OutdoorKing Repair Forum Forums Finding and Swapping For Sale THIS is why we have a bad name

Came across this today.

THIS is why people who refurbish mowers for sale properly get a bad name.

https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/holden-hill/lawn-mowers/custom-slashers-cheap-mowers/1150666067

Think he wants $200 for it too!

I hope he's got public liability insurance

He probably rationalises that the user is well away from that opening but what about kids and animals that unexpectedly appear, especially when you are starting it?

You should never defeat a safety feature like this.

Why anybody would consider a baby Briggs to use as a slasher just boggles my mind

I usually just let people like this go but this one was just too stupid so I sent him this message via gumtree:

"Hi Paul,
I'm just checking; that "Custom slasher" you are selling is a joke right?
If not it's INCREDIBLY dangerous and I really hope you scrap the base.
I am a fellow lawn mower refurbisher and reseller however I am very concerned with the safety of the machines I sell. Removing the front section of the mower can easily send projectiles towards someone at an incredible speed. The exposed blades are again an extremely dangerous issue. The lip on a mower is designed to stop a blade should the bolt sheer. Imagine a blade flying out of the front of that "machine" at 100 miles an hour towards a child.
Unfortunately people like us have a very bad reputation because far too many people take short cuts like this "Slasher" and miss match parts to make a quick dollar. Obviously whatever you do is your business but please think of the safety of others. Most people don't think of the safety of a machine they buy 2nd hand but whether you are a business or a private seller you can be held legally liable for damages caused by a machine you sold. This can also include criminal charges.
Again I ask you to please remove the slasher from sale even if it is a joke as you may give someone unsafe ideas.
Pete"

He responded with: (I censored his language).

F#@k off idiot.. make Australia great again..

Then clarified:

"&&& just to explain. Only a fool opperates dangerous machines around children .. is sumthing majoraty must know.."


Guess he doesn't have public liability insurance. Also since he is so sure it's safe he must be an engineer so I guess I'm worried about nothing At least at $200 it'll never sell anyway.

Pete

I've reported the add and conversation (for further information about the "Slasher" to gumtree. Hopefully they will remove the add but God knows what other dodgy stuff this guy is trying to sell!

Grub-tree has them all. Boofhead has made it ten times more dangerous and what if he doesn't see a child or pet that is around when using it. Not surprised to read that response unfortunately.

Yep. Also what about the kids next door - a flying blade could puncture a fence easily, the kids inside by the window - VERY easily break the glass, the exposed root in front of him cobined with exposed blades throwing it back into his face.

The list is endless. The sheer stupidity and arrogance of some people never ceases to amaze me. I really hope no-one is stupid enough to buy it.

It's bad enough when they use incorrect blades, incorrect shaft lengths incorrect spaces or incorrect bolts but this is next level stupid!

I just really hope no-one is ever hurt by this idiot.

Pete

Good on you for trying to get through to him. You can't save the world.

Good God! Dangerous and ridiculous are understatements. Whoever made this mower must have been thinking of chasing down snakes. lol!

I have to admit I have mismatched parts from different mowers if the original parts are no longer available, but I always put safety first. Whoever made up this mower clearly has no idea.

You could try letting your equivalent of WorkSafe know about it. In Vic you can dob
someone in anonymously.

No one is going to pay $200 for a bastardised piece of garbage like that anyway.

Cheers,
BB.

I just pray he doesn't discount it. Someone out there will buy it at the right price. Hopefully for parts.

Especially someone who is sick of trying to cut long grass. They need a 2 stroke Victa or a Deutscher self propelled mower.

Maybe if enough people report if to Gumtree as dangerous, they may take the ad down.

I guess this "cane toad decapitator" might actually be quite sound safety-wise if someone could weld or bolt the front section back on it and put a rear catcher on the back. But the thing is, the seller is basically advertising an altered mower as a "slasher" - a function that it was never designed to do - and with no regard for the fact that somebody might get hurt as a consequence of that (mis)use. The seller could have at least had the sense to remove the engine from the base and sell them separately as "spare parts". In all likelihood he could potentially make more money selling that way too. As is, it is a bit like putting mower blades on the end of a whipper snipper and selling it as a new kind of "shredder/mulcher".

I've written to him nicely as well and described the safety aspect of what he's selling and I basically got the same sort of response as Pete got but not quite as nasty though. He tells me he's a very busy man ! and believe me I can probably believe him as it takes lots of brains to use a 4 inch angle grinder in that way.

Cheers,
BB.

I just had another look at it and I want to know how the right front wheel is adjusted or are they just locked in a fixed position

I'd say it's fixed for sure as there is usually a rod connecting the front and rear axle on the left side and it is absent here.
However, in this case height adjustment is the least of anyone's worries!!

He's a very busy man. Too busy to be bothered about such minor trivialities as safety it seems.

Yeah aspiring entrepreneur is busy concocting more dangerous monstrosities to flog off for big bucks on money tree.