Three Generation Family Gathering

Adventure Location: Decatur Alabama
Adventure Date:6/9/2018
Click a pic to enlarge it.

Early this morning the e-mail came in from the OFM’s son. Somebody was needed to hold the backup wrench and be the general laborer for the lawn mower deck repair. So naturally the OFM took time from his hectic schedule to get over there and help.

When we got there disassembly was well on its way.

There were some boxes with the new parts in them on the garage floor. There was some old parts scattered around. We were hoping someone knew where the parts went during the repairs.

A conversation with the OFM’s son revealed the failure of the mower blade jack shafts and the new parts were on site. Several other parts were inspected to find out how near failure they were. They all seemed to be adequate for another season or two but the whole rig was definitely worn from the previous ten years of use.

The mower deck was in the yard being blasted clean by grandson Gavin with serious effort being applied.

Then the OFM and his son moved the deck to the sun baked drive way to dry to a crisp. That did not take long. We were still discussing parts and potential repairs until well after the deck was dry. Then the deck was moved inside the garage to the shade and in front of the fan for the real work.

Now more clean up was done to the deck. A torque wrench was brought into play and assembly began. It was slow going because we were very careful to read and follow the instructions. We did not want carelessness to result in a whirring lawn mower blade coming off to injure someone.

It took a good while to get everything done on the deck. Then it was time for lunch. The whole family and the OFM headed out to a burger place nearby for a good lunch. Grandson Gavin was so good he even got a DOUBLE SCOOP ice cream cone for desert.

Now it was time to put the mower deck back under the mower and get it all put together. The OFM’s son did the rolling around on the floor hooking up the connecting parts while the OFM wobbled around handing him parts and connectors. When that was all done, the OFM did a quick check of the whole piece of equipment to see if any loose tools were evident.

Now it was proof time. The key was turned and the equipment sprang to life. Nothing seemed wrong so it was put in gear and a test mowing strip was done. OFM’s son pronounced it ready to work. 

During the testing the OFM swept the old grass clippings and other debris out of the garage and stood in front of the fan until testing was finished.

A successful repair was declared and it was a wonderful day of visiting the OFM’s family and being of some use. This made for a wonderful day of trying to have tooooo much fun.