Monday, July 26, 2021

ZEN MACHINE IS BACK

The Zen Machine is coming back today!

You might have seen the Saturday post, I skipped the farm this weekend because the mower was not back yet so there was no point in going.  They tried to get it back before this past weekend but it wasn't meant to be.  The soonest they could get it back was today.

So as this posts, it should be delivered.


They did all sorts of testing and narrowed it down to a problem with the fuel system.  Ultimately, they took out the tank, drained it, and the guy said the bottom of the tank was full of debris.  He used a great analogy of a strawberry milkshake.  He said you know how you try to suck it up into the straw and then a piece of strawberry gets in the straw and you can't drink as much of the milkshake?  Then it dislodges and you can drink some more?  Well that's what was happening in the fuel.

The debris would go up into the tube and it would clog it up.  Then dislodge and work for a bit.  The more I used it, the more it would clog up.  Moving back and forth would slosh around the debris and clog it up.


He said when they ran it, it purred like a kitten...

We'll see if I notice a difference.  The plan is to take a day off tomorrow and I'll go out there and mow.  I really can't wait until Saturday, better to get a jump on it.  I'm going to mow what I can easily, and then wait until this weekend and used the trimmer to knock down the taller stuff and then mow it down, that way I don't damage the mower.  We'd like to get it through this season and next year we'll looking into something new.

It's always something!  Hopefully we're back up and running like "the old days", ha. 


10 comments:

  1. Good that you're getting your mower back. Will be nice to get everything all tidy up once again.
    To help you in keeping cool, use a clean towel or a old T-Shirt; get it wet and put around your neck and make sure you drink plenty of water by having a small cooler around to keep your cold bottled water in.

    Oh, Don't forget to wear your hat.

    Stay cool & stay safe.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We hit the triple digits Sunday and yet more of them to come; Basically everyday this week; AC unit running nonstop.
      Don't even want to think what our next electric bill will be .
      Stay Cool

      Delete
  2. I love the milkshake analogy! Been there!! :)

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  3. Great! So, what was the debris? How does it get there? What can you do to prevent it happening again. Be careful in the heat!

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  4. I’m glad your mower is now fixed and delivered. I know you’re relieved to be able to get your rain-fueled tall grass finally mowed tomorrow. It will probably be so high that you could bail hay from it.
    Sounds like you got a batch of really bad gas that caused the debris in your gas tank. I wonder if pouring the gas through a filter could prevent that from happening again.
    It’s going to be another scorching hot day tomorrow. I’ll echo what Colleen said, “Stay cool and stay safe.”

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  5. I would think there was a fuel filter on a John Deere! What farmer wants to be stuck in the middle of the North Forty?
    And I love your mum painting. I have one from my Grandmother that is of red poppies that reminds me of her.

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  6. Hey, Mr. 'Lawn Ranger' you might want to think and consider on getting yourself a Zero Turn mower for next year.

    Yes, they cast more $$$ but I think in the long run it would be well worth the money, plus you will be able to get your property mowed much quicker & will give you more time to do other things. The more the land; the larger the mower.

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    Replies
    1. Exactly what I was gping to say! I held off too long, invested WAY too much in keeping our JD going for increasingly shorter periods. My hubby kept telling me to try a 0-turn. I finally sat on a selection at Home Depot, and when I got to a Toro that has this amazing rocker seat, it was perfection! We applied for a second Home Depot credit card - got $25 off for doing that, 1 year interest free, and I CANNOT believe I waited this long. It's like going from a model T to a (insert your favorite luxury car here).

      The cool thing is my hubby recently saw JDs in almost non-working condition for sale for $700, so he said he'd install another belt and sell the old mower. Woo hoo! Win Win

      Delete
  7. Do you drain the gas tank at the end of the mowing season? Or use a product such as Stabil? I did that latter for many years when I had a mower (no such in AZ where yards are all crushed rock) ... it prevents the gas from "going to pot" as dad said. It might be worth a try for you ....

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