Help with Lawn Mower Suggestions?

K

KennyFlys

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I'm looking for a good psychiatrist... oops, wrong board!

I mean, I'm looking for a self-propelled, push lawn mower. It has to have a catch bag and large wheels on the rear as well as rear-wheel driven.

I've looked at Troy Bilt, John Deere, Lawn Boy and Toro. My Budget goes through $300, possibly up to $400.

Any suggestions on who has had what for the longest time and best performance? I know it's not like buying an airplane but I do want quality and value.

Thanks in advance.

Ken
 
When I was planning to buy a mower, I called my cousin who is a career auto mechanic who had gig doing small engine repair for a John Deere dealer. He also has a farm in the country of PA with a lot of grass to mow.

He said to go with Sears Craftsman. It's "Sears Days" through Sunday so you can get "lowest prices of the season" on Craftsman lawn mowers.

I am amazed how low the prices are at Sears. On my recent visit to the local Super K-Mart I was reminded that they own Sears now. The Sears retail stores are kinda sad. For whatever reason they seem to be incapable of understanding that retail stores in this century are not bland beige, hard surfaces everywhere and steel shelves.

As for me, I decided I can't, and don't want to do the lawn mowing so I hired a landscaper for now. I have no plans to buy a mower for a year or so.
 
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Go to Lowes, Home Depot, Sams, Walmat and KMart and get the least expensive on that has what you want. They are all built by the same company. A lawn mower that is cared for will last forever. Clean the deck once a month and spray WD-40 on the nut or bolt that secures the blade on the motor when you clean it. Change the oil in the middle of the season. At the end of the season change the oil and add fuel stabilizer to the fuel and fill it up then run it for 10 min to get the stabilizer in the carb. Clean the foam filter when you change the oil. Check the blade to see if it needs to be sharpened (sharpen it at least once a year) and change it after you have sharpened it 3 times (you might imbalance it otherwise). My self propelled Murray is 12 yrs old is on its second sparkplug and starts on the first easy pull every time and I paid $159 for it.
 
I got a Yard Man about 4-5 yrs ago (also known as MTD and Cub Cadet).

Self propelled, rear-wheel drive, but doesn't have the large wheels in the back.

I bought mine at either Home Depot or Lowes, but it doesn't look like they carry that brand anymore. I couldn't find and exact match to the one I have but it's similar to:
http://www.cubcadet.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_10051_14101_89412_33831_-1#

It looks like they're coming with a Honda engine now instead of the Briggs that's on mine.

Never had a problem, always starts first time. Heavy, though. Grass bag holds enough that, when full, it becomes heavy enough to be a PITA.

I bought it to replace the cheap (<$150), but Briggs powered, push mower I had for the previous 15 yrs. We moved and the new yard had enough hills that I decided to go the self-propelled route and sold the old mower at a garage sale. It still ran fine.

I kind of agree with the suggestion that they'll all pretty much last forever if you take a little care of them.
 
My Craftsman (which is really an OEM'ed Briggs and Stratton engine on a generic deck) has been great for five years now. I take it in every year for a $40 blade sharpen or replace and oil change, and it has been trouble free.

If you don't NEED the self-propelled option, then you can save money, keep fit, and increase the reliability by doing without it. If you do need it, get the model with the big rear wheels.
 
TMetzinger said:
My Craftsman (which is really an OEM'ed Briggs and Stratton engine on a generic deck) has been great for five years now. I take it in every year for a $40 blade sharpen or replace and oil change, and it has been trouble free.

If you don't NEED the self-propelled option, then you can save money, keep fit, and increase the reliability by doing without it. If you do need it, get the model with the big rear wheels.
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I'm gonna go check out Sears after class tomorrow. I do want the large rear wheels. But for some strange reason, I keep finding those with the large rear wheels having front-wheel drive while the rear-wheel drive are small wheels. :dunno: This is what I found on the Troy-Bilt's. It appears the same on the Toro's and even John Deere's.

Out back, I have a fairly steep hill. It's not long but wide enough to take forever to use a weed eater. I'll still get plenty of walking. There's just over a half-acre to mow. I don't want to make myself too tired when mowing on a Sunday afternoon and then fall asleep during a NASCAR race. :D
 
KennyFlys said:
I'm looking for a good psychiatrist... oops, wrong board!

I mean, I'm looking for a self-propelled, push lawn mower. It has to have a catch bag and large wheels on the rear as well as rear-wheel driven.

I've looked at Troy Bilt, John Deere, Lawn Boy and Toro. My Budget goes through $300, possibly up to $400.

Any suggestions on who has had what for the longest time and best performance? I know it's not like buying an airplane but I do want quality and value.

Thanks in advance.

Ken
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I've had an Ariens for about 20 years, and did nothing to it changed oil once (I for get when) but this year the engine got difficult to start, did all the tune up stuff but it still started hard, and had no compression, So I bought a new 5 1/2 horse replacement engine and changed it out. sharpened the blade, it works great again. It's self propelled but has small wheels all around.
 
mikea said:
He said to go with Sears Craftsman. It's "Sears Days" through Sunday so you can get "lowest prices of the season" on Craftsman lawn mowers.

I am amazed how low the prices are at Sears.
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Last fall I bought a new Craftsman mower. Rear wheel drive, self propelled, 6.75hp, supposed to be gear driven wheels. It was the next one down from their top of the line model I believe. I got it for about $280 on sale, normally $360 I believe. I thought I was saving $80, figured that was a good deal. Other than the Briggs engine, that thing is a piece of junk. My Dad told me before I bought it not to buy a Craftsman mower...should've known to listen to Dad. He had a Craftsman mower a couple of years ago that was fairly new, and the steel deck actually cracked and the entire corner where the wheel was mounted fell off! Their hand tools are great, but this mower and a lot of other Craftsman stuff is junk. But that is another post.

I have a fairly steep hill in the back yard, which is why I wanted a big engine, & self propelled RWD. Out of the box, this mower worked great. The engine fires on the first pull, and the pull is barely even a pull, not a jerk at all. My wife can start it with a light tug. The drive worked great, would spin the tires on any surface. My yard isn't huge, I can do the front and back in 20-25 minutes.

The third time I used it, I noticed the drive didn't seem to be working so good. It wasn't getting much power to the left wheel. I noticed if I lifted the rear up, I could easily stop that wheel with my foot. Consequently, the mower always wanted to turn left, and right turns took significantly more effort. Keep in mind, it probably didn't have two hours of use. The fourth time I used it, the drive was too weak to get the mower up my hill without some pushing from me. Geared drive huh? :rolleyes:

I used it one last time before winter set in. After a few weeks, I went to Sears to ask about the problem. They said bring it in. It was winter, I wasn't in a hurry. A few weeks later, I brought it in...apparently it would be fixed under warranty. I told the guy if the thing was already having trouble after ~2 hours of use, I didn't want it and would prefer a refund. They wouldn't do it since it had been more than 90 days.

So, they kept it for about three weeks, I picked it up a couple of weeks ago, and it has worked fine the one time I have used it. I'm expecting the drive to quit on me in a few weeks though, and if it does, I'm going to go back in there and be a little more demanding on the return. This should NOT be happening on a new mower.

The engines (Briggs) are great. The rest of the mower is a piece of junk. Cheap, poorly made crap. My advice is to spend an extra $100-$200, and get a low-end professional mower for $400-$500 (I've heard Toro is good). It'll last you 10 years or more like a good mower should (the Craftsman mower I grew up using must've lasted near 15 years...wish they still made them like that). In the end, you'll end up saving money and a lot of frustration by not buying the cheapest you can find, which will probably only last 3-4 seasons before the hassle makes you go buy a new one. That is what I'll do next time anyway.
 
Had a Toro once. Ran it for nearly 15 years before it gave up. Replaced it with a no-name from a home supply chain that went out of business a bit over 10 years ago (Ernst). 12 years and I assume it's still running. We got rid of the last of our lawn a couple years ago and donated the mower to my wife's sorority at WSU. Buy a good mower and it will last a long time.
 
SteveR said:
Last fall I bought a new Craftsman mower. .. Cheap, poorly made crap. My advice is to spend an extra $100-$200, and get a low-end professional mower for $400-$500 (I've heard Toro is good). It'll last you 10 years or more like a good mower should (the Craftsman mower I grew up using must've lasted near 15 years...wish they still made them like that). In the end, you'll end up saving money and a lot of frustration by not buying the cheapest you can find, which will probably only last 3-4 seasons before the hassle makes you go buy a new one. That is what I'll do next time anyway.
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It's possible that Craftsman went cheap since the K-Mart takeover of Sears so my cousin's advice doesn't apply to the current stuff. Check out http://www.epinions.com/hmgd-Lawn_and_Garden-Power_Tools-All-Mowers for consumer recommendations. When I looked there were a buncvh who had problems witht he drive wheels on Craftsman mowers.

Also remember that Lawn Boy is now owned by Toro. I think they position Lawn Boy as a low cost brand.
 
I had a Black and Decker electric unit that worked great on a smaller lot. If you have a lot of grass, probably want to go the gas route, but I liked the electric as it was quieter and required less *&^%$ engine maintenance than the last few gasoline powered units I've had.
 
I've had a number over the years, Craftsman, MTD, no-name, etc... By far and away the best is the current Honda. Going on 10 years and has never missed a beat! Aluminium deck, self propelled, blade brake and fully adjustable (I'm tall so most mowers seem too short). Maintanence is easy, all the parts that need service are easily accessable and the service manual is well written. There must be something wrong with it somewhere, it seems as though I get a lot more tired after mowing the yard than I remember!:D

Gary
 
wsuffa said:
I had a Black and Decker electric unit that worked great on a smaller lot. If you have a lot of grass, probably want to go the gas route, but I liked the electric as it was quieter and required less *&^%$ engine maintenance than the last few gasoline powered units I've had.
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I saw reviews for the FlyMo on epinions. I think if you have small yard as a pilot you would HAVE TO get that so you have a flying lawn mower. It says it has a height adjustment. I wonder how that works.....google....heh....The US is "International"....I know they said the FlyMo was popular in Europe but that's the first time that happened.

http://www.flymo.com/node513.aspx?cid=307
 
I've got a Lawn Boy, can't remember which model. I think it was about $350. Self propelled RWD, continuously variable speed, easy-lift bag and does a good job mulching (haven't used side discharge). Easy to use, completely reliable (only had it 2 years). My favorite feature is that the deck height adjustment on the wheels is very easy to use - very large tabs. I had a Yard Machines push-only that was a pain to start, only did a fair job at mowing and had a difficult to use and relatively small bag.

Jeff
 
This is the one I finally went with... a Troy Bilt TB566

Product Details
  • Z-Start starting system for up to 20% easier pull-starting
  • 21" heavy-duty steel mulching deck
  • Variable-speed front wheel drive self-propelled transmission eliminates pushing
  • 3-in-1 convertible: side discharge, mulch, or rear bag
  • 12" rear high wheels for easier maneuverability on uneven terrain
  • Standard 2.3-bushel grass catcher
  • 9-position deck height adjustment
  • Standard deluxe bail
  • Fully assembled with oil included in carton
  • 2-year limited warranty
  • 190cc/6.50 ft.-lbs. gross torque* Briggs & Stratton engine
  • *ft.-lbs. gross torque per SAE J1940 as rated by engine manufacturer @ 3060 rpm
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I paid the retail price but I've not seen anything as decent on sale cheaper. While there, I also picked up a Troy Bilt Weed Eater. With picking up an extra gas can, weed eater line and two-cycle oil, that's another $466 to Discover via Lowe's.

I think I was more blown away when it took $8.22 to fill up two gas cans totaling three gallons. Suddenly, it doesn't seem all that long ago my dad gave me fifty cents to ride my bike down the road and get gas for the lawn mower. :dunno: :rolleyes:

I'll let ya know how well it runs. Another guy bought the same one while I was there.
 
KennyFlys said:
This is the one I finally went with... a Troy Bilt TB566

...
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I wonder how well front wheel drive works. It would seem to me that you would have the drive wheels in the air going downhill or if you push the handle down to turn it. Maybe that's what's intended?
 
mikea said:
I wonder how well front wheel drive works. It would seem to me that you would have the drive wheels in the air going downhill or if you push the handle down to turn it. Maybe that's what's intended?
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I asked the same question and was told they get it often. We'll see how it works out.
 
I bought a used Toro Personal Pace lawn mower ($250 used) about 3 years back from a very respected mower sales and service place here in town. My parents only owned Toros (except for one Honda), and I'm finding out why.

I last used it in October of last year. Pulled it out of the garage today, changed the oil, put gas in . . . started on the first pull!! I mean really . . . I wish everything was that reliable! :)
 
Granda Pa has the best lawn mower I have ever seen. It is self propelled, does not use gas or oil, will fertilize the yard as it mows, pruns the bushes and will come when you call it.















Its a Goat!:D
 
Dean said:
Granda Pa has the best lawn mower I have ever seen. It is self propelled, does not use gas or oil, will fertilize the yard as it mows, pruns the bushes and will come when you call it.

Its a Goat!:D
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This could go well in the neighborhood. My cop neighbor has a pig for a pet. His name is Samson. :)
 
lawingr said:
I bought a used Toro Personal Pace lawn mower ($250 used) about 3 years back from a very respected mower sales and service place here in town. My parents only owned Toros (except for one Honda), and I'm finding out why.

I last used it in October of last year. Pulled it out of the garage today, changed the oil, put gas in . . . started on the first pull!! I mean really . . . I wish everything was that reliable! :)
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My dad bought a Toro 20 years ago.
It still works, and has never seen the inside of a shop.

Spend a little more and buy something which will last.
Oh and don't bother with the self propelled, unless you have a real deck mower the self propelled is just a gimick to break, will keep you from getting exercise, and won't really work when you want it to.
 
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