In retrospect, I should have seen this coming, but I didn't.
Each fall, I use the Toro to mulch the pine needles and leaves. Today was especially dry after wind had deposited an abundance of detritus. I filled both bags off the driveway, emptied them, filled two more on the west lawn, emptied them began the east lawn. By the time I was finishing that, I knew the bags were getting full, but I had always been able to get it all in there.
On the rough stretch to the mulch pile, the bags were so full, the cover fell off. That has never happened in five years of using this mower. The heaped pile of dry mulched leaves and pine needles fell over the back of the bags, dropped down on top of the muffler and immediately caught fire. Because the fire was in the confined space between the engine and the bag bracket, there was no way to get to it with hand or foot.
Getting the water hose down there seemed to take forever because I had realized the fire was burning right under the gas tank. Got there just in time, as the fire had begun to wrinkle the exterior of the gas tank. Another few seconds and it would have been a catastrophe.
Lesson learned; don't overfill the bags with dry stuff!
jack vines; old enough to know better, but hopefully never too old to learn from experience.
Each fall, I use the Toro to mulch the pine needles and leaves. Today was especially dry after wind had deposited an abundance of detritus. I filled both bags off the driveway, emptied them, filled two more on the west lawn, emptied them began the east lawn. By the time I was finishing that, I knew the bags were getting full, but I had always been able to get it all in there.
On the rough stretch to the mulch pile, the bags were so full, the cover fell off. That has never happened in five years of using this mower. The heaped pile of dry mulched leaves and pine needles fell over the back of the bags, dropped down on top of the muffler and immediately caught fire. Because the fire was in the confined space between the engine and the bag bracket, there was no way to get to it with hand or foot.
Getting the water hose down there seemed to take forever because I had realized the fire was burning right under the gas tank. Got there just in time, as the fire had begun to wrinkle the exterior of the gas tank. Another few seconds and it would have been a catastrophe.
Lesson learned; don't overfill the bags with dry stuff!
jack vines; old enough to know better, but hopefully never too old to learn from experience.
