LAWN MOWER HELP

How many square feet is your yard? Mine is about 10,000 sq. ft. and I use a John Deere riding mower. Cutting it with a driven Honda push mower just took too long. Plus, in South Florida, it gets pretty hot. I would not recommend one of those rotary push mowers, they are for very small yards. But they cut pretty nice!

 

What kind of issues have your friends had with gas-powered mowers? I assume that you're shopping for a push-mower, since your other option is a reel mower? A well-maintained reel mower can give you a great cut, but you're right about having issues with tall grass and rough stuff. I would imagine that you would tire of the reel mower and be best served with a quality gas-powered push mower.

 

Modern gas mowers, even cheap ones, should be quite reliable. I don't even bother to put mine inside over the winter, I just push it under a big tree where it isn't in direct rain. It starts right up in the spring. I have a big yard, I mow it myself for the exercise, and I bag the clippings as well. Takes about 90 minutes to do when it's done regularly. If you get a gas mower, the one thing I would check is that it is easy to adjust the deck height. The ones with four separate levers are kind of a pain to deal with. I have a self-propelled Honda push mower out at my rental house, to do the borders, plus a rider. But that's 2 acres.

 

Yeah I tried to "save the environment" with the reel mower but of there's a twig on your lawn or if the grass is a bit long etc, you'll have to jar the clippings loose. Mine was only 60 bucks cheaper than a real mower with an engine so I assumed it would work well. I used it 4 times, then gave it to a neighbor.

 

Gas mowers are best, most of the newer ones I saw now have ignition systems, which helps if your lawnmower is stubborn like mine and doesnt start on the first or tenth time. My lawnmower just has front wheel drive, which is helpful so you don't have to really push. If you want to keep your yard looking nice, your going to need an edger or trimmer (straight pole, not curved) and a gas/electric blower.
Don't pay someone to cut your grass unless your lazy/don't have the time, or are allergic to grass. I am allergic to grass, but not that much, and I still cut the grass, and take a shower right after and allergy medicine.

 

I prefer a rear wheel drive mower, seems easier to handle/turn .. also I don't want others doing my lawn especially since necrotic ring fungus seems to be on the rise.. I had some lawn work done last year (aerate) and it seems suddenly I had the 'ring' fungus. This fungus is a PIA to control...Gotta remember when 'they' cut someones grass with the disease & yours next, you'll probably get the fungus. It can destroy a lawn!
currently I have been using f-stop & spraying with clearys to treat a couple of spots.

 

Funny this thread came up.

We were just talking about our lawn guy and how it's no fun being at his mercy. He typically shows up on Friday, but tends to show up on "off days" which drives me nuts. If anyone's familiar with Florida, you'll know how fast grass grows in the summer (that's usually May thru Oct). He was here last Thursday (??? don't ask why) and today it's Tuesday and looks like s%%t. I have a half acre, so officially too big to push mow, so I need a rider. I can spend $1,000 on a rider and it should pay for itself in 11 months. I pay my lawn guy $90/mo. right now. My issue is whether it makes sense to do this...it certainly would be more convenient to mow the place when it looks a little overgrown like it does today. I have no qualms with mowing the lawn.

So my vote is to mow it yourself for the reasons listed above.

Anyway, I like riders. They are a little more work to maintain, but if you have a fairly good sized big yard like me, it's really the only solution.

RMX

 

William if you're getting a push mower, look at the Honda's. My dad has one that's 20 years old and all he's ever done to it is replace the blade and drive wheels and put new cables on it. Can't speak of the Toro's reliability. I was cutting my grass here with a Honda push mower, I took it to the cabin when I got the JD for the house. It still starts up on the first pull after months of no use. Its about as rock-solid as lawn equipment goes.

On the other hand, I seem to go thru a weedeater about every year and a half. I picked up a new one yesterday, I should have posted a thread here.