rent a lawn mower?  Get stuffed.  

So I called Lowe's (the evil Scottish wench bought an extended service contract on the mower...), and after 45 minutes on the phone I got a case # and was told to take the beast to my nearest Lowe's, where they would arrange for service or replacement.  So on the roof of the truck it goes (I had other stuff to get anyway, so it wasn't an entirely lost trip).  

10-14 DAYS!  (And that's just to have someone call me and tell me if they can fix it or not).  Next they tell me that they can't accept it if it's got any gas in it and I'll have to bring it back empty.

So back on the roof it goes...

I get home, arrange a funnel and gas container, take off the gas cap, hear a "whoosh" (it was 100+ here today), and commence to tip the lawn mower over to drain the gas...

NOTE TO SELF: Prior to attempting any major small engine failure diagnosis, make *absolutely sure* that the %$&**** thing actually has gas in it!

Smitty

(Although I have never heard an engine shut down like that!  It scared the crap outta' me!)

And yes, it runs very well now... 

EDIT: I can type about as well as I can tell a lawn mower is out of gas.    (I need to stop yard work and go climbing more!)


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## Norie (May 21, 2005)

Buy a goat.


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## Smitty (May 22, 2005)

The really funny thing is that we have one!

But Daisy spends all of her time hanging out in the vacant lot between us and our neighbor.  She likes those weeds as opposed to ours I suppose.

She comes over every once in a while to visit  though; I woke up the other day after hearing a "click-click-click" and thought "****, we need to trim that dog's nails..."  I looked over and Daisy was looking at me, munching on a weed.

And she scares the heck out of the cat all the time! 

Smitty

And in our next issue, friends and neighbors: why is there a horse in my kitchen?


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## whiteghost (May 27, 2005)

> And in our next issue, friends and neighbors: why is there a horse in my kitchen?



err... you are taken up french cooking?...the beef was off?


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