# Lawnmower Aggravation



## BWfarms (Aug 3, 2015)

I spent some time repairing my lawn mower.

On the second to last pass the hydrostatic drive belt finally shredding, after all it is eight years old. I remove the deck to make sure pulleys are in good shape. Okay, no biggie I go to TSC and select the belt according to the product book.

I return home to put it on and start removing the battery and electric clutch. Only to find I can't break the bolt holding the clutch. There's no way to hold the drive shaft. I have a pneumatic impact but it's at the farm.... and I'm not going through the trouble to haul a compressor or haul a lawnmower over. So I go to sLowes and buy a corded Craftsman Impact Wrench... a good excuse to buy a new tool and pick up dinner.

As I am he-man in a way... the jack broke... so I lean the mower to one side enough to take the bolt off while I lay the weight of the mower on my thigh. Easy. I crawl under and I find that the new belt is too short. SHORT! I get up to find the tire bead fell off the rim. I was using a portable tank to pump the tire up every time I mow. Been like that for awhile so I thought well now is a good time to put a tube in.

Back to town I go I return the belt at TSC and grab a 'universal' tube. They didn't have the belt I needed. Then I head to Western Auto, which I've never been in and found it is a well stocked small engine store. With the old belt in hand I find I needed an 84.5" belt. Got it. Went home.

The pulley on the driveshaft was seized. By this point I was tired of it so I removed the engine mount bolts and worked the belt around it while holding the engine up. Installation went fine, I put the tube in the tire while it was on the axle. No problem until.... I find I knocked the battery over.... and acid spilled out.... and as expected, it did not start.

Went to the local tire shop and bought a new battery. Came home to install the new battery and there she fires so off I go to mow a test patch. Good. Parked the mower as the grass wasn't tall enough.

The next time it was time to mow I hopped on and went around and around. I noticed I was leaving the occasional scalp... then I noticed the deck was hitting the tractor. I looked over to see the tire I put a tube in was flat.... I cut the tube. $&@!

It was a few days later before I got back around to it. Adding to the insult I do not have full strength in my left arm from an accident involving a bull and head gate. I bought a new tube designed for this specific tire dimension. This time I'm going to do it right and I took the tire off. Had to use the impact to remove the one little itty bitty 5/16 x 24 bolt holding the wheel on the axle. Took the tire to the farm and removed the tire from the rim and sure as the sun shines, the tube was cut from a sharp spot. I grind all offending edges. I get the tire finished and head home to put the tire on. I put the bolt on but I forgot to put this washer like clip for the hub cap. As I removed the bolt I broke the head off. I was mad, I wanted to mow after completing this. Then I pondered, why the hell is there not 4 lugs like the other lawn mowers? Such a stupid MTD design.

So I now have to remove a bolt from the axle and I had a bit of trouble but I did persevere. Don't buy Irwin Easy Outs, they are way too soft. I bought a set a few years ago for a job and was reminded why I didn't buy them again.

I get a new bolt and and made sure to put the washers on correctly. Now I'm in business. An hour into mowing.... the luck strikes again.... the right front tire is going flat..... I'm not winning.


----------



## Ox76 (Oct 22, 2018)

When you find that bastard Murphy, give him a kick or ten for me too, would ya? He's clearly hanging around your place for the time being.


----------



## BWfarms (Aug 3, 2015)

I sure will.


----------



## RockmartGA (Jun 29, 2011)

Some days, it just doesn't pay to get out of bed.....


----------



## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Change lawnmower tire to tedder tire and that was my morning, luckily had a brand new bottle of Slime in the shop for&#8230;you guessed it, use in lawnmower tires.


----------

