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I remember when I was a little kid I was in the back yard with my mother while my father was mowing on the other side of the yard. He kicked up a rock that sailed across the yard and caught me on my knee. It's gone now but I carried a mark on my leg for years. So I never allowed my kids to be outside where I could see them when I was mowing.

Anyway, I saw an episode of Mythbusters this morning where they tested how dangerous it was for a rock to be propelled by a lawn mower blade. Bottom line, they were able to demonstrate that a rock launched by a lawn mower can hit an object with the same energy as a bullet from a .357 revolver.

I think I would be more concerned about damage from a .357 than a rock, but I know from experience that the rock can be pretty dangerous.

My sister lost 4 of her toes, and almost her life, in a lawnmower accident.

The lawnmower usually wins.

got a lawnmowing job as a kid as the result of a lawn mowing accident. Our pastor ran over his foot, losing the toes on that foot. Somehow the subject of "Christian obligation" came up; and I got to mow his lawn. For free.

I hit an old plow point hidden in some weeds with a shredder and it went through one side of the old sheet iron tractor shed.

Bob Of Burleson wrote:I've been lucky not to have been hurt while using lawn mowers and other homeowner tools.

Thinking back, there are many time when I could have been injured or even killed in repair misadventures — like the time a side spring on a garage door I was working on broke, sending an "S" hook past my ear and through the ceiling into the attic.

Oh my goodness! I've heard those springs can be deadly. It's why I've never wanted Bob to do anything with garage doors other than lub them. You were certainly lucky - or blessed.

Steve has always fixed the spring in the garage door. The last time was about 2 years ago. He had to sign a waiver to buy the new spring. No mishaps though.

ann jusko wrote:Steve has always fixed the spring in the garage door. The last time was about 2 years ago. He had to sign a waiver to buy the new spring. No mishaps though.

That is way scary Ann. It really doesn't cost too much to pay someone to do it either. My husband has always preferred to do things himself but he never even considered replacing or fixing a garage door spring.

always makes me nervous when I see people mowing in flip flops...

The garage doors with torsion type springs scare the crap out of me, the others are not so bad if you add a restraining cable or something similar.

crocmommy wrote:

ann jusko wrote:Steve has always fixed the spring in the garage door. The last time was about 2 years ago. He had to sign a waiver to buy the new spring. No mishaps though.

That is way scary Ann. It really doesn't cost too much to pay someone to do it either. My husband has always preferred to do things himself but he never even considered replacing or fixing a garage door spring.

always makes me nervous when I see people mowing in flip flops...

We had a next door neighbor who mowed in a bikini. Barefoot...

Kind of sad when they moved out...

Was that in Munday ?

Red Oak wrote:The garage doors with torsion type springs scare the crap out of me, the others are not so bad if you add a restraining cable or something similar.

I guess I don't see that any of them are worth risking your life for unless you are very poor and your car is stuck in the garage. When my car was stuck in the garage, we still had one of those heavy wood garage doors when the spring broke. My husband was at work. It took two or three men to lift it up so I could get my car out. Then we called someone to replace the spring.

If you use a proper retention cable or something similar, the horizontal spring kind are not that bad, I have installed them and repaired them with simple hand tools; the torsion type require special tools and expertise; and I know my limitations and I ain't messing with one of those.

bodine wrote:

crocmommy wrote:

ann jusko wrote:Steve has always fixed the spring in the garage door. The last time was about 2 years ago. He had to sign a waiver to buy the new spring. No mishaps though.

That is way scary Ann. It really doesn't cost too much to pay someone to do it either. My husband has always preferred to do things himself but he never even considered replacing or fixing a garage door spring.

always makes me nervous when I see people mowing in flip flops...

We had a next door neighbor who mowed in a bikini. Barefoot...

Kind of sad when they moved out...

no, College Station. Recently...

I was going to keep an eye out

Bob Of Burleson wrote:I've been lucky not to have been hurt while using lawn mowers and other homeowner tools.

Thinking back, there are many time when I could have been injured or even killed in repair misadventures — like the time a side spring on a garage door I was working on broke, sending an "S" hook past my ear and through the ceiling into the attic.

Around here, all the gardeners shut off their machines when people walk by, or if people in the house come out into the yard.

Where I grew up, people mowed their own lawns. I wonder if they still do..just doesn't happen here.

A safety tip, see the safety cable that goes thru the spring below ?

If your garage door springs look like this and if the don't have something similar to retain the spring when it breaks; have someone add one.