| LIFE Is it a sign of getting old when you get excited about a lawn mower purchase?

[planomateo]

If Rigid was a different color...I'm serious, hard to beat the price, availability, and warranty.

At this point, I'm at an all out war with China. Doing my best to buy 'Merica...

 

[sk33tr]

i'm not a fan of battery powered mowers. drills? yes. mowers? nope.

my mower: gas
my string trimmer: gas (mixed)
my backpack blower: gas (mixed)
my chainsaw: gas (mixed)

and when i get a new hedge trimmer, it'll also be gas (mixed, as well).

 

[TerryP]

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That's the one. When I was there looking over their selection a friend said, "Anderson." Confused the hell out of me until just now...it says they're manufactured by One World Technologies, out of Anderson, SC.

And I'm trying to put together The Matrix connection all the time.

 

[planomateo]

@It Takes Eleven

Good deal here if you're in the market.

Milwaukee M12 FUEL 12-Volt Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless 3/8 in. Extended Reach Ratchet Kit with Metric Ratcheting Wrench Set-2560-21-48-22-9516 - The Home Depot

The M12 FUEL Extended Reach Ratchets are Milwaukee's latest addition to their best-in-class lineup of ratchets. These ratchets provide industry leading torque output with a slim head profile and an extended

www.homedepot.com

 

[It Takes Eleven]

Thanks, @planomateo I did go ahead and pull the trigger on the M12 ratchet about five months ago. I absolutely love it. In regard to any hand tools, I'm in the early stages of trying to inventory and consolidate things from my Dad's workshops with my stuff. I broke down and bought an old used craftsman rolling four tier box to hold some of it, but no hand, power or construction tools for me for some time.

Or fishing lures:









or firewood:

 

[It Takes Eleven]

@planomateo you're welcome to come get a truckload of that wood...

 

[planomateo]

A neighbor gave me 3 cords. I bought a homemade hydraulic splitter that will fit on my 3 point. Need to get a valve on it so I can control it from outside of the cab.

 

[It Takes Eleven]

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Yeah, those are nice. I rented this one. years ago, I used one on a tractor that spun off the PTO, just an auger. It would rip through the wood, but also anything else that got in the way. Lucky to have all my appendages.

 

[Crimson&WhiteGecko]

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Dang... I didn't even know about this board.

But yeah man... I love me a good push mower. That's all I ever have used. However, I'm a Snapper guy. I have owned a Snapper since 2004 & its been cutting a solid half acre for that time. I replaced the engine in 2014 with a B&S Professional 190cc engine. So far so good but I when I have to replace it, I will probably put the Kawasaki 180v KAI with a Blade Brake Clutch (BBC). I don't think I'll ever change because the decks are solid steel & you can put just about any engine on it. The drive system has its own differential which I'm pretty sure nobody else does.

A Honda with a BBC (they call it the RotoStop) would be my Plan B. And Snapper has had a Honda GXV 160cc commercial engine on their commercial mower for probably 15 years. Hell of an engine.

 

[Crimson&WhiteGecko]

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Makita has come out with one. It's just a matter of time. I am going to splurge & get a M18 setup to have a pole saw with extension, edger, hedge trimmer, & blower (for quick deck/patio cleaning). I'm thinking that Milwaukee is putting together some mower but they just haven't made what is up to their standards.

Snapper has an 82v mower that is push or self-propelled but it is nothing like their tradition gas mowers. Now Toro makes a high wheel recycler mower that performs just like the gas version. I think Toro has the best battery mower line up right now because they literally kept all the same deck & drive components, just made it battery powered. I cannot for the life of me figure out why the rest like Honda or Snapper didn't do the same. Well I know why Snapper didn't because they are owned by Briggs & Stratton who made a Snapper version for the Wal-Mart (cringe) but I don't see that crowd paying more than $400 for a mower. B&S just filed Bankruptcy.

 

[planomateo]

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The blower is nice. Its already replaced my stihl blower/vacuum combo. I don't really need to vacuum anymore. One less engine I need to winterize.

I've got a stihl kombi - trimmer, edger, pole saw, and tiller that's about to get posted for sale locally. Replaced it with an m18 setup, only have the pole saw and extension at the moment.

I've got a decent collection of m12/m18. M12 grease gun makes tractor maintenance a breeze.

 

[TerryP]

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Plan B on that purchase was a Husqvarna AWD number...looked like a hell of a buy/mower.

 

[Crimson&WhiteGecko]

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With a Honda engine, right?

I've seen the various AWD models on the Husqvarna, Club Cadet, etc. And man, those things have a lot of moving parts in their drive system that just make me nervous. I had a Yard Man years ago & it had this tendency to wear out the drive pulley that was on the crankshaft. It would be worn out w/in a month. That's all I see on those AWD systems, even though they have a pulley for each drive (front & back), what a pain in the butt.

My Snapper has solid axles for the front & back wheels, and the wheels sit on the axle with ball bearings. Very smooth & reliable movement that puts very little strain on the drive system along w/ the back differential. I'm now at the point in life that if I can get 45 mins of low intensity cardio pushing that mower around without the drive system engaged, I can get a solid cardio session out of it with my heart rate between 125-135 bps depending on how fast I go. Nothing like killing two birds with one stone, unless its three birds or more.

 

[TerryP]

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Yes. 200CC. The same Honda line we were talking about. A few things led me to the Honda. Experience was certainly a factor. It's an easy mower to work on if need be: which is a rarity. The Nexite deck was another. I don't think there's a design that does better than their two blade system (on mulch.) Heck, I can get through sopping wet grass with no clog and very little clean up.

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There's the thing. I'd literally be jogging behind the mower if I engaged its drive to it's full pushing power. (Pushing, RWD.)

 

[Crimson&WhiteGecko]

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The Snapper Ninja mulching blade has more blade exposure contact than any 21" blade mulching system. The Honda is a close second.

 

[TerryP]

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I looked at one of those at a local small engine place. I remember it being around a grand with the Honda engine. It was only a 160cc and I wanted more power (and could have easily lived with both, to be frank.)

 

[Crimson&WhiteGecko]

I hear you. It is really hard to justify paying $1k for just residential use, especially now that Honda's have increased their residential line to the 200cc mark. That was a clear F.U. to Briggs & Stratton who has been putting out the 190cc model for a few years.

There is something about that Honda GXV (not GCV that is placed on most Honda mowers) 160cc engine that Snapper likes on their commercial model but it is also the same engine that Honda puts on their $1k commercial mower. I've heard its a dang good engine with great torque that doesn't bog down on any 21" deck but it also has the BBC which is nice too. This engine as been around a long time & you can get solid replacement parts for it as needed. If I cannot get the Kawasaki 180v w/ BBC when I replace my current engine, this will be what I get:

Honda GXV 160cc OHV Commercial Series

 

[TerryP]

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I have two friends who both have the Troy-Bilt 21"—one with a B&S, the other with the Honda—both with 160CC motors. The Honda pulls twice as much as the B&S.

I KNOW a lot of it has to do with maintenance and upkeep. That said, I can't tell you how many times I've seen people buy a B&S only to have it sound like a boat motor on its last leg after a year or two.

I think I mentioned this earlier. Over the last 25 years I'm on my third mower. In the same time frame, I've seen my neighbor buy at least a half of a dozen since I bought my second one. He's spent around $1200, I suppose, if they are $200 a piece. I've spent about that much as well. However, I can't tell you how many times I've been done with half of my yard and he's still trying to crack his mower for the first run.

 

[planomateo]

I run non ethanol in my small engines. Was a pain in the ass to get in DFW, as you have to get 60+ miles outside of the metroplex to find it. Not an issue here in Montana.

Just bought a Husqvarna chainsaw, extended the warranty buy purchasing their premixed fuel.

 

[Crimson&WhiteGecko]

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Good move on the non-ethanol gas. I have a client that runs a lawnmower (Jacks Saw Shop) sales/service shop & he swears that damage from ethanol gas has been the biggest cause for repairs for the last 10 years. Fortunately it hasn't been as difficult as it was to find non-ethanol gas these days but you do pay a premium for it.

Also, I know that Lowes & Home Depot sell a non-ethanol gas & 2 cycle premix now. Again, its a premium but its well worth protecting it.

I'll be getting the Milwaukee pole saw, I'll let you know if has decent torque.