Outdoor Power Equipment (Lawn Mowers, Snow Blowers, Chain Saws and more) Discussions

OK, we've all done stupid things with a piece of our OPE whether it's trimmers, snowblowers, mowers, blowers, tractors, pressure washers etc. You know, the kind of thing you look around when it's over to see if anyone was watching? 

One of mine involved a slide that's part of a wooden swing set in my backyard. I was mowing on my Snapper RER and was trying to get as close as I could to the end of the slide, pointing toward it, before I would back-up and then mow closely down the side of it.

We'll right when my left foot decided it didn't like being on the clutch, it decided to slip off the clutch which resulted in the thing doing a wheelie and running right up the slide. I was very lucky that it didn't tip over to one side and end up on top of me. Well, I instantly let off the blade engagment with my right foot and while sitting there at a 35-45 degree angle,  feeling so damn stupid, I started looking around to see who all was laughing and pointing. I would have never lived it down.....hey, did you see what dad did........ Hey, did you see what Dad did? I could here it already.

Thankfully, I was not seen, got off and backed the RER down off the slide while feeling very sheepish and acting like I meant to do it, just in case I missed someone. 

What's some of your stupid happenings?

I don't have any such exciting stories, except for forgetting to tighten the return line of my pool filter when hooking it up this past summer, and then turning the filter on after the pool had filled.  Not only did I get about 500 gal of water in the "specials" courtesy of the return outlet and my proximity to the pool, but i also got beat senseless by the return hose flailing about  as the filter pump happily did its job. always check those hose clamps...

About 25 years ago  I rented a commercial tiller. It was the first time I laid eyes on one. I thought the drag stake was a kick-stand so I tossed it aside. Big mistake.

My neighbor stood there watching me rev up the engine full throttle. I think the governor was broke. I grabbed both handles and the last thing my neighbor saw was the back of my shoes. I left toe marks about 40 feet as I refused to let go of the handles. By the time I had enough sense to let go of the control handle I was out to the street. My pants had pulled down (had no belt on) and my shirt pockets were full of dirt. I can still taste the small pebbles in my mouth. My neighbor almost wet his pants. Lucky I wasn't killed.. just bruised here and there.

Lesson learned: Don't assume anything. If you don't know anyrthing about  OPE, ask somebody who knows. Second, always wear a belt before tilling.

What I learned was you have to respect power equipment. I figure that I learned the hard way. I want to pass my experiences on, so other folks don't tear up their clothes and maybe get hurt or worse.

These stories are great!  And its nice to know that you guys make mistakes too.......and that we ladies don't have the market cornered on embarrassing 'mechanical' mistakes...

Paula

Well, this is kind of an OPE story.....I WAS outside , using power equipment.  We were newly married, and poor, of coarse, so I was building much of the furniture we needed.
I borrowed my father in law's belt sander to use, and brought the piece I was working on outside because of the dust.
I got interrupted, and then needed tthe power cord for something else. I laid the belt sander on the piece, and then when I went back to plug it back into the extension cord, I didn't realize I had the "hold on" button depressed.........It went flying across the table and landed over 15 feet into the driveway.

No one saw this, and I never told him..........not a scratch and it still works fine 25 years later.

Us lefties always need to watch out for that "hold button", always on the wrong side........

Frank D.

       

             A guy I work with decided to play a trick on the cleaning lady one night. She didn't no we were in the building so he snuck in the crew room and unplugged her commerical buffer while she was buffing the long hallway that leads down the center of the building . when she came down to check on why it wasn't working he decided to plug it back in. Bad idea she didn't turn the machine off like he thought and she ran screeming down the hall trying to catch it. . It was't pretty!!!!!!

              Tom   

pulled the most impressive wheelie trying to get the tractor in the shed over the 2 by 4 ledge that ran across the doorway...........................

cut half the yard without lowering the mower deck , gettin' madder every pass that the grass wasn't gettin' shorter............stopped the tractor to figure out why..............................then made two passes without engaging the blades.................got madder yet............

owned a tractor for 10 years, always knowing it had no brakes......................except for the one time i decided to cut the grass down the hill instead of across like usual..................fun ride till i went to slow it down.........................had brakes after that ride ...................

many more stories of other people in my family.........................its a wonder i ever was born.............

thanks for the relived memories of my own stupidity ,

bill

Using an old cement mixer 2 years ago...
This type... but old... 1950's old... was my Father's in fact...



The tub had a seam in it... and the outter edge had a protrusion on it...

Well... I was holding a bag of cement when I got too close to the tub...

The metal protrusion on it grabbed my pants... an I was lifted into the air in an arc...   
Luckily... my pants ripped before I went around !

Scary slow-motion seconds...


Dave...

Some of these are hilarious! 

not ope but hilarious after the fact, none the less: a lady i know who shall remain nameless (my wife would probably break my arm if she knew i told this ) picked up some cans of spray paint at one of the local discount stores. keeping in mind the spray paint selection was at the end of an isle & across the cross isle began the displays of clothing. Putting her cans of paint in the shopping cart, she dropped one, and the can struck the edge of the basket, puncturing a hole in it,  (just what are the odds of this happening???) then falling on the floor and went spinning down the clothing isle spraying paint all over clothes hanging on racks, AND chasing some old lady that was approaching her, down the isle, back the way she had come.

to make matters worse, when the store help came to clean up the mess the employee tried to clean it up with a dry mop......and the mop stuck to the floor, (duhhhhhhhh) , i just had to turn and walk away........

I learned a lesson early in life. About age 14, I was cutting the grass at the house I grew up in. The mower clogged and you guessed it. I thought I could clean it with my hand. Blades didn't look that close. Well, lucky for me, it just hit the tip of my fingernail, but stung real bad. I went running into the house mildly swearing and my father asked what happened. When I told him, I thought he'd say, are you OK or something like that. He just said, "you dumb azz, what in the hell did you do that for"and walked out of the room. You can be sure I never put my hand near a chute again, and whenever I unclog one, I think of my fathers kind words.  LOL                                                             Kevin