Thursday 23 September 2010

Mowers - A Love/Hate relationship

There are the six footer gang mowers...been there and done that!.........there are the 24inch cylinder mowers.....been there and have done that as well. Nowadays, the mower of choice for all serious garden contractors is the roller rotary with power drive (and may I add NO girly electric start!). The two main makes for the serious professional are Hayter and Honda, and I am fortunate enough to have a couple of both....just in case!
For the past few months I have been putting the very seductive red and silver Honda through it's paces. Treating her gently, using a plank to take her in and out of the van, checking the oil regularly, and even occasionally washing her with soap and water and a sponge...crikey, even Amanda doesn't get that treatment!


I like to spoil my mowers with the occasional present out of the blue, like I did recently with a shiny new blade and rather racy new side guard strips...nothings too much for my girls!


But regardless of my seductive powers, what does she do on a beautiful dry and sunny day in which I am sailing along with a song in my heart and a spring in my hobbly gait?
Yep! Right in the middle of the day her clutch bar snaps! I sit on the grass scratching my head and wondering how to continue, and after pulling the drive cable end by hand at the same time as activating the blade clutch...all very technical....I muddle through to the end of the job in hand.


Luckily, the guys who deal with all of us big time mowing boys in the area were able to deliver a replacement the following morning.
And here it is.....all shiny and new!


And now fitted by me!


And so, after putting her new blade on as well, and the rather snazzy new side protection strips.....don't they just look so sexy?.....eat your heart out Michael Schumacher.....she is ready to go!


Five properties behind, with two days to go.........hmmmmmm....not too bad this time!

4 comments:

  1. Dear Gary, Boys and their toys.....it is all a mystery to me. What, no trusty Atco I say?!! J would like nothing better than to tinker with the Atco all day long. For me, like all machines, if they do not go I do not want them.

    I do so hope [and am secretly sure] that Amanda gets all such special treatments and more besides. Quite right too!!

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  2. Gary, Do I hear the purrr of a small motor with background whirrr of a sharp blade. Ah! no more sweeter music can be made any where. And since this is a tool of your trade the extra care you put into keeping it running good also keeps the business rolling along as well. As I side note, having found the time to catch up on blog reading I have much enjoyed your post on the most recent trip. Looked like it was a great time. - G

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  3. Hi Edith,
    Atco, simply the finest mowers in the world. I did indeed use one on the lawns of the Italian Garden at Compton Acres all those years ago and nothing can beat them for their finish. Nowadays I need something a bit more brutish that can be usually fixed 'in situ', but as you can see, things overtook me this time! As for Amanda, well, enough saidI think...wink, wink!

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  4. Hi Gary,
    Sad as it may sound sometimes, I do like a nice mower. Whenever I buy a new one, the first thing I do is strip it down completely and rebuild it, so that any on site repair holds no surprises for me...I suppose that I should get a life really?
    The Edinburgh trip was amazing, but seems so long ago now.

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