Ever hit a water meter with your riding mower?

[Barkleymut]

8 years of mowing residential and commercial properties for a living and I grazed a few but never enough to even shut off the blades.

30 years of mowing my own lawn, never even came close with a push mower. Mine lays flat with the ground, Would have to lower the blade down to 1/8 of an inch to even get close

 

[mk378]

I don't think you're getting the whole story here. On a rider, the belt would take up the shock of hitting something with the blades. The engine isn't going to blow up.

The most likely reason for a relatively new engine to throw rods would be that someone turned the governor up.

 

[Fattylocks]

Originally Posted by Linctex
I've never seen air-cooled sudden-stoppage engine carnage that severe.

You'd think the belts would slip first.

 

[4WD]

Originally Posted by mk378
I don't think you're getting the whole story here. On a rider, the belt would take up the shock of hitting something with the blades. The engine isn't going to blow up.

The most likely reason for a relatively new engine to throw rods would be that someone turned the governor up.


Mowing tall grass in a field … gonna hit a big ant mound once in a while that instantaneously kills my 19 HP motor with a belt driven 42" cut.
There is no damage … As you point out, they are floating decks … Raise it … start it … mow some more …

 

[CT8]

Originally Posted by Bud
Never. Drinking and driving?

That is the only way people can tolerate mowing a lawn. Drugs and alcohol preferably with both in excess.

 

[Rand]

I've weirdly grazed the edge of my concrete driveway curb once and hit the water shutoff(glancing blow) and a few rocks. (neighbor uses giant gravel 3-4" some roll into my yard.

The rocks were ejected like a potato cannon.. luckily not at house.

Concrete curb was just some sparks.

One year the water shutoff on the devil strip was frost heaved up another 3/4" or so and I hit it doing the same thing I did for 5 years previous.

Water meter is in basement, electric is on side of house. Now I just raise the blades 1" for the water shut offs (2) a few nicks in the blades otherwise no damage.

Engines are unlikely to blow, but if anything would do it...a strike on solid metal would. that is no give.. unlike even a stump etc.

 

[jeepman3071]

Originally Posted by mk378
I don't think you're getting the whole story here. On a rider, the belt would take up the shock of hitting something with the blades. The engine isn't going to blow up.

The most likely reason for a relatively new engine to throw rods would be that someone turned the governor up.



In theory, though a lot of the zero turn mowers don't have a spring tension system on the belts, but rather a bolt style adjustment which keeps the belt tight. If it's super cranked down, then it won't allow for any slippage if an obstacle is hit. I've seen spindles destroyed before, but not an engine... yet.

Over-revving would also likely show up on the connecting rod pieces as heat, which I don't see any heat damage on those parts.

 

[bchannell]

Yeah, I would imagine the blade belt wrapped like a strap wrench and inertial momentum did the damage. I've seen him mow and he goes easily twice as fast as is prudent.

 

[meep]

How???

How would the blade shock make it through the belt, and the clutch, to make that much devastation? My blades have stopped fast twice when the deck bent back causing a "buy new everything" hard stop, but the clutch softened the impact to where the engine was drug down until it stopped. That looks like the crank would have had to have a direct shock load from the strike itself. Crazy.

M

 

[bchannell]

I'm guessing at what caused the instant stop, belt wrap, whatever. He told me he hit the water meter and he doesn't lie. I was there to fix the gas meter when he hit it.
All we know for sure is that he hit the water meter housing and this is the result.

 

[meep]

Wow... I totally believe you, my exclamation is more of surprise. Perhaps my clutch is not as strong in comparison. That's a bunch of damage. Good luck!

M

 

[passgas55]

Never hit the water meter but the cover over the box. I did build up the ground around tthe box to keep from hitting the cover. Been that way for about 4 years. This year I skimmed the cover with the zero turn. I am going to spread more dirt further out to solve this problem

 

[andyd]

Bent a crankshaft or 2, but nothing like THAT. My first outing with a snowblower lasted about 10' until I encountered a soggy Sunday Globe that jammed the augur

 

[Donald]

Your friend needs to hire a lawn service. Obviously cutting grass is not his forte.

 

[The motor guy]

Usually the blade just buzzes over stuff like that, never actually catches all the way to stop the engine in a split second. I guess I recognize the sound and bring the deck up before it gets to that point.

 

[WyrTwister]

Our water meter is in the alley . The " box " / round enclosure , was sticking a few inches out of the ground . I hit it a few times with a push mower . The City finally replaced it with one that is sticking far enough out of the ground , not to get hit with the blade .

 

[ragtoplvr]

My sister is the only person I know to ever bend a classic brick lawnboy crank. In addition she broke off 2 of the mounting ears and warped the crankcase. The carb was still good. So was the deck. Everything else total loss.

Before that she hit clothesline wire and wound it up so tight the engine stalled. Had to cut it off. Lucky for lawnboy the blade adapter just pulls off a taper.

My Bro in Law never lets her mow now.

Rod

 

[The motor guy]

My sister is the only person I know to ever bend a classic brick lawnboy crank. In addition she broke off 2 of the mounting ears and warped the crankcase. The carb was still good. So was the deck. Everything else total loss.

Before that she hit clothesline wire and wound it up so tight the engine stalled. Had to cut it off. Lucky for lawnboy the blade adapter just pulls off a taper.

My Bro in Law never lets her mow now.

Rod

She must be hot.

 

[ragtoplvr]

no, she is not.
She missed out on her career as a product tester.

Rod

 

[Dave9]

I hit my gas meter, though it was just the clear plastic sight-cover I knocked off. Not so ironically a few days prior, the gas company had come through and replaced the whole meter portion and the new plastic sight-cover was an inch deeper, so my usual strategy of how close to mow was thwarted while I was watching the gas line so as to not hit it with the deck, and proceeded to hit the sight-cover with the wheel instead.

Back when I mowed with a bush hog or bat wing, I used to hit rocks in a field all the time but it just meant I better be watching closer if I don't want to have to sharpen and rebalance the blades soon.

Never really had any mower damage from obstacles except once when I went onto a curb of a concrete slab too fast, it broke a steering knuckle weld... took longer to get the axle off and prep/clean it than the 2 minutes to weld together.

I also, do not think it is possible to damage an engine from a deck blade impact through a belt drive, unless the engine was already in really bad shape and soon to self destruct anyway.