Tricks that old racers get up to after retirement

[FUJIMO]

[jackiewilson]

Just occasionally as you travel life’s highway, you have the odd “MAD FIT OF DEPRESSION”!!!!!
So Tuesday i visit my oldest friend EDDIE JEGLA !!!!!!!!!!!!
Eddie is a Pollack —97 years old next month— nearly blind —lives alone in a socking great big house set in 10 acres of sussex countryside.
He has a big old Honda ride on mower that he does his two acre front lawn with. Wouldn’t start and would i take a look at it?
Had to be spark or gas —- spark was fine so it had to be fuel—- disconnected the fuel line and cranked it over . There was an air lock, cranked it over again and VIOLA -we have lift off.
Told him i would test it and cut the grass—- all was well for the first half hour until the long grass finally clogged the cutter deck.
Knew exactly what to do— just tilt the whole shebang on its side and clear the deck WRONG!!!!!!! !Minute i tried to do it i -had this enormous pain in the chest and threw up . Breathless and hurting —-sick as a dog—- felt like sh-t !!!!!!!
Daughter kim was with me — she called the ambulance —- arrived with four paramedics —- insisted i go to A+E this was 2-30 in the afternoon ———. By midnight i managed to see a doctor who said i could go home. In the meantime — They did take an armful of bloods —-scans and ultra sounds ——blood pressure five times and all that jazz.
Lesson of this tale —“AT 91 -DO NOT ATTEMPT TO LIFT HONDA RIDE ON MOWERS ON TO THEIR SIDES “
In my defence i have to tell you i have been doing it all my life , it was simply something i have always done ——just did not even think i could no longer do it !!!!!!!!!!!

[WaterZebra]

JW -
BTW, Honda announced it will no longer manufacture gas powered mowers after 2024..............

[Bob V]

JW -
BTW, Honda announced it will no longer manufacture gas powered mowers after 2024..............

My Honda just celebrated it's 38th Birthday...Born in 1985. Best investment I ever made.

[WaterZebra]

My Honda just celebrated it's 38th Birthday...Born in 1985. Best investment I ever made.

Wow! Water cooled mower? No wonder it has lasted 38 years! My POS John Deere LA125 is on its second tranny, engine and body pan in 15 years. I will never buy a John Deere product again!

[Rotary John]

My Honda just celebrated it's 38th Birthday...Born in 1985. Best investment I ever made.

From the looks of it, it spent 38 yrs. sitting in the garage.

[Bob V]

Wow! Water cooled mower? No wonder it has lasted 38 years! My POS John Deere LA125 is on its second tranny, engine and body pan in 15 years. I will never buy a John Deere product again!

Yes, these were way ahead of their time. They have an automotive style clutch for the cutting deck and the transmission, a water cooled twin cylinder 389 cc engine and a solid drive shaft - no drive belt. I had read about these and waited until they became available in the US. I bought one the first one available in the southeast. My neighbors thought that I had lost my mind. They were $2250.00 back in 1985 when you could buy a yard tractor from a big box store for about $800.00. As time went on, I watched my neighbors replace their tractors over and over, and over again, while mine kept running like new. Over the years I have replaced about 10 batteries, 8 sets of blades, 1 gas filter, 38 oil filters, 4 front tires, and several air filters. Everything else is original. I can say that after 38 years, it has more than paid for itself. The scary thing is that it will probably still be running great long after I am gone.....

[Bob V]

From the looks of it, it spent 38 yrs. sitting in the garage.

Well....not quite John. It does get put to work one day a week. Sometimes two time a week if I recently fertilized and we have a lot of rain. I have about an acre and being in Florida, I have to cut about 45 weeks out of the year. But, you are right in that the other five or six day of the week it sleeps in the garage. The trick is that I always clean it well before putting it to sleep...

[jackiewilson]

With a bit of luck i should be able to put the finishing touch to the MARK11 Version of the GG/BD record boat tomorrow.

[Amberjack1234]

Come on Jackie you’re not 21 you’re 91. Please take care of yourself next time. Get a mechanic over there to look at the engine even if you have to hire a waji. I could see the headline now famous X boat racer pisses off in the weeds no smoking grass.

[jackiewilson]

What with unforced errors like winding up in hospital and feeling sh-tty in general i HAVENT done a great deal in the shop—or sent many pictures .
All that is about to change, Made big inroads into the three concepts that i am currently making.

The Gordon Murray Automotive !!!!!—
The Keith Duckworth !!!!!!
The 2030 Goodwood Festival Of Speed !!!!!!
All are well outside the usual think box —-far away from my usual run of the mill stuff.
Chancing My arm [and leg and what little reputation i still have left] doing concepts as way out as these . Sent you a half way stage picture !!!!!!!!
Pick the bits out of that Fuji!!!!!!!
That’s in between finishing the Mark Two Garbrecht/Davie/ Record Boat and the Wooden offshore rig for Miles Jennings .

[jackiewilson]

Medieval French wood man’s axe—-often used by Knights on horseback along with a spiked mace during skirmishes with the English.

[FUJIMO]

...unique concept right there......

[jackiewilson]

Come on Jackie you’re not 21 you’re 91. Please take care of yourself next time. Get a mechanic over there to look at the engine even if you have to hire a waji. I could see the headline now famous X boat racer pisses off in the weeds no smoking grass.

Was just a natural reaction Charlie. Been cutting grass with ride ons for over fifty years . If you cant clear the grass from the rear chute —- turn the bugger on its side and clear the blades —-no sweat !!!
Except when you reach 91 , maybe let somebody else throw the mower on its side is a better option .

[Amberjack1234]

Didn’t know you had Apache war party’s over there in the old country Jackie. God for bid you come across the spear that they were using. That’s a beautiful piece.