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Mice and our riding mower

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by SSimon, May 17, 2010.

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  1. SSimon

    SSimon Active Member

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    Where is the "no thanks" button on this forum?
     
    #21 SSimon, May 26, 2010
  2. SSimon

    SSimon Active Member

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    I'll just park it in the middle of our creek. That will show 'em.
     
    #22 SSimon, May 26, 2010
  3. Hidyho

    Hidyho Senior Member

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    How about this:
    [​IMG]

    And This:
    [​IMG]

    Laid down on the floor of where the mower sits.
     
    #23 Hidyho, May 28, 2010
  4. Boo

    Boo Boola Boola Member

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    If the PETA concoction doesn't repel the rodents, and one wants to avoid using poison that the rodents will ingest, then maybe the other two repellents I previously suggested -- Rataway.com fragrance and old-fashioned moth balls -- are the best solutions.

    Also, if you don't want to hang a sachet of moth balls in the engine compartment, you could lay the sachet or a small tray of moth balls on the floor under the engine compartment of the riding mower when it's parked in the shed/garage.
     
    #24 Boo, May 29, 2010
  5. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    What you really need is one of these. Introducing...mowercycle! :)
     

    Attached Files:

    #25 hyo silver, May 29, 2010
  6. Arroyo

    Arroyo Member

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    #26 Arroyo, Jun 2, 2010
  7. SSimon

    SSimon Active Member

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    Update on the mower. So far so good BUT when I was at the land last time looking at our tarp contraption wrapped up around the mower it occurred to me "what happens when it rains and the rain enters the creases on the top of the tarp/mower and has no outlet". :eek: How come you engineer types didn't think of my drowning mower? hmf.
     
    #27 SSimon, Jun 2, 2010
  8. SSimon

    SSimon Active Member

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    LOL. I'd love to see what happens to someone riding that thing when they encounter a large twig.
     
    #28 SSimon, Jun 2, 2010
  9. SSimon

    SSimon Active Member

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    Don't know what that top thing is but we considered the wiring but it's not malleable enough to get around the entire mower without having creases and gaps. You can't just lay it on the ground as they will just crawl up on the mower and into the engine.
     
    #29 SSimon, Jun 2, 2010
  10. markderail

    markderail I do 45 mins @ 3200 PSI

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    I read this post entry as :

    Mice on our riding mower

    That would be awesome ! :second: Mice Grand Prix

    How the hell do mice like the smell of oil & gasoline ???

    CAT URINE works wonders...even for rats. Fresh extraction, however, is difficult.

    However used kitty litter might accomplish the same effect.
     
    #30 markderail, Jun 2, 2010
  11. Rae Vynn

    Rae Vynn Artist In Residence

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    That top thing is a charger, like electric fence.
    You don't wrap the wire around the mower, you park the mower on the wire... the wire is electrified, and the mice won't be able to walk across it to the mower. Unless you have flying mice, you won't have mice in your mower.
     
    #31 Rae Vynn, Jun 3, 2010
  12. skruse

    skruse Senior Member

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    Plywood lined with hardware cloth is a solid defense against chewing rodents (mice, marmots and dusky-footed wood rats).
     
    #32 skruse, Jun 3, 2010
  13. SSimon

    SSimon Active Member

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    Oooooooh! I get it now. Crafty. I have no electricity there. I could siphon my neighbor's but then I think I'd have another set of problems to figure out.
     
    #33 SSimon, Jun 3, 2010
  14. SSimon

    SSimon Active Member

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    This is what I think it's going to boil down to. Initially, I was going to construct a box but this idea helps me amend the box to be more user friendly. I don't have to have a floor of the box. I can construct the front, the back and the sides and fasten the hardware cloth over (or under?) this box. I'll leave the hardware cloth edges longer than the box edges and we can just put this contraption over the mower and then use landscape staples to fasten the hardware cloth to the ground so they can't crawl under the hardware cloth. Somehow I have a feeling this will be more difficult than it sounds but it's the most practical option and it sounds mouse proof.

    I'm sure you will all be on the edge of your seats waiting for my updates.

    Thanks, guys!
     
    #34 SSimon, Jun 3, 2010
  15. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    You can do that? I thought you couldn't have any structures. But if a wire box doesn't count as a structure, then heck yeah, get going. :) You'll need a roll of the 1/4" stuff, a coil of rebar wire, a pair of gloves, some wire snips, and some skookum pliers. It doesn't have to hold any weight, and it doesn't have to be pretty. Who needs plywood? A few 1 by 1 sticks of wood in the corners will help keep it relatively square and supported, and you could always toss a tarp over it to keep the rain out.
     
    #35 hyo silver, Jun 3, 2010
  16. SSimon

    SSimon Active Member

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    I cannot have any permanent out buildings, i.e. sheds, garages, etc., without a residence on the property. They never said I cannot have a plywood box on my property. We looked into purchasing a trailer on wheels but those were more expensive than a shed. If they ask me to remove my box, no harm, no foul. I will cost me maybe $50 to construct instead of $1,600 for the shed.

    I have used the hardware cloth on our land to fence in trees and shrubs we planted and the snow caves them in even when supported by steel stakes so I'll go with they plywood for that purpose. Good idea on the tarp as it'll keep the elements from warping the plywood.

    Gloves - check
    skookum pliers - if by this you mean needle nose, check. If not ?.
    wire snips - check
    coil of rebar wire - ? What is this for?

    I'll use nails to put the box together. Any ideas of how to secure the wiring to the plywood? Staple guns don't need a power source, do they?
     
    #36 SSimon, Jun 3, 2010
  17. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    I was thinking of a 'box' of wire, with a simple perimeter wood frame and no plywood. Think 'rabbit hutch' big enough to park your mower in. If snow's a problem, you could always slant the roof. A plastic tarp would be good for helping the snow slide off, as well as the rain. The rebar wire was to knit the sections of hardware cloth together, and you'd need something more robust than needle-noses for that. But a staple gun would work, too. They're easier to operate with big, strong hands, but no, they don't need a power source. Send us pictures. :)
     
    #37 hyo silver, Jun 3, 2010
  18. SSimon

    SSimon Active Member

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    I will! I hope to have this done within the next couple of weeks. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.......
     
    #38 SSimon, Jun 3, 2010
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