My uncle swore duct tape would fix my lawn mower muffler for one more season

He said just wrap it tight around the rust hole and it would hold all summer. Three mows later it melted through and left a burning plastic smell across the whole yard. Has anyone else tried this with exhaust heat and gotten it to last longer?

3 comments

3 Comments

brianreed1mo ago

Ha, man, duct tape on a muffler is a classic uncle move. I've seen it fail on a buddy's old truck within two weeks. The heat just cooks the adhesive right off, and then the whole thing turns into a sticky, melty mess. For a lawn mower, I swear it's even worse because the exhaust gets so close to the plastic parts. You needed some actual muffler tape or a patch from an auto parts store. Live and learn, right?

leehall1mo ago

Three mows? That melted way faster than I'd ever expect.

nancyg141mo ago

Did you know the adhesive on regular duct tape actually starts breaking down at temps over 200 degrees? Most mower exhausts hit way higher than that, so three mows sounds about right before it gave up.