Lawn Mowers

Cindy Denning

Cindy Denning

Joined
Apr 9, 2004
Messages
3,419
Self propelled has got to be expensive. Has anyone here have one and is it really a good mower or too good to be true? Any name brand reccomendations. Riders are just too expensive. I have an old Ace brand that still works but I want a larger cut than 21". Price is a factor too. Help, save me. Cavelady
 
Are you looking for a cylinder machine,
cat1825.jpg

a rotary,
mountM6PD.jpg

or doesn't it matter?

Andy
 
Cindy, how much grass do you cut?

Sometimes a regular mower with a bigger engine is a better choice, unless you get a self propelled mower with a big enough motor(which can get expensive, $300+) most of the power is used to drive the wheels so the smaller engines don't cut as well on the cheaper models.

I have a Honda that cut like crazy you literally have to run after it to cut(or let it drag you along behind).

I guess you couldn't get the old one to work?
 
Thanks for that information about self propelled because I really don't know alot about them, it's only 3/4" acre but it takes me 2 days to cut. This time of year it could stand to be cut twice a week and I can't lower the blade any closer to the ground without hurting it. No, one bearing is completely stuck on the rider and I have found 3 pieces of shredded belt over the area that came off of it too. Oh well, at least I have this old mule... :D
 
Cindy,

I like to mow the lawn myself so I can get some extra exercise. We have a self-propelled. I really liked the fact that I didn't have to break my back pushing it through the grass, but it did seem to get bogged down quite a bit. Unfortunately, the self-propelled part is broken as of late. Yesterday, I had to push mow the whole lawn. We live on 1 1/2 acres. What can I say, I guess I got a bit more exercise than I bargained for yesterday.
 
3/4 of an acre? Why, that's very nearly a farm round here. Just think of all the EEC subsidy you could get if you put sheep on it. And no need to buy a mower! You'll have to lobby to get SC signed up. If Turkey can join, I don't see why not.

Re mowers, I've allwaays been impressed with the longevity of Mountfields, if you can get them.

Andy.
 
Personally, I don't care for self-propelled. First off, I need the excercise. Second, it makes the mower much heavier. Third, it's not worth the expense.

Currently I have a Bolens mower with a Briggs-Straton engine. I prefer Tecumseh engines, but it's a good mower so far. It's too small for 3/4 acre though.

I really wanted a John Deere pushmower, but was much too expensive at the time.

One bit of advice, steer clear of mowers with aluminum decks. Take a magnet when you go shopping.

Sam's Club had some cool pushmowers last month. Can't remember the brand though.

Happy shopping,
Bob
 
jsmatos said:
Cindy,

I like to mow the lawn myself so I can get some extra exercise. We have a self-propelled. I really liked the fact that I didn't have to break my back pushing it through the grass, but it did seem to get bogged down quite a bit. Unfortunately, the self-propelled part is broken as of late. Yesterday, I had to push mow the whole lawn. We live on 1 1/2 acres. What can I say, I guess I got a bit more exercise than I bargained for yesterday.
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I like the excerise too and the tan but it's that darn highway grass that is so aggrivating. Cut some grass in the back, now to start the side of the yard and the rope just pulled out. AAARRRGGGHHH. I'm going to see what Lowes has. Thanks all for your info. This is the Deliverance Movie county...to put sheep on this land? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
 
I'm cutting 2 acres with a Wally World 4.75 hp push mower.

Briggs and Stratton engine.

Wanted to borrow my fathers Cub Cadet riding mower. He looked at me like I was crazy ;) .
 
I got a Sears& Sawbuck six horse self propelled. never use the drive gears. I've got a one acre yard that's pretty darn hilly, and it tends to want to go faster than my busted up knees want to. In cases similar to mine self propelled isn't a necessary feature, but the catch is that it seems like everything is self propelled once you go above the $100 Disposables. Being as mower maintenance tends to be a real PITA about all I can suggest is make the purchase hurt a bit now, and maybe you can spend less time fighting a mower in the middle of all the heat an' humidity y'all have down there. besta luck, eh?
 
When I was a kid my father always bought the cheapest self-propelled he could find and we cursed the rotten things.... They're okay at first but after a year they get hard to start and the self-propulsion gets weak and they're so heavy they're much harder to push than a mower that's designed to be pushed -- and after another year or two they don't work at all and can't be fixed any more and have to be replaced. Finally he bought a good one, a Toro, and it's still in constant use over 20 years later -- with no cursing.

Doesn't Toro make a push mower? I think you'd be much better off with that than with a cheap self-propelled.
 
Cougar Allen said:
When I was a kid my father always bought the cheapest self-propelled he could find and we cursed the rotten things.... They're okay at first but after a year they get hard to start and the self-propulsion gets weak and they're so heavy they're much harder to push than a mower that's designed to be pushed -- and after another year or two they don't work at all and can't be fixed any more and have to be replaced. Finally he bought a good one, a Toro, and it's still in constant use over 20 years later -- with no cursing.

Doesn't Toro make a push mower? I think you'd be much better off with that than with a cheap self-propelled.
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I knew it! My father told me because I left his mower out in the rain once when I was a kid, that I ruined it. It got drizzled on!

He buys a new mower about every three years, after fixing the push mowers every season. POS mowers!
 
My dad had a 14" Suffolk Colt cylinder mower which must have been about 30 years old and still going strong when it was retired owing to the unobtainability of some obscure part.

That was followed by 18" Mountfield rotary which ran well until it was about 20 years old. I used to use it to cut the grass at a garden centre which was sometimes four feet high. My dad bought a brand new!! Honda to replace the Mountfield, but the Honda wore out first...

A friend of mine has a Toro, it seems OK, it's at least 10 years old now.

Hayter are supposed to be good but they're dear.

Andy.
 
For non commercial use, I think its hard to beat the value of an MTD/Yard Machine.No its not a toro, tecumseh or honda, but they run well, hold up well, and don't cost near as much.
Take a look at one of their plain old push mowers. Get one with high wheels on the back, and a large engine (5HP or more). The bigger engine will let you mow grass as fast as you want to push the thing in most cases. Its also built more solid and will hold up to occasional abuse, like hitting rocks and stuff on accident much better. We had a 3.5 or 4hp mower once and accidentally hit a hunk of concrete(fell off a truck and landed in our yard) mowing a ditch along the road, it bent the crankshaft. The 6hp MTD we have now has seen much worse and is still running strong.
The high wheeled models push much easier. I really wouldn't get a self propelled. They go one speed, and its a pain the ass. If you want to mow faster you end up pushing the thing any way. In heavy grass, its robbing you of power needed to turn the blade.
They all have briggs and stratton engines. They're simple and reliable. Make sure it has gas and oil, and it will probably run. The most likely thing to wear out will be the deck, and if you clean that out a couple times a year you'll be in good shape on that too.
 
Cougar Allen said:
When I was a kid my father always bought the cheapest self-propelled he could find and we cursed the rotten things.
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Well, my father found the solution to getting a self-propelled lawnmower... He had ME!!!!

'Course, over the long run, I think all of the previously stated ills about the self-propelled lawnmower have still applied!!! :D And if they weren't cussin' me, I was cussin' the lawn!!! :eek:


:cool:
 
Hey, those are some good name brands you guys. That MTD with the high wheels does get my attention, the yard is never high...I swear I can hear and watch it grow before my eyes and that's when the "can't stand a 2" grass length" steps in. Oh the horror and the Magnolia trees are blooming. Can't serve sweetend ice tea on the porch with a messy yard dahlin'. Will check them all out. Thank you. :)
 
My family has two Honda push mowers. The one is at least 12 years old, and the only thing wrong with it is that the handle has broken twice. Other than that, its awesome. We got a new Honda two years ago, and it seems to clog up more than the old one. It is more powerful, but you have to go really slow if the grass is thick. We live on about 3/4 of an acre as well, and it takes abour 3 or 4 hours to cut. When you get two mowers going, you done in no time.
 
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