Buy a new or used mower?

[vaking]

Hi Paul,
My lot is 1/5 of acre (I live within spitting distance from Manhattan). For the past 6 years I have been using Carftsman side-discharge lawn mower. My wife does more garden work than I, so she is the main user. Her complaints with that Crafstaman were:
Side discharge is a PITA - grass sometimes cloggs the mower and the bag is clumsy, difficult to empty.
Height adjustment was unfriendly. Each wheel needed to be raised/lowered independently and adjusting levers were hard to get to and required significant force. When she needed to adjust height - she called me.
Last fall my son finally broke that mower. Nothing really serious, he just flipped it to the side and flooded filter with gasolinie/oil. I would have fixed it easily but my wife insisted that I replace it with rear bag rather than fixing. As a result I got a new snapper mower. I must say - rear bag is much more convinient to empty and it never cloggs. Single lever adjusts the height on all wheels at once and the whole process takes 2 seconds. Wheels are a little bigger (9" vs 7.5") but it moves a lot easier even though both units are self-propelled. New mower is noticeable stronger (Craftsman was 6hp, Snapper is 6-3/4hp). I would have never thought 3/4hp can make such a difference. Unfortunately Snapper is also noticeably louder but that is something we will have to live with. In short - the lady is happy and Snapper is a keeper.

So far I still have kept the old Craftsman as a backup. Just wanted to make sure Snapper would survive the winter, etc. It did and I am ready to get rid of a Craftsman. If you are interested - please let me know. I don't want to ship it, so you will have to pick it up. I don't know where in Maryland you are and if a drive makes sense - your call. As I said - you will need to replace air filter/spark plug to get it started.
One more detail - I think my wife is already arranging with the City to have it picked up with bulk collection. If you are interested you need to let me know no later than Tuesday.

[dbhost]

i think gasoline lawn mowers have a very limited lifespan before the engine needs rebuilding which costs as much as a new mower. I think we're talking about 5-6-7 seasons. And that's providing that the mower was well cared for, e.g. recomended oil change each season, clean the air filter etc.

You must be awfully hard on a lawn mower... My Craftsman is 9 years old presently, and starts on the first pull every time...

Like everything else, maintain it and you'll be fine. My reasons for not buying a used mower is lack of maintenance...

[phi1l]

My Last mower lasted for 20 years. ..

I think right now is probably not the best to be looking at used mowers. The economy still is not good. People won't be looking for a new mower just because it's nice & shiny. People aren't buying new houses with bigger yards right now either. So, about the only mower on the used market are going to be those are no longer doing the job they once did.

[atgcpaul]

Well, I wasn't finding much on CL in my area. Sears was having a 10% off
this weekend so last night I pulled the trigger on this mower. I hate buying
stuff sight unseen but that's what I did. I pick it up this afternoon. I guess I
can just return it on the spot if I don't want it but seems like it has everything
I need.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...sName=View+All

I hope it's a good one. I like that it has a 2 year warranty. I almost got the
$200 Husqavarna posted here but I wasn't finding a lot of info on it on the
Sears site or even at Husqavarna. The Craftsman reportedly has a more
powerful engine by 1/2 HP.

I resisted buying a gas anything because I hate the smell and it would be in
the shop with me. My neighbor (her garage is real close to my yard) wanted
to pay me $50 to build her a raised garden bed. Instead, I said I'd do it for
free (she bought the materials) if she let me store the mower in her garage.
Done deal! So I'm going to sell my electric and have some square footage back
and not have to choke on gas fumes. She has a gardening service cut her
grass so I'm not worried she'll be taking it for a spin.

Paul

[dbhost]

That looks like an updated version of my old Craftsman. Take care of it and it will last a long time...

[sscherin]

I'm well in the used camp but then I'm fairly dangerous with tools.

We retired out old push mower side discharge mostly because the governor linkage went MIA sometime last year and the twist tie baindaid fix didn't work well but it got it through till fall..

So for the '10 mowing season I found a $30 high wheel self propelled rear discharge on CL.

As pr usual it "wouldn't start" for the PO (previous owner) after winter storage with a full tank of gas in it..

All it took was pulling the carb, strip it down, give it a 20 minute tour through the carb dip and put it back on with new fuel lines and a fuel filter..
These old mowers tend to have a few grass clippings in the tank so a filter is highly recommended unless you enjoy a flooding carburetor.

[williwatt]

Another Viewpoint on Lawn Mowers

I want to step up to a gas mower from my corded B&D Lawn Hog. My yard is
just big enough that after 3 seasons, I'm sick and tired of winding the cord
just so around the yard to cut the grass. It probably takes me twice as long
as it needs to. And if the grass has gotten too long, I struggle.

I'm thinking of finding a regular gas mower off Craigslist. Is there a sweet
spot on price? I don't really want to spend too much. I do want a bag. Any
brands to search out or avoid? I'm thinking $100-$150 is what I want to spend.

As long the mower starts, is there anything I should really be looking for? I
guess the obvious stuff like rust holes and sputtering. I don't really know my
away gas engines but I know when a mower is running well and when it's not.

Thanks,

Paul

This thread started off with Paul wanting to replace his electric mower with a gas model. A gas mower is fine if that is what you like, but I personally like the electrics. However, you need to make sure you buy the right electric. Both of my B & D mowers have the flip-over handle so you always keep the cord on the same side as the receptacle so you don't have to keep adjusting the cord and you never turn the mower around -- just flip the handle and go in the opposite direction.

The other reason I like the electric is the the flip-over model only weighs 40-45 lbs while the regular model weighs about 60 lbs and the rechargeable models weigh from 70-80 lbs. The rear bagger gas models weigh about 75 lbs. So I am not pushing all that extra weight around.

I got the old electric out today thinking I would just trim the high spots, but before I knew it I had mowed the whole front yard. I actually like to mow with the push mower once in a while just to remind me of what it was like before I got the 20 hp gas ZTR rider. Of course the 19" push mower takes 45 min to mow the front yard and the rider with do it in 10 min or less.

[cgallery]

I currently have a mid-90's Lawn Boy, which has a cult following. It uses a 2-cycle engine, unlike the current models. Since you mix the gas and oil, like a weedeater, the engine always has fresh oil in it. It also doesn't have a valve train like a 4-cycle engine. For these reasons, I think a 2-cycle engine may last longer if taken care of. YMMV though. The Lawn Boy also has an aluminum deck which will never rust.

I have a five or so year old Lawn Boy, with a steel deck. The units w/ the aluminum deck came w/ shorter handles, and I'm tall.

First, I know 2-stroke engines are polluters. I have a small lawn.

Second, the newer Lawn Boy (like mine) has a PLASTIC carb. In the five or so years I've had it, I've had the carb off like FOUR times. It is just a giant POC.

So I've watched craigslist and I'm going to find an older Lawn Boy with an aluminum carb and deck. I should be able to make that last a lifetime.

[phi1l]

I got the old electric out today thinking I would just trim the high spots, but before I knew it I had mowed the whole front yard.

Saaayyy... I notice I have a few high spots over here if you're interested

[LCHIEN]

all I can say is you guys who love push mowers don't live where the grass growing season is 8-9 months long and the temperature and humidity averages 97 degrees and 100%.
Also you push mower guys and the guys with electric mowers don't have the thick st.Augustine grass we have here. I can say I've lived here for 50 years and I don't know anyone who uses a push mower or an electric mower. I think the St. Augustine grass just laughs at them. Bermuda grass and Rye grass is nothing. That's probably another reason for the discrepancy in lifespans of Gasoline lawnmowers mentioned here - the season length and how hard the motor has to work.

But anyway the OP lives up North where these things seem to be acceptable. Just though I'd mention it though.

Loring,
who's been paying someone to cut the grass for him for 6-7 years now.

[phi1l]

all I can say is you guys who love push mowers don't live where the grass growing season is 8-9 months long and the temperature and humidity averages 97 degrees and 100%.
Also you push mower guys and the guys with electric mowers don't have the thick st.Augustine grass we have here. I can say I've lived here for 50 years and I don't know anyone who uses a push mower or an electric mower. I think the St. Augustine grass just laughs at them. Bermuda grass and Rye grass is nothing.

But anyway the OP lives up North where these things seem to be acceptable. Just though I'd mention it though.

Loring,
who's been paying someone to cut the grass for him for 6-7 years now.

Would you prefer to trade 4 of those months of grass mowing for 4 months of snow shoveling in 10 degF. weather??

[Kavoom]

Sears Outlet

Check out your local Sears or you can look at your local store's inventory online. Just search on Sears outlet and then put in your local stores and you can go and look at their clearance inventory. They have re-conditioned ones and some new in the clearance. The advantage is that they carry new warranties generally one year. There are some deals but not all of them are good deals. Take a look before buying as in don't buy online just to make sure the online inventory matches the brick and mortar reality. Oh, and you can run across some killer deals like my 21829 Bt3 Sears clone for $285 bucks last Sunday...or the 2200 dollar dual fuel convection range for 575 last November. You do need to look at the site periodically. The good stuff comes and goes pretty fast. The computer automatically lowers the price about once a week if something doesn't sell. That's how I got the 21829. They put it out on clearance but didn't have the parts and couldn't sell it so the computer kept lowering the price. Voila, I gotta deal. It's new and had a broken stand and plastic blade guard.

I'm still using my mower after 10 years. I watch religiously.

[atgcpaul]

Just cut the grass for the first time with the new mower tonight. My first
impression is that I like it. It started on the first pull every time. A lot more
powerful than the electric. Scary powerful. Watch out for those shooting
pine cones! I do miss that the electric was quieter, lighter, didn't smell, and
didn't leave my hands buzzing afterwards. On the other hand, not being
tethered to a cord really made my life easier overall. I think I saved at least
20 minutes with the new mower. I'm going to get some kind of cushy grip,
though.

Paul

[phi1l]

I'm going to get some kind of cushy grip,
though.

Paul

Get a pair of bicycle gloves, the kind with the padded palms. That will help with the hand buzz.

[cabinetman]

all I can say is you guys who love push mowers don't live where the grass growing season is 8-9 months long and the temperature and humidity averages 97 degrees and 100%.
Also you push mower guys and the guys with electric mowers don't have the thick st.Augustine grass we have here. I can say I've lived here for 50 years and I don't know anyone who uses a push mower or an electric mower. I think the St. Augustine grass just laughs at them. Bermuda grass and Rye grass is nothing. That's probably another reason for the discrepancy in lifespans of Gasoline lawnmowers mentioned here - the season length and how hard the motor has to work.

But anyway the OP lives up North where these things seem to be acceptable. Just though I'd mention it though.

Loring,
who's been paying someone to cut the grass for him for 6-7 years now.

Whoa Nellie. Lets talk about growing season. It's almost all year long here. Peak season ...April-September I've got to cut every 4-5 days, and I've got St. Augustine. My mower is a hand-me-down John Deere SB14 walk behind, that I removed a shot transmission. So now its a push mower and does just fine. It's good exercise if you're fit and up to the task. If not, it can be a PITA and make you a complainer.
.