Author |
Message |
Julieboo
Member
02-05-2002
| Monday, April 23, 2007 - 6:33 am
Any lawnmower suggestions out there? Ours has just died. We are not very handy or smart about stuff like this. Can we just go to Walmart or is it better to go to a place like Sears Hardware? Thanks in advance. (I do know a little, like we do want that feature that helps push it along. We also don't want the kind where you have to bag the grass. We only have about 1/4 acre, so we don't need a ride-on.)
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Kaili
Member
08-31-2000
| Monday, April 23, 2007 - 6:39 am
Best Bets for Lawnmowers How much do you want to spend is a key question. "Some brands consistently break down more than others. Earning the dubious titles of least reliable: Lawn-Boy and Snapper. Mutcher says Honda and Toro top the lists as the most reliable." Tim is obsessed with Craftsman brand anything he can get his hands on. Sears has a good warranty behind their Craftsman products. I think that's what we have. I don't mow.
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Kaili
Member
08-31-2000
| Monday, April 23, 2007 - 6:40 am
Oh no. I soooo did NOT mean to make a pun. I do not do puns. I seriously don't mow the lawn. I didn't mean like "I don't mow = I don't know...what brand we have" Just wanted to clarify that. 
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Native_texan
Member
08-24-2004
| Monday, April 23, 2007 - 7:27 am
I bought a Toro at Home Depot a couple of months ago and love it. It's self-propelled and does go a bit faster than I would like but I look at it as it's helping get the job done quicker with a bit of cardio thrown in. I haven't checked to see if I can adjust the speed so I don't know if that's possible.
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Julieboo
Member
02-05-2002
| Monday, April 23, 2007 - 7:31 am
Thank you!!! (I liked your pun Kaili!)
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Schoolmarm
Member
02-18-2001
| Monday, April 23, 2007 - 9:24 am
I have a nice red mower from Sears. It is self-propelled and has a separate place for the oil than the gas. I hated mixing oil and gas when I had a Lawnboy. I can get mine started all by myself and it is GREAT at starting after the winter. I think it is a Craftsman.
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Jagger
Member
08-07-2002
| Monday, April 23, 2007 - 9:29 am
Julie I would definitly recommend the Toro, I've gone through about 4 lawn mowers in the past 10 years, about 3 years ago I decided to spend a little more money, OK a lot more money and buy a Toro, it has been the best lawn mower I have ever used. It starts on first or second pull every time, very little to no maintance. It is self propelled, or can be pushed pretty easy without self propell. It does both mulch or bag, your choice. I bought mine at Home Depot not sure what stores you have there or brands those stores carry but I'd spend the money and get a Toro again if I had to do it over again.
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Cinnamongirl
Member
01-10-2001
| Monday, April 23, 2007 - 10:25 am
We have a Husqvarna. Bought it over 15 years ago and its still going....paid around $350 at the time...(which I thought was a FORTUNE!) Will definately buy another when the time comes
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Julieboo
Member
02-05-2002
| Monday, April 23, 2007 - 10:45 am
Thanks everyone!!!
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Kaili
Member
08-31-2000
| Monday, April 23, 2007 - 10:57 am
Do you want gas or electric? Does that matter to you? Mulching ability? I don't know if they all do that...ours has a removable bag that we don't use. Or maybe I should say- that Tim doesn't use. Cause I don't mow. 
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Serate
Member
08-21-2001
| Tuesday, April 24, 2007 - 7:21 am
We've had the best luck with Craftsman lawnmowers. If you have hilly or rough land, you'll want to make sure you spend extra on the bigger wheels in the back. It makes a big difference. But if your land is pretty flat it doesn't. W have use self-propelled, but we don't personally care for them. If you get one with a bag it is worth the extra money to get a 3 in 1, meaning you can bag, mulch, or side discharge. We just bought another Craftsman only because we wanted one with a bag; where we were last at we didn't need a bag. So old Craftsman went to Dad and brother. We looked at other brands but in order to get the 3 in 1 in our price range [$200] our only choice was a Craftsman. The others were only 2 in one, meaning only mulch and bag, no side discharge. John Deere mowers are probably the best, but they have the highest price. Toro's and Cadets are good too.
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Native_texan
Member
08-24-2004
| Tuesday, April 24, 2007 - 7:25 am
What are the benefits of a side discharge? I purposely did not want one on my mower because I really really hate for stuff to fly into my flower beds which always happens no matter I hard I try not to.
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Serate
Member
08-21-2001
| Tuesday, April 24, 2007 - 7:47 am
If you let your grass grow too high - due to rain or whatever - mulching can muck up the mower and you have globs of mulched grass plopped here and there and everywhere. Yesterday we bagged the front, mulched the front part of the back and around the garden, then the rest of the back yard was really high and really thick so we used the side discharge. Next time we'll probably just mulch all of the back unless the rain never stops and the grass gets too high again. We'd bag the whole yard except that the compost bags cost $2 each and for just the front yard it took 3 bags. And the front yard wasn't very high or as thick as the back. I'd hate to see how many the back would have taken. Hubby estimates 5 - 7 bags if all the yard were like the front yard was yesterday. That's too much weekly. But where we're at it's the only way to get rid of grass clippings. The piece that hooks onto the side to blow it out the side is really easy to pop on and pop off. Really easy being if I can do it almost anybody should be able to. I'm totally uncoordinated and have hardly any strength in my hands. When you want to mulch or bag, you just pop the piece off and the plastic cover for the side just falls into place. No mess.
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Native_texan
Member
08-24-2004
| Tuesday, April 24, 2007 - 8:16 am
Serate, thanks. That does make sense and does explain why Travis had such a hard time mowing the backyard last weekend. He had taken the bag off to empty after doing the front yard and didn't put it back on.
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Schoolmarm
Member
02-18-2001
| Wednesday, April 25, 2007 - 3:22 pm
I've got a Craftsman (I looked) with big back wheels. It's great and not too expensive.
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Sunshyne4u
Member
06-17-2003
| Wednesday, April 25, 2007 - 10:57 pm
I have a great old "easypull" lawnmower. However, I am thinking of going to a Selfpropelled. my fear is that it will go too quickly. Does anyone have experience with push n go Variable speed selfpropelled? I was looking at those Toros in Home Depot.
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Bob2112
Member
06-12-2002
| Thursday, April 26, 2007 - 9:40 am
The Toro Personal Pace mowers work great and adjust well to your speed. I've had one for 7 years and it surprisingly works as advertised. Also, last Saturday, I used it for the first time this season and it started on the first pull. The model I have is most similar to #20055 Personal PaceŽ 3-in-1, but I do not have the side discharge (which I would like, on occasion).
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