What did you accomplish today?

Indacouch

Well-Known Member
After years of loyal service (and belching black smoke, taking off on it's own, etc.), this just happened to my beloved Briggs & Stratton:

View attachment 3928272

:(

Ah well. I inadvertently clipped a snake or two, so at least the terriers had a ball. Kind of gross seeing them playing with/eating the bits, though. :spew:
Did you fall or damn near knock yourself out when it broke Lou ?
 

Blue Wizard

Well-Known Member
After years of loyal service (and belching black smoke, taking off on it's own, etc.), this just happened to my beloved Briggs & Stratton:

View attachment 3928272

:(

Ah well. I inadvertently clipped a snake or two, so at least the terriers had a ball. Kind of gross seeing them playing with/eating the bits, though. :spew:
You can replace that with one from just about any brand, they are pretty much universal. Or you can buy a replacement but the new ones don't last as long as the old ones.
 

Big_Lou

Well-Known Member
Did you fall or damn near knock yourself out when it broke Lou ?
Nah, it just snapped and I stood there thinking "welp, this sucks." I did shove it about 25 feet sending it banging into the garden wall, though. :oops:
My back yard now has a thick mohawk down the center.

Sure, I could pop over to a local place and grab a sparkling new mower in 20 minutes flat, but that's not how I operate. I found a few YouTube videos so I'm gonna have a go at it myself. (I've got everything I need, sans the cord itself and a specific wrench for the bullshit plastic housing....was gonna just rip the fucker off, but then it'd look even uglier and the moisture might seep in easier.)
 

Big_Lou

Well-Known Member
What BW said. Just make a new one out of good quality rope, it will last much much longer than a store bought replacement
Yeah, an older guy that lives down the block (we imbibe/smoke now and again) mentioned using military paracord. Said that he's used it many times with great results, the same stuff that he used to "jump out of helicopters with years ago".

I'm going to Harbor Freight on Saturday. Supposed to grab a 'few things', but I might just bring along a fun money card and go a little nuts.
 

whitebb2727

Well-Known Member
Nah, it just snapped and I stood there thinking "welp, this sucks." I did shove it about 25 feet sending it banging into the garden wall, though. :oops:
My back yard now has a thick mohawk down the center.

Sure, I could pop over to a local place and grab a sparkling new mower in 20 minutes flat, but that's not how I operate. I found a few YouTube videos so I'm gonna have a go at it myself. (I've got everything I need, sans the cord itself and a specific wrench for the bullshit plastic housing....was gonna just rip the fucker off, but then it'd look even uglier and the moisture might seep in easier.)
Lol.

Have fun. You now get to experience winding the coil and it taking the rope back in and right when you think its almost over, BAM!, it unwinds in a millisecon and the coil flies out. :cuss:
 

whitebb2727

Well-Known Member
Yeah, an older guy that lives down the block (we imbibe/smoke now and again) mentioned using military paracord. Said that he's used it many times with great results, the same stuff that he used to "jump out of helicopters with years ago".

I'm going to Harbor Freight on Saturday. Supposed to grab a 'few things', but I might just bring along a fun money card and go a little nuts.
Paracord works great. I always got a 1000 foot roll laying around. Its good stuff.
 

whitebb2727

Well-Known Member
I've got some Vietnam-era fine wire spools, surplus stuff. It's green and was/is apparently used for ordinances. (?)
Strong as hell.

I'll be getting this, or similar.

View attachment 3928349
Be careful when you order. Ask the seller for a mil spec number if they are claiming it to be true 550 cord. There is a lot of lower quality knock off stuff. The knock off stuff will be around 250 pound test as the real stuff if 550 pound test.

I reckon the 250 pound stuff would work. I don't think it takes that much energy to start one.
 

Los Reefersaurus

Well-Known Member
Fancy ropes, now we are in my wheel house. I have a bunch of traction kite string for all sorts of mis reasons , its like 1/8 diameter and it is good to well over 500 lbs, made of dyneema. I put that shit on everything.

Side note anyone else got a cloud forming in their room? Seems really cloudy in here
 

Big_Lou

Well-Known Member
Be careful when you order. Ask the seller for a mil spec number if they are claiming it to be true 550 cord. There is a lot of lower quality knock off stuff. The knock off stuff will be around 250 pound test as the real stuff if 550 pound test.

I reckon the 250 pound stuff would work. I don't think it takes that much energy to start one.
Not ordering online, dude; I'm hitting Harbor Freight. If they don't have the exact diameter I'm wanting then I'll simply travel on. (There are dozens of places that sell these sorts of things in this shitbag 'city'....farm supply warehouses, hardware, military surplus, chain places, flea markets.)

Getting a new ratchet set, some tarps, new LED flashlights, etc....

giphy (3).gif
 

GreatwhiteNorth

Global Moderator
Staff member
Go easy when you start. As soon as the housing is off, before you screw with starter; stab a screwdriver into coil/casing to prevent it unwinding
Awww, you take the fun outta this Malt - most all of us old guys have fought with that fkn coil spring for what seems like 3 or 4 beers worth of a frustrating lifetime.
I'm pretty sure it's some sort of demented rite of passage.
 

Blue Wizard

Well-Known Member
Lol.

Have fun. You now get to experience winding the coil and it taking the rope back in and right when you think its almost over, BAM!, it unwinds in a millisecon and the coil flies out. :cuss:
I usually just take the entire housing off an old one and replace it. I have a bunch of them from when there was a temporary dump just down the road. It was open 3 days a week and the county would haul everything off to the actual landfill on the other side of town.

People were always throwing lawnmowers away and 9 times out of 10 I could get them running with minimal effort. I've never bought a lawnmower, but I've given several running ones away.
 

whitebb2727

Well-Known Member
I usually just take the entire housing off an old one and replace it. I have a bunch of them from when there was a temporary dump just down the road. It was open 3 days a week and the county would haul everything off to the actual landfill on the other side of town.

People were always throwing lawnmowers away and 9 times out of 10 I could get them running with minimal effort. I've never bought a lawnmower, but I've given several running ones away.
Lol.

I do the same thing. I stop all the time and get used mowers, weed eaters, etc and fix them.
 

Bareback

Well-Known Member
I usually just take the entire housing off an old one and replace it. I have a bunch of them from when there was a temporary dump just down the road. It was open 3 days a week and the county would haul everything off to the actual landfill on the other side of town.

People were always throwing lawnmowers away and 9 times out of 10 I could get them running with minimal effort. I've never bought a lawnmower, but I've given several running ones away.
Lol.

I do the same thing. I stop all the time and get used mowers, weed eaters, etc and fix them.
It's amazing what people will throw away. I think lazy people do just so they can hire a lawn service. Ohh well one man's thrash is another man's free lawn mower.
 

Indacouch

Well-Known Member
Nah, it just snapped and I stood there thinking "welp, this sucks." I did shove it about 25 feet sending it banging into the garden wall, though. :oops:
My back yard now has a thick mohawk down the center.

Sure, I could pop over to a local place and grab a sparkling new mower in 20 minutes flat, but that's not how I operate. I found a few YouTube videos so I'm gonna have a go at it myself. (I've got everything I need, sans the cord itself and a specific wrench for the bullshit plastic housing....was gonna just rip the fucker off, but then it'd look even uglier and the moisture might seep in easier.)
Lou you'll never believe this ....I finished mixing my soil today and when I returned home ,,,I decided to mow my back yard ......my Carb literally fell off the side of the motor .......I immediately thought ,,,where did I hear about another mower mishap today (((LOU))) ya jinxed me .....the intake on my 4.5 Briggs is a plastic tube ....it cracked in half and was literally dangling by the linkage .....WELP!! that sucks ..lol

I also have a partially mowed yard now ......il post pics tomorrow for everyone's amusement ...
 
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