Posted on 07/19/2011 3:00:36 PM PDT by 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.
I have a VERY LONELY Hot Tub ... too dry for mowing grass
TT
You pay for mowers? Piffft..
I lurk on CL and get the free ones. Most times they run, or need something minor (like a spark plug) to run.
My current one has variable speed self propel, bag or mulch, electric (battery) start and high rear wheels.
Guy left it out over the winter and the tank filled with water. Drained that out, cleaned the carb and changed the oil.
The backup (gotta have one with free mowers) is a elcheapo 3.5HP briggs mower that is older than I am but runs great!
Second opinion dude.....”thrown rod” you don’t hear...you see it breaking out the case or it won’t run at all. Might be loose, but that would run sooo rough you couldn’t cut with it.....transmission? If it’s a walk-behind it’s likely a belt....If it’s not a rider I’d get a second opinion.
Yes....pricey....though, I bet it gives a damned good cut!
Mi tío puede dejar un cortacéspedes de césped en cinco minutos y lo haré en su patio a mitad de precio, señor.
Everywhere in this neighborhood are guys just praying for her to stub her toe or have the slightest bit of a problem with the mower, dontchaknow...
That is probably so. As I mentioned, the Briggs motor is good, all the rest fails pretty fast. I have talked to Sears and they don't seem to care how much I have spent with them over the years so, besides hand tools, I will look elsewhere from now on. Craigs list is where I will start. I do like my new Troy Built 4 stroke weedy though. Wasn't really much more than the 1 1/2 season Crapman boat anchor.
I have Sears yard machines....I can fix them...my oldest rider was bought in 1990.....still running and its Kohler is still running strong...you have to maintain them like you want to keep them.
You’re touring with me! Thanks, and I love that one. Still no macro.
Whatever you do, don’t buy a rear drive mower. Front wheel drive is good.
I bought my first new car in 1971 for what you paid for this. I know, I’ve had DRs before but they are too damned pricey (Yankee Democrats gotta make their due). They have gotten even much worse in their markups of items you can buy elsewhere for 1/10th the price.
Actually, I’d rethink this if I were you. Imagine if you had a hill and you needed help to push it up....geometry tells you the weight on the front wheels is much less than the back. Then it’s a matter of traction - still influenced by actual weight....I disagree completely for non-flat lawns.
Yeah, but could your car level gohper mounds and still chop cholla cactus?
Local selection of brush mowers stunk, so I went with the DR. It wasn’t cheap, but it works.
yeah...you get your yard cheap...each one of the Mexies, though, will cost you your ass in taxes for their little anchor babies extra school and bus costs (from the local little Tijuana neighborhood) and the extra taxes you pay because they can’t afford medical costs so use the local county hospital emergency room for a GP office visit and then they all get amnesty and rape us all for SS and everything else. GOD help us. Hell no! This isnt’ even funny anymore.
If you have steep areas in your yard that require mowing, you want rear wheel drive, speaking from experience. Front wheel just spins. If you have a flat lawn go front due to less of a problem with divots.
Um, I do. But when plastic wheels wobble off the second season, electric start fails the second year (starts good by hand) what do YOU think I didn't do? Or the weed eater I had to take back the the same year I bought it because it wouldn't run with the choke off refused to start the second season despite Stabil in the last tank I ran dry. The small engine shop by me just laughed when I asked if he could "tune it up".
I do know something about mechanical things and maintenance.
Not deriding your choice...you buy what you need for the type of bush hogging needed. Well, homeowner bush hogging anyway....I had the earlier model and it did wonders but it was pricey....(BTW, that car got me plenty of something else that was much more valuable to me at the time! Think about it).
Our John Deere riding mower that we bought several months ago is working really well for us. Our yard is bumpy, rural and rough. - We don’t do extended warranties.
If he can do that in 10 minutes, use your phone to get a pic of his Green Card and stand back with a weekend beer in hand...
I bought a John Deere, the model with the castoring front wheels, five years ago and it’s a whoop-ass mower. Always starts, is easy on gas, and not too much bogs it down. I paid over $500 for it but I believe I made a good choice.
I bought it from a regular J-D dealer, not a chain store. I take it in every spring for a fresh-up and no troubles. It doesn’t seem to go quite as fast as it did when new so I probably will need to replace the drive belt after this season. Easy to do that myself.
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