Mower Maintenance

We have had the lawn somewhat growing out of control in places, weeds around, and dead in others. I started on the sprinklers yesterday, but the mowers have needed help. I hooked up the bush hog and went for a loop in the yard, cutting nothing.

I looked at the lawn tractor the other day and it's missing a blade (it bent last year) and when Tia tried to start our electric motor, the battery was dead. It's 8 years old and that's expected. She checked for a new battery, but it was $120 or more for one. We looked at new ones, and were trying to decide what to do.

We have a lawn tractor as well, a 42" Sears one that we have used a lot in the last 6 years. However it bent a blade somehow last year, the deck got bent as well, and I spent some time fixing it. Apparently I never go the blade replaced since it was sitting next to the mower when we looked at that. If that were working (and it needs to be), we'd likely use that more, so I went out, got the model number, and ordered 2 blades and hardware from Sears. I'm sure I'll need another one (this is the 3rd blade I've replaced), so I figured I should just get an extra. I paid for expedited shipping, so I'll now have a new project on Wed night.

I also posted a few notes about our rotary cutter (bush hog) on the tractor online and got a few hints for checking it out. People recommended an angle grinder to touch up the blades, and a few things to check, so I think I'll do some of that tonight.