Lawn Mowers --- Argh!

[schildi]

Need to vent.
We need a new lawn mower, our old one (bought 12 years ago) has rust holes through the deck, even though the engine runs fine.
Anyway, all I want is a simple push mower, but decent quality. We don't want to bag the clippings, so we need a side discharge (or a really good mulcher). 12 years ago, the choices were ample. Now, both home depot and lowes have only very low quality mowers (actually only one model, lol) that fit our needs. Everything else is self propelled, and costs $250 and up, it seems. Hmmm, very frustrating!
Any ideas where else I could look besides HD, Lowes and Sears?

[midjd]

Craigslist?

[2kids10horses]

I have bought several $10 mowers from Habitat for Humanity. I use 'em until they die, and then take 'em to the . (I will leave one at each rental house, and tell the tenants they have to mow the grass.)

But, let's say you buy a new cheapo from HD. Let's say it lasts 5 years. What's your cost/year?

I bought a Honda Masters bagging mower from HD about 20 years ago. It has a heavy aluminum deck, so no rusting. It still runs great. It was about $750 if I remember correctly. (It WAS a long time ago!) $750/20 is $37.50 per year so far, and dropping. And, it's been self propelled.

[schildi]

I am not much into buying used things ...
But I just checked Sears online - they have a better selection there than in store, and can get it delivered to stores for free. Maybe that's the way to go. Does anybody have any experience with 158cc vs. 190cc ($40 difference)?

2kids10, the last mower we bought in 1999 for $120 (at Home Base back then), so that's $10 annually. And I really do not want self propelled. It takes power away, and more importantly, I use the mowing as exercise. Seems counter productive to me that people buy everything power and self propelled for more money, and then pay again to go to the gym, lol.

[2kids10horses]

My lot is too large and steep to have a push mower. But, that's why they make all kinds. I also have a SCAG 48" walk behind that I can put one of those platforms on so I can stand on it.

Most of my neighbors have the zero turn riding mowers. I have some spots that are too steep for that, but I can manage the SCAG.

Of course, the pasture gets bushhogged with the Kabota.

[schildi]

May 11, 2011 22:18:02 GMT -5 2kids10horses said:

My lot is too large and steep to have a push mower. But, that's why they make all kinds. I also have a SCAG 48" walk behind that I can put one of those platforms on so I can stand on it.

Most of my neighbors have the zero turn riding mowers. I have some spots that are too steep for that, but I can manage the SCAG.

Of course, the pasture gets bushhogged with the Kabota.

Yeah, both size and slope can make a self propelled or riding mower worthwile, but both do not apply in our case. I do like the idea of a can holder (beer on a sunny Sunday afternoon?) on those riding mowers.
The Sears 190cc Craftsman side discharge / mulching mower for $185 looks like a decent choice now. Maybe that's what it will be.

[phil5185]

We bought a new 21" John Deere push mower in 1970, cost $100. Alum cast deck, still in good shape. Has a Kohler engine. (It is really a Toro with green paint, made for JD). Years ago I had to replace the 'start' rope every few years, in recent years I just spin it up with a cordless drill. You might check to see what Toro is making/selling these days.

But we do the serious mowing, fertilizing, dragging the horse pasture, with a John Deere 16 HP tractor.

[2kids10horses]

Phil,

How can you do anything "serious" with a 16 HP tractor? My Kubota 4WD compact is a 30 HP diesel, and I feel underpowered!

Heck, my SCAG walk/Ride behind is a 16HP gas engine. I forget who makes the motor.

[schildi]

I ended up getting the Sears mower for $180 (coupons):
www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_07138529000P?i_cntr=1305264807416

[Deleted]

You should have gotten this:

www.sears.com/shc/s/ProductDisplay?returnURL=&productPageFlag=POView&orderId=232847089&oosCatentryIds=&catalogId=12605&langId=-1&partNumber=07138451000P&storeId=10153&errorMessages=[]&cartOmnitureFlag=Y&mv=sl&PRODUCT_OPTIONS_RECOMMENDATIONS=true

better reviews

[Jake 48]

I'm on my second year w/ a self propelled Troybuilt w/ Honda engine. Changed the oil, started on the first pull. This was the first time I spent 250-275( not sure)on a mower. I had always bought cheap throw aways before.

[schildi]

May 13, 2011 7:18:34 GMT -5 ArchietheDragon said:

You should have gotten this:

www.sears.com/shc/s/ProductDisplay?returnURL=&productPageFlag=POView&orderId=232847089&oosCatentryIds=&catalogId=12605&langId=-1&partNumber=07138451000P&storeId=10153&errorMessages=[]&cartOmnitureFlag=Y&mv=sl&PRODUCT_OPTIONS_RECOMMENDATIONS=true

better reviews

Hmm, Archie. I did not see that mower.
Now I am torn between the two. I could still switch, I have not picked up the other one yet.
The one in your link has less torque, but adds a bag (which we don't really use, but hey - same price).
Yeah, the reviews are a little better for the Husqvarna. Hmmm. Darn!

[Deleted]

By the way Schil, the mower I posted a link to is the one I bought last summer. So far so good.

[jkapp]

Many local hardware stores have a lawnmower area...sometimes you can get some great deals and the guy you talk to about them in some cases is the guy that fixes them so you get good advice and can start a business relationship with the maintenance department

[schildi]

May 13, 2011 9:26:07 GMT -5 ArchietheDragon said:

By the way Schil, the mower I posted a link to is the one I bought last summer. So far so good.

Thanks Archie. Still deciding. I like that one in your link. Not sure if the .5ftlbs less torque make a difference.
I like that it has the bag, and that the handle folds down without a second screw on each side (for storing).
How much did you pay last year? It's $180 now, same a the other mower.

[Deleted]

I will tell you that the air filter is not a standard size. I went to Sears to replace it and they would have had to special order it. I decided just to clean it and reuse it.

I paid right around that price.. I think it was $199 and I got another 15%, so maybe $170.

[schildi]

Air filter? We bought our current mower (the one we replace) in '98. I have never done any maintenance on that mower (MTD with B&S engine). Really, I never even checked the oil. I sharpened the blade in spring and added gas, mowed and cleaned it in fall. That was 100% all I did to that mower.
That's what I call reliable. It still starts on the second or third pull. It's just that the deck rusted through ....

[schildi]

Ok, Archie, I cancelled the old order and ordered the one you suggested.
All I can say now is that if that's not a very very good lawn mower, I will tell everybody at YM!

[tskeeter]

Guys, I approach Sears products with a bit of caution. It seems that many of them are designed so that only Sears parts will fit or that the design makes certain parts likely to get damaged and to repair or replace the inexpensive damaged part requires a much more expensive repair.

A couple of examples. The shower in my brother's house has Sears faucets. The faucet is leaking inside the wall. Sears no longer sells that style of faucet. The spacing between the faucet handles is unique to Sears. Orphan faucet that can't be replaced. Only solution is to tear out the tile that matches the entire bathroom, open the wall, redo the plumbing so a standard faucet will fit. Repair the plaster wall, and re-tile the entire bathroom as the existing tile is no longer available. Well, I suppose that the previous owner saved $5 on the Sears faucet when it was put in.

Movers broke off the protruding air intake filter on my Sears air compressor. Dinky filter with about 1.5 square inches of surface area mounted in a plastic holder with a stub the goes into the cylinder of the compressor. Discovered the filter in held in by the head of the cylinder. To repair, you must take off the cylinder head. Cost about $3 to buy a replacement filter. The cylinder rebuild kit I had to buy to get a new head gasket was about $60. So a five minute, $3 repair cost nearly $65 and took an hour and a half.

Sears stuff isn't looking too cost effective to me any more. I guess I'll pay a couple of extra bucks and buy something it doesn't cost an arm and a leg and take twice as long to fix.

[schildi]

Yeah, most things are unfortunately not what they used to be anymore. People go for the lowest price no matter what, that's what causes the quality to go down the drain. More expensive, higher quality items are very difficult to sell nowadays.
I have doubts that this mower will last 12 years with no or very little maintenance like our last one did. But I'll not blame Sears for that, it would be no different with a mower from HD.

The good thing about this lawn mower I just bought is that if anything goes wrong within the first 10 years, Archie is going to reimburse me the full purchase price.