New Project: It will take a miracle...

I found a lawn mower for free on craigslist yesterday. after talking to the guy on the phone, I found out he was giving away a briggs and stratton 5hp Murry push mower. He told me that the engine had siezed, he was moving and needed to get rid of it. I drove over after work to look at it, after looking, I rolled it to the back of my station wagon and hoisted it in.

Man, this thing is going to need a lot of work. It was sitting by the side of his garage, the handle folded up and bag sitting beside damp and in a puddle. I brought it home, unloaded it. looked at and have made a 15 minute assessment, on where it is at and what needs to be done. I don't know if it will run or not, and if it does how well. bare metal parts such as screws and bolts show some rust from exposure to the outside elements. The first action I took was to check the oil. the dipstick showed a clear brown colour and showed to be slippery. At least it has oil and it is not coal black. Next I checked the gas tank. bone dry. I think I saw spiders inside getting high of the remaining surface odors. He said it has been sitting for about 2 years, so I guess that may explain some things.
after changing clothes I went back out to the garage, lifted the handle and straighten it out. I did not dare pull the rip cord. Its siezed, we all know that. My next probing went to the air filter. hmm fairly clean for a lawn mower that has been sitting for so long. a black layer of crud has formed on the bottom of the filter case. also below it on the blade deck a thick sludge of goo resides there that matches. Oil? Gas? Grass? Water? all three I suspect. a lovely concoction. How did it get there, and why is it there? I inspect both sides of the filter to find dry dust and spider webs on one side, and an oily film around the rubber seal on the other side. looks typical enough. Not much sign of abuse, which is good. next I pull off the plastic case surrounding the flywheel. lots more dust, and some signs of rust on the sheet metal parts surrounding the cylinder. not a good sign but still a workable engine. The spark plug comes off with a pair of locking pliers since I don't have a socket that fits. the tip is black, and a little oily. I don't know what this means.
Finally I play with the blade deck. there is a lot of goo around the engine on top, a leak somewhere maybe? but he says all that is wrong is that it has siezed.
its just dirty and needs to be cleaned up, and it shows. The wheels, the flip out side chute and the case all are in need of a bath. I pull off the protective case of the drive train. This thing has power assist! Sweet! maybe I'll turn it into a go-Kart. the belt is crusty and it slips past the drive shaft. hmm. it looks useable though. I bet I can make it do at least 8 MPH.
Time to flip it over and inspect the buisness side of things. ah the bottom side of a lawn mower, the smell of fresh cut blades of grass, a green pulp that coats the inside is like Cud from a dairy cow. Here though is some rust, a little red paint and moldy black silage. the blade is actually kind of sharp, rusty but sharp. An attempt to turn it reveals something. I hear the sound of a bilage pump and water and gas issue from the exhaust pipe onto the driveway. Its clear that that I am the proud owner of a mower with an identity crisis. more turning back and forth, more compression sounds and water on the pavement. Oh lawn mower tell me about your past life, who or what brought you to this?
I flip the mower back on four wheels and remove the exhaust pipe. draining it of all its contents I look at the mower. It has potential. I just need to clean it up a bit. I am really excited to see if I can get it running. If I do, maybe I will but some flames on it, and some ground effects, or hydrolics and a rear spoiler.
that would be sweet.

I put everything back in its place and rolled it to the side of my car. this project will have to wait. I am hungry and want to eat. a pan of lasagna is waiting for me.

till next time.... Joel

Bike to Work Day - Friday May 19th

I biked to work this past Friday. I have biking to work about three times a
week now for the past month. After putting on a few hundred miles, here are
some of my reflections about biking to work, the specific day of the event
and my goal.
It is wonderful to be able to ride to work. I get a two hour exercise,
fresh air and save money not driving (not to mention my sanity). I have to
say that last benefit is the best reward. I remember commuting to work a
few years ago in St Louis; I-270 can be awful any way you look at it. I
remember countless hours sitting in the car listening to traffic reports,
wanting to take a nap, read the paper or do something other than sit behind
the wheel. I still have an awfully long commute but at least I can do
something I enjoy getting there.

This past Friday I hoped on the Train expecting tons of bikes and people
wearing spandex. Not so. It was just another typical train commute with
the usual crowd. I hopped off in Seattle and made my way towards the I-90
Bridge. At the end of the pedestrian tunnel overlooking lake Washington, I
was greeted by volunteers behind a table and three industrial sized coffee
warmers. Like the ones at hotels and convention centers. Ah sweet land of
coffee and computers! I like Seattle! I tanked up and watched bikers
struggle up from the floating bridge to higher ground. I was impressed by
the view; I usually blow past, and don't spend the time admiring it.
What a nice partly cloudy, cool day, perfect for biking.
I entered to win a bike, talked to a few people, filled my tires and was on
my way.
At the other end of the trail in Bellevue, low and behold another volunteer
stand, and more coffee! Yea I wish this were an everyday occurrence. Maybe
there is a market for trail side coffee vendors. Anyway, I got to work, sat
down to check email and no less than five minutes later, my rear tire
deflated. Like the Holy Spirit leaving after a big tent revival. I was
left with a nice unicycle. Not to fear! A bike shop in town! With bike in
hand, I boarded the local bus. (See, I was not prepared, not having a spare
tube required a visit to Greg's Greenlake Cycle. Of course I do now.)
The guys there set me up and I was again on my way. On the way back to work
I stopped by Wendy's. Oh Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger how I love thee.
Stopping at the light to make a left hand turn, I saw a couple to my left,
waiting to cross the street. The guy noticed me, gave a huff and said don't
you ever worry about getting hit. It's always a bit awkward for me being in
a situation like this. I guess it exposes me. First here I am sitting on a
bike in traffic, where normally cars are. All I have protecting me is a
helmet, and my wits. I am sitting basically at the middle of the
intersection. The danger here is that cars turning left towards me could
possibly not see me, cut the corner and clip me. I see cars driving in
front of me on the perpendicular street, and cars driving past me on the
left going past me parallel. Pretty much surrounded by cars on all sides.
I suppose this is not for the faint of heart. Oh and let me mention I don't
have health insurance either. (Not yet at least.) I have never swum with
sharks but I think that most people would choose that rather than biking on
city streets. I might as well put a target on my back.
Ok so back to the guys question. I sort of liked the question because I had
not thought about it recently, and I think about it every once in a while.
Usually I think about it when I am safely tucked into bed, the lights are
out and it's quiet in the house. I am left gathering my thoughts about the
day and what I will do tomorrow. I rerun biking rides. What was fun, what
was funny, and the weather. I also look for potential hazards that I
encountered. A pothole, a sewer grate, a yellow light, a really big truck.
Things that could have taken me down in a heartbeat. Biking is about safety
and fun. And I think that it is one of the most important things I can do
to keep safe. When it no longer is safe it is no longer fun. Or like they
say, its all fun and games till someone loses an eye. I don't mind
careening down a hill at 37.5 mph but I don't want to meet a pothole at the
end of the hill either.
So I gave the question a few moments to respond. In those few moments I
think I may have made him nervous. Yes. I said.
He looked at me, his girlfriend looked at me. The realization of what I
said arrived, sank in, and I could see the wheels turning in their minds. I
added, I ride the trails and the roads, it can be dangerous.
The traffic in front of me had stopped and the sound of cars had died down.
I looked around and wheeled toward them. And sometimes I take the sidewalk,
with a hint of mischief. The girl picked up on it and laughed.
It may have been a silly question like hey man, doesn't that seat hurt your
butt? Don't you get tired riding that thing? And I didn't want to sound
too serious. I guess we don't think about it seriously, there are not a lot
of people biking. I guess the bike to work day helps to get people out of
cars, and also to raise awareness of bike / car safety.
I am a huge advocate of getting people out of cars because cars tend to
isolate us, where as bikes keep us tuned with everything going on around us.

I am still about 2 months away from the big bike ride in August. Its three
mountain passes in three days. In September is a century ride fund raiser.
Yahoo! I am feeling good about my training so far. This next weeks
forecast calls for rain and clouds which doesn't look good. But that's ok.
Maybe I just need to catch up on sleep anyway.