I keep it in the garage next to all my Yeti's.

I have a 10k sf yard and use a battery powered mower. Not self propelled,but the mower is lighter than my old self propelled. Mowing, edging, blowing takes under 45min.

buy a cheapy on craigslist & a can of carb spray. Pull carb, spray it down good, and then never leave untreated ethanol gas in it. Run it dry before storing in the off season.

beefiedoubleoh said:

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buy a cheapy on craigslist & a can of carb spray. Pull carb, spray it down good, and then never leave untreated ethanol gas in it. Run it dry before storing in the off season.

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I wouldn't run it dry. That creates a nice big area for water to condense and corrode, hoses and washers dry out, and trace amounts of gas left in the engine evaporate leaving behind varnish and gunk.

Ark03 said:

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beefiedoubleoh said:

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buy a cheapy on craigslist & a can of carb spray. Pull carb, spray it down good, and then never leave untreated ethanol gas in it. Run it dry before storing in the off season.

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I wouldn't run it dry. That creates a nice big area for water to condense and corrode, hoses and washers dry out, and trace amounts of gas left in the engine evaporate leaving behind varnish and gunk.

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I put it up for the winter with whatever it has in it after the last mow. No issues after 8 years.

I've always run some ethanol free fuel through my mower and left a little in the tank for winterization.

Let me be the 3rd one on here say that I use the 22" $98 Weedeater mower from Wal-Mart. Bought it in 2006 and it still starts on the 1st or 2nd pull and runs good. I even did maintenance on it once or twice. The equivalent mower at Wal-Mart is now about $120 but still a lot better than paying several hundred for one. Guess I'm not big on the name brands.

I see a lot of chatter on here about ethanol free gas but I'm not sure its very available in the DFW area. I've had no issues with E15 in my cars, mowers, chain saw, or weed eaters. I have started using Stabil 360 last Fall but that's just recent and mostly was for winterization.

I don't recommend that you just go buy a Honda mower at Lowes or HD. Those are consumer models that are, at best, only slightly better than the other retail brands. It isn't that they suck, but when you hear someone say, "my dad has had a Honda since 1990...", they're not talking about the quality of mowers sold today at the big box stores. Also, those mowers used much higher quality gas for the first 15_ years of their life.

I'd strongly suggest you go to a small engine shop in town and get a reconditioned commercial 21" mower. It will likely be push, but that should be fine. You may find a Honda or you may find a Toro with a Kawasaki or Suzuki engine that is designed to run all day long and has quality parts that will last a homeowner 15-20 years -- even with crappy care. Plus, you have a place to take it to if it breaks.

AgEngineer72 said:

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I see a lot of chatter on here about ethanol free gas but I'm not sure its very available in the DFW area. I've had no issues with E15 in my cars, mowers, chain saw, or weed eaters. I have started using Stabil 360 last Fall but that's just recent and mostly was for winterization.

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You can find ethanol free small engine fuel at just about any big box store.

AgEngineer72 said:

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When I said ethanol free gas was hard to find in DFW I was speaking of using a pump or dispenser to fill a can. Yes, I know you can buy that canned stuff that's $25 a gallon at the big box stores but paying dumb prices like that ain't in my DNA. Same reason I won't spend many hundreds of dollars on a mower. I'm an old fart and need to save my money so I can retire one day.

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Was just saying it's a good option for winterizing your mower. You don't need to use the stuff to fuel your mower all summer.

They have some type of spinning blade.
That run on either electricity or gas, or simply spinning from your foot power if you go old school.
Some you push, some you drive.
Some are cheap, some are expensive.
Everyone has an opinion on what is crap.

That should cover the schooling.

Who's bringing the sweet tea?


Btw... just sharpened the blade on my 2007 Wal-Mart, big rear wheel, no self propel, weedeater... Cranked on the first pull and cut beautifully in way too tall thick St. Augustine following 4 days of heavy rains.

Kenneth_2003 said:

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Who's bringing the sweet tea?


Btw... just sharpened the blade on my 2007 Wal-Mart, big rear wheel, no self propel, weedeater... Cranked on the first pull and cut beautifully in way too tall thick St. Augustine following 4 days of heavy rains.

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Sweet tea? I'd rather a BudLight

I ended up buying this mower up at Lowes during the 4th of July sale. We don't move in for a few more weeks, so I won't use it until the end of July.

Lots of good info on this thread. When's the best time to get a deal on a new Honda mower? Do these ever show up on the Black Friday specials?

Here is one for you guys.......

I use a push mower for mowing around trees and at the water's edge of a pond on some acreage that we own. It is pretty rough service and I will occasionally hit a tree stump or something. I loath the style of these lawn mowers that have the bag and little plastic attachment that you put on when you don't want the bag. That little plastic piece of **** comes off every time I hit something.

Is there an old school, non-self propelled lawn mower available anywhere that has the chute permanently attached to the deck of the lawn mower?

Can't believe no one has mentioned a Lawnboy push mower. Only mower I've used since I was 12

I have a Troybilt 6.5 horse self propelled that has a spring mechanism that winds up when you kill the motor. When you re-start, the spring releases and the mower kicks right over. It has a Briggs Stratton motor that I'v tuned up two times in 17 years. I love it.

I wouldn't buy a Honda. I know they are great quality, but jeez, so is mine. It runs strong and has never let me down. It's not just about the money, I like the fact it's an American company.

I am strongly considering a robotic mower. We have a robotic sweeper for inside the house and we love it.

The robotic mowers are electric, and they mow every single day. They are not cheap; the cheapest ones run around $1000 right now. I keep thinking the price is going to come down. Husqvarna has one that is $2500.

The folks who own them say they bought for convenience, but now love it because of the massively improved quality of their lawn due to the daily mow.

It's been a number of years since I had a push mower. Yard too large for that so have had a zero turn mower for these years. Last push mower I had was a Self propelled Honda with plastic deck and mulching blade. Best mower I ever had and went through several prior to that. One thing I really liked was there were two engagement handles. One was for the drive and the other for the blade. If you have to stop mowing to move a stick, kid's toy, etc. letting go of the "dead man handle" stopped the blade, not the engine. Perhaps they all do that today but Honda was the only one who had that feature in the day. Other mowers that stopped the engine "encouraged" you to wrap something around the handle to defeat that "safety" feature.

Quote:

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Other mowers that stopped the engine "encouraged" you to wrap something around the handle to defeat that "safety" feature.

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Yep. I use bailing wire on my non-self-propelled 1993 WalMart 22" special with big rear wheels and 5 HP B&S.

I keep thinking that after 24 years the thing will lay down on me, but so far, so good. It's just a 'kid', however, compared to my 1961 Ford Powermaster Tractor that I use for shredding. Both will probably outlive me.

I'm in the market for a push mower myself now. I assume stores will be starting to clear inventory soon. Anyone know of any good deals right now?

Most Home Depot and Lowes stores have a few out front on clearance.....also check your local sears.

I have a 30 year old craftsman mower with a Briggs and Stratton on it. It fires and mows fine year after year.

I keep it indoors, in a shed, and do as little as possible to it. I don't care what it looks like or what it sounds like. If that matters to you, then your mileage may vary.

I have mowed every place I have lived in my last 37 years. My son now mows mostly, when he is here on mowing day, and I can be home with him. I can't let him weedeat yet, as I overbought there, and it would cut his leg off!!!

rwtxag83 said:

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I have a Troybilt 6.5 horse self propelled that has a spring mechanism that winds up when you kill the motor. When you re-start, the spring releases and the mower kicks right over. It has a Briggs Stratton motor that I'v tuned up two times in 17 years. I love it.

I wouldn't buy a Honda. I know they are great quality, but jeez, so is mine. It runs strong and has never let me down. It's not just about the money, I like the fact it's an American company.

I am strongly considering a robotic mower. We have a robotic sweeper for inside the house and we love it.

The robotic mowers are electric, and they mow every single day. They are not cheap; the cheapest ones run around $1000 right now. I keep thinking the price is going to come down. Husqvarna has one that is $2500.

The folks who own them say they bought for convenience, but now love it because of the massively improved quality of their lawn due to the daily mow.

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You would have to be bat**** crazy to consider this daily robotic mower, if you are married. My wife hates it when our yard is not mowed weekly and it is rainy. If she got used to seeing an exact razor edge cut daily, and then something went wrong with that robotic *******, I would have to get a divorce over it!!! Holy cow....

Honda or at least a Honda engine.

Self propelled so the kid can start mowing earlier.