Learned'd VIII: Less Bewbs, Same Nonsense

[sx moneypit]

Mornin' gents!

Nice ride you got there Ray!

[Bubba1]

Mornin' gents!

Nice ride you got there Ray!

Congrats on the purchase Ray. If I had a mower that big, I'd finish my yard in about 5 minutes.

[Kompresshun]

I can knock out my whole lawn in about 20 min since I got my Yard Machine last year. With my old self propelled it would take well over an hour.

[Bubba1]

It takes me about 30 minutes with an electric push mower to do both my yard and my neighbor's yard. Much less if my indentured serv...I mean son, is home during the summer.

[Kompresshun]

Electric mower? So when are you taking delivery on your Prius again?

I honestly prefer electric/cordless yard tools in most cases. My electric weedeater has never let me down, but I have to use a gas one for the backyard because it would take a 200ft cord to reach the fence back there. I despise the gas one though. It constantly has issues and doesn't want to run.

[frapjap]

You guys have some small lawns! I have about an acre and a third and it'll probably still take an hour or so to mow. It could be done with a push mower, but since a brand new, high quality push mower is about the same price as this thing, and it'll take less time, I opted for the automated method.

Good call, Joel- childern = instant slavery.

[frapjap]

Electric mowers SUCK! They more push the grass around as opposed to cutting it.

An electric weed eater (electric, not battery!) is pretty sweet though. However, I prefer gas. Just keep the carbs and lines clean and you've got a solid tool for years. Brand and quality seem to be synonymous when it comes to weed eaters. I abuse mine and edge with it, trim patches of grass, and shape bushes with it, too.

[Kompresshun]

I don't have a small lawn. I have right around an acre. I just made do with what I had for a while until I could afford the good stuff. Heck I didn't even have a weed eater at all for the first year we were there. Push mower only.

I still keep our push mower stored, but that's what I told my wife when I wanted to buy a rider - A new nice push mower ran about the same as I paid for the rider.

I bought my first gas weed eater this past season but I just went for a cheap Bolens model and it works fine most of the time. I just bought it to hold me over until I can buy a real nice 4 stroke Honda one like I want.

[WDRacing]

My Dad just picked up a new Kobalt cordless weed eater. I used it this weekend. Thing is friggin awesome. I trimmed a long time before the battery went dead, an easy 30 minutes of constant use.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_506886-53393-KST+120X-06_0__

[Kompresshun]

Yeah 30min wouldn't be enough for my yard. If I really do everything right and make it look good, it takes over an hour.

[WDRacing]

Yeah, that's why they sell extra batteries! It's light weight and it's so quiet.

I used to use an electric but I got so tired of extension cords. I have a nice Echo gas model now.

However, I'd buy most of that cordless Kobalt series in a second.

I also just picked up a new riding mower myself. Funny we're all talking about new mowers and stuff. I picked up a 2013 Craftsman LT2000. Got the 21hp option package, the smaller motor, 19 iirc, had complaints about hill mowing. Where as the 21 can handle a snow plow attachment. I'm really looking fwd to using that next year I'll tell you what!

Got her out the door for 523 bucks after military discount, and some end of year yada yada. Pretty much couldn't walk away from it for that price.

I had to immediately modify my no reverse mowing safety switch and I removed the seat safety entirely.

[Kompresshun]

Yeah i'm basically just stretching this Bolens weed eater as long as I can. I bought it last year for $68, so if it lasts through this season i'll be happy. My boss raves about the Honda 4-stroke trimmers, so that's what i'm going with next. He said his kicks a**.

That's an awesome deal on a new mower Brian! I paid $300 for mine and it was used, but it was still an absolute steal. Sounds like you did better than I did.

I love my Yard Machine though. It has a V-Twin engine on it and I swear it's the smoothest running and driving mower i've ever been on. It's just an 17hp but it handles pretty much everything I throw at it just fine.

[WDRacing]

You don't need a lot of hp to mow your yard if it's flat. if you have a huge yard or something, then maybe. But only because you're probably going to be pushing a bigger mower and a large deck with multiple blades.

[frapjap]

Holy crap! Thats a helluva deal, Brian. Very jealous, thats like half off the original price. Right place at the right time?

The first question the lady asked me is "can it handle a plow." I don't think mine can.
I had a couple of V twin mowers in some open internet tabs, but wasn't sure of them. Glad to hear you like yours, Chris.

Whats that lame looking metal cage around the weed eater? Is it some stupid safety feature?
I feel like weed eaters are one of the last, not for sissy tools out there. Aside from a welder.

[Kompresshun]

V-Twins are the best if you can find them. They last longer, run smoother and quieter, and are totally different motors from what most of us are used to. I'm used to having a loud, shaky mower and have most of my life. Getting this thing was like going from an old beater to a high end luxury car. The mower I had before it always needed tending to and never seemed to run right, which again i'm used to from all other mowers i've had. The new one fires right up every time and that's why I did every possible bit of maintenance I could last week to it. I want to keep it running that smooth.

That metal cage is usually for edging, so you can turn it down and have something to help guide it.

[MinisterofDOOM]

Flat twin is even better, format and refinement-wise. They sound weird, but that's not really an issue on a lawnmower.

[WDRacing]

Holy crap! Thats a helluva deal, Brian. Very jealous, thats like half off the original price. Right place at the right time?

Yup, they were moving out everything to make room for 2014 models. Basically clearance priced it for me. I wasn't even going to buy that one, I was just checking out that department while we were in Sears. I was thinking about something a bit bigger and more long term durable. I'll probably be changing out the drive belt in 3-4 years because I plan on using it to push snow and tow stuff.

I have never had a lawn mower motor die on me. With that said, I take care of them like I do my cars. This model has an externally mounted oil filter, so that helps a ton. Keep the oil fresh and the plugs/filters clean and the motor will basically run forever. I've only ever had drive line issues.

Although we did have the muffler shoot out of the head on our old Montgomery Ward unit. That was after 10 years of abuse. I used to over rev the hell out of it. I had a paper clip attached to the throttle and I could pull it past the rev stop via a string.

Not bad for a 13 yr old.

[frapjap]

You were a crafty boy. We used to do something similar to that at the Andretti Thrill Park when it was new. You could pull on the cable and get the throttle opened further than the pedal could. It would get you kicked off the track, but was so worth it.

You really nailed that deal, freggin unbelievable. Maintenance is key on any machine (have I said that before?). We only had one mower engine fail and thats probably because it was ANCIENT. The old Murray my mom has probably still works fine when it isn't eating belts.

Any idea what the LT160 is capable of? I can't find anything worth a damn on the internet about it in regards to towing, plowing, etc. My guess is that its just a lawn mower.

[float_6969]

Electric mowers SUCK! They more push the grass around as opposed to cutting it.

Maybe the electric mower you used sucked? LOL! I have an electric (battery, no cord) mower and I LOVE it. The wife loves it too (she actually does most of the mowing since she's home with the baby all day now). 24v, 20Ah. I can mow our (admittedly small) yard twice on one charge unless the grass is REALLY tall, then it will take 3/4 of a charge to mow all of it. I did just have to replace the batteries, but that's because the stock charger got wet (I have a leak in the garage roof that only shows up when the snow melts) and toasted the batteries. New batteries were in stock at Batteries+Light Bulbs. I also bought a nice NOCO Genius battery charger, so now I can just leave it plugged in all the time (the stock charger was a dumb charger). I get neighbors asking about it all the time. I had one old guy who wanted to try it (so I let him) because he couldn't believe it would mow worth a damn.

Before the electric I had two cheap mowers. I was CONSTANTLY fvcking with them. The one before the electric I bought brand new. It didn't make it half way through the summer before it started getting fussy. The same goes for my weedeater. I bought it brand new and that thing has been a pain in the a** since it came out of the box. It's hard to start, and doesn't like to stay running. Plus it's crazy loud. I will admit they were cheap Poulan mower/weedeater. Regardless, when the weedeater quits (and I hope it happens soon) it will get replaced with a battery electric.

[WDRacing]

The cordless weedeater is the way to go.

[Kompresshun]

Cheap mowers and cheap lawn equipment in general will always have a problem. My self-propelled push mower has always been fairly reliable, but the only issue i've had with it is that if it shuts down while it's hot it won't restart for about 10min. I paid $100 for it 5 years ago though, so I don't really expect much from it considering it was a $350 mower new.

I don't think i'll ever go battery powered for yard tools and while my electric weedeater has never given me a problem I prefer using a gas one.

[Kompresshun]

check to see if it has Clearwater speakers in the head rest, too.

Funny that you mentioned this, because I was getting ready to buy some 6x9's to mount in it. Then it hit me a few minutes ago that I never checked the new seats to see if they had them or not. I just went out and checked them and guess what? Brand new Pioneers installed in the headrests! Score!

So it looks like i'll be wiring up some speakers tonight!

[Bubba1]

Electric mowers SUCK! They more push the grass around as opposed to cutting it.

Maybe the electric mower you used sucked? LOL! I have an electric (battery, no cord) mower and I LOVE it. The wife loves it too (she actually does most of the mowing since she's home with the baby all day now). 24v, 20Ah. I can mow our (admittedly small) yard twice on one charge unless the grass is REALLY tall, then it will take 3/4 of a charge to mow all of it. I did just have to replace the batteries, but that's because the stock charger got wet (I have a leak in the garage roof that only shows up when the snow melts) and toasted the batteries. New batteries were in stock at Batteries+Light Bulbs. I also bought a nice NOCO Genius battery charger, so now I can just leave it plugged in all the time (the stock charger was a dumb charger). I get neighbors asking about it all the time. I had one old guy who wanted to try it (so I let him) because he couldn't believe it would mow worth a damn.

Before the electric I had two cheap mowers. I was CONSTANTLY fvcking with them. The one before the electric I bought brand new. It didn't make it half way through the summer before it started getting fussy. The same goes for my weedeater. I bought it brand new and that thing has been a pain in the a** since it came out of the box. It's hard to start, and doesn't like to stay running. Plus it's crazy loud. I will admit they were cheap Poulan mower/weedeater. Regardless, when the weedeater quits (and I hope it happens soon) it will get replaced with a battery electric.

+1 about the electric mowers. They work perfectly fine if you keep the blade reasonably sharp and cut the grass before it gets real high. My last electric mower cost about $100 new and lasted 25 yrs without any repairs, and started every time. I also spliced 2 100" cords together, so I have enough range to do my neighbors' front lawns on either side of me. Since I live in a densely populated area with small yards, a big ol' riding mower in my neighborhood is overkill, and implies the owner is probably compensating for something...

[Dattebayo]

As another electric mower owner (in the past, couldn't keep it forever and because the replacement was so damn cheap used, we went gas-powered again), I can say the only thing that sucks about the one I used was the cord. A battery unit with a power-drive system would have solved all those problems.

[float_6969]

Yea, I don't think I could deal with a cord, but the battery setup is perfect. The battery pack is actually 2 x 12v 20Ah batteries wired in series. They make a 28Ah battery of the same dimensions, so if it was really an issue, I could have bumped the amp hours up, but they were almost double the price, and I've never run it dead on one charge mowing the lawn, so I didn't bother.

[sx moneypit]

Mornin' folks!

[WDRacing]

Morning Ben!

[Kompresshun]

Mornin' gents!

How's things?

[frapjap]

Morning guys.
Firebird Friday! Got some thumbs up on the highway today on the way into work. Always a cool feeling.

Any big weekend plans for anyone? The lady planned mine out already. I need to get the new brakes on the Miata before Carlisle. Its a-comin'!!

[WDRacing]

I just changed out the diff/brake fluid on the 540 yesterday. Oil was done a week before that. I pulled one of the plugs yesterday just to check on the condition. The previous owner installed NGK-R Plus 4 plugs. So rather then inspecting them, I just added them to the list of s*** I need to change.

Need to do the trans as well...