First the good...well, small but good, ha.
We got a couple of tomatoes and some cucumbers for this weekend's harvest. Yes, those are pickling cucumbers that are probably oddly shaped due to uneven watering and once a week checkup. But hey, they all taste great and it's nice to know that these varieties are working.
The other project was to mow. As you can see by the stats from the mowing app, this is WAY less than normal. By about 2/3.
The mower is acting up. Sigh.
For about 15 minutes, it mowed just like normal with no issues at all. Then, as it got warmed up and used, when I hit the grass that needed to be mowed, it started to struggle, sounding like it would die and it backfired. The weird thing is that it ran fine when the mower deck was turned off. And once it cooled down, it was also fine again for a bit.
I finished the front yard, driveway and backyard and around the barn and shed. This is part of a large area and leads to the trails that are off the driveway. I didn't want to risk having the mower die so far from the shed.
This is on the side of the house, near the large mesquite...I couldn't get under there either. This is about where it first started sputtering so I stopped and sat on the porch for a bit to do some Google searching. Turns out there could be several issues. I did try a few things but after doing what I could, I decided to drive it back to park it. This is when I discovered it would work for a bit after cooling down so never one to waste a moment, I mowed some more while staying close to the shed until it did finally die. I started it right back up (with the mower deck off) and drove it inside and parked it. It could be bad gas, a clogged filter, maybe even a spark plug. I'll keep researching and will try again this coming weekend.
It's always something...
This has NOT been a "Zen" kind of year.
Never a dull moment is there. Sure does make things interesting.
ReplyDeleteHopefully it will be an easy fix. They may need to check out the vapor lash.
We have a John Deere too and it sounds like it's choking on the thick clumps of grass I see. We have all different kinds of "grass" too and there's this certain kind that grows in a thick clump that sits higher than the other grass. You probably did this already but if not, make sure your blades have been sharpened or replaced every year. Also, your temperatures are much higher than up here in PA but definitely get that oil changed every year too. We just make it standard practice to have ours picked up for a check up, oil change, blades sharpened, spark plugs etc. Before you put the mower away for the season, use up all the gas then roll her into the barn. But when I would mow and see those clumps ahead of me, I'd put it in 2nd, raise the blades up and go over just the top. You can go over it again on your next swipe around but I'd try not to let them get too big (I know that's hard to do when you're not there all the time) The other thing is make sure the grass is shooting out where you won't be driving over it again. Take a peak underneath & see if the grass is wet and clumping around your blades too. Of course your zen machine may just not feel like mowing on a hot day and wants to hang out in a nice cool barn? haha
ReplyDeleteThat is such a frustrating situation. You’re wanting to get a job done and the equipment just doesn’t want to cooperate. And now with the rain we’re going to get this week, the grass will grow even more and get more difficult to cut. Hoping you get the problem solved soon.
ReplyDeleteI’m of a firm belief that there’s a cutoff date/mileage on John Deere mowers. Go buy a Toro 0-turn! You will NEVER look back!!!
ReplyDeleteSuch lovely red tomatoes for a salad or sandwich. I hope your mower problems are solved by putting John Deere in timeout.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
I see you have learned your lesson after getting stranded so far from the house. These temps are not good for walking.
ReplyDeleteWe had a tractor that acted that way. It would vapor lock and have to be limped back to the barn. I would guess, since this is a new problem, that you have a gas problem somewhere. Good luck. Nothing more frustrating than equipment behaving badly.
ReplyDeleteYour little harvest creates quite a nice still life picture! Will make a wonderful salad!
ReplyDeleteYou're right ... nothing overly zen about this year so far! It will get better!
I know you will get it fixed or figure it out soon And I will take your rain in bone-dry-desert-FL. Question, my craftsman deck goes up and down, I cannot turn it off. Can you explain what you mean please >>>>>> when the mower deck was turned off.
ReplyDelete