The grass in the backyard got way too long after all the rain last week, and when I finally went out to cut it, the lawnmower kept sputtering and dying every five minutes. I knew exactly what the issue was before I even looked. The wet grass had turned into a thick, solid layer of green gunk packed tightly underneath the mower deck, completely blocking the blade from spinning.
Getting that nasty stuff out is easily my least favorite chore. I had to tip the heavy mower onto its side on the driveway and use an old knife to scrape the packed grass out manually. The stuff smells like rotting compost and it comes off in these giant, heavy clumps. Every time I pried a big piece loose, a shower of wet green mulch dropped straight into my face and stuck to the sweat on my arms.
The real pain was trying to get the blade off to clean the spindle area properly. The main bolt was completely seized up from rust and dried grass juice, and my socket wrench kept slipping off the nut. I had to brace the sharp blade with a block of scrap wood so it wouldn’t spin while I practically threw my entire body weight onto the wrench just to break the seal. My hand slipped on the last turn and I took a nasty scrape right across the palm.
I got the deck mostly cleared out and the blade spins freely now, but the driveway is a total disaster zone. There are giant green stains all over the concrete and the whole front yard smells like a garbage dump. I have to go find the garden hose and power wash the floor before the sun dries the grass chunks into solid brick, which is exactly how I wanted to spend my afternoon.