of the photoI was very excited when I bought my Black and Decker Cordless Mulching Lawnmower this summer. It spelled the end to annual tune ups and gas purchasing and gas remaining disposal etc. It is quieter and better all around and my wife wanted it as it was a “greener” solution. My former mower was fantastic and always did a great job. It was a small Toro mower with a mulching capability and a rear bag. I bought it in 1987 for our new house in Troy, MI, where we only lived for two years. It was bought specifically with that house in mind, with a small, flat lawn. From then to now we have never had the same kind of lawn, but this little devil did a great job no matter where we were.
The old one was held together with lots of homemade repairs, adding screws and bolts when things broke off, and usually getting it professionally tuned up every year or two.
The new one, which I love, weighs 75 pounds, which is not pointed out anywhere as a criticism, but it should be. It is very heavy! It is propelled by me, so it’s noticeably more difficult to push, although not impossible.
So, to get to the point, a part fell off! Somewhere in my lawn lay a long steel bolt and a large black knob which screws on to the bolt and holds the handle to the frame. There are four of these on the mower and one is gone! I noticed as I went to mow yesterday and stood mute. I had to move quickly and knew getting a part would be a forever task.
The thought occurred to me, WWKD (what would Klaus do?) Klaus Fabich, our Building Maintenance Guru, and my friend, always finds alternative things to make things work. He has ways of attaching the unattachable, fixing the unfixable and finishing the unfinishable. I looked toward Home Depot and knew Klaus would go there and search for the solution.
I arrived with a knob and bolt in my hand, which I removed from the lawnmower. I will admit that my first instinct was to go over to the remaining lawn mowers to see if there was one with a knob and bolt that looked like it would work and steal it. However, it wasn’t propriety that won the day, or even doing the right thing, it was that there but a few lawn mowers at this time of year (six to be exact) and although I could see a similar part on another lawn mower, it was clear that I would be caught, as there were way too few in a very big and open space. I therefore, did the right thing and went over to the nuts and bolts, and with great skill (and a good guy from Home Depot) put together the proper bolt, washers and wing nut set to replace the part.
It was a total, with taxes, of $1.76. This was enough to keep me from a life of crime!
The old one was held together with lots of homemade repairs, adding screws and bolts when things broke off, and usually getting it professionally tuned up every year or two.
The new one, which I love, weighs 75 pounds, which is not pointed out anywhere as a criticism, but it should be. It is very heavy! It is propelled by me, so it’s noticeably more difficult to push, although not impossible.
So, to get to the point, a part fell off! Somewhere in my lawn lay a long steel bolt and a large black knob which screws on to the bolt and holds the handle to the frame. There are four of these on the mower and one is gone! I noticed as I went to mow yesterday and stood mute. I had to move quickly and knew getting a part would be a forever task.
The thought occurred to me, WWKD (what would Klaus do?) Klaus Fabich, our Building Maintenance Guru, and my friend, always finds alternative things to make things work. He has ways of attaching the unattachable, fixing the unfixable and finishing the unfinishable. I looked toward Home Depot and knew Klaus would go there and search for the solution.
I arrived with a knob and bolt in my hand, which I removed from the lawnmower. I will admit that my first instinct was to go over to the remaining lawn mowers to see if there was one with a knob and bolt that looked like it would work and steal it. However, it wasn’t propriety that won the day, or even doing the right thing, it was that there but a few lawn mowers at this time of year (six to be exact) and although I could see a similar part on another lawn mower, it was clear that I would be caught, as there were way too few in a very big and open space. I therefore, did the right thing and went over to the nuts and bolts, and with great skill (and a good guy from Home Depot) put together the proper bolt, washers and wing nut set to replace the part.
It was a total, with taxes, of $1.76. This was enough to keep me from a life of crime!
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