So, a long overdue update, as I am off work for a week
Here she is, mostly back together.
With the blades back in place, and a lot of fettling of the governor, it was running quite well.
My initial test went a little better than expected...
I wanted a new garage rug anyway... Note to self - Full throttle with the blades engaged WILL suck up anything it can grab!!
I actually watched the carpet rise slowly, and sort of knew it was going to happen, but somehow my anarchist fingers just went for it. Ignoring my better judgement they applied full throttle without my permission, and gave the mower its first (and likely transformative) rug munching experience.
So, here was a portion of the first mowing experience (I actually forgot to turn on the blades in this pass, so you get to watch me gently caressing the grass rather than actually cutting it..
You can really hear my Wife's enthusiasm for her new mower.
Now, there was just the small matter of getting a grass bag.... WTH?? Looking to find them online, I could buy the bag ONLY for about £75-100 for something close to the original, £60ish for something very much more like a cheap knock-off. Then they always never come with the metal frame, which adds another £100 or so. Essentially this is another £200 of unexpected expenditure. This will not do as it would have made my cheap mower a lot less cheap.
So after a week or so of searching, I found a bag about 50 minutes away that LOOKED like it would fit.. A couple of awkward facebook marketplace exchanges where I tried to get the guy to actually measure the bits I needed to ensure it would fit, as it was actually from an HRB536C, and not an HRH536. For some reason, none of the part numbers suggested there would be any inter-operability of the parts from the two mowers. Long story short, I bought it for £30, and we were motoring home to see if it would fit. Nothing like a couple of hours drive on a Holiday Monday afternoon to buy old mower parts
ANNNND....
It only bloomin fits
Now, the sharp eyed among you will notice that I managed to break the bleeding starter cable that I made with a particularly aggressive heave of the starter to show my enthusiasm for the new bag being fitted.. I had to whip it off, and start it with the drill again, but all seemed well.
One little niggle was the front left wheel (as you stand behind the mower) was wobbly. But the addition of a little washer to the mounting system seemed to remove all the play, and made it nice and stable again!
I even added a little HRC sticker for effect...
There was just one small problem though...
When I said I bought the bag for £30, I was sort of not being 100% truthful. You see, that was the original intention. BUT the owner could see the way I was eyeing up his old broken HRB536C, and cunningly said the words I now know I am not capable of ignoring...
"Would you like the lot for £80?" Initially I fought back my urges, and went back with an offer of £60, expecting this to be rubbished, but we then agreed on £70, and I left the guy's house with a bag, and the broken lawnmower.
I mean, 2 is better than 1?
Upon inspection of this mower, which runs, and drives perfectly, it just has a broken bit of friction material on the blade brake that likely makes stopping the blades a little hairy, which I am pretty sure is an easy fix. The Plan now is to fix it up, and sell it on.
HOWEVER, this presented me with another issue... If I sell this mower, the person is likely going to want a bag to go with it. This time though, I do have a bag that works on both mowers, so armed with a load of pictures, measurements, and now intimate knowledge of the Honda mower bag portfolio, I found a chap selling the full bag with frame, that will fit my original HRH536, and looks a lot more premium too. At the bargain price of £60 delivered.
Hopefully by the end of this week I will have two fully working Honda mowers. Perhaps the Wife and I can do some synchronised mowing?
