The Trap Door...aka RTM
When we bought my mower, ("Lucy June") I was thrilled. The Pres took me through all the steps necessary to start, drive and shut down the 4-wheeled powerhouse. Sure, I'll admit I never questioned his instructions because he actually stood in front of me numerous times to ensure I was pushing all the levers in the correct sequence. Asking him if I needed to read the manual because I am who and what I am, I also asked him about cleaning it after I finished mowing. The Pres' answer, "No, I just told you what you need to know. When it's time to put it away for the season, I'll take the deck off and we'll clean it so it's ready for next Spring."
Well, the last few times I've been mowing, Lucy June has been "burping" and sometimes even stalled out before I even engaged the PTO (the deck). So I immediately asked the Pres once he came home, But then, while the Pres was away teaching the kids how to build their shed, I decided to dig a little. After all, I was home trying to recuperate and so flipping bored!!
Searching on YouTube, I watched videos as the User Manual sat with pages wide opened...pages that has never been read. So I read them.
Well, not only did I find out I was starting and shutting down Lucy INCORRECTLY, I found a secret door!! So, I did what all good wives would do. While he was away, I put a piece of cardboard down on the ground to lay on and began exploring to see just where "the trap door" went.
Removing the hex screw was a little tough but after tugging a bit, I finally got it loose. Lifting up the trap door (floor panel), all the pulleys were totally exposed. HOLY MOOSEPOOPS!! There was so much dried grass caked around the pulleys, I couldn't believe it.
"No wonder it was stalling!" According to the "manual", engaging the PTO triggers movement of the pulleys. It was a no brainer! If the pulleys are jammed with debris, it causes the engine to stall. Furthermore, according to the manual, the mower should be cleaned AFTER EACH USE to avoid problems.
Now cleaning out the accumulated dried grass from the pulleys is literally a "piece of cake."
Greeting the Pres with "Hon, how did it go today? I had an exciting day too. Wait until I show you what I found! I found a trap door on my mower and wait until I show you where it goes!"
After a full day of building, he really was not enthused, "Oh yea? I can hardly wait".
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