Serious question, has anyone's lawn mower just given up mid-cut?

Last Saturday I was about halfway through my front yard in Des Moines when my push mower just died. Like, no sputtering, no warning, just a sudden stop. I checked the gas first (you know, the obvious thing) and it was half full. Then I pulled the cord like 20 times with zero luck. Finally I popped off the air filter and it was totally caked with grass dust and dirt. I guess I forgot to clean it after that wet cut a couple weeks ago. I wiped it down and tapped it out, and after a few more pulls it fired back up. But man, it got me thinking about how many little maintenance things I just ignore until they break. Has anyone else dealt with a mower failure that turned out to be something dumb and simple?

2 comments

2 Comments

umamurphy24d ago

Man, that hits close to home. I had a riding mower die on me last spring right in the middle of the backyard, turned out the spark plug was just loose. Felt like an idiot after I spent an hour cussing at it.

rileyl6724d ago

Oh sure, the mower's favorite game is "wait until you're in the absolute worst spot" before giving up. Probably figured the front yard was too easy for you and wanted to mix things up with a little mechanical mystery. Classic mower move. The air filter is like the check engine light on a car, nobody looks at it until the whole thing stops working and you're standing there sweating and regretting every life choice that led to that moment. At least yours started back up after you cleaned it, mine once died because a single piece of clover got jammed in the carburetor. Took me two weekends to find that one.