A very expensive mistake ...

 

The day started full of promise. We had our new Stihl brush cutters to try and acres of rampant thistles, rushes and blackberries to try them on, We donned our protective gear and took the machines for a spin in the paddock just behind the shed. After a bit of starting trouble the machines fired up and seemed to work very well until, inevitably with this type of machine, the cutting cord failed to work and got tangled. So we trudged back to the shed, discarded the cutting cord and got serious. Cath opted for the the "weed wacka", a brilliant little attachment that cuts through most things quite easily. I loaded up the the Stihl "shredder" blade, a wicked looking curved blade that looks absolutely deadly. Out we went once more and ran the fuel tanks dry, happily destroying every bramble in sight. We then retired for a self-congratulatory coffee and set off to Huonville to get petrol.

We returned with two  five-litre cans of petrol and I measured out the correct amount of two-stroke oil and added it to the jerry can. But at this point my problems began. Now in my defence, I have used this mixture for years in the back garden in Brisbane without any problem, but my petite two-litre, city cans require only a delicate shake to mix the fuel and oil. I used the same routine with the five-litre can and proceeded to fill my machine first and then Cath's.  We then strode off to our northern boundary where the thickest of our blackberries awaited.

After about five minutes my machine cut out. I restarted and tried again. But it cut out again. I tried this few times before there was a disastrous rattle when I tried to restart. Fearing the worst, I drove into the Stihl shop in Huonville. Sure enough, my shaking of the can had not been sufficient to mix the oil and petrol sufficiently and my machine was fried. Fortuitously, Cath's machine is okay because by the time I got to filling hers the mixture was fine. I felt like a schoolboy being lectured by a condescending teacher as I was told that in five-litre cans one should put the oil in before the petrol. I imagine this mistake is going to cost a fortune ... but I guess I won't be forgetting to shake the living daylights out of the can before any fuel mixture goes near one of our machines again.

I was so furious with myself that I marched off with my new chainsaw and took out all my anger on a massive fallen branch of an old gum tree.  The wood burning oven is going to have some massive logs to deal with over the next few days ...