Lawn Mowers

[SOLER]

I can't seem to find a lawn mower without a Briggs and Stratton engine on it without spending $400 or more. I can't get a Sears mower without a B & S engine. I can't believe no one makes their own engines anymore. My "Troy Bilt" pressure washer has a B & S on it and the carb is junk after only a year. My Craftsman mower with a craftsman engine is still running after 10 hard years. It finally gave up the ghost when the shaft broke and the blade fell off! Yes, you heard it. My teenage sons mow the lawn and don't care about the mower because they didn't buy it. They start it up, mow over rocks and bricks, and wonder why I want to strangle them when it needs a blade, they leave grass in the bag and wonder why it's rotting...

Anyway, don't mean to vent. I just want to find a mower that will last. I should easily get 10 years out of it cause I'll be the only one using it as my boys are moving out! But I don't want a BS motor.

 

[Cal Brewin]

I bought a Toro a few years ago at Home Depot, it has a Tecumseh engine and performs very well(Did not want a B&S engine as well). Cost less than $300 at the time.



Did a search and here it is... .



Toro Variable Speed, Low Wheel, Walk Power Mower 22 In. , 6. 5 hp, 3 In. 1 - 20071 at The Home Depot

Tom.

 

[WDixon27]

got my new troybilt with a honda for $120 from the clearance line in front of lowes, about 4 years ago got a troy with a b&s the same way for about the same price, plastic intake manifold broke apart but it still ran, jb welded it back together and the damn thing wouldn't run, said screw it and got another mower as the b&s had been running with a bent crank for a couple years, hard to beat a honda motor the new one starts like a champ, just keep a eye out and see what turns up, theres usually something good for about half price just check it out and roll the motor while watching the shaft if they aren't giving a warranty so if it's gotta bent crank you aren't screwed

 

[JKinney]

Im runnin two different walkers that are real sweet. One has a 52" deck and will power dump, when using the ghs decks. They run from about 6500 to 15 grand, Your son would love one Oo.

 

[16919]

Get a Ferris DD hydro commercial grade with a 52" deck you can get it in a 61" or better yet get a 72" dixie chopper with a 35hp diesel motor on it!!

 

[SOLER]

Thanks for the replies. I went to Sears and got a Craftsman self-propelled with a Honda motor. It should do the trick. With it being on sale, and an extra 15% off last Friday, plus a 10% mail-in rebate, I got a pretty sweet deal. It will end up costing about $50 more than I paid for the old one 11 years ago!

 

[JKinney]

All joking aside there are some good engines, kolers, which are in my commercial mowers are great, the kawasakis seem to be good, and the hondas. Brigs also has some newer technology engines that might be good, I just dont know.

 

[JasonCzerak]

I bought a Toro a few years ago at Home Depot, it has a Tecumseh engine and performs very well(Did not want a B&S engine as well). Cost less than $300 at the time.



Did a search and here it is... .



Toro Variable Speed, Low Wheel, Walk Power Mower 22 In. , 6. 5 hp, 3 In. 1 - 20071 at The Home Depot

Tom.

I inherited that mower. my cousins used it to cut my grandmothers lawn, until her house sold after she passed. It sat for a year until I got back to my parents and brought it home here.



them kids are not "car aware" so putting oil in a mower prolly isn't the first thing on tap prior to starting things.



I got it most of it out and thick! like molasses thick. change it out and I apparently now have leaky seal in the head or something cuz I blow smoke for a bit on a cold start.



Runs well, cuts well.



My brother got next version up with eclectic start and variable self propelled from a friend of the family for cheap

 

[Grizzly]

I have a Honda mower with a Honda engine with all the bells and whistles for $400 on a clearance sale at HomeDepot. Best mower I ever had. I like B&S engines. I don't, however like Tecumseh or Craftsman anything.

 

[tgordon]

IMHO Tech. engines are the cheapest, that is why they are on snowblowers etc that get "abused". B&S and Kohler are aobut the same. Where I use to work we would do in an average year 6 head gaskets on kohlers/year. We also got a "great deal" on some Exmarks with 23hp Kohlers that could barley start the deck turning from WOT without the choke being on, it was only a

61" deck. Kawasaki and Honda are top of the line engines. Robin/subaru are ok until you need parts, then if you can get them be ready$$$$$$.



I don't care what the name on the mower is there are only a hand full of manufacturers anymore in the market and they produce them for everybody else and just slap differant paint and stickers on them.

 

[JasonBrown]

I got a 28hp Kohler on my Scag zero turn mower and it is an animal. My dad has a 23hp Kohler on his Exmark and it is also very good.



As for push mowers I have a mower (don't recall the brand) I bought from TSC about 15 years ago with a Tecumseh engine on it and it still runs great. It uses a little oil, puffs smoke at startup, but I can put fuel stabalizer in it, leave it stored all winter and it always starts on the 1st crank. It was about 300 bucks back then.

 

[JasonCzerak]

Are there little diesel motors that can for the most part bolt right up to a push mower?

 

[JasonCzerak]

Air cooled single cylinder diesel

Single Cylinder Manufacturer, Exporter : Fuzhou Hailin Machinery Co. Ltd



Air-cooled Diesel Engine Manufacturer, Exporter : Changfa Group



When it's says vertical , I'm thinking crank shaft, tho it's piston so these wouldn't work in a push mower. Still putzing and looking for a horizontal motor. that's be neat to get a hold of and bolt up to my mower.

 

[AKaiser]

I guess I was raised right, growing up on a farm with parents and grandparents that prided themselves in taking care of their machinery. If I had treated the lawn mower the way a few of you describe the way your children's treatment of your mowers, I'd have received the wrath of my Dad. We used to always pick up all the sticks from the yard, and you always checked the oil. Still have the 782 Cub Cadet (the IH Red ones that were built like tanks) with a Kohler engine. It's probably 20+ years old, with one new engine and one new deck. Engine threw a rod a few years ago, and even with all the cleaning out we always do, the deck rotted. It's a hydro, so you have to check that fluid level, too. Only other issue is it wouldn't mow tall grass very well, and it's top heavy. Dad put fluid in the rear tires, so the rims have rust issues.

 

[JasonCzerak]

Twin turbo diesel riding mower in pregress

100_1487 pictures from trucks photos on webshots



these pics are a few years old, but funny none the less.

 

[JasonCzerak]

Google is the poop

http://www.fiddyboyz.com/videos/XTTtrailer.wmv



The crap you find online.

 

[Grizzly]

I have never had any luck with a Tecumseh, Briggs have been good for the most part. The best small engines out there are Kohler and Honda.

 

[Bill Stockard]

... Still have the 782 Cub Cadet (the IH Red ones that were built like tanks) with a Kohler engine. It's probably 20+ years old, with one new engine and one new deck. Engine threw a rod a few years ago, and even with all the cleaning out we always do, the deck rotted. It's a hydro, so you have to check that fluid level, too. Only other issue is it wouldn't mow tall grass very well, and it's top heavy. Dad put fluid in the rear tires, so the rims have rust issues.

Yep, I had one too. The best lawn tractor I ever had... should have kept it! I bought a John Deere with a 20HP water cooled Kawasaki about 7 years ago. It isn't near the tractor the red Cub Cadet 782 was. The CC was never in the shop the 10-12 years I had it mowing 3 acres. I sold it to a friend and it's still mowing. The JD has an electrical problem almost every year with the printed circuit board. The Kawasaki engine loves gasoline too... over $200 burned in it this year! The JD does do a much better job of mowing tall stemmy (Bahaia) grass than the CC and it has power steering and a better turning radius.



I thinking seriously about trading the JD for a Kubota diesel before next summer.



Bill

 

[Skydiver]

Within the next year I to will be looking to buy a Zero turn mower.

I mow 2 acres at home and am not above doing side work if the pay is fair.

I am now using a 5' finish mower made by King Cutter that I bought used 11 years ago. Pulling that with a 1987 Ford 2810 diesel with 32 HP. I use a little more than a gallon of fuel @ 1600 rpm and it takes me 75 minutes with sharp blades.



I used a Hustler and a brand new Exmark Lazer last year. Liked them both. They will drink lots of gas.



Have been reading about the "Bad Boy" ZTM.

I can not find any info on diesel fuel consumption using a hydrostatic ZTM. Who's got one?

 

[tgordon]

Jason, evidently when you ge tto diesel or maybe it is because they are imports I see they do it differanly. If you ask for a vertical briggs, tech, etc engine you will get one like what a push mower uses.



Troy