1450 Of Mice and Muffler

[Roy Najecki]

For convenience I’m keeping my 1450 at an orchard field (which I mow) a few miles from my house. Mice are constantly making a grass nest behind and under the muffler. To clear out the nests I have to undo the front grill, which is a pain because of the location of the mounting nuts, and remove the top heat shield. I’m thinking of packing coarse steel wool in the area behind and under the muffler to form a barrier to the mice, yet will still allow heat to dissipate.

Does this sound like a good solution, or am I creating a hazard?

[CC1650Dave]

They'll probably use your steel wool as nesting material

If they're building nests around your muffler, they're probably building them deep into your engine cooling fins as well, perhaps even in your blower housing. Might be time to remove some tins and further inspect, as that will kill your engine's cooling capacity.

As far as the muffler, maybe some kind of cap you could put over the end and snug it up with a hose clamp or something...

[Matt G.]

If you pack the area around the muffler with steel wool, how is the cooling air supposed to get out?

[darkminion_17]

Try putting a tarp under the tractor all around,Then mouse traps,and see if that does anything.You may just have to keep clearing out the nest.

[AMCJavelin74]

feed the mice grits. Or concrete mix+grits. Or spend the big money and get mouse poison. Or be really cheap and get free kittens, and put them to work. I think the steel wool idea is a bad idea.

[Cvans]

Once mice have visited your tractor they leave urine scent that is like a welcome mat for any other mice in the area. Mice continually dribble urine unlike other animals that empty their bladders all at once. This little bit of wisdom was brought to my attention via a USDA food inspector. If the light is right you can actually see this were mice have traveled.
Should you have access to one of those wind up repeating mouse traps you might try placing one of those on your tractor. Placing some peanut butter inside of it wouldn't hurt either.
Good luck!

[Cub Cadet 123]

Somewhat eco-friendly solution: Some old-timers told me to get a stocking of old pantyhose or some net mesh bag that onion come in. Place moth balls and garlic (....maybe onions too) inside the pantyhose. Place on engine after engine has cooled from use or if storing for the winter. Here's the biggest part---Place note somewhere prominent reminding you to remove this bag from the top of your engine BEFORE STARTING THE NEXT TIME!!! (or else you will live to regret it!!). They stated the moth balls will keep the mice away and if that doesn't do it, then the garlic will. I haven't ever used this strategy, as mice have never been a problem for me yet, but for just a little $$ this might be worth a try and somewhat eco-friendly. After all, the mice are just in the wild (not in your dwelling) and they are just doing their best at being mice so they don't necessarily deserve dying for that---maybe I am too evironmentally freindly, but that is my take on it. LOL (Lots Of Luck!!)

Cub Cadet 123

[Roy Najecki]

I do cover the 1450 between mowing, which is about every two weeks. And I do use the mothballs in a mesh bag technique when I store the tractor for the winter - and this does work.

Matt - I was thinking the coarse steel wool would allow air movement, as it has a similiar loose weave as the nylon mesh used in roof ridgeline vents. Another possibility is making a barrier out of aluminum screen door fabric, and wedging that into the rectangular opening, though I might need to make a hole for the muffler exhaust pipe.

Dave - I was expecting the sharp edges of the steel wool would stop the mice from using it as nesting material. I haven't seen any mice nest on the cooling fins, just in the sheet metal box surrounding the muffler. BTW - good work on your CC, I wouldn't have dared to do what you have set out. You're literally rebuilding that CC from parts.

I have an air gun nozzle attached to my 5-gallon portable air tank, and use that to blow away mice nest debris. But to be effective I need to at least remove the front grill, which isn't as easy to do as on the 1x9 wide frames. That's another project. Perhaps well nuts and wing nuts with studs will work to replace the existing screw and nut.

[Matt G.]

Anything you stuff in there is still going to block airflow. It'll get worse when grass clippings and stuff get through the flywheel screen and go through there; it'll just collect on the steel wool. I'm not sure I'd do the screen, either. You would be surprised what effect a screen has on airflow, too.

You could leave out the grille insert, and make a wooden cover for the exit of the muffler box that you could install/remove when you use the tractor.

[aagitch]

I had the problem with the 782 in the shed. I started placing some well scented dryer sheets in the front grill and few other places above the engine. I never had a problem after that. I think the scent bothered them.