***"not necessary to disconnect both cables when working on electrical, just the negative/black?"*** That is correct.....So long as the negative/black cable is in fact, the GROUND cable for the vehicle electrical system. And in most machines built in the last 40 years or so, the negative/black is the ground conductor. But you must "cling to" every word of the description. "Negative", "Black", "Ground"! Each word must be considered as a separate and individual criterion when you are preparing to "put a tool" to the battery terminals. (this is a lesson, listen up) There are currently (no pun) no laws governing the colors of wires and cables used in AUTOMOTIVE applications. There are "generally accepted and recognized practices", but no REGULATIONS. Black is nearly universally used as the color (by OEMs) of the negative battery cable, Red for positive cable, but some OEMs might decide to use black cables for BOTH positive and negative conductors leading from the battery posts. And, additionally, you must always consider that the original RED positive cable.....might have been replaced with a BLACK cable. Furthermore, the OEM, BLACK negative cable, might have been replaced with a RED one (you see all kinds of things in "used equipment". The odds of finding a BLACK cable for the positive conductor are actually pretty good, while the odds for finding a RED cable for the negative conductor are slim (but I have found them more than once). Nonetheless, since it only requires that you "look at" the markings on the battery (positive+, negative-), that is what you MUST DO,.... each and every time you prepare to "put a tool" on a battery terminal. ALSO, when you identify the negative post/cable of the battery......trace the cable to where it connects next. If the negative cable connects to the vehicle frame, chassis, or engine block....it is the GROUND conductor. This configuration is what you will find on just about every machine/vehicle of recent manufacture. But, it makes sense to understand the relationship of "color vs. polarity vs. function" in a vehicle electrical system. IF the black cable is connected to the negative battery post at one end, and to the "vehicle ground" at the other end.........that is the only cable you need to remove from the battery in order to render the electrical system "inert" and safe to work on. Even that statement will have "limitations" if the vehicle has advanced electronics and engine/cab controls, but for MOST L&G tractors, it is the best, safest, practice. ................................................... Getting back to your Huskee. Before doing the next test, disconnect the GROUND cable from the battery. Leave all wires connected to the solenoid "posts",.... connected for the test. The black/blue pair will be removed but reconnected in this procedure. To further test whether the solenoid is defective (shorting inside the solenoid), if the first series of tests point in that direction, remove the mounting bolts of the solenoid (where solenoid mtg bracket fastens to chassis/frame. Reconnect the black/blue pair of wires to their same chassis/frame bolt and secure with nut. Use some kind of non-metallic, electrically insulating material (suitable piece of cardboard, carpet, even an old sneaker will do) to set the solenoid on so it can't touch a grounded surface (chassis). Once you have the solenoid resting on the non-metallic material, reconnect the ground cable to the battery negative post. Now, operate the ignition switch to the start position. If the fuse does not "blow" now, it indicates the solenoid has an internal short to ground (fuse DID NOT blow because no ground was provided for the "short" to use). Don't expect the solenoid to operate during the test. Access to the solenoid on my Huskee is somewhat "difficult at best", but I find I can get a better view of it by going in from the right side floorboard/step area (front end of center console and backside of engine). I have to lock the brake/clutch pedal down to get more room for my head. In taking the photos, I went through the battery access under seat AND from the other end I described above.

A neighbor has a rechargeable, she loves it. It is heavy but her lawn is very gently sloped; she seems to maneuver okay. She uses some sort of solar recharger and has a spare battery, so she can do the whole lawn in one session. I've been envious that she can start mowing early (our neighborhood practices courtesy-silence [no machinery use] until after 9a on weekends). It will be interesting to see what others have to say about the battery types. I gave up on reel mowers after my knee gave out. I wasn't enthused before then anyhow. No doubt if I had been better about keeping blades absolutely sharp and had used a brand with easier height adjustments, I might have liked it better. New ones are lighter in weight, but the grass catchers don't seem any better in design. I found the catchers awkward to use and empty; and they added much weight and decreased maneuverability. I doubled and then tried trebled space for paragraphs -- interesting to see the space disappear. Do you suppose the Master will pay attention to objections? It certainly doesn't look like a professional formatting objective! And boy, it sure does make the posting hard to follow .\/.

We have the electric (corded) towel warmer that tobler is referring to. It is, BTW, much cheaper to purchase it from Bed Bath & Beyond with one of their 20% off coupons - their coupons don't ever expire, despite BB&B printing an expiration date on them. It works VERY well. DH turns it on when he starts the water up. Takes a 20-min shower, and the towel is nicely warm. There are actually two sizes of this appliance, and we have the largest. It DOES NOT hold two bath sheets. Two standard towels, maybe. Or two thin non-plush bath sheets, the el cheapo kind. But not the full-size 6' long luxury bath sheets we use - only one will fit in at a time. This appliance works much, much better than the standard thin-pipe towel warmers. We have one of those we bought years ago, and all we use it for is as a standing towel rack. They are useless for anything but drying a damp towel. The only places that get warm are where the towel lies right against the warming rods/pipes. The majority of the towel doesn't warm up at all. Here is a link that might be useful: Towel warmer

OP: I have an air pump that I use for the tractor and car tires . For the tractor it can inflate the tires in about two minutes, much less when adjusting the tire pressure before mowing. Even with the Van which requires 38 psi in 16" tires, I can use it to adjust the pressure. At this high pressure I have to have the pump running before connecting to the tire, but it can increase the pressure from about 30 psi to 38 psi in about a 1 minute. I have had the pump for about 10 years now. I got it at Harbor Freight. and believe I paid about $17 on special. I believe the link is the same pump I use. http://www.harborfreight.com/12v-100-psi-high-volume-air-compressor-69284.html I would highly recommend it for anyone wanting a pump for most of the around the house uses and as an emergency pump to carry in the car. (The car is where mine resides most of the time.)