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Gas Push Lawn Mowers

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Substar5710

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Anyone have any suggestions of ones they have liked/disliked? The mower we got as a hand-me-down when we bought our house last year just died and I really don't want to spend the money on fixing it (because I hate the damn thing) and would rather get a new one. I don't need a really expensive one, but just a durable push mower that can bag clippings, has sturdy wheels, etc.
 
i bought the cheapest one that home depot carried last year, and it was rather awful. the second time around, i went with the second cheapest (IIRC, it was 250-ish). but the second cheapest was self-propelled, with a bag (cheapest one didn't offer a bag), AND a 3-year guarantee to start. IMO, all of those things made it worth the extra $100. and so far, so good. no problems with mower #2.
 
our Honda self propelled from the mid-80's is still going strong, it has had a couple major refurbishings but it is damn near bulletproof. I imagine like everything else they have cheaped them up some, but spending more initially to get really good one that will last beats fighting through 3-4 cheap ones that do a crappier job and break more often.

Edit to add that getting one with blade stop is awesome so that you don't have to re-crank it everytime you have to let go of the handle, you do have to go to the higher end ones for that though.
 
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Anybody had a good experience with a battery powered push mower? I'd love to be able to just jump out there and do 10-15 minutes of mowing say right before dinner w/o comng in smelling like gas and oil fumes. The lack of noise would be a plus too. Biggest complaints I've read is limited battery time (I'd need about an hour to do my entire yard) and they're kind of heavy compared to a gas mower.
 
i got the second-cheapest Lowe's push mower 8 years ago ("Yard Machines", kind of a house brand). It has a Briggs & Stratton engine. Never had any problems with it, and I have never changed the oil and only changed spark plug once. I just add oil when it gets low and once a year clean out or replace the air filter. The deck is definitely getting a little rusty but that is primarily because I don't take care of it.
 
I got about a $150 craftsman from Sears back in 1999. Haven't done a thing to it other than replace the blade once because it got bent, and it is still chugging along.

I did replace the oil once. Won't do that again.
 
Just bought a push mower at Home Depot last week - this one:
http://www.homedepot.com/Outdoors-Outdoor-Power-Equipment-Walk-Behind-Mowers-Push-Mowers/h_d1/N-5yc1vZbxcr/R-202642840/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

They had it on clearance for $80 - apparently they just released the 2011 version and were clearancing out all the 2010s, but the guy said it is exactly the same mower. They had a couple at my store, maybe still have some where you are too. Mower works fine, easy to put together.
 
ChrisL68 said:
I got about a $150 craftsman from Sears back in 1999. Haven't done a thing to it other than replace the blade once because it got bent, and it is still chugging along.

I did replace the oil once. Won't do that again.
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Not even sharpen the blades?
 
WhatUTalkinBout Willis said:
Once I forgot for about 3 years. Still cut fine. If you looked closely at the grass you could see it was essentially being torn off rather than cut cleanly. Might be bad for the grass, dunno.
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it is supposedly bad for the grass. But then, all my grass has ever done is cause me work and annoy me by not growing where I want it, so fuck it.
 
30-40 minute mow jobs deserve no more than a cheap Sears Craftsmen. It'll last 10+ years and you could buy 3-4 for the price of a Honda. I take the blade off and get it sharpened and add a touch of oil every March -- it runs like a dream. Self-propelled? Bah. Too heavy for when the ground is soft after heavy rain and just not necessary unless your yard is sloped in all directions (in other words -- just mow against the slope).
 
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I have a Honda that is awesome. Honda and Craftsman I think are what you see sold at Sears. Can't go wrong with either of them. Come to think of it, Sears is pretty much money for mowers, washers, and driers.
 
You don't need self-propelled unless you have a pretty big yard. I bought a Snapper in 1994 that still runs great, even though I've got a yardman now.
 
I had a Honda mower for about 5 years and it was ok. The carburetor can be a bit finicky, so you have to be sure not to leave the gas in there too long or make sure you add sta-bil to your gas. It ran well - until it caught on fire. The fuel line had gotten clogged and burst and I watched it melt the entire mower.

Besides that, the mower was good (full disclosure: all of the problems, both reoccurring and the final meltdown began when a neighbor's kid used it to cut our grass while we were out of town and filled it up with the gas/oil mixture, not the straight gas )

I now have a Troy Built mower with a B&S engine that's worked pretty well.
 
Ended up getting a Craftsman push mower..... things seem to last forever and are a more economical choice
 
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