The Lawn Mower Thread

[gkeller813]

We picked up the blower and weedeater 60v. First use is tomorrow

Nice, have fun, I guess as much as you can doing some yard work.... I went from an old black and decker 18v to my new 56v and wow, the power difference was shockingly good.

 

[clarkgriswold]

I’m all in on the ego line of products. Mower, trimmer, hedge trimmer. Except snow blower, I still see gas powered as the only option for heavy snow.

 

[gkeller813]

I’m all in on the ego line of products. Mower, trimmer, hedge trimmer. Except snow blower, I still see gas powered as the only option for heavy snow.

Thats what I have. Ego blower and string trimmer. Only had a few months, but they have been great so far. One 5 AH battery is more than enough for trimming and blowing for me.

 

[wubears71]

My new outdoor toy - a mister.

SR 200 Backpack Sprayer | Lightweight Power Weed Sprayer

The SR 200 backpack sprayer is a lightweight power sprayer which is easy to maneuver around your yard and powerful enough for large projects.

www.stihlusa.com

We have always had mosquitos and bugs that really make it tough for us to enjoy the beautiful lawn I maintain. It’s so dang hot and humid during July and August that being outside without bug spray is Impossible. I looked into Mosquito Squad and realized I can buy a mister and all the insecticides for less than the cost of 1 year’s service.

if you have a bug and mosquito problem, definitely consider buying a mister!

 

[blueonblack]

Looking out the window, my grass is SO long right now. Its that last shot of August heat up here, so have been trying to let that pass before I venture out there, and just have some other stuff to do this afternoon.
Rain has it turning it into a scene from "Little Shop of Horrors" out there. The neighbors love me I'm sure, but they can come over and help if they want to.
Rain tonight and maybe into tomorrow? Friday? Saturday? It's gonna be a jungle out there.
Might be a double-cutter, so that's out in the heat.
Please don't que Axel Rose.

 

[stryper]

Looking out the window, my grass is SO long right now. Its that last shot of August heat up here, so have been trying to let that pass before I venture out there, and just have some other stuff to do this afternoon.
Rain has it turning it into a scene from "Little Shop of Horrors" out there. The neighbors love me I'm sure, but they can come over and help if they want to.
Rain tonight and maybe into tomorrow? Friday? Saturday? It's gonna be a jungle out there.
Might be a double-cutter, so that's out in the heat.
Please don't que Axel Rose.

Been on the DL for almost two weeks, but was finally able to get on the turf today. No choice but to double-cut, as the clippings were clumping everywhere. Unusual for August in my neck of the woods; normally we’re struggling to come out of dormancy right now, but it’s been so wet that that didn’t happen this year.

With a nice breeze, intermittent cloud cover, and temps in the 70’s, I did enjoy the ride.

 

[gonyr]

I went out to mow this afternoon for the first time in 3 weeks due to no rain. Only made it about 15 minutes before my garden tractor decided to stop moving. Turns out the drive belt to the transmission broke. I guess I can't complain - it lasted for 15 years. But what a hassle replacing it. I had to remove the deck, fish out the broken belt, and remove the clutch (including removing the engine cover so I could wedge the flywheel in place). And I'm still not sure I'll be able to get the new belt in there tomorrow because the retainer tabs are in the way and the pulley is rusted to the engine shaft so I can't slide it down. By the way, don't get the idea that I know what I'm doing. Youtube can be a wonderful thing.

 

[blueonblack]

Been on the DL for almost two weeks, but was finally able to get on the turf today. No choice but to double-cut, as the clippings were clumping everywhere. Unusual for August in my neck of the woods; normally we’re struggling to come out of dormancy right now, but it’s been so wet that that didn’t happen this year.

With a nice breeze, intermittent cloud cover, and temps in the 70’s, I did enjoy the ride.

The RIDE?! Lucky dog.
I went out there yesterday and tackled it. Only got to 81º instead of the 86º they were talking about. I had to double cut portions of it, and some even triple cut. I keep a log for how many hours I use the mower and it had only been ten days since I last cut it, but man what a jungle. I set the deck one level lower just so I don't have to cut it again for a while. My back is killing me today and making my left leg cramp up. I need a townhouse!

 

[gr8dryv]

Picked up a Cub Cadet XT1 24HP/50" fabricated/welded deck last year. Great machine but kind of thirsty vs the 16.5 hp machine it replaced. Never a bog down, saving a lot of time with the wider deck. My only issue is the sh***y bagger design. The lid doesn't stay closed and the inlet tube to it has some gapping so clippings tend to get out. My other is a Toro walk behind that I use for tighter areas or when I need to get some steps in. It's got lifetime oil (insert laughing face here) that I'll be changing regularly.

 

[blueonblack]

I'll have to see if I can upload some pics, but got out there after no cuts for 3 WEEKS.
The stripes are impressive. Got to love the fact it took 1.5 hrs and the last drop of gas got me to that last strip of grass in the back so I didn't have to lug out the gas can to fill it for such a ridiculous little amount left.

Got a rebate check in the mail from the health insurance company for overbilling me in 2019 those thoughtful b@stards. "non=-profit my ass.
That is going STAIGHT into new hybrids for my bag.

Oh what a great day amongst a **** ton of woe in life. It happens sometimes. Thank you, Lord.

 

[G-Man]

How often for oil change and blade sharpening on a toro push mower? Annually more or less often?

 

[blueonblack]

It's in my Toro booklet that came with it as far as how many hours per year for oil change. Cutting every two weeks, I usually can get two seasons out of an oil change with the Honda engine and its still near as clean as when I put it in there.
I pick up all the branches and stuff before I cut and a blade will last me sometimes two seasons. My neighbors just run it all over. CLANG, BANG.

Biggest change ever for me was non-oxygenated preimium fuel. The carb never junks up anymore.

 

[UberPete]

I love my current mower. I picked up a Honda a couple years ago on a scratch and dent sale. Starts on the first pull every time with no priming and does a good job on the cutting.

 

[blueonblack]

My Honda CV 150 or is it a 160 took 4 pulls today unlike its normal 2. Auto choke. One repair in I think its 4 or 5 years now. Got it in under the warranty. Magnesium deck is nice and light for manuvuerability. Its paid for itself and then some, considering $55+ a mow for professional service.
I think it only took 1/2 season to pay for itself (with my labor, of course.)
Yard/sapplings are so overgrown, I can't even hire someone to get to the backyard anymore. I hate this house and yard.

 

[AnthonyC]

Got a great deal on a tow behind tine dethatcher for my mower. My lawn needs it too since I mulch the grass clippings. Then I'll lime, seed, and feed.

 

[UberPete]

Got a great deal on a tow behind tine dethatcher for my mower. My lawn needs it too since I mulch the grass clippings. Then I'll lime, seed, and feed.

My yard isn't quite big enough to justify a riding mower although two of my neighbors have them. I suspect it is more a mobility/health issue for them.

What does lime do? I guess I have some googling to do.

 

[AnthonyC]

My yard isn't quite big enough to justify a riding mower although two of my neighbors have them. I suspect it is more a mobility/health issue for them.

What does lime do? I guess I have some googling to do.

Lime is one of the best things for my lawn here in NJ. It balances the soil PH and makes fertilizer more effective. Almost like a primer for other lawn products. 4 $ per bag.

 

[UberPete]

Hmmm... I have read about getting a soil test and that some jurisdictions do it free for residents but no such free service here. I didn't bother looking into pay service, assuming it would be expensive. Maybe I will try that with my fall fertilizing.

 

[goalie]

I had my 12 year old son out with me to change the oil in my push mower and riding mower today. Then I let him drive the riding mower around and mulch up some leaves.

 

[JonMA1]

I use Stihl 2 cycle oil mixed 50:1 in all my 2 cycle tools - all Stihl - chainsaw, trimmer, auger, backpack blower, hedge trimmer. But I’ve used regular gasoline forever and have never had a problem. Also, I run out of gas all the time and have never had issues. Just curious, why the premium gas and where did you hear running out of gas causes issues?

Lol, I am just now looking back through this thread and noticed I never answered your question.

Using premium gas was suggested to me by two small engine professionals at different shops. But I won't argue the point given your background - and also because I really don't know much about it beyond the advice that was given to me.

Regarding running out of gas, when a small 2 cycle engine runs out of gas, it runs leaner meaning it runs hotter - especially at the high RPM's of a running chainsaw. It won't make a difference now and then (and it happens to me occasionally), but supposedly, letting that happen on a regular basis can damage the cylinder???? That said, when I winterize my 2 cycle outboard every year, letting it run out of fuel is part of the process. Of course, an outboard idling is much different than a chainsaw under load.

If it hasn't caused any problems for you, maybe it really isn't an issue. I only pass the advice along because my saws continue to hold up so well after 16 years of heavy use.

 

[JonMA1]

Hmmm... I have read about getting a soil test and that some jurisdictions do it free for residents but no such free service here. I didn't bother looking into pay service, assuming it would be expensive. Maybe I will try that with my fall fertilizing.

I was just getting ready to post about my success this year with the lawn when I saw your post.

I'm not sure if I posted it here or in another thread, but I had my soil tested in the Spring and followed the season-long plan of laying down all the nutrients it needed before planting seed last month. While my lawn is not yet where I want it to be, it is so much better than I've ever been.

It's going on a month now since I planted and I find myself going out and just looking at grass where before there was only sand and sparse weeds. After 16 years of failure, it's a great feeling to finally have a lawn started. I hope you have success as well.

The best part is that there seems to be a lot of misconceptions out there regarding pH balance. So many folks that because I have pine trees and trouble growing a lawn, the soil must be "too" acidic. The suggested putting down a ton of lime and buying lawn fertilizer.

If my experience is an indication, having the soil tested is the best way to go.

The local seed and fertilizer store I finally went to offered a soil testing service. When I talked to one of the experts there, he told me he sees a lot of samples come back from this area and soil is rarely too acidic. While the pH may be on the acidic side of neutral, many northern grass types do better with a 6.0 to 6.8. Sure enough, mine was fine at 6.4. But even though the pH was good, the soil was lacking organic material and a lot of minerals - especially potassium.

While I paid a small fee for the test - I think it was $20 - it removed all the guesswork. There's no way I would have known what to apply (full disclosure, even with the test results I needed them to translate exactly what was needed). Because I would have easily wasted $20 applying the wrong fertilizer, the test actually saved me money.

 

[UberPete]

While I paid a small fee for the test - I think it was $20 - it removed all the guesswork. There's no way I would have known what to apply (full disclosure, even with the test results I needed them to translate exactly what was needed). Because I would have easily wasted $20 applying the wrong fertilizer, the test actually saved me money.

That's good advice and if I can get it done for $20, that's no problem. I assumed I would in for at least a couple hundred.

 

[blueonblack]

I put some encapsulated lime around the edges where there were pine trees and junipers and not the whole yard.
Have been doing organic fertilizer in the spring, and added black dirt with compost, seed, and the organic fert that was high in potassium and nitrogen I want to say? I never had grass in my front or side yard. Lotta sand and weeds, and it all came around.

My neighbors got so jealous of my organic grass, they KILLED it where it abutted their grass with vinegar and other crap when I'd leave the house.
Oh people... Somehow I have avoided bloody mayhem in life. My next place will have a moat. With crocodiles. Big dogs. Turrets. Barb wire. Mines.

 

[Greg Kulbick]

Lifted up the discharge cover on the mower the other day to get the wheelbarrow out of the shed, got a peek at one of the blades and the grass hasn't filled in as much as I thought since we moved in in 2018. I guess it's just so sandy here I'm going to have to replace blades every year. They are flat out ate up, but a couple hours of sandblasting every couple weeks will do that I suppose.

 

[wubears71]

The lawn is really looking nice after power raking, aerating and overseeing last month.