Lawn mower to trim hedges

[Rick Samuel]

My question to my dad was answered:

Hi. Rick, I don't have any facts about the lawn mower story. That story made the rounds when Consumer Product Safety Commission was making all the rules on about every product imaginable, around 73-74. Some so called safety rules were ridiculous or self evident, and the lawn mower story was one used by opponents of the myriad of new rules. The thrust of the story was, "is a rule against using a lawn mower to trim a hedge really needed? ( not that there was such a rule in the works, just an example of ridiculous rules) The story was supposed to be actually true, that a guy used his mower to trim his hedges and lost a couple fingers. We never had any verification of the story, since it wasn't our bailiwick.

[Lew Hodgett]

RE: Subject

Of course my lawnmower trims my hedges.

Now if I could just get him to do it in the afternoon instead of starting at 07:00 on every Thursday morning.

Lew

[Upscale]

There may or not be any actual verification of someone losing a few fingers, but I don't doubt that somewhere, sometime, someone has used a lawn mower to trim hedges. It's just too easy a thing to do (attempt) for someone not to have tried it. When you consider some of the truly idiotic actions listed on the Darwin Awards website, hedge trimming with a lawn mower has to fall into the very probable category.

[J. Clarke]

So ask him how much he'll charge to start after lunch.

[Leon]

Maybe not, most lawn mowers are a bit too heavy to pick up and hold.

[Robatoy]

They also won't run on their side.. in most cases. Oil from the crankcase getting slapped around by the bottom of the piston (unless it's a two-stroke). and fuel starvation would be the most obvious reason for it not to work. Most of those units are designed with gravity in mind.

"Me, I'm just a lawnmower, you can tell me by the way I walk"

[Richard Evans]

Urban legend.

[news]

I saw a "world's strongest redneck" clip on Country Fried Videos where he used a lawnmower to trim hedges. No fingers lost, just a short section of hedge trimmed. (Amazing what you'll watch in the wee hours of the morning when you're in too much pain to sleep ;-) Unless you're strong enough to lift the mower over your head, you probably can't hold it in position to cut much hedge...

This is in the same category as the two-man chainsaw with a V8 engine: proof that it can be done.

This guy also picks up the corner of a car for someone to change a flat tire - no jack needed...

John

[jo4hn]

Electric mower maybe? Light weight, will run on its side, quiet, brave, clean, reverent. j4

[nailshooter41]

Damnit, Lew.... if your gonna post something like that, a little warning woul be good.

I need a rim shot, a cymbal crash, and a "I'll be here 'till the end of the week!" warning.

Robert

[Lee Michaels]

wrote

I immediately thought of that one.

[Lee Michaels]

"Lee Michaels" wrote

[Nova]

Snopes lists it as an unverifiable legend:

[Fred the Red Shirt]

[clare at snyder dot ontario do]

Build a scaffold down each side of the hedge and "run it on rails" Good way to get the top smooth and even?

** Posted from **

[Father Haskell]

Hedges, no, zombies, yes.

[Robatoy]

[Eigenvector]

RC Helicopters look pretty darn dangerous. Like they could easily injure someone fatally with that blade.

[Tim Douglass]

I remember seeing that very thing in a Popular Science or something like that back in the late 60's. Probably one of those "Wordless Workshop" ideas.

-- "We need to make a sacrifice to the gods, find me a young virgin... oh, and bring something to kill"

Tim Douglass