It Shakes a Lot

The last time I sharpened the blades on my Troy Built Mower, I noticed that one blade had been spinning on the shaft and the keepers were worn down. The keepers keep the blade centered and stable.  This week I used it to mow at Dave's and it would slow down and shake if the grass was a little high.  I remembered that I should probably replace the shaft that holds the blade so I have the mower out in my shed to do just that.  No, I have never fixed a troy Built Mower deck but many times I have worked on other mowers.  Just where does the confidence to do this come from? 

I am not sure if it is confidence or just an attitude that I can get it fixed if I can't do it myself.  Part of this comes from having really good tools and part of it comes from having the money to replace the whole darned thing if necessary.   I will start by going on line and looking at the Troy Built web site and seeing if the housing that holds the blade is a single component or can be repaired.  I have had both on different mowers and prefer it if the housing is held on with a couple of bolts and I don't have to mess with pressing a bearing on a shaft.  That's one tool I don't have and hate to pay a machine shop $ 20-25 to do a five minute job.  I have a bearing puller but not a machine that presses the new one on.  Oh well.

Barb pulled down the schedule for the KU games and for the most part the Monday night games are no big deal.  Now that I am the program guy for the chorus, it really will make it hard to miss many of the practice sessions.  I will try to get it on a spread sheet and make it pretty automated no mater what.  The Director can make changes at the practice as he feels it is needed.  I will publish a guide and go from there.  I am darned sure that I will have no problem finding people to go to the games with Barb or just buy the tickets outright.

I spent the day at Dave's yesterday and it looks like a park.   I could have trimmed one part of the flower bed a little better but was just too pooped to pop.  I did get in a nice nap when I finished.  Because the little mower was having problems, I brought my tractor up and finished the mowing.  I have what they call a finish mower and I think it did as good a job as the little mower could.  A Finish Mower is just a bush hog with front wheels to keep it from scalping the grass if the ground is uneven. 

The weather here in the heartland has been glorious for the last couple of days.  They are saying that we are due for some rain tonight and a little cooler weather.  I can still see tomatoes in the garden when I go out to get the paper.   Barb has been drying them in the oven ad I am hoping to try some of them in a stew tonight.  Might even get Dave to stop by and have a bowl or two. 

OH well, better run and get my day started.

MUD