Need a Lawn Mower Recommendation (Vanity)

StonyMan451 | 7/19/2011 | StonyMan451

[StonyMan451]

I've just been informed that my second Toro gas powered push lawn mower isn't worth fixing. I know very little about engines and such, so I'm taking the mechanic's word for it. The engine has thrown a rod (I can hear it) and the transmission's shot (that's why I took it to be repaired).

Now I have to plead a little a lot guilty. I did not take proper care of the thing. I should have changed the oil, etc., etc.

However, before I invest in another lawn mower (which I PROMISE I will take good care of) I thought I'd ask my fellow Freepers for some advice.

Here's my situation... Our lot is 0.7 acres, and bumpy. We're in the mid-atlantic region, so we need to cut the lawn from early April through the end of October. I am not interested in collecting the grass clippings when I use it, so I would want them to mulch back into the lawn. I would like, but do not strictly need an electric start. I do need self-propulsion. Parts of my lawn get very thick and I need the extra power of a larger engine.

So here are my questions:

1. What brand/model do you recommend? (I can spend about $400, give or take)

2. Do you believe an extended warranty is worth the extra cost?

3. If I take good care of it, how long do you think it should last?

4. Besides changing the oil, what should I do to make it last?

5. Are there any other considerations I should take into account?

Thanks.

[af_vet_rr]

Remote control with treads. I know these are expensive, but they have conventional ones. The one with treads...there's something about it. Unfortunately the treaded one doesn't look like it's for mowing close to the ground. Then you have remote control lawnomowers from these guys that appear like they could roll over small animals without slowing down. Unfortunately they haven't paired up with a manufacturer yet.

[eastforker]

You are not gonna get much for $400. Lawnmowers today are not much more than throwaways after about 4 years, if that.Spend about $4K on a small tractor, not a lawn mower, I mean tractor with mower attachment, it should last ya a good 20 years or so.

[Albion Wilde]

I have had a battery-powered, rechargeable electric mower from Black & Decker for 15 years. I had to replace the battery at around 12 years. Other than sharpening the blade, it is trouble-free, odor-free, and very easy to operate. No need for oil or gas. You just have to remember to plug in the charger the day before you want to mow. The mown grass blows back onto the lawn as mulch.

Here is one you may want, for your size lot:

http://www.blackanddecker.com/outdoor/MM275.aspx

This is the newer model of the one I have:

http://www.blackanddecker.com/outdoor/CM1836.aspx

[Blood of Tyrants]

1. What brand/model do you recommend? (I can spend about $400, give or take)

Get one with a Honda engine. They make the best small engines.

2. Do you believe an extended warranty is worth the extra cost?

Absolutely not. Think of the extended warranty as a bet. You are betting that the mower WILL break and the warranty seller is betting that it won’t. The warranty company KNOWS that statistically your mower won’t break. I bet with them.

3. If I take good care of it, how long do you think it should last?

Change the oil once a year and there is no reason that it won’t last 8-10 years.

4. Besides changing the oil, what should I do to make it last?

Air filter. Put some Sta-Bil in the tank in the winter to keep the fuel from gumming up in the carb, run it a few minutes and then shut it down. Also, try to get gasoline WITHOUT ethanol in it because ethanol will dissolve some of the gaskets.

5. Are there any other considerations I should take into account?

That’s a pretty big yard. I would think about a smaller riding mower.

[SWAMPSNIPER]

Goats don’t cost much.

[G Larry]

Neighbor has a 16 yr old that gets to drive the family Mercedes wagon (wrecklessly), but doesn’t lift a finger around the house....Dad mows the lawn.....
I could go on, but suffice it to say, the kid will be in jail within the year, if he’s lucky.

[G Larry]

26 posts and no pictures of “My Pet Goat”?

[TexasTransplant]

***** “Craftsman, Home Depot or Lowes house brands...MTD I think. Built like a tank. Gas ‘em up...keep the oil clean and a new spark plug every couple years and they’ll last a decade or me. Biggest concern is rust...keep ‘em dry in the winter and out of the snow.” *****

Where do you get your Ethanol Free Gas from? ... even Stabil won’t keep the Ethanol from eating the gaskets in the Carb ... I’m so sick of rebuilding carbs ... I’m ready to start buying junkers at yard sales ... if they run .. use em till they crap out and but another... shame cause my Craftsman is a good mower
TT

[MarkL]

I haven't bought a lawn mower in a very long time, but back in my early teens, THE mower to have was a Lawn Boy 2 cycle. It was incredibly powerful, and it would easily cut knee high grass, if it wasn't too wet. I bought one when I was 13 and used it to mow lawns for people in the neighborhood for $$ until I was about 17, when I moved to New York to finish high school. At that time (1979) I gave the mower to my cousin. He used that mower on his home lawn until it finally gave up the ghost in 2006

Mark

[omega4179]

The other thing besides change the oil a couple times a year, is DRAIN the old gasoline out at the end of the season. Then run it till it chokes out. I used the gas in my car so it didn’t go stale.

[saganite]

Buy a goat. Or two. Male and female. Goats eat the grass and you make goat cheese while they make baby goats.;^)

[The Cajun]

My wife told me, in no uncertain terms, I can't buy one of those.

[Revolting cat!]

Real men use a scythe!

[Revel]

Tecumseh stopped making engines a couple of years ago. You can’t get them anymore.

[Chaguito]

Yard Machines, half the price, Briggs and Stratton engine. Last one lasted 10 years without decent maintenance.

[MileHi]

Nothing from Sears.

[Popman]

Having worked in Sears lawn and garden at one time. I have some knowledge

1. What brand/model do you recommend? (I can spend about $400, give or take)——You can hardly go wrong with a Craftsman, but any national brand is good. Get a front propelled movers as the rear wheels tend to tear up the yard. Definitely get at least a 6 horsepower engine anything smaller will burn up too soon if you have a heavy cut and will not cut your grass right. I would suggest you get a rear bagger as you might want to pick up leaves or the yard may be too thick from mulching and need to bag once in a while http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_07137066000P?mv=rr

2. Do you believe an extended warranty is worth the extra cost? -— Since you already claim no mechanical prowess. By all means get it

3. If I take good care of it, how long do you think it should last? -—5 to 10 years at least

4. Besides changing the oil, what should I do to make it last? — change the mulching blade every year. Do not get it sharpened. Very hard to balance it so not to wrap your engine

5. Are there any other considerations I should take into account? — Put good gas in the tank with “fresh start” left over gas can leave a varnish on the lines and clog it up

Beer-—don’t drink horse piss Budweiser while cutting your yard with your new mover

[GreenAccord]

Some good advice on the thread. I know Lawnboys and Hondas are great mowers. So are Toros. But, make sure you check Craigslist in your area. I picked up a fairly newer (4 or so years old) Toro self propelled for $55 from a getting-divorced-so-he-had-to-get-an-apartment poor fellow. It was probably $320 new.

There are steals on there if you monitor it and snag the best deals as they post.

[patton]

Buy the sheapest thing you can get, run it for two years with zero maintenance, sell it on craig’s list, and repeat.

[USMCPOP]

Had a good Toro that lasted for about 10 years with really bad maintenance. Still runs but on it’s last legs. I inherited a similar model from my Dad that would have lasted another 5-8 years. Had to pull the carb and wash out the gunk due to being unused fr a couple years. It started after only a couple pulls.

Then, my nephew from Thailand was mowing the lawn and he decided to run it up over a landscape timber to see if he could cut off the 3/8” steel spike holding it down. He said he didn’t hit anything, but the spike was bent 90 degrees and it bent the blade and the crankshaft. This was the first time we used it after the cleaning! DAMN.

Went to Walmart and bought a green $165. push mower with the big yellow wheels, almost identical to the one pictured. (Poulan/weedeater?) Except ours didn’t come with that nicely padded, self-propelled option on the back of the handle.