Trip report by Rick Hines
Carroll Cave Campground Workday, 7/26/25
On Friday 7/25, the Cub Cadet dealer in Harrisonville called and said the repair on our electric mower was complete after a warranty battery replacement. After a quick successful test at the dealer, we loaded the mower and I brought it home. I announced a trip to Carroll the next day and Nathan Taylor, along with wife Sarah and son Ben, volunteered to assist.
On Saturday as I pulled into the gate at about 11:00 AM Nathan and family pulled in behind me. We unloaded the mower and set to work. The grass was between a foot and three feet high. The mower worked but the tall grass resulted in less than a perfect cut. While the Taylors mowed and weed whipped, I started spraying to kill Tree of Heaven trees, locust trees and thorn bushes that I had not cut previously or that had regrown.
After about 1.5 hours of mowing the mower battery had dropped from 100% to single digits. Sarah drove it into the shipping container using a new ramp that Nathan had just completed. We plugged the mower in and started charging, hoping to get in a second mowing session but soon found that the charging rate was too slow for a second session.
Meanwhile, Nathan and Ben inspected the silo for evidence of mice. They were pleased to see that their earlier cement work had kept rodents out.
Sarah had been using the weed whip and gotten a little trimming done but the string kept feeding through the head at an excessive rate. We got out the manual and confirmed that we were loading the string properly, but the problem persisted. After studying the mechanism, we concluded that there was probably a spring missing. With a little research at home, I am fairly certain that we are missing a spring. I have ordered a spring and a few other parts that hopefully will fix the problem.
With a heat index of 107 F and a slowly charging battery on the mower, we decided to head home at about 3:00 pm.
On the next work trip, I am planning to take my big trailer and my mower. With my rider I should be able to knock down the tall grass and brush on the half of our fenced area that we did not get to this time. If I have some help on that trip I should be able to load and haul off the 8-foot steel tank and other scrap metal.
In the future if we can control the growth of unwanted trees and thorn bushes, the electric mower should be able to keep the area maintained. Hopefully, during future caving trips, participants will be able to spend an hour or so on mowing and trimming.
Submitted by Rick Hines
The grass after mowing. Photo by Rick Hines.
Nathan Taylor making a ramp to get the mower in and out of the storage container. Photo by Rick Hines.
Sarah Taylor takes a turn on the mower. Photo by Rick Hines.
Nancy sweeping out the shelter. Photo by Rick Hines.
Rick Hines spraying some of the noxious weeds.
Sarah Taylor working the string trimmer. Photo by Rick Hines.
Nathan and Ben Taylor mowing the grass. Photo by Rick Hines.