OT: - Can we talk lawn mowers? | The Boneyard

OT: Can we talk lawn mowers?

Kitaman

Kitaman

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The coronavirus has me discontinuing/suspending my lawn mower company. Being home and having more time, I figure I'll get my lazy arse out of the house and outside tending to my lawn. My 12 year old Craftsman served me well, but its time for me to make a change, plus I can't get it serviced in these current times.

I'm leaning towards a self propelled mower (duh) and probably a mulcher.

I'm considering the Honda HRX217HYA (mulch, bags, rear discharge). I hear good things about Toro and Troy Built.

Anyway I've got about 1/3 acres to cut, but looking for low maintenance, long lasting and good/quick cut.

What are you guys using?
 
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A Toro with all the features you mentioned. 2 seasons old now. Also have 1/3 acre. Not sure of model #, but on the lower end of price w/those features. Works well.
 
I got the 30" Toro walk behind recycler (2 blades) last year after using a basic push mower for a decade. Well worth the $ so far, blows through the lawn in no time, almost effortless.
 
I have a John Deere D125 with a bagger. It gets the job done.

We have 3 acres or so of land and it’s a lot of work. The last owner didn’t maintain the grass properly and we have a ton of over grown brush in our woods I’m working on this weekend.

Using my stihl FS40 to take out weeds and a renegade blade cutter for taking down branches and thicker brush. Gets the job done.

Went from suburbia to country/woods and enjoying my toys.

grew up ona 1/4 acre in Fairfield country area with the push mower and I must say Honda is the way to go for 1/3 acre and low maintenance. Good looks @Kitaman
 
I wrestle with my hand-me-down twice-over craftsmen push almost every time I use it. I think about getting a new one every time but I only have 1/4 acre or so and will only be here another couple years.
 
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I have an 18 year old son. I'll have to ask him what lawnmower I own. I've cut my lawn maybe 3 times in last 5-6 years. I'm pretty sure it's a basic rear wheel driven 21" or 22" mower. Nothing fancy.
 
I have a Briggs and Stratton engine in my push mower. As long as you change the oil like you should, clean and change the air filter, and don’t leave it outside it should be fine for a long time.

There’s a guy who goes to the Colchester Farmers Market who sharpens mower blades for pretty cheap, no idea if that is still going to be a thing however, but just an FYI.
 
I've got a Snapper from thr 90s, I think. The pull cord ssembly is stuck - won't pull, therfor, no start. Snapper manual does not cover engine, whcih is a B&S 3.5 hp. Finally go that manual, but unclear what need to do to access the pull assembly. Remove gastank, etc. Any ideas?? Don't really want to disassemble the whole thing on the garage floor.

ps - the repair shops are in lock-down.
 
sledog said:
I've got a Snapper from thr 90s, I think. The pull cord ssembly is stuck - won't pull, therfor, no start. Snapper manual does not cover engine, whcih is a B&S 3.5 hp. Finally go that manual, but unclear what need to do to access the pull assembly. Remove gastank, etc. Any ideas?? Don't really want to disassemble the whole thing on the garage floor.

ps - the repair shops are in lock-down.
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The attached video uses a toro to demonstrate, but it should give you a pretty good idea of what you will need to do to your lawn mower. By the looks of it you will have to loosen/move/take some stuff off to actually access that bugger.

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I have an eGO and love it. Battery is just long enough to last through the whole yard (about the same size as yours.) Some days if it's really long or wet, it may not quite make it, but it fully charges in a about an hour. I switch to edging/trimming if that happens. It's self-propelled and has plenty of power. I hate smelling like gas after cutting and also used to hate always running out of gas at a bad moment. Those problems are history.
 
Kitaman said:
Anyway I've got about 1/3 acres to cut, but looking for low maintenance, long lasting and good/quick cut.
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1587075250593.jpeg
 
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CTBasketball said:
I have a Briggs and Stratton engine in my push mower. As long as you change the oil like you should, clean and change the air filter, and don’t leave it outside it should be fine for a long time.

There’s a guy who goes to the Colchester Farmers Market who sharpens mower blades for pretty cheap, no idea if that is still going to be a thing however, but just an FYI.
Expand ...

I probably last had a blade sharpened 10 years ago. New blades are less than $20. No need to hone down a used one.
 
Kitaman said:
The coronavirus has me discontinuing/suspending my lawn mower company. Being home and having more time, I figure I'll get my lazy arse out of the house and outside tending to my lawn. My 12 year old Craftsman served me well, but its time for me to make a change, plus I can't get it serviced in these current times.

I'm leaning towards a self propelled mower (duh) and probably a mulcher.

I'm considering the Honda HRX217HYA (mulch, bags, rear discharge). I hear good things about Toro and Troy Built.

Anyway I've got about 1/3 acres to cut, but looking for low maintenance, long lasting and good/quick cut.

What are you guys using?
Expand ...

i had a Honda HRX for years. Can’t go wrong if your yard is sized right that you can do it with a 21”. Mine was too big but we did it anyway. Finally gave up.
 
Chin Diesel said:
I have an 18 year old son. I'll have to ask him what lawnmower I own. I've cut my lawn maybe 3 times in last 5-6 years. I'm pretty sure it's a basic rear wheel driven 21" or 22" mower. Nothing fancy.
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I laughed out loud at the first sentence. Those were the days.
 
Slasher said:
I have an eGO and love it. Battery is just long enough to last through the whole yard (about the same size as yours.) Some days if it's really long or wet, it may not quite make it, but it fully charges in a about an hour. I switch to edging/trimming if that happens. It's self-propelled and has plenty of power. I hate smelling like gas after cutting and also used to hate always running out of gas at a bad moment. Those problems are history.
Expand ...
I was looking at the push version of the eGo. What size batteries are you using?
 
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Try a quality battery operated mower. I own several 40W Greenworks products like chainsaw, pole saw, drill etc., all are very good and require almost no effort. I presume the mowers are good too. I'd probably go a little higher end on a mower for durability.

Battery tools are really trending. There are country boys all over Youtube trading out their gas chainsaws for battery operated ones. You'll be shocked by the power, lack of effort and relative quiet of them. The best thing is they work perfectly after months of non-use. I have a chainsaw and a weed whacker in Vermont that I only use a little bit in Summer and Fall when on vacation there. Both are worry free, just charge the batteries and go. They are the future.
 
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54" Bad Boy Zero Turn and 10 goats on 7 acres. Goats take care of the pond bank and the scrub, I handle the rest.
 
I have had a Toro 20333 for a year and it is doing the job as good as any machine I have owned. I have a fairly large yard and it is easily maneuvered around the hills and dips in my yard. I have had toros before and can swear by them. the 22" width is a big help also.
 
I have an eGo too, works well.

I don't know your situation, but to the extent you are still employed, it's worth considering keeping the company on (or doing work yourself and paying them). Lots of service folks are really hurting right now.
 
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Yeah, I need a zero-turn too as we mow 4 acres. Had a Simplicity 50" that I sold to a nephew, looking for a little bigger such as 52 or 54". Would love to get a Ferris 800 or 2100 for their suspension. Also considering Scag or Hustler, which I hear give the best cut. I only put about 60 hours a year mowing, so I'm looking for used. Took a look at all electric Mean Green zero turn- wow, are they expensive!
 
I have an 80 volt Kobalt push mower. No bells or whistles, but it's powerful, quiet, and extremely easy to operate and maintain. I only use about half a charge to mow my whole (small) yard. The battery is removable and can be used in a variety of other tools.
 
I have a 2 yo Honda that is the $800 model where it has blade stop - the damn thing has plastic wheels that go bald every year
Had a Toro that had the same blade stop option that cost about $350 and had rubber wheels and was a work horse. Its 12 years old and my son in law still uses and starts on first pull
Buying me another Toro
 
I'm regrowing grass in my backyard, but I got tired of the early spring weeds in the nicer part of our lawn on the south facing side so I spent the morning doing the yearly maintenance (air filter, oil change, sparkplug) and then mowed the south side for the first time.

Trying to not touch the new grass for at least another two weeks, but we'll see how it grows. I have a 1/4 acre and use a smaller Briggs & Stratton push mower and has worked fine for years.
 
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