Lawn mower people, lend me your expertise.
 

I have been through two mowers in three summers. Something's up right? I need your advice on the best of the best. I have had the MTD Lawn Man and Craftsman. The Craftsman is alright but the self propel broke and now the frat boys have adopted it.

Here is what I am thinking of. I want self propelled, mulching, easy turn around bushes and gardens, easy start and easy clean up and good for the environment. I would love to go electric but my yard is way too large for an electric mower.

My choices thus far are:

John Deere, which has a Briggs & Stratton 190 cc overhead-valve engine and lockable castors and rear wheel drive. The castors allow for easy turning around gardens and bushes/trees, mulches, side discharges and has a bag. $515

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or

Toro, which has a 6.75 TP Guaranteed-to-Start Briggs & Stratton Engine, recyclable features (good for the environment) and personal pace system that allows you to go at your own pace and not a preset pace. Also a rear wheel drive, mulch, side discharges and a bag.. $349

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I currently have a Toro snowblower and love it so much! I am almost afraid to try any other brand. John Deere does have a great rep but am I buying the name? I need something that's going to last and I have found that in some things, cheaper does mean cheaper. So, what do you all think?

How do you go thru mowers so fast??

keep oil level good and clean it well before parking it...:confused:
Maybe spray some WD 40 or such on it end of season and beginning of season.

we just get used ones and they last for years as long as it is dry & covered for winter.

I just looked at the one we got 2 used yrs ago - it is a MTD Yard Machine { but not self propelled}

It sat all winter in our covered dog kennel and started right up on the first pull with fresh gas this spring.

personally ide go with the toro , they both have a briggs and stratton engine which is a good thing and the unless u can find a kid to do it for a fair price that has his own mower each week why pay that much extra for the deer name cause i also have had good luck with toro products here

Do you mow on slopes? If so, you might be buying the wrong type of mowers entirely. We had to buy a particular kind of mower because a lot of our yard is sloped. It is a two stroke.

If you have slopes and don't have a two stroke, the oil doesn't circulate through the mower well enough (it shifts to the side when you are on the slopes) because there is no oil pump. With a two stroke, you mix the gas and the oil so it gets all through the system. My husband said the only way around that is if you buy a four stroke that has an oil pump. I guess those are really expensive.

He said a two stroke Lawn Boy would last a long time! Actually, he said it would probably be the last lawn mower you would have to buy if it was maintained properly.

I agree with Frank, Sandy. For the amount of money you are spending on lawn mowers, you'd be better of dollarwise hiring some kid to come in and mow your lawn!! :eek::rolleyes:;)

Personally, I have a Craftsman Riding Mower with a Briggs/Stratton engine. They're the best. Plus with Sears, you get warranty and service calls that you can't really beat.

I don't know how much lawn you are mowing ---

mulching is good, self-propelled is good, keeping the blades sharp is a must!!! Maintenance on the engine is also a must...even just keeping it clean.

I never even thought about that .. oil & sloped yards..
we have a sloped yard- I'll have to look and see which side my oil is on- the uphill side or the downhill side.
I mow across the slope usually.

Be very careful on slopes because my bro slipped and did manage to cut off 3 of his toes!!

I am very glad for this thread! I purchased my house in Oct and am in need of purchasing a mower, on my own. I just look at the ads in the paper and am so overwhlemed.

Thanks for all the tips! I will be keeping an eye on this thread for more.

This is my recommendation. The ultimate cost is equal or lower and adds value to your property: http://www.americanlawnandlandscape....ces/mowing.asp

I like your way of thinking AMN!!! :I-Agree:

According to DH, it doesn't matter which side the oil is on. If it is tipped to one side or the other, it still can't circulate while the mower is running, so that puts a lot of strain on the motor.

Thank you everyone for such great advice! I did keep my lawn mowers in good shape. I guess I should have been clearer on why the two mowers I had were not the best for us. I had two teenagers who liked to run marathons when they mowed. Nuff said on that one! lol After having some issues (starting, blades, self propelled breaking, etc) with both of these mowers I passed them on to others. One went to a neighbor in need and the other went to my oldest son's fraternity house. I am out of a lawn mower now and have decided to do the mowing myself this year.

I am looking for a sturdy mower, one that can handle a lawn that is not too big. Surely not large enough for a riding lawn mower. I did have a young man cut my lawn last year but he was not reliable. He'd come when he felt like it and never did the extras I asked him to do because simply, he forgot. I paid him about $100 a month for his services. Other services in my area that are more reliable are too expensive. Cindy, that company you showed me is great but they don't service my area. :-(

The other reason I am doing this is because I want to get out there and get some exercise. The yard is really not that large. It is 200x70 foot with my house in the middle of it all. I do have slopes in the front and side so the oil factor makes sense. I keep oil filters on hand for that very reason. I also have a great neighbor who each year comes by and does the maintainance on my snow blower and mower for free. Isn't that sweet? I do want to learn how to do this myself though.

My boys, when they are home for the summer are great at doing the lawn. But like I said, they are rough on the mowers. This year they will not be home hardly at all so it's all on me. If any have read Judy's thread they know I am in this for the exercise and I refuse to hire out when I can do this myself.

So, please keep the advice coming. Not only am I learning which mowers are the best, I am learning good maintainance procedures! You guys are the best! The two mowers I showed you are the ones I have researched and like but I am not opposed at a cheaper model if it's just as good. That is why I wondered about the branding and if I was buying the name rather than the best product. I also want a mower that I can take in for service that is close to my house and/or offers services at home.

2 mtds one self propelled one not, both over ten years old. Used mainly for trimming close to the house around the trees and the 200 foot long ditch in front by the road(sloped), the swale about 600 feet long that runs along the property line and across the back yard also sloped.

I have to believe the manufacturer understands everyones land is not level and allowances are made for it. My property drops almost 3 feet in 160-180 feet to the ditch in front and about the same in 220-240 feet to the swale in back.

No clue what you are doing wrong no reason to go thru lawn mowers that fast, mine last until the body gets cracked up to bad to use or rusts out. I change oil once a year, add some stabil to the fuel tank and take a wire brush and clean off the spark plug and check the gap once a year.

LOL my kids aren`t as careful as I am but they have been doing the trimming now for almost 5 years. They have taken the self propelled one out in the fields and woods out back to cut a path, also rough un-even ground, got to be almost a mile both ways.

Sandy,

I asked my gardener your questions, and he said that the single most significant thing that keeps all twelve of his mowers in good shape and reliable is a very sharp blade. Every two weeks he manually sharpens the blades on all of his mowers.

He said that regardless of the brand and regardless of the features, any lawnmower with a dull blade will cause such intense damage to the engine that it will be useless in short order.

He suggested that you purchase the least expensive mower that you can find and a blade sharpener. The total cost of those two items will be far below the cost of most mowers.

-Vic

lay cement and paint it green(as my dad would say )

get a goat cayo has a few

Thank you, Victor, for the advice about the blades. I'm going to mention that to DH and make sure he is keeping up on the blades.

As far as mower brands we have - one is a Toro riding mower and the other is a Craftsman self propelled (two stroke) push type mower. We have over 1/2 an acre so the rider does most of it, but need the push mower on the hills and tight spots. I can't complain about either mower.

I've got a Craftsman with a 23 hp Kohler engine (riding). 52" cut. It's 8 years old. Getting parts from Sears is convenient.

I had a Murray 42" riding lawnmower before then. It lasted 8 years. Texas proved to be to rough on the guy.

We got a little less than 2 acres on a creek with a sharp bank. I haven't mowed since last August. I pay a mexican crew 65 bucks a week now and I'll probably keep them on even when I get back 100%.

Tom

Victor, thanks for the advice. It makes sense. I did all the maintenance but never sharpened the blades. I don't even know how. :confused:

I will look into a blade sharpener. I'll bet it's not as hard as it seems. :D

Those are both wonderful lawnmowers. Do they mulch? Have you test drove them?

My DH's dream machine is a Honda, but he had to settle for an Ariens the last time. He loves it.

You need to make sure you test them out. You know, easy to start, that the bag is easy to take off and on...

The DH has the Ariens and I have the rider.

I went with the Cub Cadet. I love it! I tried all the riders out and this one fit me and worked with my needs the best. (plus the cup holder was in the best location!:D)

Thank Taffy! I want a riding mower but to be honest, my yard is too small for one, lol. Your right that I need to check them out, see them in person. I was thinking about an electric start as well. My Toro snow blower has an electric start and I love it.

I still say get the service. You could always just follow them around to get the laps in.

That's funny! Yeah, I could act like I am checking their work. teehee

I'm no expert but... I found that the mowers with tall rear wheels seem to be better for smaller yards. Slopes arent hard either. It lets me worry about staying balanced and footing rather than having the mower keep going on me.

I don't know the last time my blade was sharpened :confused:

Victor is right about the blades being sharp. You can probably find a place that will sharpen the blades for you at a reasonable cost. I checked around here and there's a guy that will sharpen the blades on my riding mower for $5. I have to remove them and take them to him...:D obviously as I cannot drive the mower to him! :p

I sharpen them myself but then again, I am in the business so I have the tools. You just have to make sure you sharpen them correctly otherwise you end up with a blade that's not straight! Then you have crooked grass! LOL! But more importantly, you end up with an unbalanced blade.

Self propelled, easy start, and yes, Taffy, a well placed cup holder is important! (funny she should mention that...I saw an article about things people look for in cars and one of the top 10 was the placement of the cup holder!)

Well thanks FG! Actually beside the cup holder placement, the nice cushy seat got me. As soon as my tush hit the seat I was sold! Ok and the color. (Taffy, now showing how shallow she is.)

Blades are easy to sharpen. If you have a drill, then buy on of these sharpeners:

What is even easier is to be the one to dull them up in the first place!

"Oh...didn't see that rock...oh dang another. Hope he didn't hear that one. Geez, that one was huge!) :Wave-Hello:

I hope that everyone around that lawnmower is wearing Kevlar!

LOL

-Vic

You guys are great!

Fess up Taffy, what color did you get?

Cubbies come in a nice two tone. It's a cream and calf crap yellow combo. Makes ya feel like you are out on the back 40 farming! So like I said...The Seat.. if I have to sit on anything for more than too long it better feel good!:D

Thanks everyone! I have a ton of great ideas and advice now. I knew this was the place to be!