got a riding mower

rosconey · #1

my used honda is about as shot as shot can be and still run-

even though i dont have a big lawn,im lazy and hate cutting the grass

yesterday sears had a thing that if you sign up you get up to 15% off

got a $1200 mower for $1020 after the deduction-
19.5 brigs-42" cut and cvt automatic trans

should have by the weekend if a buddy gets his trailer on the road this week-

Clip · #2

Good call getting a Briggs. We had an old one with a 14hp Briggs and it lasted forever. 1987 to 2006 or whenever I ripped it off to repurpose it. Got a newer model with a Kohler engine and that was the worst experience I ever had. Two carbs and a blown head gasket later ended up getting another with a Briggs engine in it. Of course I fixed the head gasket and it's running again, but left a bad taste in my mouth.

mkd · #3

roscony! FYI! take a look at the blades in the mower deck.if they are attached to the spindle with a star shaped pattern make darn sure you don't scalp or hit anything hard with the blades.the star pattern that is on the spindle that the blade pattern matches(it's located under the blade attaching bolt) will shear off and then you have to replace the spindle shaft.i got roped into doing a repair on a craftsman once and from then on every summer the spindles would need replacing.lawyer owned a storage garage facility and had someone using his mower to mow about 1/2 acre.they cleared the site for the units but never graded before the grass grew up.he mowed such a rough lot the spindles would not hold up.

tonydahose · #4

rosconey wrote:
even though i dont have a big lawn,im lazy and hate cutting the grass

my old boss at Delta airlines had a tapper right next to the water spigot on the outside of his house. the tapper was connected to the keg in the bar in the house. you could try that, it might make cutting grass a bit more enjoyable for you

Clip · #5

mkd wrote:roscony! FYI! take a look at the blades in the mower deck.if they are attached to the spindle with a star shaped pattern make darn sure you don't scalp or hit anything hard with the blades.the star pattern that is on the spindle that the blade pattern matches(it's located under the blade attaching bolt) will shear off and then you have to replace the spindle shaft.i got roped into doing a repair on a craftsman once and from then on every summer the spindles would need replacing.lawyer owned a storage garage facility and had someone using his mower to mow about 1/2 acre.they cleared the site for the units but never graded before the grass grew up.he mowed such a rough lot the spindles would not hold up.

They must be making them stronger! You could swear I was using mine as a stump grinder sometimes. It would catch the corner of a stump and the blade would submarine straight down. After I backed off of it and reengaged the cutting deck it would make a crazy crop circle swirl in the grass til I replaced it. This happened twice, maybe three times before I either cut the stump all the way out with the blade or just dug it up, I forget.

phillipsted · #6

tonydahose wrote:my old boss at Delta airlines had a tapper right next to the water spigot on the outside of his house. the tapper was connected to the keg in the bar in the house. you could try that, it might make cutting grass a bit more enjoyable for you

I always go for the "Cooler strapped to the hood with bungee cords" approach personally. After drinking a few frosty ones, I'd probably mow over the beer tap on the lawn.

Oh, and a pro tip: Never, ever mow over prickly pear cactus in your yard. Those spines can really hurt when they are hurled out from under the deck at 30mph. :eek:

TedP

Slash · #7

Worse comes to worse. You could always enter one of those lawn mower races if you get sick of it.

BAL · #8

I know that you know this, but I will say it anyway. Check that oil every time
before using, clean the grass out from the deck after every mow and number one,
grease the **** out of it. I live on a farm and mow 6-10 acres every week. (Part of
it around the edge of some fields I only mow every two weeks).

I have kept mowers going for years and years and I grease it after every time I mow.
Granted, I mow more each time that most, but the point is that the moving parts on
a mower are the first things to wear out and you can double their life with grease. I
also shoot WD-40 on anythign that looks like it needs it after each mow. It's also good
to change the oil and replace the gas filters when they get dirty.

Anyway, I don't mean to sound preachy, but I was guessing that your Honda was a push
mower and this one is a rider. Some of the parts on a rider tend to wear out with use.
They are a bit of a different animal when it comes to maintenance. Push mowers seem
to keep running no matter what you do to them.

Congrats, mowing the yard is one of my favorite chores. The sound of the engine and
being alone gives time to think about life, and which Spyderco that you need next.

mkd · #9

clip! that mower was a late ninetie's mower! 17 or 18 hp vertical shaft craftsman 42" deck i beleave.i would hope they done away with that blade mounting system,it did noy hold up!

Clip · #10

mkd wrote:clip! that mower was a late ninetie's mower! 17 or 18 hp vertical shaft craftsman 42" deck i beleave.i would hope they done away with that blade mounting system,it did noy hold up!

The old Craftsman one I remember was a 14hp Briggs, 5 speed 38" deck. The one we got in early '00s, yeah Craftsman with 17hp Kohler, hydrostatic trans, a 42" cut and the star mounting pattern.

rosconey · #11

the guy who is picking it up for me has a landscape company-
he likes the new big briggs motor better than the newer kohlers-i guess they have had some issues over the last few years and he is not so sure they have them figured out yet-

not a great mower by any stretch-but you cant touch the features for the money -15% off a sale price is pretty good these days

Tdog · #12

Congrats on the new mower. If you had an older Honda Rider you had a GREAT machine. I hope the new one serves you as well. I've got a Honda that is 15 years old and I mow about an acre each time it starts. I change the oil regularly and clean the air filter routinely. I've changed belts (drive and blade) numerous times over the years, plugs, a pulley and put tubes in the tires. Never had to take it to the shop. Can't speak to the newer Honda riders but the old ones are just the finest. Bagger attachment keeps my yard looking like a golf course......and I have a LOT of leaves. The old Honda's are the best.

O,just,O · #13

You guys get some bargains there in USA.
In Australia we can not buy the motor alone for the full ticket price on that mower.
O.

gull wing · #14

Another mower question?
Tractor type or Zero Turn mower.
My old Snapper (rear engine 30") is beating me to death. The ZTR's run about a grand higher than the tractor type??

BAL · #15

gull wing wrote:Another mower question?
Tractor type or Zero Turn mower.
My old Snapper (rear engine 30") is beating me to death. The ZTR's run about a grand higher than the tractor type??

As I stated above, I mow a stupid amount, and nothing can beat a Zero turn. I held off for a long time,
but finally bought a Zero Turn at a farm auction. I will NEVER go back. It cut my mowing time almost
in half. There is little re-mowing since you can cut on a dime and pull a 180 and head right back where
you came from. This way you can get a nice one way cut across your lawn.

I alternate directions with each mow. One time I go N-S, then E-W, SW-NE, SE-NW. I have double mowed
part of the yard (mowed one direction and immediately after, mowed again at a different angle and you
can get an excellent looking cut.

To me it is worth the extra coin and if you think about, with the high price of gas, you will save money each
cutting since you can do it faster. And if you don't like to mow, then that's less time in the yard and more
time on the couch flickin' your Manbug.

rosconey · #16

craftsman has a new tractor that turns in 6 "-
mine is 18"

rodloos · #17

All this talk of riding mowers sure makes me want one, but I would have a hard time justifying it - my total yard size is only about 1/3 acre, and with much fencing and trees to maneuver around. If it could also vacuum up the leaves in the fall, and better yet pick up all of the acorns, that just might be worth it. My oak tree is very productive some years :) .

I wonder where I would store it...

rosconey · #18

fired her up today :) and took a spin-
when i engaged the blades it scared me they spun so fast -lol-

motor sounds fantastic-runs smooth for a big single-and the auto trans is nice also

off coarse sears found a way to screw up-paid for it yesterday so they they had time to assemble it -get there and its not ready-waited a hour for them to assemble it-they gave me a 10$ gift card for waiting-heck i was going to get a bumper,now its 10 bucks cheaper

Diamondback · #19

I imagine with the early Spring you are having Upstate you will get a lot of good use out of your new mower. You made a great choice....mowing shouldn't be such a burden now.

BAL · #20

I love the smell of cut grass in the morning.