OT push mower opinions.

OT question.

Looking for ideas on a newer push mower. So I was wondering what kind of luck anyone has had with certain brands from the last 5 years.

Thanks.

off hand, i'll have to say I've never paid more than $15 for a push mower. THey've all been given to me or cost less than $15. Current mower is a 5hp briggs mtd I salvaged from a friends scrap pile. It runs but its a deal were I check the gas when I ADD oil. Needless to say the plug gets fouled quickly. it needs a blade and wheels too so I'm looking around and thinking about SPENDING A BIT MORE and getting something more dependable. Looking for ideas on anyone's luck with the newer brands.

Stay away from anything with the Briggs and Stratton engine. Kohler is better but has its own set of issues. Cheap mowers today seem to start around $250, and you don't get very much for that.

Also, stay away from anything that is not rated to run on E10. Any manufacturer that refuses to accept the fact that ethanol is here to stay is just not in touch with reality. Whether or not you choose to use E10 or regular unleaded is entirely up to you.

I've bought most of mine from Sears (made by Husqvarna these days) and had good luck but I do take excellent care of them.

I like to be able to call the 800 parts number any day of the week to order parts and have them delivered within 3 or 4 days.

Dean

Are you looking for a push mower as in YOU push it around ? I bet most are all made by MTD anyhow ? Rural King had them about as low priced as anyone. $ 124.00 IIRC ?
Now if you want a self propelled I'd look for a slightly used lawn boy with a 2 cycle engine. Get the rear wheel drive that is shaft drive. Not the older ones with rollers driving the rear wheels. Mom has 2 of them now and they sure have been good to me because I do all the repairs and really have not needed to do much to these.
I also like my JD mower with Kawasaki engine and 5 speeds. model 14SB this is an older unit back when they were silver colored. These can be found used too.

Wally World sells this one and it never fails to start on first or second pull --- My use comes close to abuse but I seldom overload it . Acts as the trim mower that my belly-mount-Cub mower and my 7 1/12 foot LP can't reach . Easy to push and I'd buy another one :


http://www.walmart.com/ip/22178407?wmlspartner=wlpa&adid=22222222227016960731&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=40471826672&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl6=60820358126&veh=sem

AYP (American Yard Product) which makes Husqvarna consumer grade mowers. AYP is generally a cut above MTD products which makes most of them. MTD (Minnesota Tool & Die) If memory serves me correctly, is a close held (family owned corp.) which has stayed in business and prospered by buying out companies that make quality products and cheapening them up. Cub Cadet is an example. Because people buy by brand, they get away with it for several years.

My wife just came home last week with a 22" Murray with 4.5HP B&S engine for $129 from Home Depot. Engine is worth about $110 and the rest is lightweight junk. She hit a rock which bent the deck housing so bad it was hitting the blade. I bent it back into shape with my hand..... The deck metal would be stronger if made of plastic, and the wheels are junk too.
I buy all my mowers at Sears, can get parts and warranty is no problem, but wifey does her own thing. It does have a nice red paint job......

Pat MTD stands for Modern Tool & Die. Ayp (American Yard Products) uses MTD parts in their products. As of a few years ago mower decks under AYP,Husqvarna,and Craftsman lawn and garden tractors are all MTD built.

You are right, been many years since I was in the business. At that time Husqvarna, AYP, Poulan and Frigidair were all owned by Electrolux. Murray was named from Murray Indiana.

This won't help you, but the best ones iv used commercially were Toro 21" commercial mowers with ball bearing wheels, aluminum mower decks and Suzuki 2cycle engines. I have 3 of then, all from the late 90s and they still run fine!

I had a neighbor one time that was down and out and I kept his grass mowed. I mowed it because, though a good guy and down and out, he could break an anvil with a rubber hammer, so I didn't want him using my push mower.

At a yard sale one day and saw a Lawnboy push mower, the price was right and I bought it - to give my neighbor to use and abuse.

I otherwise had no use for the LB mowers - green, staggered wheel'd deck, 2-cycle, not for me.

I cleaned that thing up, it fired off first pull, ran and cut like a champ. The grass discharge via the staggard wheel'd (tangent to the blade arc) would absolutely NOT clog! Muffler under the deck - pretty quiet too. 2 cycle, no oil changes and the engine sees fresh/clean oil every stroke, crazy easy to service.

I gave my "good" push mower to my neighbor, kept the Lawnboy and have added a few more over the years.

I said all the above to say this:

If you want a simple, reliable great cutting mower that most won't own - for a decent price, consider the Lawnboy.

Good luck,
Bill

I have 1 AYP yard pro garden tractor and 2 Craftsmam garden tractors and all made in mid 90's and all parts go back to MTD numbers. Neighbor has a 8 year old Husqvarna garden tractor and deck parts are MTD.

bill, i have 2 of the lawn boy silver series 2 stoke self propelled mowers. been going strong for 20 years or so. light weight and do a good job. swmbo wanted an electric start walk behind, got her a toro personal pace. its a lead sled. wish they still made the two stroke lawn boys.

looking at both. the push kind and the "self propelled" kind.

I do about the same thing that you do with mowers - salvage older "worn out" ones. Neighbor put a mower out at the curb one day. I asked him why. He said that it had a bad wheel. I took it, put a wheel on it, and used it for about 10 years. Still sets out in the shed but got to be a bit hard starting. Got another one from neighbor on the other side. Said that the engine would not start. He put it out at the curb and bought a new mower. I asked him for the one at the curb and he said that was OK with him. Found out that the safety cable had stretched. So, I took off the blower housing and bent the bracket to accommodate the stretched cable. Ran that for several years, finally sold it to a friend that needed a mower. Still running. Got another MTD mower at an auction for $1. Had it setting out next to the shed for a couple of years waiting for me to "get to it." Drained the tank, put in fresh gas, and it started on the second pull, and has been running for 2 seasons now. I would not be afraid of any old used mower. Most times they just need a minor repair and are good to go for years to come. It does not have to be a top of the line engine on a high end brand name deck to be a good mower.
Keep in mind that mower repair shops have 3 month backlogs and charge $100 per hour. That pretty much puts repairs of all but the top end equipment out of the reach of the average person. After all, would you spend $150 plus parts on a $250 mower - and wait 3 months for it to boot????? NOT ME!!!!!!

You will be happy with anything with a Honda engine.

A 30 year old two stroke lawnboy will still run like brand new when it is 45 years old. Get an old one with the D series engine. They are unstoppable. I have one here that was given to me 20 years ago. I use it about twice a year now for the really bad jobs where I might hit some metal or something. I think it is a 1978 model.

Watch Craig's List. You will get a great one for 50-75 dollars.

We have a new Husqvarna that we like. Lightweight, rolls easy, starts easy. Easy start is the best feature because the wife can start it and use it anytime!!!!! Serious she couldn't pull start the old one but she will use this one.

I brought up the used Deere and Lawnboys as now you can get them for around what an el cheapo push mower sells for and have a WAY better unit ! Good used mowers are still around. I just missed out on another lawnboy for Mom on craigslist. 2 cycle is a good way to go for her hills but I don't think you can buy them new anymore.

I will add my recommendation for the Lawn-Boy as well.
I bought a "Silver Series" 6.5 HP self-propelled at a garage sale about 12 years ago for twenty bucks. The owner could not get it to run right.
After tearing into the carb a couple of times, I got it running and was totally sold.
It has a geared rear wheel drive which makes it climb hills very well.
The two stroke let's me mow all my steep banks without having to worry about oil starvation.
Very powerful engine!
About 5 years ago I tried the mulching plate for the first time.
It turns out,that is one of the best features. I have a load of maple trees and this mower chews the leaves up into tiny pieces; no more raking!
It is noisy so I wear hearing protection and I have had to replace the ignition module. About $30 on e-bay.
You can find all kinds of parts (new and used) on e-bay for nearly all the Lawn-Boy mowers as well as the mowers themselves.