What have you hit with your mower lately?

[cqaigy2]

Long since i hope, found all the logging cable, decide to pick on some buried fencing. Not too bad, some sparks, flipped the switch, raised and braced the mower, got the diagonal cutters out and cut out a wad of fencing. My blades aren't particularly sharp as i want to pulverize the "pongee" sticks instead of making nice sharp ones.

 

[TractorTYMe]

That's like a snowblower hitting yellow spots followed by dog poop.

 

[fatjay]

Nothing, as it's pointless to mow the dust. Need rain, everything's dead.

I hit a rope a few months ago that wrapped around the spindle. Getting that cut free was a real PITA.

 

[riptides]

Nothing, as it's pointless to mow the dust. Need rain, everything's dead.

I hit a rope a few months ago that wrapped around the spindle. Getting that cut free was a real PITA.

Got you beat, ran over a dog run line. Took hours to get it unraveled from the ZTR. Used bolt cutters.

Hit a glass bottle day before yesterday with the push mower. Heard the pop, and could not find any glass bigger than a few shards. The plastic cap was the biggest piece.

Must be a new type of glass compound, either for recycling or landfill as that bottle ain't taking up any space anywhere. In it's new form factor.

 

[friendlywithbears]

Got you beat, ran over a dog run line. Took hours to get it unraveled from the ZTR. Used bolt cutters.

Hit a glass bottle day before yesterday with the push mower. Heard the pop, and could not find any glass bigger than a few shards. The plastic cap was the biggest piece.

Must be a new type of glass compound, either for recycling or landfill as that bottle ain't taking up any space anywhere. In it's new form factor.

Gone back to sand

 

[bearthebruce]

Was mowing our field for the first time a few years back. Brush was 8 foot tall - couldn't really see what was what...

Out in front of the field gate, along the road needed cutting. Well, I didn't know then what I know now! There was a telco box out there. Communications along our road were cut around 11am that day when I went right over the box.

We called the telco and they sent the repair techs out. Instead of being mad, they said, "Thanks buddy. When VUDOT mows our boxes, we have to go find out where they did it! Takes us hours to find the smashed box. You saved us all kinds of time!"

I asked, "What's this going to cost us?" "Nothing. The two of us spend our entire summer fixing these kinds of smash ups."


That was four years ago.. have never repeated that one!

 

[JasperFrank]

Now and then I'll hit an old horse shoe. Which is odd, since there wouldn't have been any reason for a horse on my property. The abandoned logging cables are a huge pain. These are left over from the old growth clear cut that happened in the '30's so most of the cables are about a foot under ground with little loops that are exposed. Took years to find and remove most of them, on areas I mow. There are still a few I need to remove in the off trail wooded areas that trip me up now and then.

 

[fatjay]

I'm guessing hte dog run line is metal. That sounds like a pita to get off.

 

[SmallChange]

This was years ago with a little Honda push mower, but it's my most recent one.

I hit one of those stiff wire gardening stakes, about 1/8" solid steel, with a 2" horizontal circle at the top, all painted dark green. My sunshine and delight Ms. SmallChange left it in the grass, which barely hid it. It passed most of the way through the heavy rubber laminated textile guard that's supposed to keep me safe from flying debris, and stopped in between my feet.

I don't know what she has against me, unless it's just one of those insurance things....

 

[Thomas]

4 point antler no damage but lot of noise.

 

[Jstpssng]

That's like a snowblower hitting yellow spots followed by dog poop.

When it's frozen though, what a great way to send the dog poop out into the woods.

I learned to run a single bottom plow on my field and went too deep, so that my disc harrow wouldn't smooth it over. It wintered over and then the grass grew back so every summer I knock it down until I get a box blade.
My soil can best be described as "small stones with a little dirt mixed in". After 4 years of mowing that my blades are about shot, this winter I'm taking it apart, needle scaling and painting the underside, and replacing the blades and stump jumper.

 

[BravoXray]

I was able to run down one of the damned gophers that dig holes in my yard with my BX Saturday. If the neighbors were watching, they must have thought I was going crazy they way I had to dive to catch the little bugger.
Before I was done mowing, a Red Tailed hawk spied the carcass and grabbed it.

 

[Alan W.]

Outfit I contracted for wanted to know if I could mow their undeveloped lots.
They hadnt been mowed for a long time. Most had brush and weeds over my head.
First casualty was a telephone pedestal. Shrapnel and little bitty pieces of wire everywhere.
Rocks, boards, concrete chunks.
A few cast iron water cutoff stands.
A groundhog.
A manhole cover.

 

[friendlywithbears]

You guys are really making me feel better about my mowing experiences. What's a few basketball size rocks and logging cable compared to telephone boxes and manhole covers

 

[jyoutz]

Rotary cut around 6 acres today. The only unwelcome surprises in the grass was old stumps. Many were rotted enough that the rotary cutter knocked them out of the ground. I threw them in the loader bucket to dump in the burn pile.

 

[Slowpoke Slim]

I found part of a 1/2' steel cable on Sunday. Mowing a field I hadn't done before. It was just laying out in the tall grass.

I got it shut down before the cable fully wrapped tight against the spindle, but it was still a bear to get out. Took me half an hour.

Of course I got the "I didn't know that was out there." From the property owner.

 

[riptides]

Back to my push mower days, I had been mowing an area for a while when one day I hit an iron pipe.

Bent the mower shaft, yep, mower to the dump. The pipe....have no idea why it suddenly decided to break through the ground. It was over six feet long. I think it was used for water. I found a few of its friends along various fence lines we reclaimed over the years, and by some old well pumps stacked by an outbuilding.

Even in areas you think are safe, stuff happens.

 

[RandyT]

Back to my push mower days, I had been mowing an area for a while when one day I hit an iron pipe.

Bent the mower shaft, yep, mower to the dump. The pipe....have no idea why it suddenly decided to break through the ground. It was over six feet long. I think it was used for water. I found a few of its friends along various fence lines we reclaimed over the years, and by some old well pumps stacked by an outbuilding.

Even in areas you think are safe, stuff happens.

A few months back I was walking through a section of yard and stubbed my foot on what I thought was a root from a tree that we had removed 10 years ago and had the stump ground out. With closer inspection found it was a piece of metal sticking out of the ground that was high enough to puncture a vehicle tire, or maybe even a tractor tire in some cases. That piece ended up being the bottom 18 inches of a T post. Post was put their before my time and I am over 50.

 

[thepumpguysc]

I use my rider to move boats and trailers around the property..
I had taken the 2” ball off to hook up the lawn sweeper..
When I put the ball back on, I didn’t tighten the nut and washer, just finger tightened, I’ll get it later..
2weeks later I was mowing and BAM... I hit “something” that took off like a rocket thru the air.!!
For the life of me, I couldn’t think of what it might be.??
I ended up hitting “that thing” about 3-4 more times as I was making my way around the property..
I never did see what it was..
until I went to hook up a boat trailer..
It was a dam good thing it didn’t hit any windshields or the Mrs.!!!

 

[crashz]

A rock, and good my coffee cup after it was knocked out of my cupholder. A set of new blades right before. Ugh.