best lawnmower

[raggie33]

lol every one in my family is looking for stuff first my sis now my dad.whats a good mower.my dads like the honda but its like 700 bucks is there another good one thats cheaper he wont wanna pay 700. i told him get a walmart mower lol i hate self propepled

 

[BIGIRON]

You get what you pay for. Buy good quality that will last for 10 years or buy three cheapies in the same 10 years. Honda are great (I have a tractor) but I'll never get another because of parts ripoffs. Like an ignition coil for $100+ and air filter for $20+. I'm shopping now and will probably get a CubCadet in the 2000 series (Lowes, HomeDep carry the 1000 series). They're tough, have shaft primary drive (not belt)and Kohler engines. Cost more, but worth it in the long run - I think.

 

[BIGIRON]

BTW Last year I replaced a wornout Lawnboy (after 8 yrs of reasonably good service) with a Toro. So far am pleased with it. No problems at all. It's very well built, but with that comes additional weight.

 

[AlphaTea]

15 years ago, my dad and I bought riding mowers.
I bought a John Deere.
He bought a Murray.
He bought another Murray.
He finally bought a Snapper two years ago.
I still ride the original LX-178 38" deck JD mower.
I change the oil every year and have replaced the blades a few times, and one front tire.
Some times you get what you pay for.

 

[markdi]

I haqve a 400 dollar sears craftsman mower
bought it 5 years ago

It starts on the second pull provided that the air cleaner is reasonably clean and the gas is not 9 months old.

I change the oil in it twice in a season and sharpen the blade when it needs it - and other maintenance.

I use mobil one in it ha ha(really)

my nephiew lives with my mom and she live 2 minutes walk from me.

so My nephiew comes over mow's my lawn then walks the mower to mom's and mow's her lawn. - no charge to me except wear and tear on my mower(mom bought it for me any way)

 

[Darell]

I know I'll take some shots, but I'm used to it /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif

No gas stabilizers, no oil changes, no filters, no pull start, no deafening sound or petrol stench... get a battery electric and enjoy the good life. Yup, 24V of lawn lovin'.

 

[markdi]

my mom has one of those electric battery mowers

they are very badly balanced and cumbersome to use

she gave it to me a while back

now if I could find a use for the 24 volt battery and motor.

 

[BatteryCharger]

[ QUOTE ]
Darell said:
No gas stabilizers, no oil changes, no filters, no pull start, no deafening sound or petrol stench...

[/ QUOTE ]

Add to that no power and no quick way to refuel...

Whatever you do, don't get something with a Tecumseh engine. (Eager 1) Most sears stuff comes with these...much inferior to any other small engine. Briggs and Stratton is very good for the price.

 

[Malpaso]

The best lawnmower is a neighborhood kid.

 

[Flying Turtle]

I've been using one of those high wheel Toros for four seasons with no problems. It's my first self-propelled, and I like that feature. You squeeze a bar on the handle to engage it. Works like a clutch, so you can feather it for varying amounts of drive. I wouldn't like for it to just be on or off. Simple drive mechanism, sqeezing the drive bar just tightens a rubber belt. Having the big rear wheels makes it pretty heavy. Probably would get regular wheels next time. It's got a 6.5hp Tecumseh that's always started easily. The price was $299 at Ace Hardware. They sell them at Home Depot, too. It's still the same price everywhere I've seen it.

Geoff

 

[nerdgineer]

McLane reel mower - 20" gas. I don't think anything beats a reel mower. Just my opinion...

 

[DaFiend]

Is this ride on mowers? or push mowers?

I'd say anything with a briggs & Stratton in its guts. John Deere is pretty tops. In Australia the numero uno push mowers is "Victa".

 

[DieselDave]

In push mowers it's my opinion the best bang for the buck in basic cutting is a $139 3.5-5.0 HP Briggs and Stratton cheapie with no frills. A lot of people buy them as a temporary mower to save money and end up using them for 5-10 years. Keep the oil and filter changed and the deck will probably rust out before the engine dies. If it does break, parts are cheap and it's easy to work on.

My Dad bought one of the cheapies in the mid seventies, it had a cast iron deck. My Grandfather owned a lawnmower sales and repair shop where I worked 1 month every summer. It was still running strong and looking good when I sold it in 84. I made a lot of money cutting with that old cheapie.

When it comes to riders I believe you get what you pay for.

 

[Bill.H]

I'm still using my 1984 8 horse Snapper rider (B&S motor). Only major repair was the starter - and after I had replaced it I discovered I could have disassembled & repaired it!
I think I now need a new clutch spring - should be able to get one at the hardware store for under $5. I have replaced the clutch disk maybe 4 times - it costs $7 and takes about 5 minutes.

But I can't say if the current ones are built as good as this or not, it's been 20 years!

 

[raggie33]

he ended up with a crafts man (shakes head)
mower

 

[turbodog]

[ QUOTE ]
Darell said:
I know I'll take some shots, but I'm used to it /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif

No gas stabilizers, no oil changes, no filters, no pull start, no deafening sound or petrol stench... get a battery electric and enjoy the good life. Yup, 24V of lawn lovin'.

[/ QUOTE ]

That's ok (pats Darell on the back). Between your electric and my v-twin 27 Hp Kohler, we balance out nicely.

 

[Darell]

[ QUOTE ]
BatteryCharger said:
[ QUOTE ]
Darell said:
No gas stabilizers, no oil changes, no filters, no pull start, no deafening sound or petrol stench...

[/ QUOTE ]

Add to that no power and no quick way to refuel...


[/ QUOTE ]
Whoa! Wouldn't expect this comment from a guy call's himslef "BatteryCharger!" Yikes. No power? I guess it depends on what you're cutting. I'm cutting grass. This thing can't be stopped any easier than the new 5pm Craftsman (whoever makes those) that this replaced.

I mow at MOST 2x per week. On a single charge I can mow four times. Takes about four hours to charge. I have yet to be cramped for recharge time!

Again, I guess it all depends on what your use is. Right tool for the job and all that. If I were a greenskeeper, I guess I wouldn't choose rechargeable electric, ya know? For a typical suburban lawn - nothing better.

 

[Darell]

[ QUOTE ]
markdi said:
my mom has one of those electric battery mowers

they are very badly balanced and cumbersome to use

she gave it to me a while back

now if I could find a use for the 24 volt battery and motor.

[/ QUOTE ]
One of these B&D's exactly? This is the "good" one. Like with any product niche, there are crappy ones. None of them have 24V batteries. The 24V mowers have two 12V batteries in series. You're sure you've got one of these? Unbalanced? Cumbesome? Doesn't sound like it. Compared to a gas mower, this thing runs as smooth as silk. You couldn't feel a vibration if you tried. It is somewhat like mowing with a vacuum cleaner in sound and feel.

 

[raggie33]

maybe she hit a rock with the blade to make it unbalnced. i think my dads law in to big for electric and its very hilly so he needs self proepesled

 

[Darell]

[ QUOTE ]
raggie33 said:
i think my dads law in to big for electric and its very hilly so he needs self proepesled

[/ QUOTE ]
Whew! Thanks Edd! Finally, a *reasonable* reason against a rechargeable. It'll go for about 45 minutes solid on a charge. If the lawn is bigger than that, then it ain't the right tool.