lawn mowers (1 Viewer)

[MikeAlletto]

Next on the list is a "weedwhacker"...

I got one of those about 3 weeks ago. A black and decker electric trimmer/edger. Hit a button and rotate the base to turn it into an edger. Haven't used the edger part yet, I got a hard enough time coloring in the lines when i was little, I can only imagine how bad I would screw up edging I think it was about $40 or so at home depot.

 

[Patrick Sun]

I think I have the same B&D weedwacker (orange?). I suggest not wearing shorts when you do the weedwacking with that unit, I kept getting nicks on my lower leg region from the spinning wacklines.

 

[Jon_Are]

Also, wear glasses when whacking your weeds; I got hit in the eyeball with a pebble last year. Didn't feel too good.

Jon

 

[Kevin Goodwin]

Honda & JD are both pretty expensive, but they're going to take a lickin' & keep on tickin'. It's sorta like gas grills -- you can spend a ton of money on a Weber, and it's going to last forever, but you could alternately buy something less inexpensive, and replace it more often for the same money.

I got a Yard Man (awful name, but don't laugh -- Consumer Reports rated it a best buy), and I've been pretty happy with it. It's only 2 years old, though. I would recommend checking out the CR web site.

 

[MikeAlletto]

Also, wear glasses when whacking your weeds

Yeah, the first time I used it my glasses had grass all over them and I was only trimming around my fence and landscaping. I did have jeans on but I don't remember hitting myself with it, you aren't supposed to wack near your ankles

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

I don't know if you guys are aware of this, but Briggs and Stratton is the product of our very own moderator Jack Briggs and that great guy from Fox, Peter Stratton.

 

[Ted Lee]

yep, i'm reviving this ol' thread cuz i have a question.
how much of a hassle is it to maintain your gas powered mowers? do you have to do maintenance all the time (not that i mind tinkering with this kind of stuff) or is it a pre-season/post-season kind of thing? also, don't i have to use some kind of gas/oil mixture?
bottom line is i bought a b&d electric 19" mower and *hated* it. i finally sold the thing. while it worked well enough, dealing with the cord was just such a freakin' hassle. so, unfortunately, i'm done going down that path.
i may try the cordless electric model (wifey is all for saving the trees), but i'm really doubting it. i kinda want a more manly mower now.

 

[Shane Roach]

Maintenance on gas-powered mowers is usually pretty light, and most (good) engines will stand up to a fair amount of neglect. Not that I recommend that, but...

Anyway, oil changes are generally once or twice a year, and are usually the most annoying bit. This is because most mowers don't have provisions to put the machine up on jack stands (or wood or concrete blocks, etc.) and remove a drain plug like on a car. My current mower, a 6.5 hp Briggs& Stratton-engined Craftsman, has to be rolled upside down so that the oil can drain out of the filler neck. PITA.

While you've got it belly-up, see if the blade needs sharpening. Depending on how many solid objects are in your yard and how sandy the soil is, this can range from a couple of times a year to once every two or three years.

Spark plugs are easy and cheap. Air filters vary in price and material among manufacturers. If yours has a foam filter element, you can get away with washing it out and reusing it for a long time.

I've never seen a mower that used a gas/oil mixture. That's only done in 2-stroke engines, which you'll see in chainsaws and most trimmers. You can get trimmers with 4-stroke engines, but they're more expensive. They're also quieter, more fuel-efficient, and more powerful than 2-strokers of the same size. I've had a 4-stroke Ryobi for almost 5 years and it's been outstanding.

 

[Ted Lee]

That's only done in 2-stroke engines,

oh...that's right...guess i got confused there. so really, the only major tune up is the oil change...that doesn't sound too painful.

 

[GuyMaren]

I bought a Craftsman cord electric in 1979 which I used with no problems until I moved in 2001. I gave it to a friend who is still using it. It was somewhat noisy for an electric but did/does the job.

I bought a manual reel mower a couple of years ago, but gave up on it because the cut was often uneven. Unless the grass is bone dry, the mower wheels bend the grass and the reel doesn't provide the suction of a spinning blade to pull it up in time for the next pass.

I'm now using a Black & Decker corded mulching electric which cuts much better and is quieter that the Craftsman to boot. I've only used it for one season so can't comment on its longevity.

In my experience, electrics will last forever if you don't push them too hard, i.e. stalling them in heavy wet grass.

 

[todbnla]

I own and swear by Hondas... also, for those that dont know, St. Aug is very tuff to cut as its so thick, nothing easy about cutting it.

 

[Mark Philp]

Over the years, I've had a Craftsman, which was a bottom-of-the-line model and really was junk. A Murray which served me fine until my wife hit a large rock and bent the shaft (I know she really planned it so I'd want to do all the mowing from then on) and now I have a Honda which I think I like the best. It runs great and is quieter. I tend to agree with the others, that when it comes to mowers it's better to spend a bit more and get a good one. In the long run it will last you a lot longer unless af course you let you wife use it. (just a joke, dear)

 

[Philip Hamm]

Unless the grass is bone dry, the mower wheels bend the grass and the reel doesn't provide the suction of a spinning blade to pull it up in time for the next pass.

So you need to apply a little more strategy in choosing mowing time than with hydrocarbon burning mowers.

 

[mark alan]

It's nice to live in an area where I don't have to worry about mowing for months. Of course, we are expecting another 6 inches of snow by tomorrow.:frowning:

 

[Shawn C]

Honda Honda Honda. I bought a Honda HRX last year and it's absolutely awesome. As a matter of fact, I pulled it out yesterday to start it for the first time this season and it started on the first pull like it always does. It even had the old gas in it from last year.
http://www.hondapowerequipment.com/hrx/
The HRX is really pretty awesome. Varying level of mulching, hydrostatic transmission, blade clutch....sweet. Expensive, but worth every penny.

 

[Bryan X]

I've got a Cub Cadet with a Kawasaki engine. Been really pleased with it. The one I had before that was a Craftsman with a B&S engine. It didn't hold up well at all.

 

[JordanS]

$7,000 Bobcat Zero Turning Radius Lawnmower (52.5 inch deck)
$14,000 John Deere 2200 w/lift & ballast (60 inch deck)

 

[DevinJC]

I'm now using a Black & Decker corded mulching electric which cuts much better and is quieter that the Craftsman to boot. I've only used it for one season so can't comment on its longevity.

I've got the same and about to start it in on it's second season. The cord is a bit of a nuisance, but not as much of a nuisance as the pollution a gas powered mower generates.

Gas mowers are some of the highest pollutant generators out there, and unless you've got an acre or more of grass, there is no reason to have one.

 

[Ted Lee]

The cord is a bit of a nuisance

yeah, i thought i could put up with it too. but between the cord snagging on my low-lying shrubs, my trees, my sprinkler-heads ... and the fact that i had to drag the cord to the back of the house as well -- it was just too much of a hassle.
for me, two years is more then enough time to try to put up with it.

 

[Philip Hamm]

I've got the same and about to start it in on it's second season. The cord is a bit of a nuisance, but not as much of a nuisance as the pollution a gas powered mower generates.
Gas mowers are some of the highest pollutant generators out there, and unless you've got an acre or more of grass, there is no reason to have one.

You do know that 60% or so of the electricity generated in the USA is produced from burning coal. Right? You're not completely eliminating the pollution, just displacing it and cutting down (I believe electric lawn mowers are fairly efficient) . Now, my reel mower on the other hand.... No gas, no oil changes, no cord, just once or twice a year sharpening and adjusting (which takes all of 20 minutes). When I moved from a townhome to a house I was planning on buying an electric, but after having the reel wonder for a year I never intend to replace it. The scissors cut is much better for the grass, too.