The Night Mail

[MrWolf]

2 hours ago, Dave Hunt said:

 

The B58. Not something I'd ever like to fly. Can you imagine what would happen if one of the outboard motors quit at Mach 2? It was notoriously difficult to fly and had very high takeoff and landing speeds. Nearly a quarter of them crashed.

 

Dave

 

Impressive looking machine, but I can't help thinking that someone was still doodling about the B29 when they were designing it.

[pH]

1 hour ago, Dave Hunt said:

 

Ten years ago we went to visit a friend in Spain who said, "I didn't know you'd been to Australia again." We told her that we hadn't since our last time there three years before. "Oh," she said, "Only I got a postcard from you last week that was sent in Australia." The mind boggles as to where it had been for three years.

 

Dave

One of the common ‘late delivery’ problems used to be Christmas cards being delivered a year late. Some mailbags were only needed for the Christmas rush and were left folded up somewhere for the rest of the year. If they weren’t checked as being empty before being put away, they wouldn’t be seen again for twelve months.

[pH]

2 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

… it didn't take her more than a few minutes to start saying "Redding".

Which is in California, not Pennsylvania.

[Steamport Southport]

1 hour ago, MrWolf said:

At the time I was helping a friend restore a wartime BMW motorcycle and sidecar from a pile of bits. The mower was parked too close and ended up in panzer grey with a totenkopf painted on the fuel tank, inspired by a not very serious heavy metal band called Lawnmower Death.

 

 

Tut Tut!

 

Spelling.....

 

 

Still going. Playing Glasgow next week.

[BR60103]

I'm picking up mail and checking the house for our neighbours.

They had an envelope returned "not known" addressed to their granddaughter at university.  Jim told me that it was an Easter card. Uni terms end about the end of April over here. (and the Uni across the street just had move-in day this past weekend.)

[J. S. Bach]

4 hours ago, MrWolf said:

That's very flash! Brake steer I presume? The temptation to hold one brake and floor it until you're dizzy must be huge!

 

And is that a cupholder next to the fuel tank!?!

 

When I had quite a bit of land, I had an ancient device called a Trac-Grip, largely because it was in danger of being scrapped and was powered by a sudevalve BSA engine.

 

The mower was parked too close and ended up in panzer grey with a totenkopf painted on the fuel tank,

Brake steer? No, I do not think so as there is no brake unless the handles are in the neutral position (about where they are in the photo) To start mowing, one pushes them forward past neutral to go that way or pulls them back past neutral to go backwards. One all the way forward and one all the way back and it will turn about its central axis quite quickly. And, yes, I tried it once to see what it was like. Not too bad actually as the operator is just about on the central axis.

 

Yes, it is a cupholder; I usually keep a bottle of water there.

 

Trac-Grip, interesting piece of equipment, I like it.

 

Now, that I would like to see a picture of!

 

Edited September 6, 2023 by J. S. Bach
To correct a typo.

[J. S. Bach]

2 hours ago, pH said:

Which is in California, not Pennsylvania.

Northern to be exact.

[J. S. Bach]

Night Owl from the Piedmont.

[iL Dottore]

10 hours ago, J. S. Bach said:

Speaking of sheds (we were, weren't we?), I am thinking of one more, a small one of 10' x 10' or so just for the 52" cut lawnmower and other associated yard tooling. The main consideration will be the ability to ride the mower in as it is a beast to try and push!

 

The door opening has to be at least 6' wide and 7' tall.

 

Well… I suppose it does the job it’s intended to do, but aesthetically YUCK! It looks like the unwanted love-child of an one night stand between a La-Z-Boy electric armchair and a Flymo on acid.

 

I thought that one of the advantages of having a very large property in the US is being able to have really cool garden equipment, like mini John Deere Tractors with a mowing attachment (and a snowplough for winter).

 

Of the few American things I wish we had in Switzerland, the huge range and choice of equipment and materials for hobbyists, gardeners and DIY Craftsmen - all available at a reasonable cost - is at the top of my list

 

Every time I see a YouTube video of someone creating this or that and I think to myself “I wouldn’t mind having a go at doing that as well“, even the most cursory of research shows that – in Switzerland – the material is either not available, only available to the trade or available for DIY in small quantities at large prices…

[polybear]

7 hours ago, MrWolf said:

 

You're not alone there, but I dread applying transfers even more!

 

I'd guess what's even scarier is varnishing over the whole lot when finished.

[polybear]

7 hours ago, MrWolf said:

And is that a cupholder next to the fuel tank!?!

 

 

Could be worse - it could be an ashtray.....🤣

[Hroth]

10 hours ago, J. S. Bach said:

No, Boyle's Law would be operating here and the carp would expand to fill the empty space. 🙄

 

Boyles Law: A watched pot never boyles.

 

[jamie92208]

6 minutes ago, Hroth said:

 

Boyles Law: A watched pot never boyles.

 

That really deserves the dreaded groan button. 

 

@MrWolf's picture and description of his mower made me think.  My little McCullough tractor mower has a Tecumsah engine, 11hp I think.  Wasn' t Tecumsah, General Sherman's middle name.

 

Jamie

 

 

[Hroth]

11 hours ago, J. S. Bach said:

No, Boyle's Law would be operating here and the carp would expand to fill the empty space. 🙄

 

Here's one thats well on its way....

 

https://people.com/pets/angler-reels-record-breaking-carp-thailand/

 

[iL Dottore]

2 hours ago, iL Dottore said:

I thought that one of the advantages of having a very large property in the US is being able to have really cool garden equipment, like mini John Deere Tractors with a mowing attachment (and a snowplough for winter).…

THIS is what I mean

I mean, how cool is that?

Although these are pretty cool too

 

These, on the other hand, are NOT cool!

 

Let’s face it: garden equipment has to be green and - in the case of mowers - you have to have enough audible grunt to show that you mean business.

 

Hearing a John Deere or ATCO motor mower start up with a pleasing roar will definitely cower the grass and weeds into submission.

Be honest here: how many times have you spent a couple of hours in the garden with your plastic grass tickler only for the lawn to look almost completely untouched. The grass and weeds smirking at you for your futile effort.

 

Wouldn’t happen with a John Deere or ATCO!

 

[Winslow Boy]

18 minutes ago, iL Dottore said:

THIS is what I mean

I mean, how cool is that?

Although these are pretty cool too

 

These, on the other hand, are NOT cool!

 

Let’s face it: garden equipment has to be green and - in the case of mowers - you have to have enough audible grunt to show that you mean business.

 

Hearing a John Deere or ATCO motor mower start up with a pleasing roar will definitely cower the grass and weeds into submission.

Be honest here: how many times have you spent a couple of hours in the garden with your plastic grass tickler only for the lawn to look almost completely untouched. The grass and weeds smirking at you for your futile effort.

 

Wouldn’t happen with a John Deere or ATCO!

 

 

I have used all of those and the phrase that sprang to mind on seeing them was slightly different to yours. Mine was; how many times have you stood in the middle of the 'estate' - other more insignificant terms of grass areas are available, stood cursing (use your imagination) because a) it wouldn't start, b) cut and c) stop. Bonus prize if you get the answer within thirty seconds.

Edited September 6, 2023 by Winslow Boy

[Tony_S]

12 minutes ago, Winslow Boy said:

 

I have used all of those and the phrase that sprang to mind on seeing them was slightly different to yours. Mine was; how many times have you stood in the middle of the 'estate' - other more insignificant terms of grass areas are available, stood cursing (use your imagination) because a) it wouldn't start, b) cut and c) stop. Bonus prize if you get the answer within thirty seconds.

Aditi’s Dad had a ride on mower that looked like a little tractor. However under the smart exterior it was a really horrible and quite crude construction of belts and pulleys attached   to a Briggs and Stratton motor. I would get it working quite nicely then Aditi’s Dad would send it for its annual service and it would usually be returned not working. 

Edited September 6, 2023 by Tony_S

[Dave Hunt]

A prime example of ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.’

 

Dave

[Winslow Boy]

2 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

Aditi’s Dad had a ride on mower that looked like a little tractor. However under the smart exterior it was a really horrible and quite crude construction of belts and pulleys attached   to a Briggs and Stratton motor. I would get it working quite nicely then Aditi’s Dad would send it for its annual service and it would usually be returned not working. 

When I was starting out on my career Briggs & Stratton engines were meant to be the 'bees knees' in terms of reliability and performance according to my instructors. However when we got our hands on them, so to speak it'd passed over to Honda especially for small engines used in rotaries.

[Dave Hunt]

We had a Briggs & Stratton engined mower for many years but when we moved I was persuaded to get rid of it and get an electric Flymo - useless piece of junk that was soon replaced with a Hayter petrol job.

 

Dave

[Happy Hippo]

The only issue I have with tractor mowers is the owner/operator (at least around here) will crank them up to cut their large lawns and fields, at around 1700 on a Saturday, which is the same time that everyone else in the area is sitting out trying to have a quiet drink in their garden.

 

Of course when they break down, guess who gets the call to get them going again?

[MrWolf]

Older garden machinery is reasonably forgiving, newer stuff isn't and many gardeners are not mechanics.

Unless you buy something made for the semi industrial market, it doesn't last very long.

Manufacturers love this. A new Magneto coil for your ATCO mower, still available despite the fact that Villiers went to the wall around forty years ago is around £35. The same item for a twenty year old Honda mower is around £120 if you can find one as they're deemed obsolete and your local repair centre will tell you to buy a new machine. They even do that with Stihl.

Don't even think about buying one of those bargain Chinese made mowers / chainsaws / rotovators for £79.99 from Aldi or wherever. Unless you are very lucky, over the first winter the carburettor will gum up and the diaphragm split, crank seals will give out or the spark generator will succumb to the damp. There are no spares available and the labour costs would outweigh the value anyway.

 

See my previous comments on bicycles. The rag and bone man loves you buying this c2ap.

 

Tecumseh was chief of the Shawnee tribe, although the logo on the engines showed a picture of a typically stern looking Sioux chief so that we Paleface made the connection.

[TheQ]

Finding a shed with a 7ft tall door will be difficult, it one of the things shed manufacturers skimp on.

The door of my gardening shed is 4 ft wide by 5 ft tall

 

My mower being an American MTD twin blade ride on, has a drinks Bud / Miller's / Coors holder. Needs a cap though,  or the dust gets in your beer.

 

MTD make many other brands of mower..

 

MTD are now owned by Stanley Black and Decker.

 

[Tony_S]

I think Aditi is secretly longing for a cordless electric mower going by the number of times she has cut through the mains cable on ours. Even worse she once stepped back and tripped over the cable, fell and broke her wrist. Some people round here have immaculate lawns, my excuse for ours is “bio diversity”. 

[newbryford]

All this talk of mowers.....

 

Saw this whilst out playing at an away course yesterday. 

They have 5-6 of them on the course and just keep trundling away 24/7, returning to their docking stations every now and then for a recharge.

This is one of the smaller ones and it takes about 1/2- 3/4 day to mow a fairway. 

The local rules are that If you hit one with your shot it's a free replay of the shot, and you also get to rpelace your ball if it runs over it and chews it up!

 

Although I much prefer riding this. 20-30 mins per fairway, depending upon the size. I should be on it tonight after "normal" work hours

 

There is another slightly large machine in the fleet that has cruise control......