I've been taking the ride-on mower out the last few days, in between rain, as
the grass had got quite long. So I did it in two parts as when the grass is
long it takes about twice as long. The mower is a Mountfield 827H (a cheap
ride-on - for some value of cheap).

Twice now, I've managed to run it into a brick wall (slowly), and then been
too slow to back off. The result of this is that the steering rod which angles
the front wheels when I turn the steering wheel, has got bent and the two
front wheels then point in different directions.

The first time this happened (last year), the mower man came out and removed
the rod and was able to straighten it by cuffing it soundly with a hammer on a
bit of wood. This time he's suggesting I remove it and take it in (I think
this is because he assumes I need an urgent repair and he's usually quite
busy). But in fact today when I had to give up on that mower, I just dug out
the old petrol push-mower and finished the job with that. So I'm going to
decline his suggestion - my DIY skills are quite low-grade anyway, and I'm
really past the bending down and other bollocks required for this sort of job.

The question is though, why is the steering link rod so easily damaged? And
can anything be done to strengthen it?

--
Tim

On 14/03/2024 19:04, Tim Streater wrote:
> I've been taking the ride-on mower out the last few days, in between rain, as
> the grass had got quite long. So I did it in two parts as when the grass is
> long it takes about twice as long. The mower is a Mountfield 827H (a cheap
> ride-on - for some value of cheap).
>
> Twice now, I've managed to run it into a brick wall (slowly), and then been
> too slow to back off. The result of this is that the steering rod which angles
> the front wheels when I turn the steering wheel, has got bent and the two
> front wheels then point in different directions.
>
> The first time this happened (last year), the mower man came out and removed
> the rod and was able to straighten it by cuffing it soundly with a hammer on a
> bit of wood. This time he's suggesting I remove it and take it in (I think
> this is because he assumes I need an urgent repair and he's usually quite
> busy). But in fact today when I had to give up on that mower, I just dug out
> the old petrol push-mower and finished the job with that. So I'm going to
> decline his suggestion - my DIY skills are quite low-grade anyway, and I'm
> really past the bending down and other bollocks required for this sort of job.
>
> The question is though, why is the steering link rod so easily damaged? And
> can anything be done to strengthen it?
>
Strengthen it - not really. The answer seems to be to improve the
driving skills (meant humorously*). My ride-on has adjustable track rod
ends so that the tracking can be adjusted (like a car) - are you sure
that yours doesn't?

In full disclosure - when I was rushing some time last year I managed to
catch a solid bit of hedge with a wheel and irretrievably bend the front
axle while cutting the grass at full speed. Fitting the replacement was
a bit of a bu&&er (why do Countax mowers seem like they didn't build and
de-bug a prototype before going into production?) and I'm more cautious
now ... at least I will be if the ground is ever dry enough to mow!

On 14-Mar-24 19:04, Tim Streater wrote:
> I've been taking the ride-on mower out the last few days, in between rain, as
> the grass had got quite long. So I did it in two parts as when the grass is
> long it takes about twice as long. The mower is a Mountfield 827H (a cheap
> ride-on - for some value of cheap).
>
> Twice now, I've managed to run it into a brick wall (slowly), and then been
> too slow to back off. The result of this is that the steering rod which angles
> the front wheels when I turn the steering wheel, has got bent and the two
> front wheels then point in different directions.
>
> The first time this happened (last year), the mower man came out and removed
> the rod and was able to straighten it by cuffing it soundly with a hammer on a
> bit of wood. This time he's suggesting I remove it and take it in (I think
> this is because he assumes I need an urgent repair and he's usually quite
> busy). But in fact today when I had to give up on that mower, I just dug out
> the old petrol push-mower and finished the job with that. So I'm going to
> decline his suggestion - my DIY skills are quite low-grade anyway, and I'm
> really past the bending down and other bollocks required for this sort of job.
>
> The question is though, why is the steering link rod so easily damaged? And
> can anything be done to strengthen it?

It's probably deliberate.
Running into things will cause damage, and fixing that link rod isn't
too big a job since you can thump it with a hammer and straighten it.

If you beef up that rod, the impact is transmitted to some other part of
the mower which will cost several arms and legs to replace.

--
Sam Plusnet

On 14 Mar 2024 at 21:31:05 GMT, "nothanks@aolbin.com" <nothanks@aolbin.com>
wrote:

> On 14/03/2024 19:04, Tim Streater wrote:
>> I've been taking the ride-on mower out the last few days, in between rain, as
>> the grass had got quite long. So I did it in two parts as when the grass is
>> long it takes about twice as long. The mower is a Mountfield 827H (a cheap
>> ride-on - for some value of cheap).
>>
>> Twice now, I've managed to run it into a brick wall (slowly), and then been
>> too slow to back off. The result of this is that the steering rod which angles
>> the front wheels when I turn the steering wheel, has got bent and the two
>> front wheels then point in different directions.
>>
>> The first time this happened (last year), the mower man came out and removed
>> the rod and was able to straighten it by cuffing it soundly with a hammer on a
>> bit of wood. This time he's suggesting I remove it and take it in (I think
>> this is because he assumes I need an urgent repair and he's usually quite
>> busy). But in fact today when I had to give up on that mower, I just dug out
>> the old petrol push-mower and finished the job with that. So I'm going to
>> decline his suggestion - my DIY skills are quite low-grade anyway, and I'm
>> really past the bending down and other bollocks required for this sort of job.
>>
>> The question is though, why is the steering link rod so easily damaged? And
>> can anything be done to strengthen it?
>>
> Strengthen it - not really. The answer seems to be to improve the
> driving skills (meant humorously*).

Well yeah. After last year's incident, I decided to use the old mower to go
round the edge of everything, so that the ride-on (which inevitably has a poor
turning circle anyway, compared to a push mower) would be used exclusively
*away* from obstacles and walls. I just didn't follow me own thought process
this time, as I was in a bit of a hurry and with this amout of rain, 48-hour
dry periods are in short supply.

> My ride-on has adjustable track rod ends so that the tracking can be adjusted
> (like a car) - are you sure that yours doesn't?

Pretty sure. The whole steering linkage is cheap and simple and rattles like
buggery as I drive around. In any case any adjustment would be too small to
cover the situation. With this rod bent, the machine becomes undriveable
except dead slow in reverse.

--
"That which can be asserted without evidence, can be dismissed without evidence."
-- Christopher Hitchens

On 14 Mar 2024 at 21:32:05 GMT, "Sam Plusnet" <not@home.com> wrote:

> On 14-Mar-24 19:04, Tim Streater wrote:

>> The question is though, why is the steering link rod so easily damaged? And
>> can anything be done to strengthen it?
>
> It's probably deliberate.
> Running into things will cause damage, and fixing that link rod isn't
> too big a job since you can thump it with a hammer and straighten it.
>
> If you beef up that rod, the impact is transmitted to some other part of
> the mower which will cost several arms and legs to replace.

Makes sense I suppose.

--
Lady Astor: "If you were my husband I'd give you poison."
Churchill: "If you were my wife, I'd drink it."

On 14/03/2024 19:04, Tim Streater wrote:
> I've been taking the ride-on mower out the last few days, in between rain, as
> the grass had got quite long. So I did it in two parts as when the grass is
> long it takes about twice as long. The mower is a Mountfield 827H (a cheap
> ride-on - for some value of cheap).
>
> Twice now, I've managed to run it into a brick wall (slowly), and then been
> too slow to back off. The result of this is that the steering rod which angles
> the front wheels when I turn the steering wheel, has got bent and the two
> front wheels then point in different directions.
>
> The first time this happened (last year), the mower man came out and removed
> the rod and was able to straighten it by cuffing it soundly with a hammer on a
> bit of wood. This time he's suggesting I remove it and take it in (I think
> this is because he assumes I need an urgent repair and he's usually quite
> busy). But in fact today when I had to give up on that mower, I just dug out
> the old petrol push-mower and finished the job with that. So I'm going to
> decline his suggestion - my DIY skills are quite low-grade anyway, and I'm
> really past the bending down and other bollocks required for this sort of job.

IME working on ride on mowers is generally a PITA (or more likely knees
and back etc) as there is no easy way to get under them. Last year I
bought a mower "lift" contraption[1]. (it does not so much lift "up", as
lifts on one side so that it is tilted over. Makes it much easier to get
at things and work on them from the side rather than laying on your back
with the end up on ramps or similar)

[1] similar to:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/SwitZer-Lifting-Device-Garden-Tractor/dp/B087FGK4NJ

Works ok, but don't follow the assembly instructions!

> The question is though, why is the steering link rod so easily damaged?

Probably because it is dangling down there near the ground where it can
meet the steering arms on the wheels.

> And
> can anything be done to strengthen it?

It only needs be as strong as the ball joints on the end of the rods!
Probably better the rod bends than something more serious breaks.

--
Cheers,

John.

/=================================================================\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\=================================================================/

On 14 Mar 2024 at 22:48:07 GMT, "John Rumm" <see.my.signature@nowhere.null>
wrote:

> On 14/03/2024 19:04, Tim Streater wrote:

>> And can anything be done to strengthen it?
>
> It only needs be as strong as the ball joints on the end of the rods!
> Probably better the rod bends than something more serious breaks.

Does repeated bending do anything (either for good or not)?

--
"If you're not able to ask questions and deal with the answers without feeling that someone has called your intelligence or competence into question, don't ask questions on Usenet where the answers won't be carefully tailored to avoid tripping your hair-trigger insecurities."

D M Procida, UCSM

On 14/03/2024 23:01, Tim Streater wrote:
> On 14 Mar 2024 at 22:48:07 GMT, "John Rumm" <see.my.signature@nowhere.null>
> wrote:
>
>> On 14/03/2024 19:04, Tim Streater wrote:
>
>>> And can anything be done to strengthen it?
>>
>> It only needs be as strong as the ball joints on the end of the rods!
>> Probably better the rod bends than something more serious breaks.
>
> Does repeated bending do anything (either for good or not)?

If you do it often enough, and badly enough, it would eventually fracture...

(getting the bent bit red hot with a blowtorch while straightening would
probably lessen the fatigue on the metal - but I can see it mattering
much unless you find yourself needing to straighten it every week!)

--
Cheers,

John.

/=================================================================\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\=================================================================/

On 14/03/2024 23:01, Tim Streater wrote:

>
> Does repeated bending do anything (either for good or not)?
>

It's called metal fatigue. However if it's just a small bend that you
are straightening on a very occasional basis, such as once a year, the
part will possibly outlive the rest of the mower (or you).

--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On 14/03/2024 19:04, Tim Streater wrote:

> The question is though, why is the steering link rod so easily damaged? And
> can anything be done to strengthen it?

Which part is bent? There is an exploded view of the steering parts at

<https://www.worldofmowers.co.uk/mountfield-spare-parts/ride-on-mower-spare-parts/lawn-tractors/2016/827h-2t0070483/steering>

--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On 15 Mar 2024 at 08:03:20 GMT, "alan_m" <junk@admac.myzen.co.uk> wrote:

> On 14/03/2024 19:04, Tim Streater wrote:
>
>> The question is though, why is the steering link rod so easily damaged? And
>> can anything be done to strengthen it?
>
> Which part is bent? There is an exploded view of the steering parts at
>
> <https://www.worldofmowers.co.uk/mountfield-spare-parts/ride-on-mower-spare-parts/lawn-tractors/2016/827h-2t0070483/steering>

Near as I can tell, #17. The mower man did say that removing it requires
taking out a couple of split pins.

--
HAL 9000: Dave. Put down those Windows disks. Dave. DAVE!

In message <l5iiquFcrkdU1@mid.individual.net>, Tim Streater
<tim@streater.me.uk> writes
>On 15 Mar 2024 at 08:03:20 GMT, "alan_m" <junk@admac.myzen.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> On 14/03/2024 19:04, Tim Streater wrote:
>>
>>> The question is though, why is the steering link rod so easily damaged? And
>>> can anything be done to strengthen it?
>>
>> Which part is bent? There is an exploded view of the steering parts at
>>
>>
>><https://www.worldofmowers.co.uk/mountfield-spare-parts/ride-on-mower-s
>>pare-parts/lawn-tractors/2016/827h-2t0070483/steering>
>
>Near as I can tell, #17. The mower man did say that removing it requires
>taking out a couple of split pins.

Can you use a car jack to get enough height for access? Once off, you
could hammer or lever it straight. Bench vice? Neighbour?
>

--
Tim Lamb

On 15 Mar 2024 at 10:46:00 GMT, "Tim Lamb" <tim@marfordfarm.demon.co.uk>
wrote:

> In message <l5iiquFcrkdU1@mid.individual.net>, Tim Streater
> <tim@streater.me.uk> writes
>> On 15 Mar 2024 at 08:03:20 GMT, "alan_m" <junk@admac.myzen.co.uk> wrote:
>>
>>> On 14/03/2024 19:04, Tim Streater wrote:
>>>
>>>> The question is though, why is the steering link rod so easily damaged? And
>>>> can anything be done to strengthen it?
>>>
>>> Which part is bent? There is an exploded view of the steering parts at
>>>
>>> <https://www.worldofmowers.co.uk/mountfield-spare-parts/ride-on-mower-spare-parts/lawn-tractors/2016/827h-2t0070483/steering>
>>
>> Near as I can tell, #17. The mower man did say that removing it requires
>> taking out a couple of split pins.
>
> Can you use a car jack to get enough height for access? Once off, you
> could hammer or lever it straight. Bench vice? Neighbour?

Phfft! Too old for that sort of caper. No vice or bench and I'm too impatient
so doing myself harm would not be off the cards.

--
The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.

HL Mencken

On 14/03/2024 22:48, John Rumm wrote:
> IME working on ride on mowers is generally a PITA (or more likely knees
> and back etc) as there is no easy way to get under them. Last year I
> bought a mower "lift" contraption[1]. (it does not so much lift "up", as
> lifts on one side so that it is tilted over. Makes it much easier to get
> at things and work on them from the side rather than laying on your back
> with the end up on ramps or similar)

Between two of us, we just tip it on it's side to work on the underside.
I make sure I tip it so the carb ends up upper most, otherwise the sump
oil gets into the intake. It's lighter to tip, if the cutting deck is
dropped off first.

On 15/03/2024 12:55, Harry Bloomfield Esq wrote:
> On 14/03/2024 22:48, John Rumm wrote:
>> IME working on ride on mowers is generally a PITA (or more likely
>> knees and back etc) as there is no easy way to get under them. Last
>> year I bought a mower "lift" contraption[1]. (it does not so much lift
>> "up", as lifts on one side so that it is tilted over. Makes it much
>> easier to get at things and work on them from the side rather than
>> laying on your back with the end up on ramps or similar)
>
> Between two of us, we just tip it on it's side to work on the underside.
> I make sure I tip it so the carb ends up upper most, otherwise the sump
> oil gets into the intake. It's lighter to tip, if the cutting deck is
> dropped off first.

I have manually tipped it in the past - but find if you go too far (even
with carb on top) then it dribbles petrol out of the bleeder hole on the
fuel cap :-)

--
Cheers,

John.

/=================================================================\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\=================================================================/

On 15 Mar 2024 at 15:37:31 GMT, "John Rumm" <see.my.signature@nowhere.null>
wrote:

> On 15/03/2024 12:55, Harry Bloomfield Esq wrote:
>> On 14/03/2024 22:48, John Rumm wrote:
>>> IME working on ride on mowers is generally a PITA (or more likely
>>> knees and back etc) as there is no easy way to get under them. Last
>>> year I bought a mower "lift" contraption[1]. (it does not so much lift
>>> "up", as lifts on one side so that it is tilted over. Makes it much
>>> easier to get at things and work on them from the side rather than
>>> laying on your back with the end up on ramps or similar)
>>
>> Between two of us, we just tip it on it's side to work on the underside.
>> I make sure I tip it so the carb ends up upper most, otherwise the sump
>> oil gets into the intake. It's lighter to tip, if the cutting deck is
>> dropped off first.
>
> I have manually tipped it in the past - but find if you go too far (even
> with carb on top) then it dribbles petrol out of the bleeder hole on the
> fuel cap :-)

And Sod's Law dictates that just before I had to give up on my machine (now
booked in and Chummy will come here to fix it), I'd just filled it right up
with petrol, too.

--
Tim

On 14/03/2024 22:17, Tim Streater wrote:
> Well yeah. After last year's incident, I decided to use the old mower to go
> round the edge of everything, so that the ride-on (which inevitably has a poor
> turning circle anyway, compared to a push mower) would be used exclusively
> *away* from obstacles and walls. I just didn't follow me own thought process
> this time, as I was in a bit of a hurry and with this amount of rain, 48-hour
> dry periods are in short supply.

My Husquvarna R 214T mower has an incredibly tight turning circle. The
back end, with the engine and the driving wheels, steers against the
front end that has the seat and the three overlapping "hover mower" (as
opposed to cylinder mower) blades.

When I was testing it before I bought it, the salesman said "drive it
round the car park" so I found a small drain cover about 18" diameter
and was able to steer round it so the inside wheels kept a constant
distance. In the garden, I can go round saplings that are in holes which
are about 2 feet in the lawn.

The main problem with it at the moment is its weight. I wouldn't trust
it on the lawn, for fear of it making huge ruts in the soft ground. I've
just cut the edges of the lawn where it's grown longest - using the
walk-behind mower. And that's only the sections that weren't waterlogged
until last week - I won't even risk walking on those.

Our lawn has a large pond with wooden stakes around the edge to form a
bank, and the ground undulates and slopes towards the pond. I am very
careful how close I go to the edge (even when the land is dry) and I
tend to drive towards the pond (taking car not to overshoot!) rather
than driving with one side closer to the pond than the other. There is
also a stream at the bottom of the garden and I keep about 1 foot from
where the ground changes from level to a slope down to the stream, and
do the slope with a walk-behind mower.

I've only got the mower stuck once and that was on the slope near the
pond when the driving wheels were higher than the front wheels and
couldn't get enough grip to pull me back up. I had to lift the back end
and swing it round through 90 degrees so the wheels were on a more
gradual slope and could pull the mower clear. The mower weighs 200 kg,
of which I imagine the majority is over the engine, so I did well to
lift it it clear of the ground so my wife could shove it sideways -
rinse and repeat until it was in the right direction.

On 14/03/2024 19:04, Tim Streater wrote:
> I've been taking the ride-on mower out the last few days, in between rain, as
> the grass had got quite long. So I did it in two parts as when the grass is
> long it takes about twice as long. The mower is a Mountfield 827H (a cheap
> ride-on - for some value of cheap).
>
> Twice now, I've managed to run it into a brick wall (slowly), and then been
> too slow to back off. The result of this is that the steering rod which angles
> the front wheels when I turn the steering wheel, has got bent and the two
> front wheels then point in different directions.
>
> The first time this happened (last year), the mower man came out and removed
> the rod and was able to straighten it by cuffing it soundly with a hammer on a
> bit of wood. This time he's suggesting I remove it and take it in (I think
> this is because he assumes I need an urgent repair and he's usually quite
> busy). But in fact today when I had to give up on that mower, I just dug out
> the old petrol push-mower and finished the job with that. So I'm going to
> decline his suggestion - my DIY skills are quite low-grade anyway, and I'm
> really past the bending down and other bollocks required for this sort of job.
>
> The question is though, why is the steering link rod so easily damaged? And
> can anything be done to strengthen it?
>
Why don't you take the advice of our former leader, Boris Johnson, and try a robot mower?
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-13202105/BORIS-JOHNSON-Sammy-robot-lawnmower-peace-garden.html
(note you may have to disable Javascript to get around the paywall).

That's not a serious suggestion, of course, but it is a mildly amusing article. If only he'd stuck to writing mildly humorous stuff for the papers and never dabbled in politics, we'd all be so much better off.

--
Clive Page

On 16/03/2024 17:03, Clive Page wrote:
> On 14/03/2024 19:04, Tim Streater wrote:
>> I've been taking the ride-on mower out the last few days, in between
>> rain, as
>> the grass had got quite long. So I did it in two parts as when the
>> grass is
>> long it takes about twice as long. The mower is a Mountfield 827H (a
>> cheap
>> ride-on - for some value of cheap).
>>
>> Twice now, I've managed to run it into a brick wall (slowly), and then
>> been
>> too slow to back off. The result of this is that the steering rod
>> which angles
>> the front wheels when I turn the steering wheel, has got bent and the two
>> front wheels then point in different directions.
>>
>> The first time this happened (last year), the mower man came out and
>> removed
>> the rod and was able to straighten it by cuffing it soundly with a
>> hammer on a
>> bit of wood. This time he's suggesting I remove it and take it in (I
>> think
>> this is because he assumes I need an urgent repair and he's usually quite
>> busy). But in fact today when I had to give up on that mower, I just
>> dug out
>> the old petrol push-mower and finished the job with that. So I'm going to
>> decline his suggestion - my DIY skills are quite low-grade anyway, and
>> I'm
>> really past the bending down and other bollocks required for this sort
>> of job.
>>
>> The question is though, why is the steering link rod so easily
>> damaged? And
>> can anything be done to strengthen it?
>>
> Why don't you take the advice of our former leader, Boris Johnson, and
> try a robot mower?
> https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-13202105/BORIS-JOHNSON-Sammy-robot-lawnmower-peace-garden.html
> (note you may have to disable Javascript to get around the paywall).
A quick ctrl-A and ctrl-c is an alternative way of dodging the pay wall,
then a ctrl-v into something like Word to read what has been "stolen" ;-)
>
> That's not a serious suggestion, of course, but it is a mildly amusing
> article.  If only he'd stuck to writing mildly humorous stuff for the
> papers and never dabbled in politics, we'd all be so much better off.
>
>
>

On 16 Mar 2024 at 19:52:47 GMT, "nothanks@aolbin.com" <nothanks@aolbin.com>
wrote:

> On 16/03/2024 17:03, Clive Page wrote:
>> On 14/03/2024 19:04, Tim Streater wrote:
>>> I've been taking the ride-on mower out the last few days, in between
>>> rain, as
>>> the grass had got quite long. So I did it in two parts as when the
>>> grass is
>>> long it takes about twice as long. The mower is a Mountfield 827H (a
>>> cheap
>>> ride-on - for some value of cheap).
>>>
>>> Twice now, I've managed to run it into a brick wall (slowly), and then
>>> been
>>> too slow to back off. The result of this is that the steering rod
>>> which angles
>>> the front wheels when I turn the steering wheel, has got bent and the two
>>> front wheels then point in different directions.
>>>
>>> The first time this happened (last year), the mower man came out and
>>> removed
>>> the rod and was able to straighten it by cuffing it soundly with a
>>> hammer on a
>>> bit of wood. This time he's suggesting I remove it and take it in (I
>>> think
>>> this is because he assumes I need an urgent repair and he's usually quite
>>> busy). But in fact today when I had to give up on that mower, I just
>>> dug out
>>> the old petrol push-mower and finished the job with that. So I'm going to
>>> decline his suggestion - my DIY skills are quite low-grade anyway, and
>>> I'm
>>> really past the bending down and other bollocks required for this sort
>>> of job.
>>>
>>> The question is though, why is the steering link rod so easily
>>> damaged? And
>>> can anything be done to strengthen it?
>>>
>> Why don't you take the advice of our former leader, Boris Johnson, and
>> try a robot mower?
>> https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-13202105/BORIS-JOHNSON-Sammy-robot-lawnmower-peace-garden.html
>> (note you may have to disable Javascript to get around the paywall).
> A quick ctrl-A and ctrl-c is an alternative way of dodging the pay wall,
> then a ctrl-v into something like Word to read what has been "stolen" ;-)

CTRL-A, CTRL-C, CTRL-V in fact CTRL-ANYTHING do nothing here.

--
"What causes poverty?" Wrong question. Poverty is our primordial state. The real question is, "What causes wealth?"

Hint: it ain't Socialism.

On 3/16/2024 4:02 PM, Tim Streater wrote:
> On 16 Mar 2024 at 19:52:47 GMT, "nothanks@aolbin.com" <nothanks@aolbin.com>
> wrote:
>
>> On 16/03/2024 17:03, Clive Page wrote:
>>> On 14/03/2024 19:04, Tim Streater wrote:
>>>> I've been taking the ride-on mower out the last few days, in between
>>>> rain, as
>>>> the grass had got quite long. So I did it in two parts as when the
>>>> grass is
>>>> long it takes about twice as long. The mower is a Mountfield 827H (a
>>>> cheap
>>>> ride-on - for some value of cheap).
>>>>
>>>> Twice now, I've managed to run it into a brick wall (slowly), and then
>>>> been
>>>> too slow to back off. The result of this is that the steering rod
>>>> which angles
>>>> the front wheels when I turn the steering wheel, has got bent and the two
>>>> front wheels then point in different directions.
>>>>
>>>> The first time this happened (last year), the mower man came out and
>>>> removed
>>>> the rod and was able to straighten it by cuffing it soundly with a
>>>> hammer on a
>>>> bit of wood. This time he's suggesting I remove it and take it in (I
>>>> think
>>>> this is because he assumes I need an urgent repair and he's usually quite
>>>> busy). But in fact today when I had to give up on that mower, I just
>>>> dug out
>>>> the old petrol push-mower and finished the job with that. So I'm going to
>>>> decline his suggestion - my DIY skills are quite low-grade anyway, and
>>>> I'm
>>>> really past the bending down and other bollocks required for this sort
>>>> of job.
>>>>
>>>> The question is though, why is the steering link rod so easily
>>>> damaged? And
>>>> can anything be done to strengthen it?
>>>>
>>> Why don't you take the advice of our former leader, Boris Johnson, and
>>> try a robot mower?
>>> https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-13202105/BORIS-JOHNSON-Sammy-robot-lawnmower-peace-garden.html
>>> (note you may have to disable Javascript to get around the paywall).
>> A quick ctrl-A and ctrl-c is an alternative way of dodging the pay wall,
>> then a ctrl-v into something like Word to read what has been "stolen" ;-)
>
> CTRL-A, CTRL-C, CTRL-V in fact CTRL-ANYTHING do nothing here.
>

OK, looking at a Mac keyboard in the junk room, lower left corner:

control option <splat>

Whereas a windows keyboard has

crtl WinDers Alt space-bar

On a Mac, it could be splat-a, splat-c, splat-v
might be the sequence needed. Which roughly
translated would be "Select all", "Copy", "Paste".

From the Mac menu bar, you might see shortcuts defined
in an Edit Menu, declaring these keyboard values.

While this is not a Mac Edit menu, you can see
the love of <splat> in the menu example here.
Splat is commonly used as a modifier. Or Shift-Splat.

https://www.tellypass.com/assets/img/config/mac/mac_proxy_firefox_01_preferences.jpg

Paul

On 16/03/2024 15:14, NY wrote:
> On 14/03/2024 22:17, Tim Streater wrote:
>> Well yeah. After last year's incident, I decided to use the old mower
>> to go
>> round the edge of everything, so that the ride-on (which inevitably
>> has a poor
>> turning circle anyway, compared to a push mower) would be used
>> exclusively
>> *away* from obstacles and walls. I just didn't follow me own thought
>> process
>> this time, as I was in a bit of a hurry and with this amount of rain,
>> 48-hour
>> dry periods are in short supply.
>
> My Husquvarna R 214T mower has an incredibly tight turning circle. The
> back end, with the engine and the driving wheels, steers against the
> front end that has the seat and the three overlapping "hover mower" (as
> opposed to cylinder mower) blades.
>
> When I was testing it before I bought it, the salesman said "drive it
> round the car park" so I found a small drain cover about 18" diameter
> and was able to steer round it so the inside wheels kept a constant
> distance. In the garden, I can go round saplings that are in holes which
> are about 2 feet in the lawn.

The dedicated mowers are far more agile than the lawn tractor type
designs. With mine you can't mow a adjacent strips in alternate
directions. (a walking box pattern is better)

However on the bright side, it is good for towing stuff.

> I've only got the mower stuck once and that was on the slope near the
> pond when the driving wheels were higher than the front wheels and
> couldn't get enough grip to pull me back up. I had to lift the back end
> and swing it round through 90 degrees so the wheels were on a more
> gradual slope and could pull the mower clear. The mower weighs 200 kg,
> of which I imagine the majority is over the engine, so I did well to
> lift it it clear of the ground so my wife could shove it sideways -
> rinse and repeat until it was in the right direction.

I have got mine stuck on nearly flat ground before! There is a patch of
lawn that has a very slight dip that seems to stay waterlogged much
longer than the rest, at it is difficult to get enough grip on that bit
to even drive across it.

--
Cheers,

John.

/=================================================================\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\=================================================================/

On 16/03/2024 22:01, Paul wrote:
> On 3/16/2024 4:02 PM, Tim Streater wrote:
>> On 16 Mar 2024 at 19:52:47 GMT, "nothanks@aolbin.com" <nothanks@aolbin.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> On 16/03/2024 17:03, Clive Page wrote:
>>>> On 14/03/2024 19:04, Tim Streater wrote:
>>>>> I've been taking the ride-on mower out the last few days, in between
>>>>> rain, as
>>>>> the grass had got quite long. So I did it in two parts as when the
>>>>> grass is
>>>>> long it takes about twice as long. The mower is a Mountfield 827H (a
>>>>> cheap
>>>>> ride-on - for some value of cheap).
>>>>>
>>>>> Twice now, I've managed to run it into a brick wall (slowly), and then
>>>>> been
>>>>> too slow to back off. The result of this is that the steering rod
>>>>> which angles
>>>>> the front wheels when I turn the steering wheel, has got bent and the two
>>>>> front wheels then point in different directions.
>>>>>
>>>>> The first time this happened (last year), the mower man came out and
>>>>> removed
>>>>> the rod and was able to straighten it by cuffing it soundly with a
>>>>> hammer on a
>>>>> bit of wood. This time he's suggesting I remove it and take it in (I
>>>>> think
>>>>> this is because he assumes I need an urgent repair and he's usually quite
>>>>> busy). But in fact today when I had to give up on that mower, I just
>>>>> dug out
>>>>> the old petrol push-mower and finished the job with that. So I'm going to
>>>>> decline his suggestion - my DIY skills are quite low-grade anyway, and
>>>>> I'm
>>>>> really past the bending down and other bollocks required for this sort
>>>>> of job.
>>>>>
>>>>> The question is though, why is the steering link rod so easily
>>>>> damaged? And
>>>>> can anything be done to strengthen it?
>>>>>
>>>> Why don't you take the advice of our former leader, Boris Johnson, and
>>>> try a robot mower?
>>>> https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-13202105/BORIS-JOHNSON-Sammy-robot-lawnmower-peace-garden.html
>>>> (note you may have to disable Javascript to get around the paywall).
>>> A quick ctrl-A and ctrl-c is an alternative way of dodging the pay wall,
>>> then a ctrl-v into something like Word to read what has been "stolen" ;-)
>>
>> CTRL-A, CTRL-C, CTRL-V in fact CTRL-ANYTHING do nothing here.
>>
>
> OK, looking at a Mac keyboard in the junk room, lower left corner:
>
> control option <splat>
>
> Whereas a windows keyboard has
>
> crtl WinDers Alt space-bar
>
> On a Mac, it could be splat-a, splat-c, splat-v
> might be the sequence needed. Which roughly
> translated would be "Select all", "Copy", "Paste".
>
> From the Mac menu bar, you might see shortcuts defined
> in an Edit Menu, declaring these keyboard values.
>
> While this is not a Mac Edit menu, you can see
> the love of <splat> in the menu example here.
> Splat is commonly used as a modifier. Or Shift-Splat.
>
> https://www.tellypass.com/assets/img/config/mac/mac_proxy_firefox_01_preferences.jpg

or install ghostery in FF and have it block the scripts that put up the
paywall.

--
Cheers,

John.

/=================================================================\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\=================================================================/

On 16/03/2024 19:52, nothanks@aolbin.com wrote:
> On 16/03/2024 17:03, Clive Page wrote:
>> On 14/03/2024 19:04, Tim Streater wrote:
>>> I've been taking the ride-on mower out the last few days, in between
>>> rain, as
>>> the grass had got quite long. So I did it in two parts as when the
>>> grass is
>>> long it takes about twice as long. The mower is a Mountfield 827H (a
>>> cheap
>>> ride-on - for some value of cheap).
>>>
>>> Twice now, I've managed to run it into a brick wall (slowly), and
>>> then been
>>> too slow to back off. The result of this is that the steering rod
>>> which angles
>>> the front wheels when I turn the steering wheel, has got bent and the
>>> two
>>> front wheels then point in different directions.
>>>
>>> The first time this happened (last year), the mower man came out and
>>> removed
>>> the rod and was able to straighten it by cuffing it soundly with a
>>> hammer on a
>>> bit of wood. This time he's suggesting I remove it and take it in (I
>>> think
>>> this is because he assumes I need an urgent repair and he's usually
>>> quite
>>> busy). But in fact today when I had to give up on that mower, I just
>>> dug out
>>> the old petrol push-mower and finished the job with that. So I'm
>>> going to
>>> decline his suggestion - my DIY skills are quite low-grade anyway,
>>> and I'm
>>> really past the bending down and other bollocks required for this
>>> sort of job.
>>>
>>> The question is though, why is the steering link rod so easily
>>> damaged? And
>>> can anything be done to strengthen it?
>>>
>> Why don't you take the advice of our former leader, Boris Johnson, and
>> try a robot mower?
>> https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-13202105/BORIS-JOHNSON-Sammy-robot-lawnmower-peace-garden.html
>>
>> (note you may have to disable Javascript to get around the paywall).
> A quick ctrl-A and ctrl-c is an alternative way of dodging the pay wall,
> then a ctrl-v into something like Word to read what has been "stolen" ;-)
>>
> snip <
>

Or an add-on for your browser to toggle javascript on/off

--
Regards
wasbit

On 16 Mar 2024 at 22:01:00 GMT, "Paul" <nospam@needed.invalid> wrote:

> OK, looking at a Mac keyboard in the junk room, lower left corner:
>
> control option cmd

Corrected that for you.

> On a Mac, it could be cmd-a, cmd-c, cmd-v
> might be the sequence needed. Which roughly
> translated would be "Select all", "Copy", "Paste".

Yep, since 1984. Hmm, thats 40 years now.

--
Tim