Part #1659933
is the safety cable for a Craftsman pushmower.
See, the powers that be have decided that we’re all too fucking stupid to own mowers that can be- you know- on.
No, you have to hold down the special lever and pull the handle, and sometimes it starts. And when you’re mowing, it’s not much of an inconvenience other than the special lever pushes against one of the parts of your hand most likely to cause carpal tunnel issues.
No, it’s not a horrible inconvenience, unless it breaks. Then the mower is useless, because it cannot be operated without the safety.
Or so they think. I’mna finish mowing with a wire tie on it, effec tively making the mower dramatically less safe than before, because YOU HAVE TO ORDER PART #1659933, THEY ARE NOT AVAILABLE IN ANY OF THE LOCAL STORES THAT SELL LAWNMOWERS.
monkeys.
16 comments Og | Uncategorized
Mine broke a couple of seasons ago. You guessed it, I had to order it.
Reminded me of the lawn tractor i once owned with the dead-man switch attached tot eh seat. Trouble was, my daughter wasn’t heavy enough to activate the switch then. So I disconnected it. I am sure that there is a safety Nazi out there somewhere losing sleep over that.
There is another way.
Is called getting the government and all those regulatory boards, committees, etc the hell out of our lives….
Or just tape the damn thing down…
Is what 100 mph tape if for!!
They should sell zip ties with the mowers, because wiring down the deadman’s handle is the first thing I do with a mower even before I fill the tank.
Problem is, this is the cable between the deadman and the engine. The damned choke cable is another bitch altogether
Of course hardware and appliance repair stores don’t carry essentials like pull cord, dead-man cables, friction belts for the self-propel or snowblower tines, choke cables, fuel hose, and the like: they’ll sell blades and oil and all sorts of other stuff that you can put off until another day and use the machine fine with the old stuff until the new comes in. If a part fails that cripples the machine, wait for the mailman.
Forget ordering: just find a small engine repair shop and buy off of them. Take the old cable down for sizing. Bingo. I have a couple I use as a parts store, and it’s golden.
The local big box places have all but put the little shops out of business, sadly.
That deadman cable broke on me once, Vice-grips are your friend when that happens.
Maybe it doesn’t have to be aircraft cable? Might picture wire work as a stopgap?
M
it’s not like that. It’s a special cable with special ends to fit in the special receptacles in the throttle/brake piece on the mower. Easier to wire tie it, actually.
Was told in a small biz class that the safety levers came to market after a pair of brothers decided to trim the hedges with their mower. Plan went fine til they stuck their hands under the deck to lift mower hedge-level. Jury found for the Einstein Bros. since there was no mechanical protection from their abundant stupidity.
Heh. Kinda reminds me of the story of Charlie Miller, a Texas Ranger. He carried a 1911 cocked & locked with the grip safety disabled by a strip of rawhide.
He was asked “Isn’t that dangerous?” and replied, “I wouldn’t carry the son-of-a-bitch if it wasn’t dangerous.”
When mine broke I fashioned a heavy gauge aluminum wire into a hook that I flip over the kill/brake lever on the engine. When I’m ready to start the engine I flip the wire over the kill/brake lever so that the wire holds the lever in the “run” position and when I’m through mowing I flip he wire off the lever and it kills/brakes the engine. I can upload a picture if you’d like to see it.
Fck the Safety Nazis.
Almost as stupid as a kickstand-ignition cut-out on a dirtbike. I had to re-route a bunch of XR wiring to defeat the one on my 650L. There’s a reason for having a clutch, after-all…
Ok so it might be unfortunate if the kickstand inadvertently deployed in the air off a jump, and you laded with it down – but that’s less likely than if it would deploy off a hard landing and just get kicked-back up again buy the next jolt. Sheesh. Lawyers, kill ’em. Except for Alan Gura.
That stupidity is due to a federal law. Don’t you feel better knowing that Uncle Sam is so concerned for your safety?
Uncle Sam is really beginning to piss me off.