the Lawn Mower thread.

[G8orFord]

I've got 2+ acres to mow. Fought with standard riders for years, had a couple of decent ones, a couple of POS's. I finally broke down and bought a Bad Boy zero turn from Tractor Supply. I've only had it a couple of years, but so far I'm happy with it. If you've got acreage to mow and can swing t he cost, I highly recommend a "quality" zero turn. Mows better, faster and easier, IMO. It's almost like riding a push mower if that makes sense. The Kohler engine on mine is fairly quiet and, so far, cranks in seconds.

For the string trimmer, I just recently bought a Milwaukee 18v trimmer. Haven't had it long enough to really recommend it, but if it's anything like the other Milwaukee tools I've had, it will pay for itself in no time. It's as powerful as my 4 stroke Craftsman gas trimmer and is supposed to have an hour run time on the standard 5 amp hour battery. I'm only good for about 30 minutes at a time on a trimmer due to my back, so that's plenty of run time for me with just one battery. Not to mention, it's lighter, obviously quieter and instant on.

 

[Dirtman]

I've never had a problem with any of my lawnmowers...

 

[G8orFord]

I've never had a problem with any of my lawnmowers...

View attachment 27635

I take it you don't have a lot of landscape plants.

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

This also seems relevant.

 

[Dirtman]

I take it you don't have a lot of landscape plants.

I'm not a 70 year old woman so no... I dont plant tulips and daisies...

 

[Uncle Gump]

That goat would have probably self ignited had it found last years pepper patch in my backyard..

 

[Dirtman]

Those goats could eat nuclear waste... I've seen them eat everything from roadkill to old lumber.

 

[Uncle Gump]

Although I have never personally ate nuclear waste... I have ate my wife's cooking... it probably shares some similar qualities. That's why I cook.

I canned a batch of ghost pepper salsa last fall... I've never experienced that level of heat. I know I'm not wasting the garden space ever again to the evil heat.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

My Murray was free, had been left behind at one of my customers rental houses. He drove it to his house and parked it in his machine sheds in case his teenage kids needed it when they moved out... they both moved a long ways away so he asked if I wanted to come and get it. I was well past tired of dealing with my old Deere so I jumped on it, couldn’t even tell what color it was under the machine shed dirt. All four tires were flat/shot so we winched it on the trailer and hauled it home. Went thru the carb, replaced the choke cable and stuck a battery in it. Ran great. Switched tires from an old Ranch King that came with my place to see what I had. For repairs the front tires died last year and this year so I have replaced those, starter drive gear, a deck spindle (found a rotted out hog pan, killed the blade too) and the original 1996 primary deck belt and idler pulley died a couple weeks ago.

The old A-C mowers are cool, especially the tractor inspired ones... given the option I would rather go to a zero turn for my next one though. The one at work has spoiled me.

Weedacker is a old Echo GT-2100 from the 80’s or early 90’s. No primer bulb, starts on the 4th or fifth pull. It just works.

I am not really crazy about playing with mowers, I plowed my wife's garden with about 4 passes with my WD and a 2-14 pulltype JD 44 plow. Then I went and hitched up my 12' Snap-Coupler disk and disked it down. If it ever dries out I am going to plant sweet corn with my JD 730 hard ground lister which will be in turn cultivated with my JD B.

I like the excuse to play with my old stuff.

 

[Curious Hound]

I like the excuse to play with my old stuff.

That's what she said.

 

[Mike Tonon]

My parents had a $99 1984 MTD push-lawnmower from Kmart. 3.5 hp B&S engine, with extended rope start and Magnetron ignition. 22” cut. It just seemed like manufacturers put more into those old mowers. The thing lasted 15 years or so with no real problems. I think my dad changed the blade once and that little rubber connector at the carburetor and maybe took the carburetor off and cleaned it, in that time. But at the 15 year mark, the throttle cable broke and then the bracket broke off the deck that was holding the handle bar. New throttle cable and my buddy welded the bracket. And a new pull cord. Got another 5 good years out of it.

I have a newer version of that mower, now. And it’s ok, after I modified it, lol. But the old mower deck was deeper, I think about 5 inches deep and more square. Where as this one is only about 3-4 inches deep and rounded. The old deck seemed to allow for better air flow, sucking up the grass strands, more and making a more even cut and didn’t need to be cleaned of grass clippings as often.

 

[Ranger850]

well, i just got around to ordering the Magneto. it should be here by Wednesday. i think I'm going to go ahead and replace the solenoid while I'm at it. That way almost everything will have been replaced within the same calendar year.

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

My Murray was free, had been left behind at one of my customers rental houses. He drove it to his house and parked it in his machine sheds in case his teenage kids needed it when they moved out... they both moved a long ways away so he asked if I wanted to come and get it. I was well past tired of dealing with my old Deere so I jumped on it, couldn’t even tell what color it was under the machine shed dirt. All four tires were flat/shot so we winched it on the trailer and hauled it home. Went thru the carb, replaced the choke cable and stuck a battery in it. Ran great. Switched tires from an old Ranch King that came with my place to see what I had. For repairs the front tires died last year and this year so I have replaced those, starter drive gear, a deck spindle (found a rotted out hog pan, killed the blade too) and the original 1996 primary deck belt and idler pulley died a couple weeks ago.

The old A-C mowers are cool, especially the tractor inspired ones... given the option I would rather go to a zero turn for my next one though. The one at work has spoiled me.

Weedacker is a old Echo GT-2100 from the 80’s or early 90’s. No primer bulb, starts on the 4th or fifth pull. It just works.

I am not really crazy about playing with mowers, I plowed my wife's garden with about 4 passes with my WD and a 2-14 pulltype JD 44 plow. Then I went and hitched up my 12' Snap-Coupler disk and disked it down. If it ever dries out I am going to plant sweet corn with my JD 730 hard ground lister which will be in turn cultivated with my JD B.

I like the excuse to play with my old stuff.

One of the things that makes living in the white/striped collar suburbs manageable for me is that the local big box stores have an abundance of dead lawn and garden equipment for sale this time of year.

Yuppies will buy mowers/tillers/weed eaters, etc. and forgot to put oil or two stroke fuel in them and blow them up the first time they use them. Most blown small stuff is $5-50, and the bigger stuff like riding mowers are 100-200. I'll grab a few each year, order a short block off eBay, and sell them as "new - used once" on Craigslist for 70-75% of retail. Easy freaking money all summer long, and always a 150-300% profit.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Had a guy buy a leaf blower cheap somewhere and couldnt get it to run so he brought it in to our shop. Check the vitals and it had good fire and compression.

Check the fuel and he had put ag diesel in it (dyed red). Flushed the tank, put two stoke gas in it and it ran fine, exhaust was smoking white and smelled terrible though.

 

[Uncle Gump]

But... the off rod diesel is so much cheaper and I have crap loads of it. Are you sure I can't run it in my blower?