I started cutting the last part of the yard on Monday afternoon around 14h00. Everything started out fine. I was in the north forty, but then it all went south. The self-propelled feature of the lawnmower quit. I had to stop because, with my back, I can't muscle a lawnmower around the yard without a little help. The first thing I tried was to turn the adjustment screws on the cable that activates the drive wheels. No change.
I turned the mower over on its side, reached underneath, and found the lever that the cable activates. It moved back and forth just fine. I righted the mower and started it again. No change. I turned it over again and turned one of the drive wheels. It turned normally. I tried the other one. All ok. I took the hub caps off and checked the gears that turn the wheels. All seemed normal. Righted the mower, started it up again. No change.
Now I was starting to swear. The mower is pretty new. I went into the house and dug out the guarantee papers. Two year guarantee. I couldn't remember when I actually bought the mower so I had to search through bank records to find the receipt. That took a little while, but I found it. I bought the mower in August of 2019; just under two years. So I decided I'd have to take it back to the store. However, the store where I bought the mower is farther than our 10 km driving limit while we're under confinement. Curses! I hopped in the car and drove over to our local Bricomarché to ask them if they could do the repair or did I need to take the mower to the other Bricomarché where I bought it. I already knew the answer: I would have to take it to the other store. Ok, I thought, confinement is over on Monday. I can take the mower in next week.
Once home again, I got to thinking. I Googled Best Green tondeuse tractée panne de traction (Best Green lawnmower self-propelled broken self-propulsion). Up came four YouTube videos. The first one was a guy who was trying to fix the self-propulsion on a mower model very close to mine. One of the first things he said to do was to check the belt. Ken had actually thought it might be a belt issue; that was a couple paragraphs up.
So I went back out with my trusty tools (consisting of a ratchet set, a handful of screwdrivers, and a box of Allen wrenches), turned the mower over on its side, unplugged the spark plug, then got to work removing the blade. Once the blade was off, I could see that, sure enough, the belt had come off. After searching for the right size screwdriver, I finally got the belt cover off. The belt was not broken, so I put it back in its guide on the turning thingy (that's the official name for it) and reattached the cover and blade. After reattaching the spark plug, I started the mower back up. It worked!
By this time it was about 17h00. I decided to finish cutting the grass. And so I did.
I am extremely happy that I don't have to schlep that lawnmower over 30 km to the hardware store (and back) just for a slipped belt. And who knows how much time they would have taken to fix it.
Well done, Walt! Stubborn persistence eventually gets results, as they say.
ReplyDeleteI was first stunned that you found the mower was still under warranty. That rarely happens. I wasn't stunned that you found the fix on YouTube. That's become a reliable resource. Glad you got it going again! Does the fact that the belt felt off mean that it might have stretched over time? That's how it used to work with cars and fan belts. You could slip them back on (I learned how to do that) but it usually meant it would soon happen again and it was time for a new, taut fan belt.
ReplyDeleteHmm, macho man really got his hands dirty. I expect the belt is stretched and it will come off again. As Mitchell says, you need a new taught one.
ReplyDeleteAmazing,
ReplyDeleteit was fixable
you had the tools
you were brave enough to do it
you found useful information on how to fix it.
I have been known to just let the grass grow.
:-)
DeleteExcellent! I'm thinking what Mitchell said, too, about the possibility that a new belt may end up being in order. What a sense of satisfaction, though, fixing it yourself, eh?
ReplyDeleteWhat Judy said. I admire your patience; the swearing is necessary.
ReplyDeleteBravo! Google is our friend.
ReplyDeletePersistence pays off. Good job!
ReplyDeleteMacGuyvering is the way to go. Yay for Allen wrenches. Well done.
ReplyDeleteDid you know that you can use them to pick the lock if you lock yourself out? True story.
Please tell us how, Emm!
ReplyDeleteI'm just so impressed that you knew about the self-propulsion was connected to the wheels (duh - that does make sense!)
I'm crossing my fingers that the belt will last a while. It probably wouldn't have been covered in the warranty - anyway? right?
The yard and garden look ready -to-go! Nicely done - both of you!
I once locked myself out and had to call a locksmith for big $$. Watched while he used the smallest Allen wrench of a set to fiddle the door-handle lock enough to open it. Next time I got locked out, I knew what to do.
DeleteHandy little things, those.
Thanks, Emm! I'll have to make sure I carry the smallest allen wrench in my purse - or keep it hidden somewhere outside my house, I guess! Enough is in my purse, and I carry a very small one - about the size of a cantine!
DeleteI don't think the belt is worn; the mower is less than two years old. What I think happened is that I ran over a too-large stick that got in there and caused the belt to jump out of its groove. I'll have to be careful of that from now on.
ReplyDeleteGreat news. A one-time thing.
Delete