It seemed like such a good idea at the time

[fitzw]

You know, there are all of those leaves, and you think, how about if I ran over them with the mower to reduce them to little bits before raking them up for the compost.

Don't ever do that if the riding lawnmower has the muffler slung low under the front of the engine, where the leaves will build up in front of the mower.

Comments

[loosecanon.livejournal.com]

Are you ok? Did your pants burn?
Is the mower ok?

[fitzw.livejournal.com]

Yes, I'm OK. I spotted the smoke and helwen spotted the flames just starting, at about the same time, and the fire was away from my legs.

Not sure about the condition of the mower yet — I'll be looking it over in the morning. I do know that the drive belt for the mower deck is, literally, toasted. I don't now about the wiring that passes through that area yet -- need to let everything dry out before I try starting it again.

Well, we were talking about needing a new riding mower anyway, because the threads of a bolt that holds on one of the rotor blades (there are two) are almost completely stripped, and I was only going to be able to reattach that rotor after it falls off so many more times. As well as other issues with the mower.

And get one with the muffler in a different location.

[loosecanon.livejournal.com]

If you opt for repair, the bolt hole can be helicoiled or retapped.
I hope the damage is minimal, and if replacement is needed, I hope a suitable used machine can be located with a minimum of fuss and a maximum of attachments!

I got one good used machine by calling the local vo-tech and asking if they had one someone had dumped on them which might be worth owning. They didn't but gave me a pointer to a used dealer who came up with something appropriate.

Good thing it was end of mowing season, not beginning!

[fitzw.livejournal.com]

It appears to be a double-ended bolt (no head), and it's the threads for the lower end that are stripped. If I can't get the nut off of the pulley, it's going to be difficult to replace. If I can get it off, there's a possibility that I can create a new one (we have several tap-and-die sets among the farm tools, mostly coarse-threaded, but if I can find matching nuts, I should be OK).

There have been ongoing problems with this mower for a while — several of the belt guides for the mower deck are no longer there, having broken off over the past few years, and at the tensioners for the belt are completely gone. I may be able to keep the tractor itself for odd jobs, but it will have limited utility, due to its size.

[loosecanon.livejournal.com]

To remove the bolt, you can weld a bolt with a head to it at the exit, to give yourself something for the wrench to bite, perhaps?
Sounds like the machine may be a loss overall. I hope you find a good replacement easily!

[harpnfiddle.livejournal.com]

oh dear, did it suck them up and clog the works? I hope not. My brother-in-law came over last night around six with I don't know how many bags of leaves that he collected via a riding mower. And I had him dump them in and around the bushes area near my driveway. The bushes will keep them from blowing away this fall, and when it snows it'll stomp down the leaves so that they can start decomposing.

[fitzw.livejournal.com]

Suck them up and clog the works? Not so much. ;-) That was earlier in the day, just before one of the rotors fell off (again).

[lady-jade-01.livejournal.com]

1) I'm glad you are ok. Flames under foot are not good.

2) Housemate has a fantastic motto: "Everything happens for a reason, it is what it is."

3) Having said #1: *falls off the balance ball laughing*