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...but I still have places that one more 'tool' in my arsenal would help.
Whenever that sort of thought enters my head I remember the cold beer waiting for me in the frig .
Quote:
I do agree that planning can help reduce the amount that has to be trimmed.
My neighbor instructed me when I got my first rider:
Go as slow as you can stand around the entire perimeter, trees and flower beds.
Then go back with a shovel and dig out whatever the mower wasn't able to cut.
Whenever that sort of thought enters my head I remember the cold beer waiting for me in the frig .
My neighbor instructed me when I got my first rider:
Go as slow as you can stand around the entire perimeter, trees and flower beds.
Then go back with a shovel and dig out whatever the mower wasn't able to cut.
It works.
That works on smaller plots; larger ones need more time (if you have the time). I have grabbed tree trimers and had them drop all the chips on my property so that I can make rings around my trees with the chips when composted. I also use bagged grass mulch; but there is never enough or enough time to do everything.
I just miss having the small mower; I wish they still offered one. I still think there is a place for them. Also some people have very small lawns.
You can find this: Yard Machines 140cc 20-Inch Push Mower; and this: Poulan Pro 961120130 PR450N20S Briggs 450e Side Discharge Push Mower in 20-Inch Deck,
both on Amazon
You can find this: Yard Machines 140cc 20-Inch Push Mower; and this: Poulan Pro 961120130 PR450N20S Briggs 450e Side Discharge Push Mower in 20-Inch Deck,
both on Amazon
20" is the smallest I could currently find. Years ago we had more choices; but the string trimmer was still to be invented. That might have been the demise of the small gas push mowers?
Do you remember the very light weight Lawn- Boys that had 2-cycle engines and white metal decks? They were extremely light and easy to push, but like the Toro white metal decks; could shatter if you hit something hard.
That works on smaller plots; larger ones need more time (if you have the time). I have grabbed tree trimers and had them drop all the chips on my property so that I can make rings around my trees with the chips when composted. I also use bagged grass mulch; but there is never enough or enough time to do everything.
I just miss having the small mower; I wish they still offered one. I still think there is a place for them. Also some people have very small lawns.
You can maybe find one used. Check at any small engine shop. Some people, for whatever reason, bring a mower in for some work, then never reclaim it. After a certain time has passed, the shop owner will sell these, frequently not asking much more than the repair cost.
You can maybe find one used. Check at any small engine shop. Some people, for whatever reason, bring a mower in for some work, then never reclaim it. After a certain time has passed, the shop owner will sell these, frequently not asking much more than the repair cost.
That is how I got the last one; I owned the repair shop and kept that one for myself instead of selling it! But that was back in 1975 and they are a little harder to find today.
I don't wish to hijack the thread, but I would wish for are lawnmowers that CRANK as in EVERY TIME without having to have so much maintenance done to them. If a mower requires more than 5 minutes of "maintenance" a year beyond just draining out the old gas in the fall when you put it away for the season, that's too much fuss, I'm completely serious. Earlier this year I had a 1995 car I paid $300 for, and yet EVERY TIME when I got in, it CRANKED without any drama, without having to be so meticulous about air filters and "old gas" and "cleaning the fuel lines" and "don't flood it"--no--you turned the key IT CRANKED. Lawnmowers need to be that way. (Chainsaws, too.)
I don't wish to hijack the thread, but I would wish for are lawnmowers that CRANK as in EVERY TIME without having to have so much maintenance done to them. If a mower requires more than 5 minutes of "maintenance" a year beyond just draining out the old gas in the fall when you put it away for the season, that's too much fuss, I'm completely serious. Earlier this year I had a 1995 car I paid $300 for, and yet EVERY TIME when I got in, it CRANKED without any drama, without having to be so meticulous about air filters and "old gas" and "cleaning the fuel lines" and "don't flood it"--no--you turned the key IT CRANKED. Lawnmowers need to be that way. (Chainsaws, too.)
It would help if you use ethanol-free gasoline, and put Sta-Bil or similar in it at least over the winter.
Small engines for the most part still use carburetors, you have to manually actuate some sort of choke or enrichment device to do the cold start. Most cars since the mid-80's are fuel injected, and don't require any skill to do a cold start, as you said, just turn the key.
Most mowers and chain saws, changing the spark plug and/or air filter is very easy.
Few people take a car and park it for the winter season. Most mowers do get stored in the off-season, and chainsaws frequently sit for a long time between starts. This means you need ethanol-free gas, you need to mix the gas/oil correctly for 2-strokes (mostly chainsaws, but some old Lawn Boy mowers too).
Bottom line these small, cheap engines don't have all the automatic equipment a car does, you have to know a bit about operating them. Back when cars had carburetors, you had to have that mojo for cars too.
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