Rick's b.log - 2021/01/26
It is the 2nd of May 2024 You are 3.15.174.76, pleased to meet you!

Marte out of action

Since it is supposed to be warmer and wetter for the rest of the week, well, I know what that means.

I took Marte out, with the bright LED light, and did most of the grass. Just as I was about to finish, a massive shower of sparks (that, actually, looked pretty impressive at night).
And now no more mower.

You may have noticed in previous pictures that there was a twisted metal "thingy" holding one of the blade arrangements in place. Well, that went. And in my diagnostics afterwards, I'd swear on a bible that it looks for all the world like something concocted from an old metal coat hanger.

The broken bit.

Unfortunately, that going also broke one of the other bolts. The bolt itself is fine, but where it fits into the mower housing has rusted away.
So now, there's only one bolt holding the blade in place.

I have tried WD40 and a 13mm wrench, but I don't think it's going to budge. I assume the weird DIY job with the twisted wire was because the previous owner wasn't able to undo the bolts either.

So I think I'm going to have to drill some holes through the deck (sort of as indicated in the picture below) to try to secure the blade mounting to the deck using shortish bolts and big washers. It won't be as sturdy as it ought to be (it's not the most solid part of the mounting, but it ought to be a little bit better than hacking something together with a coat hanger.

How to fix it?

I've never drilled into metal before, especially since I'll be doing it freehand. Do you have any tips? Please let me know in the comments.

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