First Cut of the Year

25 Mar 2024 | ~2 minute read

It's that time of year again. Spring has sprung and it's time to break out the mower and cut the grass. Sooo much grass!

The weather has been pretty good the last week or so, and the bog that was our fields during winter, have started to transform into usable earth again. Daffodils are springing out of the ground, as is the wild garlic (which smells lovely).

But along with all this, the grass has started reaching for the sky in earnest. So yesterday, I decided to break out the our poor, overworked mower to cut the grass.

The problem

Unfortunately, the first cut of the year is always challenging as the grass is extra long. This is because the grass starts growing when the field is still too wet to mow. The grass was still quite wet yesterday, but I had to get it done before it got too long for the mower to handle. 🫣

The issue with this is that the longer grass puts extra pressure on the cutting blades, which in turn taxes the various belts that send power from the engine, to the blades.

The belts then get hot and expand. When they expand, they get loose, and when they get loose, they slip off.

This started happening, and with one final strip to cut (as is always the case, it seems) the belt slipped completely, got caught up, and snapped. 🤦‍♂️

What now?

Once again, I've had to buy a replacement belt for the mower. This time round though, I've bought a few belts so I have a stock of them and don't have to wait the next time I lose a belt.

I think this year I might need to upgrade the mower to something more substantial. If any of you have any advice, please use the reply button below.

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