lawn mowers

[ViviTheMage]

Got a half acre I need to mow, figured i'd get a push..since my shed is only 40" wide, and a rider wont get in there that narrow.

Are toro any good? I was just going to get a 21-22" self propelled one with a bag. Fair amount of Toro 6.5HP recycler kinds around here used for a good price.

 

[SpongeBob]

That's exactly what I have (Toro GTS recycler, 6.5HP Briggs & Stratton). Been running strong for over 10 years. All i do i winterize it every fall and change the oil and plug. In the spring i fill it up with gas and reconnect the plug and it starts on the first pull every time. Would definitely recommend.

 

[NutBucket]

I strongly believe any mower will last a decade if you simply take care of it. Like Mr. Squarepants said, an oil change and new plug every year will keep it going forever.

EDIT: And run all the gas out of it before storage for winter

 

[ViviTheMage]

I am not too worried about maint, more about will 22" be enough to cut in under an hour for half acre? haha

 

[gmaster456]

I love Toros. Got one that's 25 years old and still going strong. Another that's about 13 and it's the same thing. The newer ones aren't as good in my opinion but still one of the best out there. Worked with plenty of them.

 

[ViviTheMage]

They push or ride?

Toro is local here in Bloomingon MN ... so that is why I think there's a few used ones from this one guy who seems to have a few!

or he stole em, LOL...they're in great shape though.

 

[gmaster456]

They push or ride?

Toro is local here in Bloomingon MN ... so that is why I think there's a few used ones from this one guy who seems to have a few!

or he stole em, LOL...they're in great shape though.

Push.

 

[HeXen]

It's not the brand of the mower, the real meat is the motor itself. Tecumsa motors seems to last forever, it's what my lawnboy has which tells you how old it is, I think Toro purchased Lawnboy brand.

 

[mvbighead]

If you've got some size to mow, but can't quite step up to a rider, you could look for a mid sized walk behind.

I grabbed a commercial one from a guy on CL that was a 52" deck for my much larger yard. You could probably find a 36" one somewhere for under 1000. Just depends on what you want to spend.

 

[ViviTheMage]

Well, my shed opening is only 40"or so ... that's why I am restricted at all.... I'll probably grab a push for now, and just see how it goes this summer, they're cheap enough.

 

[Jimzz]

I have a little over half a acre and have a riding mower. It stays outside year round and no problems.
Change the oil (syn 10w30), clean the plug, and dust off the air filter yearly and it keeps going.

 

[ViviTheMage]

I would feel weird having a shed and not being able to put my rider in it though...I could always cut the door to make it wider, but that might be a bad idea.

 

[ViviTheMage]

well, might be a good deal ... pretty spanking new 2007 Toro 425LX rider with 100 hours on it.

They're asking $800, I was thinking of offering $550 ... or is that a it low?

http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/ram/grd/3804412474.html

 

[NutBucket]

Its CL, no offer is ever too low!

 

[ViviTheMage]

Its CL, no offer is ever too low!

... can you attach plows to most riding mowers?That would negate needing a snow blower

 

[vi edit]

... can you attach plows to most riding mowers?That would negate needing a snow blower

Some of them will take a simple push blade with a lever you control for raising/lowering it. They are about $300. Problem is going to be traction and power. Most smaller riders are going to be light and won't push much snow at a time, especially if it's the heavy sloppy stuff.

 

[ViviTheMage]

Some of them will take a simple push blade with a lever you control for raising/lowering it. They are about $300. Problem is going to be traction and power. Most smaller riders are going to be light and won't push much snow at a time, especially if it's the heavy sloppy stuff.

This is true .. my neighbor plowed with his old cub cadet a few weeks ago when we got 8 inches, LOL...didn't seem to have a problem and it was rather thick.

 

[railer]

It really depends on the mower as to if they'll accept a blade....and then you need to check the availability and cost of the blade. I think I paid around $380 for the blade kit for my old Craftsman rider. You will want chains if you plow....so there's another cost. Even with my my GT5000 (larger garden tractor), I found that plowing any more than a few inches of snow was a PITA, and I'd end up using my snow blower anyway. I've got two riders (selling one soon) for my 1 acre, and I always keep them outside behind the house. I don't like the smell or mess of them in our attached garage, and they're a bit too big to fit in the shed. I tried push mowing our lot when we bought the house.....never again! Too slow.

 

[ViviTheMage]

Thanks railer .. .hopefully I can snag this one on the cheap...I wouldn't mind a craftsman, my dad has had the same one for almost 15 years now ... all we ever did was spark plugs on it ... I don't know if he ever did oil changes on it .. haha. The thing keeps on truckin.

How did you store it outside exactly, especially during winter? Just put a tarp on it or something? Did you put it on blocks or anything?

 

[slag]

It's not the brand of the mower, the real meat is the motor itself. Tecumsa motors seems to last forever, it's what my lawnboy has which tells you how old it is, I think Toro purchased Lawnboy brand.

I'll respectfully disagree with you. The Tecumseh Eager series of engines are absolute crap. If given the choice in tecumseh (now defunct), or B & S, i'll go with the briggs and stratton quantum engine any day. Easier to troubleshoot, repair, and are essentially bulletproof. I just got two 3 going within the past month whereas the Tecumseh's historically have junk carbs, bad priming systems, and, like Chrysler engines, smoke after awhile.

 

[natto fire]

I used to mow 5 acres at the house I grew up in and I could not imagine doing it on anything less than the 50" riding mower we were blessed with as kids. That said, I used to regard self-propelled pushers as a gimmick with the few I tried. We probably had almost a half acre that had to be push-mowed right near the house, and it was done with a plain-jane B&S 3.5hp mower.

That said, I recently got to try out my friends Toro with the "personal pace" self propulsion and I was absolutely blown away at how well it worked. Every other system seemed quite jerky and counter any attempts at clean cutting.

As far as the motors, LOL at Tecumseh when anyone who knows anything about small motors knows that Honda is one of the few companies able to extract huge premiums because their motors are that much better. If you don't want to pay as much that is fine, but you are rightly getting an inferior engine.

 

[ViviTheMage]

As a kid, I used to cut 4.5-5 acres at our old house ... we had a rider with a 40", wasn't bad, kind of fun.

If I can't find a decent rider, i'll just get a $150-$200 push like the toro's.

 

[ponyo]

I have 1/2 acre and had the same dilemma of the riding mower larger than 40" not fitting through the door to the back yard. I ended up buying 21" Honda self propelled mower instead of making a larger door and buying a riding mower. It takes me around 3 hours to mow and trim/edge my lawn. It's not too hard yet but I'm sure it will be brutal come July/August.

 

[ViviTheMage]

damn, 3 hours half acre ......... making me swing towards rider, haha.

 

[railer]

damn, 3 hours half acre ......... making me swing towards rider, haha.

Dude there is no way I would ever push mow half an acre. What a PITA. Maybe with a 30" but never a 21". My Murray is old now, so it sits outside and uncovered all the time. I still remember paying for my Deere, so it is covered in the winter. I don't put it up on blocks, not sure if that would postpone the tires from dry rotting or not.