Both my weed whacker and mower decided to die on the same day. I “donated” both to local lawnmower shop rather than haul to the dump. I would have liked to have purchased from them but they only sell mowers for commercial use, the big zero turn mowers.
I considered electric but they didn’t really suit my needs. I did go with an electric whacker.
For the person that implied I should have gone back home to get my trailer, a question. Have you ever pulled an unloaded utility trailer on an interstate? I have, once, unloaded trailer is bouncing all over the place.
I guess you did not know that you should reduce the tire pressure in the tires of an unloaded trailer… Our car hauler manufacturer recommended 60-80 PSI in the tires when hauling loaded, when hauling unloaded the recommended tire pressure was 35-45 PSI to prevent the unsafe bouncing you probably experienced.
So, if you are hauling an empty trailer to go pickup a vehicle, it’s incumbent on you to figure how to reinflate the tires up when you arrive for the pickup… I carried an electric air pump… or you can stop as a filling station that has an air pump, or you can skip the safe, no-bounce ride, and complain about it…
If you can. Many times I’ll be able to reduce tire pressure, but there’s not place around for me to add pressure. And those little 12v pumps take forever.
Even if you have to air-up the tires to hauling pressures at a location 30 minutes out from your pick up point/customer, that’s perfectly ok.
As for the 12v pumps taking forever: Patience is a virtue. (Wish I had heeded that ancient expression decades ago, in non-automotive aspects of my formative years..)
I understand time is money, but this is of your own doing, you either make do ( buy a better air pump, carry a portable air tank, or even a filled portable compressor, etc… ), or you do without ( find a radio station whose beat compliments the bounce of the trailer…).
Sears delivered our current lawn tractor with a flat tire and rook 2wks for someone to fix it. Later we eventually got the warranty extended for a repair but not before getting the what have you bought lately? Like being loyal customers who built a house almost on the sears card meant nothing. Started getting parts from tractor supply before Sears even closed. Dad could have put 10k on the Sears catd if he wished.
The 4x8 utility trailer he has is the grandpa of what harbor freight sells but the few times 9n the freeway it doesn’t behave differently empty but loaded for us is more yard waste or recycling. Have put 1,000lb of gravel in without a problem. Total was exactly what his Crv is rated to tow.
The atv came home from the dealer 3mi away on it and the field mower from the lot where the truck unloaded it since they refused to come down the narrow road. Kids at the grade school cheered dad as he drove the atv with the trailer hitched up home 3/4mi. Hitch was so he could pull the trailer around the property then hook up the crv for the dump run.
I have a pretty robust landscaping trailer with a ramp. I use it to transport my ATV for various tasks. When I arrive, I unload the ATV, disconnect the trailer from the vehicle and put it on the ATV. Then I can haul the trailer just about anywhere a car/truck could never go. One example, I used to maintain the school outdoor ice rink. I would load the trailer with the rink parts and drive down a very long, steep embankment to the field where we would set it up. For those that do not know, the liner is unbelievably heavy for a 90x40 rink. The ATV has descent control so managing the trailer and weight is easy with that feature. But people always found it entertaining to see the trailer and ATV switch roles.
Growing up in MPLS, the city flooded the city park’s football/softball fields. Walking to school we would see a pre-war cutdown (see car related) running a counter rotating brush on the front dressing the ice. No Zambonies for us! I don’t know about the rink at the University though my dad got our skates sharpened there.
Back to my mower, yeah I use it to move the utility trailer and the boat trailer around.
A groomer I made from a modified push lawnmower. I chopped off one wheel in front and cut away the deck to expose my modified blade. I made a slide to support the remaining front end. The chipper blade I made from special alloy of steel and had it sharpened by the guys in the machine shop. I have some war wounds building it, the blade was like a razor but thick, I think 3/8". I chose a used Honda mower for sale on FMP that had a forged crank. Still pretty scary during the trial runs, thinking if the blade departs the mower. Got some funny looks from people thinking I was insane mowing ice. It removed all the parts sticking up from the filling and kids walking on it before it was ready.
I made a propane fired smoother. Totally custom enclosure and torch heads. 6 heads inside the enclosure with draft control mechanisms to partially melt the ice as your drag it around. We had difficult access to water so this was the solution.
Took 11 loads of pond water from the fire dept to fill it…
I have had no trouble with mine either loaded or empty. Might want to check the tires for out of round or balance. Maybe the springs are an issue. I put heavier springs on mine right off the bat. Or the balance. Should be heavier on the tongue.
Seems you have the ice rink surfacing mastered. Ours rink were filled by the fire dept from the hydrants. Lived in Wisconsin in the late 50s, farming community , town population was 800, rink was at my elementary school, it too was filled by the fire dept. As far as I can remember the park rinks were only brushed. One section was setup for High School hockey. That was off limits to everybody else, though we would go in occasionally. By the end of the season the surface was very rough.
Perhaps the other contributors that still live in Minnesota could chime in if this is still the case. Google Earth shows massive changes to the park I used sixty years ago.
Here in Southern NH, we don’t have any natural (i.e. no cooling system) outside ice rinks anymore. We used to have hockey games on some of the ponds around here, but it doesn’t get cold enough or long enough anymore. The closest lake near me froze over for the first time in over a decade last year. But it only lasted a week. They use to have Ice Fishing events on the lake.
Our pop up rink is on land that’s a skate park in the spring and summer. Starts putting it up in October. Aimed at families they give passes to local relief agencies. $20 for adult entry including skates. Easier than going to the indoor rink 30mi away.
We had a couple bad years here in 2023 and 2024. We started the school rink in 2020/2021 for kids to use at school during Covid times. The first two years were perfect, lots of use. 2023 they only were able to get on it a couple times. So we didn’t put it up in 2024 because it was projected to be even warmer. But this year has been great again. Lots of use already.
The town also has a rink, exact same NiceRink setup. Although they have a well to service it. The FD fills both and they use it as a training exercise. Even surrounding town FD participate.
For quite a few years, I had a nice pond on my property to use for ice skating. The droughts put an end to that. But fortunate we could do that when the kids were young and could enjoy it.
Ice fishing has essentially ceased to exist in southern NH. You have to go north to Maine to find any safe ice. When I lived in WI, I used to drive my 3/4 ton truck with a full size plow on the ice. We had to extend the auger one year the ice was so thick. From what I hear, that has changed dramatically there as well.
Car related, just finished day two of extracting everything from their icy snow tombs. I hate having to scrape ice/snow off painted surfaces but an inch of it will be dangerous driving when it comes loose. I wish more people considered this hazard. It’s a law around here but many people are too selfish, lazy or apathetic to do it.
Around here they had a single axle water tank truck that sprayed the water on the rink. Might have been the same one used to spray the streets. Seemed to work fine. There were about ten rinks around town. Now there is also an indoor hockey rink at the private prep school. Of course the city is building a year round rink so we’ll see how that goes.
One year I tried a back yard rink but no way I could get enough water on it without a grass killing plastic base. So I gave up.
The car was parked for a week in an off site airport lot. Yeah it snowed plus sleet. Windows wouldn’t open, inch of ice on the windshield, and snow on th3 roof sealed in ice. I could scrape enough to be able to see to drive for th3 30 miles home. Then at two in the morning took it through th3 car was to get most but not all of it off. Yeah 6 o’clock flight delayed to 10 so got late. I make no excuse for driving 60 in a 70 not able to tell if the road was still slippery. Sue me if you want.
