Filed under: June 2012
OMG it fell apart!
June 6, 2012
Last night, I took my new mower and powercart out for a test drive. I had used the mower behind the tractor, but last night was the first time for the horses to pull it behind the powercart. They were a little nervous at first, but settled down quickly.
We went around the field with the sickle bar chattering, the motor on the powercart running and me smiling as big as I could. The whole thing was working great. Hoss was walking right next to the standing hay and we were going fairly straight. I was just mowing pasture to test everything out, but I still wanted it to look right 😮
After seven or eight rounds, as we turned the corner, the whole mower actually fell apart. I looked back from the driver’s seat and dang near messed my pants. It was making a “way” different noise and was dragging behind at a forty-five degree angle. I told the horses “whoa.” They stopped immediately… just like they are supposed to do. I shut the mower off followed by the engine. I let the horses stand a couple of minutes, then simply got down and unhitched them from the powercart.
I was/am thankful for broke, quiet horses. Last nights episode could have ended much differently. The whole thing was caused by a jam nut not being tight. It let the main frame of the mower vibrate loose. A sort of turn buckle came unthreaded. There was no damage done to the well made piece of equipment, even though it was running at a severe angle and simply being dragged like a hunk of junk.
We will complete the pasture today and hopefully mow some hay. The horses are ready. The mower will be ready, as soon as I double-check the jam nuts and squirt a little grease everywhere. I am ready too, my hands quit shaking just about bedtime last night 😮
A year ago, we were mourning the loss of Lucy, our farm’s Border Collie. I still miss our girl. She rests near the garden..still watching the farm.
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RicelandMeadows 
I am happy for you that nothing bad happened with that incident. Praise God for good horses. About your farm border collie, it is not nice to make an old man weep.
Comment by Lloyd Bouldin June 8, 2012 @ 5:09 pmLloyd