Originally recorded April 19, 2024.

It was time once again to get the lawn equipment out and get it running for the season so I could mow the lawn for the first time.

The weedwacker had similar trouble starting last year for the first time, then it was perfectly happy to start and run for the rest of the season. This year it took several more pulls than normal for it to start. I reread the book and it actually states to press the primer button MORE THAN 10 times. Excessive I think but that's exactly what it says. So going forward I'll go for maybe 12 presses, and perhaps that will help. Another thing that will greatly help is fresh fuel; the fuel in the tank was from last year, and I cannot even remember how old it was then. I only mix up a gallon of 2cycle as needed, and that's really the only tool I have that uses it. Yes, I have the 2cycle generator as well as the 2cycle hedge trimmer, but those items are used once a season, if even that much.

The ghettofabulous mower? Well, I think "train wreck" best describes it. I went and did absolutely everything to prepare it for its first run, including topping off the oil, filling with (relatively) fresh fuel, and priming until there was definitely gas in the intake. But the mower had other plansfor the third time (that I can remember) the engine was locked up after all that. So using my patented method™ of using the blade for leverage, I got the engine to spin free. Reprimed, everything all set, should 100% a go, if only I had remembered to plug the spark plug wire back in! Even after that, it would start but stall a moment later. I know the Chinese carb on it is junk, as they all are, but it was new at the very end of the season last year, and had almost no run time on it. It's got to do better than that. Fortunately, on the third try, it did finally run. Because the governor spring is misshapen, it runs rough and "surges" or "hunts" around for proper idle speed, until the engine has warmed up some. As soon as I got it mostly running, it was high time to mow immediately while I had the chance and the mower was finally willing.

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