My lawnmower search cont. (of lawnmower interest only)

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petek

petek

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Well I hit a couple of lawnmower type shops today. The first being a Toro dealer and he doesn't yet have his 07 stock in but he did have a nice looking older 2 stroke Lawnboy Commercial. Be another week or so till his stock arrives.

So I puttered across town to an Ariens dealer, same deal, no stock in yet other than 2 x 06 models, a Gravely commercial for yikes $1200, and an Ariens residential. Both very nice. His stock won't be in for another week or so either darn it.
The better Ariens apparently have Kawasaki engines, hummm

Todays paper had a Home Depot flyer advertising Cub Cadet mowers so I just got back from there. Turns out they're MTD just like the Bolens over at Wally Mart. But the price isn't bad on the Cub Cadet. Then I noticed the Murray right beside it and for gosh sakes it's an MTD as well, same body, different plastic acroutements and less whistles.

Home Depot had 3 new Toro's, 2 with that auto power drive feature, both with Tecumseh 6.5 engines.. next to those are some LawnBoys, one of which has a Honda engine but naturally it's the most expensive of all, the other one had a Tecumseh engine..

This is getting cornfusing to say the least.

And now I find out I goofed, there's no Snapper dealer within 100 miles of here so that's out of the question.
 
Lawnboy 2-strokes . . .

My father is an engineer who has always maintained his lawn mowers, and he really likes the old Briggs & Stratton flathead engines. When I was a kid and one of my duties was mowing the lawn, a friend gave us one of the 2-stroke Lawn Boys. I was fascinated with it, and got it running, all while my dad told me not to waste my time on that piece of junk! Oh boy, was he wrong. That little "popper" would out perform the old B & S engines so badly in tall or damp grass it wasn't funny, even with the self-propelled mechanism going. I think I'd pass on one today due to the nasty and polluting exhaust, but if I didn't live in an area with air quality problems and had to do a difficult lawn I'd be sorely tempted.
 
I have to wonder if the neighbors would appreciate seeing a cloud of blue smoke to and fro'ing across my front lawn LOL .
I know I know..it aint that way..

So what I've figured out so far is there's only 3 or 4 major contenders out their in lawmower maker land..

Toro with Lawnboys

MTD with Bolens, Murray, Cub Cadet, TroyBilt? and a plethora of store brand names. YardMan?

Snapper

Ariens/Gravely.
 
Lawn-Boys

I love my Lawnboy! It is from 1963, and is so light, it doesn't really even need the self propelled. I use it anyway, cause it's so cool.
To bad they don't make real Lawnboys anymore. I have heard that the new models are just junk now.

Can't wait till spring now. Being outside again..... Yes! Yes!

3-7-2007-22-13-48--rickr.jpg
 
That's a shame Rick. Lawn Boy was always such a respected name. My father's first powered lawnmower was a Lawn Boy. It was the late 70s though before he made the switch from the manual reel type.

How are the Toro units today? They had an operation in suburban Minneapolis at one time, don't know if they still do. I remember neighbors having them, I think they were red.
 
I think I mentioned this in the former thread, but Costco is having a coupon discount on an MTD Pro powered by Honda next week. 21" stainless steel deck, Honda 160cc OHV engine, rear discharge/mulcher. With discount, $250. If my B&S MTD 21" mower wasn't still going strong I'd be tempted to get this one.
 
Sadly, modern lawnmowers are going the way of cheap microwaves; disposable after a season.

The old Lawnboys are terrific, and are worth seeking. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I heard that most lawnmowers with a Briggs and Stratton engine in them are pretty reliable. Are B&S engines still manufactured in the US?

Pete: We have run the gamut on mowers; Murray, MTD, Toro, Lawnboy. The Murray (a pretty cheap one, at that) was the workhorse of the group. How large is your yard? Have you ever considered an electric mower?

Spring has sprung here. We got our first chance to mow the weeds, er lawn, last week.

Good luck on your search!!
 
I like those old classic LawnBoys, the 2nd hand one in the store the other day was much much bigger than that.

The electrics are out Venus, got deleted in the zap of yesterday, but the reason was/is there's too many bushes and trees in my yard. Plus I'm thinking something that can really grind up and bag all those oak leaves I had to contend with last fall, +40 bags worth and an electric or battery one just won't cut it.. not so punny.

How on earth could you go thru so many lawnmowers LOL
 
Briggs & Stratton . . .

I have no idea if these are still made in the US, but the basic flathead B & S design is old, old, old. It got that way by being cheap and reliable. For a long time there was one major competitor, Tecumseh, but B & S always outsold them by quite a bit. Now Honda has carved a market for their overhead valve engines, which is an inherently better technology albeit more expensive. Given that Honda has for a long time had the best gasoline internal combustion technology in the world they should be good. The good thing about B & S is that ANY lawn mower shop should be familiar with them, and replacement parts and engines are cheap and easy to come by.

The two-stroke engines are their own kind of technological dead-end. I think OMC made the Lawn Boy engines, and being outboard engine guys they knew how to make a sweetheart of an engine. Because simple two-strokes require that oil be mixed with the fuel, they have high emissions of pollutants. However, since they provide twice as many power strokes as a four-stroke engine they are more powerful for a given size.
 
I just checked the B&S website and it's clear as mud where they make their motors but in the "about us" section it seems they are made in Japan by Mitsubishi and another company I forget how to spell.

The Tecumseh engines is also a little unclear but they appear to be made in the US and elsewhere?

The actual lawnmower portions are made in the US or so it seems.
 
My understanding (based on mowers sold here in AU) is that Briggs and Stratton engines are still made in USA, except for Vanguard engines which are made in Japan by Mitsubishi. I have two 6hp Vanguard engines, one for my 24volt DC battery charger for the solar power, and one for my 240volt AC generator which I used during building the house. They have been fantastic - I change the oil every 12 months, otherwise the only trouble I've had is occasionally the newer one overflows fuel - the needle valve in the carby gets stuck.

I am about to buy a new mower tomorrow - a New Zealand made Masport 550AL. Our current mower, a BOL Victa, is a disgrace to the proud old Victa name, it is only 4 years old, the wheels are falling off, the axles are rusted, the steel base is rusting, paint is peeling off. The only good part is the B&S 375 motor is still in perfect condition.
The new Masport is close to TOL, with alloy deck, double ball bearing wheels, really solid construction and Quantum 60 engine. There was a batch made with a larger engine and 4-blade base instead of the normal quantum 50 engine and twin blades as they were short of stock of the right engine. Despite that this is an improvement, they are being sold at a discount, rrp$709, we are getting it for $499. Too good to pass up. Eventually I will scrounge up a good second hand base for the Victa and swap engines.

Here is a link to the Masport:

Chris.

 
Lawn Boy

Personally I have had several lawn mowers with Briggs and Stratton engines, all which fail in comparison to a 2 cycle Lawn Boy. All of the Lawn Boy's I have owned (now 3 different models) start on the first pull almost every time, never have to change oil, will rarely bog down and stall, the first model I purchased was in 1980, that mower mowed 15 yards a week and I used it until 1997 and never changed the plug the whole time. It was still running great when I traded the mower, but talk was in the air of disconinuing the 2 Cycle and I wanted to trade before that happened. I know who purchased the mower and it is still running like a champ today. I did put one new set of wheels and of course several blades. The one I own now has the Easy Stride self propelled system and I love it. Most self propelled models are to slow for me but this one keeps right up. It has the best mulching system I have used. Never leaves clumps and you can hear it recycling the grass if you stop walking and just let the mower sit.

I am hoping never to have to buy a 4 cycle mower. They just don't have the same qualities and are way to heavy and awkward.

Morgan
 
I love my 2001 LawnBoy. Nothing compares. And I'm like Rick, I don't use my self-propelled feature hardly at all. And that's with me being physically challenged. Besides, the self-propelled is too fast for me, I end up geing draggted across the yard lol.
 
I feel that I must say a kind word about Ariens products. First, Brillion, WI which is the home of Ariens is only 122 miles east of Wausau. Second, my snowblower is 38yrs. old this year and still going strong. The only major thing that has been done to mine was that my Grandfather had electric start put on it when he couldn't pull to start it any more. It has had regular oil changes, and other routine maintenance to keep it in tip-top shape. My Grandmother gave it to us as a wedding gift, one of the more practical items we received. It sure beats the 2 burial plots she gave my youngest sister when she got married, YIKES!!!
 
The Ariens mowers are very nice, I've got the brochure right here but they're very expensive here in Canada and seem to be only sold by specialized dealers more geared to commercial lawn and garden outfits. Canadian prices are generally more than the US price but not normally a huge enough difference to make it worth buying in the states. I could buy one at the Home Depot in Michigan right across the river form us, about 10 minutes from my house depending on traffic but by the time I'd pay the dollar differance and tax it wouldn't be worth it then all the warranty problems as they probably wouldn't honor the warranty here. The Toro,LB's are about $150-200 more retail in Cdn dollars at our own HD.
 
My loyalty for a new mower would be with Snapper, they are one of the few companies that are still interested in building a high quality mower in the US and supporting independant dealers, which I always consider a good thing.
 
I am quite baffled by all the lawnmower choices and such. It seems like such a horrid chore and why should there be so many choices... I saw one at sears for $150 that would suit me fine if i had a yard (which i don't thankfully). I know i mentioned b4 about my lawn mower experiances and i stand by the fact that a cheap mower does just fine. Just about every one i ever knew and still know never had a fancy lawn mower. Including the church i grew up next to. They may have an Electrolux and Kitchen Aid in the fellowship hall, but by gosh there 20 some year old Kmart Mower did just fine, until the pastor got Steve a new MTD mower. They also use a 25 year old Snapper Riding Mower. We had the el cheapo from lowes and then an el chepo from sears. My mom and step dad use an El Chepo Murry riding mower from walmart for there five acre lot. Dad uses an ancient Lawn Cheif for his yard. My aunt and uncle use an old Craftsman. My sister and husband have a $99 Walmart push mower i bought them 10 years ago. My brother has a similar Kmart model hes had for 8 years.
Sorry, but why waste the money?? I agree with Retromom, its just like microwaves and Tv's. I bought the $50 Sharp from Wal-Mart and hope to get 3 years out of it. The TV we got from sears has issues and will be returned for a 25" unit from Wal Mart. Why spend the money when it will croke in the end??

I'd much rather spend it on nice cloths, vintage washers, or my car (or my dream car, a Black 2wd V8 2002-2005 Explorer Eddie Baure or Limited)
 
Chad, it's all a matter of priorities and interests. I have less than zero interest in clothing, have no jewellery, don't wear a watch, my interest in new cars has headed south as well. I love gardening and especially cutting the grass. My dad detested mowing the lawn and got by with one of those 20 y.o. no name B&S iron horse mowers and was proud of that fact, to me it made cutting the lawn a chore. Having a decent lawnmower to me is a treat, doesn't have to be new, if I can find a 2nd hand LawnBoy like Ricks I'd grab it, if I can't I'll get a shiny new fancy one, heck I may even get more than one. LOL
 

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