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Location: Finally the house is done and we are in Port St. Lucie!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BostonMike7
I remember when I got my first lawn mower last year. It wasn't so much the mower, as it was finally buying a house with a lawn and being able to do things I've only been able to see done on TV as examples of "typical suburban living"
I remember neighbors asking me who I was going to use for grass cutting service. They thought I was nuts when I said I couldn't wait to do it myself!
So it's less about the mower...and more about what buying a mower means
Welcome to the joys of homeownership and all the toys you get to own. We have an old Troybuilt lawn tractor the neighbor gave to us 5 years ago that chews belts. We use it for hauling wood, garbage/recycling up long driveway, garden debris to cold compost pile, etc. We just invested in a Kubota tractor with front end loader. Now, we are having fun. Next, you will want to buy a weed eater and chainsaw.
Anyway enough of all that social commentary. My next purchase I think will be a string trimmer. I did used to have a B&D corded electric trimmer, and it was not very powerful, so this time I'm going with a traditional gasoline model that will actually chop stuff.
FWIW, Stihl makes an electric/corded string trimmer that's every bit as good as cheap/low end gas string trimmers with none of the issues that comes with gas models. I've had mine for about 8 years now, the biggest complaint being that some Stihl dealers are terrible with customer service and I've had a little issue in getting replacement consumables. It's the right tool for a home-owner on a smallish piece of land, not for commercial work or clearing fields of weeds. If you're using a walk-behind mower, it's Probably the right tool to accompany that job.
FSE 60 is the model, I think they are selling for just over $100.
I remember when I got my first lawn mower last year. It wasn't so much the mower, as it was finally buying a house with a lawn and being able to do things I've only been able to see done on TV as examples of "typical suburban living"
I remember neighbors asking me who I was going to use for grass cutting service. They thought I was nuts when I said I couldn't wait to do it myself!
So it's less about the mower...and more about what buying a mower means
There is so much meaning in your post. I remember living in Florida and loved wandering around Home Depot knowing I could buy stuff for my house. When I moved to Colorado, we were in an apartment for a year before we bought a house. About 6 months into the apartment lease, I realized how much I missed just wandering around Home Depot thinking of all the projects I would love to start. After buying a house again, I loved the fact that I was finally able to start projects again(which included lawn maintenance).It is a proud and fun moment for a lot of people.
It's a 22" Toro front wheel drive from the Ace Hardware. It's not a rider/tractor, isn't the most powerful machine out there, no automatic starter... but it's new, and it's mine!
But for now, I'm enjoying the self-propelled mower. The one thing is that it doesn't handle long, damp grass too well. I only got half the front yard done yesterday and had to bail because it started raining (do mowers keep on working in the rain?). It stalled out about eight times, because I didn't realize I needed to raise the height and run over the long grass twice.
But once the grass is back under control, it's going to be sweet. It's also nowhere near as loud as I feared. I was thinking about going electric, just because of the noise factor, but this thing isn't that bad, and the electrics come with huge compromises -- expensive, and limited time between charges.
A new mower. It's one of the hallmarks of suburban living! And soon to experiencing the joys of cleaning it post-mowing, adding oil, and sharpening the blade....
Ouch, I used to live on a piece of ground that was .61 of an acre and 2/3 of it was grass. It was always push mower cut. Beg as I did, Mom never got a riding mower. I once had one guy willing to sell his old one for $100. She refused and he sold it for $225 later.....
Mowing, sharpening the blade, walking the yard (Looking for any odds and ends that might damage it) raking, bagging, composting, stepping in dog poop (Not the most fun thing) cleaning the mower at the end and checking oil and gas....
It's a 22" Toro front wheel drive from the Ace Hardware. It's not a rider/tractor, isn't the most powerful machine out there, no automatic starter... but it's new, and it's mine!
A new mower. It's one of the hallmarks of suburban living! And soon to experiencing the joys of cleaning it post-mowing, adding oil, and sharpening the blade....
Thanks for reminding me how much fun this all is. I'll be hiring a lawn service when I get into my house.
It's a 22" Toro front wheel drive from the Ace Hardware. It's not a rider/tractor, isn't the most powerful machine out there, no automatic starter... but it's new, and it's mine!
But for now, I'm enjoying the self-propelled mower. The one thing is that it doesn't handle long, damp grass too well. I only got half the front yard done yesterday and had to bail because it started raining (do mowers keep on working in the rain?). It stalled out about eight times, because I didn't realize I needed to raise the height and run over the long grass twice.
But once the grass is back under control, it's going to be sweet. It's also nowhere near as loud as I feared. I was thinking about going electric, just because of the noise factor, but this thing isn't that bad, and the electrics come with huge compromises -- expensive, and limited time between charges.
A new mower. It's one of the hallmarks of suburban living! And soon to experiencing the joys of cleaning it post-mowing, adding oil, and sharpening the blade....
irman gives you some good advice in post 16. I can't emphasize enough not mowing your grass when it is wet, and to always mow it as high as possible especially when it is high. I have never seen a mower that will handle high wet grass.
My suggestions are do not bag your grass clippings, pick up sticks and keep your blade sharpened, do not use weed and feed type fertilizer, and don't use a weed wacker. Weed and feed must stick on wet weeds to work and will be ineffective if it is washed off by rain. Buying liquid weed killer that you spray on the weeds is more effective. Regarding weed eaters, you need to wear goggles and long pants or you'll pay the price. Unless your are a pro, you end of butchering the grass and getting crabgrass growing in those areas. They are also rough on trees.
I remember when I got my first lawn mower last year. It wasn't so much the mower, as it was finally buying a house with a lawn and being able to do things I've only been able to see done on TV as examples of "typical suburban living"
I remember neighbors asking me who I was going to use for grass cutting service. They thought I was nuts when I said I couldn't wait to do it myself!
So it's less about the mower...and more about what buying a mower means
Yeah, for me it's partly that, and partly that I just enjoy doing it myself. DIY is fun, good exercise, and saves money!
I'm going to need to rent a tiller and work that yard over; it's lumpy and the topsoil I've been dumping on it doesn't seem to be fixing it. The neighbors hired a guy with an earth mover yesterday that scooped up their whole yard, and will be laying down new sod, nice and simple fix. I don't know; that seems like cheating. But their yard will probably look great when it's done.
Yesterday on my lunch hour I finished the front yard and the side yard. I had to resist doing the back yard. Will save that for tomorrow when it'll be sunny
I maintain many of the rentals... mowing is never a chore and it gives me a chance to take care of anything on my to do list.
Lawns have a bad wrap here in Northern CA but I'd rather mow than maintain a rock garden etc...
I started with a push mower at age 8 mowing lawns for money...
Later I bought $99 Craftsman mowers and used them until the deck would rust through...
Most stuff now is Honda Powered... but I still have a monster Yazoo mower that is a beast, plus commercial Honda and Toro (2-Stroke)
Dads Echo Brush Cutter has about 1000 hours on it in 30+ years... we kids gave it to him for Father's Day and think of him each Spring when I'm using it.
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