As I was leaving for town on Tuesday afternoon, Hick was mowing the front yard/field. He was parked beside the driveway, motor running, on his yellow lawnmower.
"Do you want something?"
"No. My zero-turn-mower won't start."
Hick had originally come home to fix a flat tire on that zero-turn mower. He got it from some buddy who didn't need it anymore. Tinkered with it every time something went wrong. LOVES the zero-turn, since it is much faster than a regular mower, and has levers for turning, rather than gripping a steering wheel.
"Huh. I guess you could use your fortune from your Storage Unit Store (2) to buy another one."
Let the record show that Hick has been pricing zero-turn mowers at Lowe's and The Family Center, on a tip from another buddy that some were on sale. The cheapest was $5,000. Hick has a regular working mower that he bought without consulting me a few years ago. I'm not about to okay a new mower from our joint finances... (Lest you think I am being unfair to Hick, let me remind you that he has TWO tractors that he said he needed for mowing the acreage. In fact, I gave him approval for buying the second one, with the understanding that he would sell the first. Didn't happen.)
"I heard a guy on the radio today that has a zero-turn mower for $4,000. It's a 2022, with a year left on the warranty."
"What's wrong with it?"
"Nothing, as far as I know. He might just buy them and sell them. He said he's asking $4,000, but that cash talks."
"Well. I guess you can take some of your Storage Unit Store profits, and buy it." [Seriously. Selling the two tractors that are not used for mowing would also cover the cost!]
"I thought about taking $3,000 over there, and offering it."
"You never know."
While I was in town, Hick sent me a text that he was going to talk to the mower guy. I passed him on my way home, with his trailer hooked to SilverRedO. I assumed Hick meant business.
Yes, Hick came home with that zero-turn mower. He paid $3,700 for it, and said it was worth $4,500. It has a 54" mower deck. Hick's often-repaired zero-turn mower has a 50" mower deck. And his regular mower has a 48" mower deck. Hick not only mows our considerable acreage, but also the Double Hovel flip house yard, and The Pony's yard, though he charges The Pony. HICK'S money. Not ours.
Anyhoo... I heard that mower mowing before Hick came into the house. I think he is pleased with his deal.
Good for Hick! It sounds like he made a good deal on that lawnmower.
ReplyDeleteHick thinks so. He knows the value of things, so rarely makes a bad deal, unless it's something he REALLY wants for his own collection.
DeleteI had never heard of a zero-turn mower before. 'Course I haven't had to deal with a lawn for decades. It's just rocks in Arizona.
ReplyDeleteHeh, heh! Our grass has been growing like a weed, from all the recent rain. I think a zero-turn mower spins around in its tracks, instead of turning with a steering wheel to mow a row next to the area just mowed. Not sure the benefit of this function, but apparently Hick knows what it is.
DeleteI'm glad he got a good deal and that he used his own money. Will he now sell the old non-starting one or keep it for spare parts?
ReplyDeleteHick will probably tinker with the non-starting one. He's handy with machines. Maybe use the old one for mowing the flip house yard, or Pony's, and save his GOOD mower for our acreage.
DeleteOne of the tractors doesn't run, and his Gator has been sidelined for months, waiting on repairs. Old machines come here to die! So Hick may do nothing with that non-starting zero-turn mower. That's one of my gripes. He could advertise the broken stuff, and some other tinkerer might want to fix them up to sell. They do us no good sitting here taking up space.