Almost time to mow the lawn but first........

[Oldpath05]

Getting almost pass time to mow the lawn so this afternoon I pushed my riding mower out of the shed, tried to start it and no go, the motor wouldn't turn over but the starter was turning. Ok so the starter was making a noise but wasn't engaging the flywheel, must need more juice so tried boosting with power pack, Rhino, then lastly the tractor, nothing, just the starter making noise.

So dragged it the garage and noticed there's no good place to hook a chain on the front end, fix that later. Once in I check the battery with multimeter, 12+ volts, must be something wrong with the starter, I got the plastic off where I could see part of the problem, got it all cleaned out, spray with Gibbs penetrating oil, then pried the starter gear up and down, got it unstuck then took the plugs out and the starter whirled the right motor over. Put it all back together hopping the pickup coil and flywheel wasn't to rusty, then turned the motor over about a minute and finally started, thought it would where I put StarTron in the tank last fall.



I sprayed peppermint oil all over that mower, the stuff must not be long lasting, this fall when I put in my storage shed I'll load it down with moth balls and put a tarp over it see what that does.

 

[Jstpssng]

Based on experience, the tarp will just give the little buggers more courage, because it gives them cover. About the only thing which keeps them down is a cat. Or D-Con, but I try to avoid using that.

 

[mcfarmall]

Tomcat bait chunks. Ive had mice build nests on top of moth balls and your essential oil trick is nothing short of hocus-pocus. Save the dryer sheets for the dryer too.

 

[TheMan419]

We had mice all in the horse barn. We tilled the field next to the barn so we killed their cover. Only thing that got rid of them was mouse bait. Just remember every 2 months change the active ingredient in your bait or you will end up with resistant mice. Not kidding. The packages are generally different colors. The same company will put out different compounds at different times of the year to help you with this.

The peppermint oil makes things smell nice.....

 

[cdaigle430]

Getting almost pass time to mow the lawn so this afternoon I pushed my riding mower out of the shed, tried to start it and no go, the motor wouldn't turn over but the starter was turning. Ok so the starter was making a noise but wasn't engaging the flywheel, must need more juice so tried boosting with power pack, Rhino, then lastly the tractor, nothing, just the starter making noise.

So dragged it the garage and noticed there's no good place to hook a chain on the front end, fix that later. Once in I check the battery with multimeter, 12+ volts, must be something wrong with the starter, I got the plastic off where I could see part of the problem, got it all cleaned out, spray with Gibbs penetrating oil, then pried the starter gear up and down, got it unstuck then took the plugs out and the starter whirled the right motor over. Put it all back together hopping the pickup coil and flywheel wasn't to rusty, then turned the motor over about a minute and finally started, thought it would where I put StarTron in the tank last fall.

View attachment 554126

I sprayed peppermint oil all over that mower, the stuff must not be long lasting, this fall when I put in my storage shed I'll load it down with moth balls and put a tarp over it see what that does.

I have mice and chipmunks in my garage all the time...I put dcon and glue traps...kill about 20 each winter that way----they never have time to make a home. I keep my mower and tractor in the garage-the mower under and ATV cover and knock on wood-never had a nest in 15 years I had this house.

 

[oosik]

Up until four years ago I had two barn cats and the mice were under total control. Then the dam cats decided to work at night - BIG MISTAKE. They became barn owl snacks. So last year I put out a five gallon mouse trap. Got forty of the little critters. No help at all - the forty were replaced by the eighty waiting out in the wings. I'm in the market for barn cats.

 

[Teachu2]

My barn cats get fed (in the barn) every night at dusk. They hunt all day, come in to eat, get locked in for the night. I've only lost one that way.

They kill everything in the barn.

 

[4570Man]

Where do you live that just now needs mowed? I’ve been mowing since Easter. Here’s a field that hasn’t been mowed yet.

 

[oosik]

I kept food & water for the cats in one of my outbuildings. They could come and go as they pleased from the building. Simple fact - they got too bold. Backlit barn owls sitting in my pine trees - look as big as a tombstone.

 

[Thomas]

Mow first time last Friday,BEWARE the blackflies are hungry.

 

[Jstpssng]

We had mice all in the horse barn. We tilled the field next to the barn so we killed their cover. Only thing that got rid of them was mouse bait. Just remember every 2 months change the active ingredient in your bait or you will end up with resistant mice. Not kidding. The packages are generally different colors. The same company will put out different compounds at different times of the year to help you with this.

The peppermint oil makes things smell nice.....

Sounds like the fly dope I bought to use on the dog today, with geranium oil and a few other natural ingredients... it smells nice, and works about as good as putting ketchup on a hamburger to keep Wimpy away.
He's staying home until I can get some Permethrin spray for him.

 

[Oaktree]

Where do you live that just now needs mowed? I致e been mowing since Easter. Here痴 a field that hasn稚 been mowed yet.

According to his profile, the OP lives in Maine.
March/early April is still winter up here, we still had snow on the ground at Easter. I've mowed once this year, almost ready for a second.

As far as mice go, they were unusually bad this past winter. Normally the cats keep them under control, but I found a mouse nest in the heater box of a vintage car I own (only drive it in summer). They used the dryer sheets I put out to make their nest!! :smiley_aafz:
Bad winter in general for rodents...my lawn was nothing but mole hills/tunnels this year. We usually get a few but nothing like this!

 

[hawkeye08]

I mowed Saturday morning, decided I did not like the result on the front yard (some unevenness caused by low rear tire) so I mowed the front yard again. That's better now (I look out my office window at the front lawn).

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

I haven't mowed yet this year either. Maybe in 2 weeks it'll be time. Hopefully by then it will have grown tall enough to go to seed before I mow. We have several bare patches and thin patches I'm trying to reseed and get filled in.

We were pretty lucky this winter for rodents in the basement and shop. No mice or other rodents. Got worried last fall, we had several in the basement and the shop before it got cold. We tried some of those electronic "ultrasonic" repellent devices, and haven't seen a sign of them since. I was pretty skeptical about them, but at least for now, they seem to be working. I put bait out for them too, but haven't found any dead ones.

We have several large gofer mounds in our bottom pasture this spring. I've been baiting them pretty hard, and I think one of them is wiped out now.

 

[Oldpath05]

It might help my riding mower out if I button up the 8x8 shed a little better, open eves might be an open invitation. Up here atleast at my place the grass is at a slow grow, lack of moisture I guess, most of my lawn is around 6" barely enough to feed the black flys, poor things. The good news is it's supposed to rain this Saturday, the bad news is it's suposed to rain this Saturday, right in prime mowing hours, I knew I should of got a riding lawnmower with a cab and windshield wipers.

Several mouse solutions here, the mouse attacks my mower, the cat attacks the mouse, the owl attacks the cat and the other night the owls attack my sleep, woke me right up. whoing, hooting and making all kinds of noises, after about 20 min I felt like getting up and give a couple warning shots, but they left. 4 years ago had a tame wabbit wandering around then one day saw it dead and froze in middle of January like it was attacked and then a couple years had a garage cat then it was gone and in the past few years I've been noticing or herring more and more owls around

 

[Oldpath05]

I haven't mowed yet this year either. Maybe in 2 weeks it'll be time. Hopefully by then it will have grown tall enough to go to seed before I mow. We have several bare patches and thin patches I'm trying to reseed and get filled in.

We were pretty lucky this winter for rodents in the basement and shop. No mice or other rodents. Got worried last fall, we had several in the basement and the shop before it got cold. We tried some of those electronic "ultrasonic" repellent devices, and haven't seen a sign of them since. I was pretty skeptical about them, but at least for now, they seem to be working. I put bait out for them too, but haven't found any dead ones.

We have several large gofer mounds in our bottom pasture this spring. I've been baiting them pretty hard, and I think one of them is wiped out now.

Sounds like it's on the dry side there to......."ultrasonic" repellent devices,<<<<That sounds inneresting, you know the brand?

 

[Jstpssng]

It might help my riding mower out if I button up the 8x8 shed a little better, open eves might be an open invitation. Up here atleast at my place the grass is at a slow grow, lack of moisture I guess, most of my lawn is around 6" barely enough to feed the black flys, poor things. The good news is it's supposed to rain this Saturday, the bad news is it's suposed to rain this Saturday, right in prime mowing hours, I knew I should of got a riding lawnmower with a cab and windshield wipers.

Several mouse solutions here, the mouse attacks my mower, the cat attacks the mouse, the owl attacks the cat and the other night the owls attack my sleep, woke me right up. whoing, hooting and making all kinds of noises, after about 20 min I felt like getting up and give a couple warning shots, but they left. 4 years ago had a tame wabbit wandering around then one day saw it dead and froze in middle of January like it was attacked and then a couple years had a garage cat then it was gone and in the past few years I've been noticing or herring more and more owls around

We may get a little rain up here tomorrow, just enough to make it worth planting my peas. It figures that it would rain on Saturday; it may be a good day to go fishing.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

Sounds like it's on the dry side there to......."ultrasonic" repellent devices,<<<<That sounds inneresting, you know the brand?

On the back, it says "Electronic Pest Repeller"

I think my wife found them on Amazon.

 

[shaeff]

Sounds like the fly dope I bought to use on the dog today, with geranium oil and a few other natural ingredients... it smells nice, and works about as good as putting ketchup on a hamburger to keep Wimpy away.
He's staying home until I can get some Permethrin spray for him.

Watch yourself using Permethrin, it's very poisonous to cats if you have any. Otherwise, it's great to kill bugs and is generally the primary ingredient in tick-tubes.

 

[Oldpath05]

We may get a little rain up here tomorrow, just enough to make it worth planting my peas. It figures that it would rain on Saturday; it may be a good day to go fishing.

Tomorrow is here and yes did get a few sprinkles, that will add a few inches on the grass/weeds. Fishing, good idea if you not a fair weather fisherman, fresh brook trout sound delicious.