First battle scar. Every time I use the AWD Mowrator, I am so grateful to my son for sending me the Kickstarter link. We have a back yard that is very rocky and has slopes of 45 degrees or more in places. I had been weedeating the grass and weeds using mountain climbing gear to stabilize me as I swung the weed eater around. I can now use the Mowrator to mow almost all of the yard. I have learned that I can disable the tilt sensor and go side to side, using it in reverse to negotiate the steep slopes instead of 180 degree turns. Today I hit a couple of rocks. Then I hit an obviously large rock hidden in the grass. We had been gone for an extended trip and the grass was between 12-16 inches high. The result is what you see here. Blade bent and cutting a gash into the blade shield. Luckily, I had ordered the 3 replacement blade set. So I removed the bent blade and put on one of the high lift blades.
Some things I learned are that I appreciate the technology and detail that the Mowrator team has put into the Mowrator. It is built tough! The blade was relatively easy to replace. When I removed the blade I discovered the screws securing the blade motor were loose. In tightening the screws, I had to remove the ventilation disk and blade spacer. The spacer was very tight. I used 2 screwdrivers on opposite sides to gently pull it off. After taking off the ventilation disk, the motor mount screws were readily accessible. The ventilation disk is just a little too large to get a hex wrench to fit well on the screws without removing it. Being plastic, you have to be very careful not to break it. Also, some debris has taken out a piece of the mulcher insert. I will patch the gash with some aluminum, and maybe the mulch insert as well.
