Started out with some pruning followed by chipping. Then what for me was an unusual experience with the L and a more routine interaction with the T.
We had a sourwood tree between the front of the shed and the junk log pile. It has been a nuisance trying to get larger things in and out of the shed for years so we finally decided to cut it and grind the stump. Looking at it from a felling standpoint it was small but big enough to cause some harm. Sourwood’s are typically kind of gnarled little trees and this one was C shaped, leaning away from the shed at the bottom and heavily toward it up top. Since it wasn’t huge figured maybe with a decent hinge left after cutting, the L might push it over. Before cutting, pushed on it a little with the grapple about 7’ up just to see how heavy it felt. And it moved. So I kept pushing until the near roots on the stump got closer to the grille than I preferred. Pushed on the stump from a little different angle and the whole thing came out. I was honestly shocked. Cut the stump off afterward so it won’t stick up like that for the next several years. Bringing up some clay from the pile by the first creek crossing cut to fill the hole is on the list for tomorrow.
Then to the T. As previously posted, wife blew the deck belt a couple days ago. Local dealer had one and agreed to hold it for a couple hours until I could pick it up. Wife found out that’s what I was doing for “lunch” and insisted on picking it up and paying for it herself. Picking it up was nice as it was a bit out of her way. Paying for it is kind of a running joke with us because we both know it all comes from the same pot. She did feel bad. Told her several times it’s not common but could have happened to anybody because, well… it could.
The T wasn’t surprising. This was the deck and belt as presented to me in the shop.
Despite not being ASE certified, I’m pretty sure this doesn’t match the belt routing diagram and there shouldn’t be any appendages extending from the belt.
This is why, “The mower runs fine but it’s not cutting grass.”
New belt installed. Happy, happy.
BTW, whoever designed the 3 dimensional upper level, lower level, angled idlers, overlapping belt routing on this thing: I’m pretty sure when they were a kid they didn’t have to pull the stickers off to solve their Rubik’s cube. (Like I did.) I’ve changed a bunch of belts on a bunch of stuff. That wasn’t exactly hard but it was special.
Test run successful.
And our son told me last night he got a flat on the zero turn and asked if I would help him replace it if he paid for the parts. I reminded him those tires have always been a little leaky and they’ll run off the rims eventually if you don’t air them up every couple months. He said he knew that from using it when he was in high school but forgot. We took the wheel off, mashed the tire sort of in shape, and it took air without even having to do the rope thing. Overall, a pretty good day…