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lawn equipment venting...

By learning2fly,
in Ladies Dirt Bike Discussion

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Grand Master

learning2fly

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Ok, so the man had to work yesterday, and into this morning, and I'm TRYING to be useful today and do the lawn mowing and weed wacking...

BUT, I've NEVER been able to get this lawn mower started, since we bought it late last year! And this morning is no exception. I HAVE and CAN start other pull start gas engines, from chain saws to generators... but my boyfriend insists that there is 'nothing wrong' with this lawn mower. My theory is, yeah, if you're a 6'5" and 240 lb man, there probably isn't too much stubborn equipment you can't start... but if this stupid thing regularly won't start for me, but other things will, is it more likely me or the machine??

So, after 50 pulls, various priming, then waiting, then 50 more pulls, I accept defeat and turn to weed wacking... my old electric weed wacker had conked out, so he replaced it with a gas one. I faced my adversary with some tepridation; after all, his comrade, the lawn mower, had already kicked my ass! But, low and behold, it starts! :applause:

So I'm weed wacking the front, while its now getting hotter and hotter (the ONLY time to do outside yard work in Louisiana in August is BEFORE noon, trust me!) and I notice the cutting cord on the weed wacker is getting shorter... so I 'bump' it along the ground. Bump. Bump. BUMP! Nothing. :applause:

So I turn off the motor :applause: and turn it over to see what the problem is. And am frustrated AGAIN, this thing is NOTHING like my ol' faithful black & decker, I can't even get the spool OFF. Where is the owners manual, then? God only knows. :applause:

Anyway, I'm exceptionally annoyed right now. It sure is frustrating to me that until we moved in together, I was completely independent at doing my own yard work, etc, and had it all set up to be easy... now all the equipment we have won't work for me! :ride: I feel like I'm actually getting LESS capable over time, rather than MORE... :applause:

Heck its a pain in the butt enough to DO the work, much less fight the equipment!

F it, I'm doing something else, then! ? Maybe I'll go buy my old weedwacker! :applause:

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Thorina

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Ya know.....I really do miss a nice lush green lawn.....but after reading this....I'm ok with the dirt in my front and back yards. We have to get a permit to have grass up here and the absurd price we pay for water makes it not affordable to the regular schmoe at all.

I weed whack maybe 3 times a year tops....always on a borrowed weed whacker because we don't own one. I'd much rather hate someone *else's* weedwhacker then my own. :applause:

The rest of the time yard work consists of endless pine needle raking. My rake always starts. LOL

I always find it amusing....we have to keep our non green yards raked.....raking off anything that may decay and actually improve the poor soil conditions up here. But....we have to keep it raked so it's not a fire hazard to all the dead trees and plants around it. :ride::applause::applause:

Go figure.

I hate lawn mowers in general. Had to mow with a push mower as a kid, then moved up to a motorized push mower. We had well over an acre of grass growing up. My dad bought a riding mower shortly after I moved out and stopped mowing the lawn. ?

I woulda liked the riding mower....hmm....maybe too much. :applause:

peace,

janette

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Grand Master

learning2fly

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Ya know.....I really do miss a nice lush green lawn.....but after reading this....I'm ok with the dirt in my front and back yards.

I'm DREAMING of returning to slow-growth, dirt lawn CA, let me tell you! You wouldn't BELIEVE how things grow down here... the shrubs in the front need bi-monthly trimming or they're out of control... the lawn COULD be mowed twice a week, it grows so fast... the hedges along the fence are taking over the back yard... we even have to power wash the moss off the side of the house on a yearly basis!

When we moved here into our tiny little house, we had to buy a lawn mower, a chain saw, an electric hedge trimmer, a pressure washer, and eventually the new weed wacker as my little electric one, that I used to mow my ENTIRE CA yard with ? , didn't last long here in the Amazon jungle.... and we really need an edger.

Its like that old Creep Show movie, where the green growth from the meteor takes over the simple country guy... stand in one place to long in Louisiana, and something is going to use you as a trellis! :ride:

I'm going to have to figure this into my dirt bike maintenance economic plan... I'd probably be better off paying someone $50 a week to take care of the lawn, and learning to do more on the bike! :applause:

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Thorina

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I'm going to have to figure this into my dirt bike maintenance economic plan... I'd probably be better off paying someone $50 a week to take care of the lawn, and learning to do more on the bike! :ride:

Find a teenager that will do it for $25. ?

peace,

janette

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Thorina

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You are kidding, right? You actually have to apply for, and receive, an approved permit to have grass in your yard???

My lord...why the Hell do all you liberals out there think that Government is the answer to all of the problems of the world? ?

Liberal? Me? I don't think so. :ride:

I am a Liberatarian, essentially. As far as I am concerned, people should understand we were/are in a drought cycle and should take steps to conserve water all by themselves. That's what I expect grown ups to do. But....this is California....the land where everyone does as they please, usually to excess, until there is a law that tells them how to behave.

Yes, you have to have a permit to have a lawn of grass that needs to be watered. We are not allowed to wash cars or water plants during the day. There's a bunch of other things we are not allowed to do concerning water, as well.

You can choose to have a pretty, yet quite un-lush-lawn-like "Zero-Scape" (never needs watering) type landscaping around your home. The city will even kick ya down a bonu$ for doing it.

If you're ever in my neck of the woods....I can point out the very home that made making a law about lawns nessesary.

peace,

janette

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Thorina

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LOL...I'm sorry, I didn't mean "you" specifically, it was just a general statement towards all Liberals. :applause:

It's ok.....I just wanted to be clear. :applause:

All the laws and rules and a bunch of completely clueless selfish people have me wanting to leave the state.

I have to move from the house I am living in at some point. Haven't been given a date, but have been given rather much of an altimadum (sp?). Buy the place or think about moving.

Um, kay.

Rent is riduculous, as is the price of buying anything. They want $200K for this place, and to me it's just not worth it. "Cozy, rustic, handman's dream!"....translation....it's small, it's old and looks it, and there's tons of stuff that needs to be fixed. :ride:

For $100K maybe....for 2? NOPE! ?

Our "rent" would double instantly if we bought the place.

peace,

janette

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Grand Master

coffee

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Our "rent" would double instantly if we bought the place.

peace,

janette

Consult your tax person on this one.

learning2fly - same issue here regarding gas powered lawn mowers & blowers - and kids XR100. They would start and run ok if you pulled/kicked hard enough. Stabil made life a lot better for us.

.

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captbly99

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Well, I think I will just vent about my husband instead! ? But, it has to do with lawn work too!

This past Friday, I get all the kids to school(3 of them, K, 1st, 2nd, so not the most independant if you know what I mean), then I head out to go riding with a buddy, blast out 40 miles and done in time to pick the kids up from school, pulling the trailer with muddy bike(they thought that was way cool, Mom was dropped them off and picked them up with the dirt bike)

Ok, so get home, and the grass is way high and it was going to rain the next day, so I get the bike in the garage, get the kids a snack and start mowing, I get done and come around the front of the house only to see hubby's truck in the driveway, oh cool, he will come out and help......so, I continue to weed eat, trim the hedges, blow the driveway, etc. Kids come out and I ask where Dad is........."on the couch watching TV!" :ride:

So, now I am ticked and figure I am already, hot and dirty, I might was well wash my bike instead of going in and saying something I might regret.

I finally get in the house, no dinner started....I had to cook dinner now too!

UGH! I make dinner, take a shower and go to bed!

Sorry, just venting!

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Grand Master

DRZCatastrophe

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Ohhhhhhh maaannnnn.

You are good lady. But please DO NOT let that resentment build up. I can't believe you did all that work and he never stirred his ass from the couch.

That's not good my dear. You are training him and your family to make you into their personal servant.

I could see if he worked all day while you played all day, that would be a nice thing to do. But you BOTH went dirt bike riding. Oops, ok, so maybe you did go riding without him. Needless to say though, you should have some kind of chore schedule or the responsible one is going to end up doing all the housework and yard work.

If you don't say anything, he's just going to sit there enjoying his day, oblivious to all the work you are doing. Guys are just like that. SAY SOMETHING!!!

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vieuxfort

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learning2fly - same issue here regarding gas powered lawn mowers & blowers - and kids XR100. They would start and run ok if you pulled/kicked hard enough. Stabil made life a lot better for us.

.

Ether (starting fluid) will help you with the stubborn mower.

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Grand Master

coffee

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Ether (starting fluid) will help you with the stubborn mower.

Yes it would, but using Stabil prevents the problem in the first place seems less of a hassle to me. For that matter we have about a dozen gas engines to keep going reliably...

Just throwing the idea out if it helps anyone.

.

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Grand Master

Rip Wheeler

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Well, I think I will just vent about my husband instead! ? But, it has to do with lawn work too!

This past Friday, I get all the kids to school(3 of them, K, 1st, 2nd, so not the most independant if you know what I mean), then I head out to go riding with a buddy, blast out 40 miles and done in time to pick the kids up from school, pulling the trailer with muddy bike(they thought that was way cool, Mom was dropped them off and picked them up with the dirt bike)

Ok, so get home, and the grass is way high and it was going to rain the next day, so I get the bike in the garage, get the kids a snack and start mowing, I get done and come around the front of the house only to see hubby's truck in the driveway, oh cool, he will come out and help......so, I continue to weed eat, trim the hedges, blow the driveway, etc. Kids come out and I ask where Dad is........."on the couch watching TV!" :ride:

So, now I am ticked and figure I am already, hot and dirty, I might was well wash my bike instead of going in and saying something I might regret.

I finally get in the house, no dinner started....I had to cook dinner now too!

UGH! I make dinner, take a shower and go to bed!

Sorry, just venting!

Do you have a sister

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