Trigger's Ride-on Mower

 Sadly, Trigger's Ride-on Mower may have met its end.

My fault entirely. When I had it on its side last year, while performing a bit of welding, oil had run out of the sump and I neglected to check it at the start of this year's mowing season. Consequently it was running dry, which has scored the cylinder and resulted in a loss of compression. This makes it almost impossible to start on a full battery load, or even with the addition of a jump pack.

The only way to start it now is to jump it from a running car. However, if I refill the oil sump and add some Wynne's oil treatment, it may just gunk up the cylinder sufficiently to get one more season from it before it's sold as spares or repairs.

I could rebuild the engine, but mower engines are fiddly bloody things. Replacement engines are almost impossible to find and, even if you can find one, they cost an arm and a leg.

I have, however, bought a large Flymo as a reserve.

Hay's upset it doesn't have a grass box, but I explained to her that, given it's the largest petrol Flymo you can buy, the addition of any extra weight would not enable it to hover. Additionally, given we have clay soil, it benefits from leaving the clippings on the grass.

Should have got one of these years ago as an adjunct to the ride-on, purely for the banked areas, which are expanding year on year.

I mowed the lawn with it on Friday and it took about 3 times the length of time it does on the ride-on, but I could reach the bits behind the pond, which are starting to look decidedly unkempt.