Advice on how to best haul a mower in the Vibe

[Blueridge9]

I need advice on how to most safely haul a push lawn mower in the Vibe. I have to take it to my Mother's house which is only a few miles away and I don't have a trailer. I'm thinking bungee cords but the long handle is a challenge. Should I unscrew it or stick the handle out the back flip up window on my 2004 Vibe or is there a better way?A picture would be even more fun to see.Thanks

[keithvibe]

Quote, originally posted by Blueridge9 »I need advice on how to most safely haul a push lawn mower in the Vibe. I have to take it to my Mother's house which is only a few miles away and I don't have a trailer. I'm thinking bungee cords but the long handle is a challenge. Should I unscrew it or stick the handle out the back flip up window on my 2004 Vibe or is there a better way?A picture would be even more fun to see.ThanksI'm confused...... you have a rear window that opens, you have factory tie down locations and you have factory supplied tie down straps... sounds like a no brainer to me.

[Blueridge9]

Keith, Yes you ARE confused!Let me clarify something for you - GenVibe is a place where I can post any question I want to discuss with other helpful, interested members. On this topic you are NEITHER.

[bodhi_tree777]

With my push mower it has two bolts about midway down on the handle that you can loosen to fold the handle over on itself. I then tie it down in the back w/ bungees, open up the glass hatch and let just a bit of the handle stick out the back. I imagine you could get by doing the same thing even if the handle didn't fold, seems like there's plenty of room. You just have to pop the glass before you close the entire hatch, and then kind of reach around while you're closing it to guide the mower through the glass opening.God that sounds like a really complicated explanation, but it's a pretty simple thing. Just close the hatch slowly

[kowell]

Quote, originally posted by bodhi_tree777 »With my push mower it has two bolts about midway down on the handle that you can loosen to fold the handle over on itself. I then tie it down in the back w/ bungees, open up the glass hatch and let just a bit of the handle stick out the back. I imagine you could get by doing the same thing even if the handle didn't fold, seems like there's plenty of room. You just have to pop the glass before you close the entire hatch, and then kind of reach around while you're closing it to guide the mower through the glass opening.God that sounds like a really complicated explanation, but it's a pretty simple thing. Just close the hatch slowly I hauled an old lawn mower in my 09 last month (no glass hatch to open) and this pretty much the best way to do it. Unscrew the handle at the base and fold it back (if it also folds in the center it's even better but mine was too old for that feature). I also put on heavy blanket around the top of the handle so it wouldn't bump of scratch plastics inside the car. Then attach the mower it as best as possible with bungee cords. Remember you can never use too many bungee cords

[bull77]

i just folded the 60 split in the back and laid the mower on its side. fit perfectly and no gas leaked

[Wolfman213]

I trasported mine with the hatch open. I wouldn't recommend bungee cords though unless you have them stretched very taught, otherwise it's still going to roll on you. I only had to drive maybe less than a mile so I just felt on to the front wheel and didn't let it go anywhere.

[kostby]

I've been doing this for years (since 2004). It's one of the reasons I bought my 2003 Vibe!(I'll add some photos later today when I actually do this, because pictures are easier to understand than lots of words.)Because I do this weekly, and she has a small yard, I have an electric mower, and the handle folds in the middle. It's not as heavy as a gas mower, there's nothing to spill or leak, and the folded handle fits entirely within the car. My mower probably weighs about 25 pounds, so it's easy to bungee in place for the 5-minute trip to my mother-in-law's.I start by placing a 4' x 6' tarp on most of the cargo area, folded to fit just slightly wider than the wheels and tie-down tracks. I fold the edges of the tarp up over the wheels when I attach the bungee cords. This catches most loose grass, and some from static electricity, too.I put the first set of tie-downs almost at the top of the rear seat backs (nearest the front of the car when the seat folded down) The second set of tie-downs is located near the bottom of the seat-backs (rear of the vehicle when folded down). The front set of wheels roll forward just over the seat-back (the other reason for the tarp).I secure the mower with two ~18-inch long bungees into the top/front set of tie-downs, and then over the mower handle pivot point, and down into the lower/back set of tie-downs. It helps to put a wedge (like a rubber door-stop) behind the back wheels to keep the mower from rolling backwards during those hard acceleration bursts , but my trip is very short, and I don't usually bother with this.

[Houston]

In my '09 I just fold the handle, put it in and hold the front of the mower the way that other guy does.

[jake75]

The only time I ever opened the hatch window on my 2003 was when taking my mower for repair. I just put some blocks in front of the front whells and behind the back wheels to keep it from rolling. I didn't find tie downs necessary. It is a good 10 mile trip to where I get my mower serviced - but opted to use a main city street to get there - not the freeway. I have yet to use my 2009 for that task.

[Sublimewind]

Quote, originally posted by Blueridge9 »Keith, Yes you ARE confused!Let me clarify something for you - GenVibe is a place where I can post any question I want to discuss with other helpful, interested members. On this topic you are NEITHER. I don't think Keith is confused or in need of clarification... The back window opensThe mower can be tied down to the factory tie downsThe rear window can be left open for the mower handleWhat more do YOU need?you get the for poor reading comprehension..

[Houston]

As much as I hate saying it, the original question is just about the silliest one I've seen on this board. All of us carry all kinds of things back there. If it fits, we somehow figure out how to do it. The original poster is right in that this board exists to answer all questions. Somehow (there's that word again), I find this question to be about as silly as they come.

[joatmon]

on my push mower, if I sqeeze the handle where it attaches to the deck it will push past the stops and I can fold it over the motor.I agree with kostby that some sort of tarp or perhaps an old shower curtain, or even a couple of large trash bags is worth laying down under the mower to try to catch whatever might fall or drip off it.Mine leaks various fluids when I turn it on it's sideYou should be ok to go a couple of miles with the hatch open and the handle sticking out, but you'd probably want to secure it somehow so it doesn't roll around. Depending on the size you may need to lower the rear seat backs to get mower forward enough for the handle to be in the best position for the hatch.Also, if you have the handle stick out the hatch, make sure you try closing the hatch slowly first to ensure the handle won't hit the glass. Would suck to slam the hatch and have the mower handle break the glass.

[scherry2]

maybe the person is an 18 year old. me I'm 52 and half the questions on this board sound silly to me. just remember there are no stupid questions, just dumb @$$ answers. when i had a push mower I do what joat does and also collapse it half way down the handle. so its folded twice over the motor.

[joatmon]

the bolts that join the upper and lower handle on mine are so rusted it makes it really hard to fold it there....The Vibe is a car enjoyed by all kinds of people filling the full spectrum of users. One doesn't have to be in some mythically elite class of "hard core" vibers to deserve respect.

[BlueCrush]

I don't see this as a silly/dumb or stupid question at all. Give the guy a break. I, like others, have just folded the handle to get it to fit. It that was not an option, there is usually a way to remove the handle. It neither are an option, then I would have the handle stick out the hatch and find a way to secure the mower in the back.

[Houston]

Okay, give me a break. How do I open the door to get into my Vibe?

[BlueCrush]

Quote, originally posted by Houston »Okay, give me a break. How do I open the door to get into my Vibe?Start a new thread so this one doesn't get cluttered up with useless info not related to the OP's question and I'll write up a how-to and post it in there.

[scherry2]

good one,,,,

[Sublimewind]

Quote, originally posted by BlueCrush »Start a new thread so this one doesn't get cluttered up with useless info not related to the OP's question and I'll write up a how-to and post it in there. ROFL

[Blueridge9]

Thanks to J. Bodhi, Kowell, Bull, Wolfman, Kostby, Jake, Joatmon, Scherry.