The cost of a lifetime of thrift..

[shotgunner]

I always buy used lawnmowers or "find" them. There is an over 55 mobile park about two miles away. Every year around Memorial Day they have a giant yard sale. Each year of course some of the residents move to warmer climates and they sell their lawn mowers cheap. I found the queen of my lawn mower fleet, a 1999 two-stroke 6.5hp Lawn Boy on the side of the road with a sign that said free. At first it would not idle, the owner had over tightened the air cleaner box which kept the wind vane from moving. Then it started spitting raw gas through the exhaust. Armed with old and cheap tools and a Youtube video I rebuilt the carb with a new float and needle and seat. All parts purchased from Ebay of course. Yesterday I put gas in it and it started on the first pull after sitting since November.

Last month I put a new friction wheel in my '99 Ariens snow blower with help from Youtube and right now I am in the process of rehabbing a 1974 12' aluminum fishing boat.

There is a satisfaction and savings of bring old things back to life or keeping them going beyond the savings in money, but I really like saving the money too.

 

[Dash man]

This year for the first time I've given in to the arthritis and contracted out the mowing to the company I used to redo my landscape and patio last year. The grass has been cut twice so far, and frankly, I don't miss doing it one bit.

 

[rayinpenn]

I almost stopped reading when I saw the bolded statement.

If "HS" means high school, then your son should be mowing the lawn and should have been mowing the lawn for a few years now. I won't go into detail about all the things such a chore will teach him. In any event, you should not be mowing the yard until this young man moves out to college or wherever.

He mows the side lawn with the push mower - it is too hilly for the tractor. I have to fight the wife not to do it - she likes the exercise. The king (me) sits on his butt and mows the front, back and other side with the tractor. I love to mow, (fresh air etc.,) and have a gardening website.

The arthritis in my knees may yet get the best of me - put in a bunch of mulch Saturday and yesterday my knees were screaming - your old. I need to muster the courage for a couple of new knees. Lost 15lbs.. I want to drop another 20 or so before I do it.

 

[Derslickmeister]

I almost stopped reading when I saw the bolded statement.

If "HS" means high school, then your son should be mowing the lawn and should have been mowing the lawn for a few years now. I won't go into detail about all the things such a chore will teach him. In any event, you should not be mowing the yard until this young man moves out to college or wherever.

I was 10 years old when I started to mow the yard. That might be too young nowadays, but that's the year my dad went to Vietnam.

I made my son mow the yard whether he wanted to or not although he did not start at 10. He will have to mow the yard in the summer when he comes home from college, too. As long as he is in the house and the grass needs mowing, then he will be mowing the grass.

+1 I don't get this at all. I do not know anyone with a son that makes them do the mowing anymore, not even my brother, who along with myself, have been pushing mowers since we were tall enough to reach the handle. All my neighbors have teenage boys (and girls) but none of them ever work outside (rarely even go outside for that matter). What is the deal? Also, what's with all the Sears bashing? My last Craftsman lasted 14 years with no problems to speak of...

 

[myself]

I must say that I have a Briggs & Stratton 21HP engine that's attached to my old gal Swisher 66" deck mower which is 9 years old now. It takes me 42-48 mins to cut 1 1/2 acres of yard, and with very little grief. Actually thus far, I've replaced the air filter one time, the fuel filter never, the belts as they break or are close to breaking, and the oil about once a season. As for the blades, I have 2 sets of 3 blades that I sharpen while they aren't on the mower, and then simply change out, and I'm off and cutting again within about 25 mins.

 

[Car-Guy]

I called Sears to made an appointment for a house call and the earliest was May 7th.

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Wow, that's pretty quick for Sears service. The last time I called them for service on something, it was just over 30 days before they came out. (And that was for something under warranty) Maybe if I was paying for the service they would have been quicker?

No more Sears products for us.

 

[LOL!]

If one hasn't done gas-powered model airplanes and model cars, then a lawn mower is usually one's first introduction to an internal combustion engine. It is a lot easier to understand than a motorcycle and a car. What one learns about being safe around gasoline, filling the tank, the spark plug, filter, changing oil, blade sharpening or replacement, wheels, gears, cables, tools, etc. turns out to be very useful for the rest of one's life.

Add to that all the biology of the grass, the growing season, how it always comes back and is never defeated. And the physics of gravity and friction when pushing the mower around. Plus the culture of songs about lawn mowers such as

I'd hate to take all that away from my kids.

 

[athena53]

Take your lawn tractor to one of those guys for a proper diagnosis. Most of the time, our EPA's specified 90/10 gasoline will separate and gum up your carb. It's also death on anything with rubber in it--including fuel lines A carb. clean may be all you're needing to be back on line again.

<snip> Most problems are very common, and small engine shops see'em all the time.

DH and I went through a very frustrating summer with the local lawn mower repair. They claimed the gas we were putting in it was contaminated with particles and that we should filter it when pouring it in by using a paper coffee filter in the funnel. We did this religiously and a week later it would quit running and we'd have to haul it back to the shop again and wait for another repair. We finally gave up and bought a new mower. So far, so good (fingers crossed). The lawn mower repair shop went out of business.

I do most of our yard work. Mowing takes me 20 minutes and I hand clip the edges because the stupid weed whackers eventually fail and the spool pops out and lands on the ground every 60 seconds. Were downsizing and one of my big priorities is that we not get a yard any bigger than what we've got. I never want a lawn so huge that I need hired hands to maintain it. I also weed by hand. What good is weed killer when it kills the weeds but they go to seed and then spread the seeds everywhere? I don't do tree trimming- the pros do that.

We've saved a ton by doing things ourselves when we could.

 

[Live Free]

+1 I don't get this at all. I do not know anyone with a son that makes them do the mowing anymore, not even my brother, who along with myself, have been pushing mowers since we were tall enough to reach the handle. All my neighbors have teenage boys (and girls) but none of them ever work outside (rarely even go outside for that matter). What is the deal?

I think the OP says he enjoys doing the mowing, which is why his son doesn't do it. My own two boys have been taking care of my lawn, mulching, planting, snow shoveling, taking out trash, and bringing in groceries, etc., since they were about 10. They do it for neighbors, too, to make $$. They make $20 per lawn (0.25 acre lots!) That's pretty good considering it doesn't take them that long. My younger son makes $10/day walking dogs, too. Lots of people don't like to do their own yardwork or dog walking.

Believe it or not, in our neighborhood, there are a lot of teens I see out doing lawns. Competition for doing the lawns of others can be steep.

 

[Philliefan33]

Now that I'm ER, I will be the primary lawn care labor at our house. The DDs did it from the age of 12 or so, but they both have moved out. DH did the mowing for the past couple of years but his arthritic hip is getting worse so there's no need for him to be walking behind the mower now that I have time to do it. I've always been in charge of the flower beds and trimming. I don't mind it most of the time because I like being outdoors and it's good exercise.

 

[pb4uski]

.... our EPA's specified 90/10 gasoline will separate and gum up your carb. It's also death on anything with rubber in it--including fuel lines .....

This is a common problem with small engines. Luckily, non-ethanol gas is reasonably available around here and that is all that I use for my small engines. While it costs a tad more, it is a pittance compared to the cost of rebuilding a carburetor or other common ethanol gas repair issues.

A friend of mine swears that you can "make" your own non-ethanol fuel but adding some water, stirring, letting it sit and the ethanol bind to the water and then drawing the bound ethanol/water from the bottom of the tank until you are only getting gasoline. While I'm frugal, I'll just pay the little extra and buy non-ethanol.

How to make your own ethanol-free gasoline • GL1800 DIY Articles • goldwingdocs.com

 

[ERD50]

...
Take your lawn tractor to one of those guys for a proper diagnosis. Most of the time, our EPA's specified 90/10 gasoline will separate and gum up your carb. It's also death on anything with rubber in it--including fuel lines A carb. clean may be all you're needing to be back on line again. ...

I'm anti-ethanol because it appears to be an environmental disaster. However, I can't understand all this bashing of it with regards to small engines.

I'm in IL (corn country), so we have had ethanol a long time (pols looking for farm votes). I've used it in my small engines for decades. Never had to do ANYTHING with a carb or fuel tank. And I don't even drain the tank over winter (though I do try to get the tractor started about every 6-8 weeks, just to keep things moving.

I really don't think ethanol 'separates'. I think it binds with gasoline (and water).

Small engine parts are very, very expensive (for what you get), and you just cannot afford to throw parts at the problem. There's no replacement for a proper diagnosis. Most problems are very common, and small engine shops see'em all the time.

Or, as others have said, see youtube to see if it is within your DIY skill level. My second mower, and my current third, are both Craftsman. I don't know about their repair process, but I can get parts at an outlet 20 minutes away. So far, they have had everything I've needed in stock, and I installed myself (belts, pulley/bearings, a control cable). That is worth a lot to me, rather than waiting for parts or paying for fast shipping (and no way could I get it in 1 hour, at least until Bezos gets those delivery drones going).

I'm not getting the Sears/Craftsman bashing either. I'm pretty sure my Craftsman is a Husqvarna - is that better?

-ERD50

 

[FUEGO]

I just did my once annual push mower tune up. Take off air filter, tap the gunk out on the ground. Check oil, yep there's oil and it's still liquid and somewhat clear. Take off blade, sharpen, check for balance, reattach.

Mow.

If it seems to be chewing grass later in the season, remove blade, sharpen, check for balance, reattach.

Mow.

$150 for a mower and I think I'm 7-8 years in on this one. It's probably got another 3-4 years in it since I'm starting to see significant rust in the body and figure it'll form holes soon and shoot rocks at my eyes.

 

[pb4uski]

I'm anti-ethanol because it appears to be an environmental disaster. However, I can't understand all this bashing of it with regards to small engines.

I'm in IL (corn country), so we have had ethanol a long time (pols looking for farm votes). I've used it in my small engines for decades. Never had to do ANYTHING with a carb or fuel tank. And I don't even drain the tank over winter (though I do try to get the tractor started about every 6-8 weeks, just to keep things moving.....

You must live right then. It has been a huge problem around here with boat engines, lawnmower engines, rototiller engines and all sorts of other small engines.

 

[FUEGO]

A friend of mine swears that you can "make" your own non-ethanol fuel but adding some water, stirring, letting it sit and the ethanol bind to the water and then drawing the bound ethanol/water from the bottom of the tank until you are only getting gasoline. While I'm frugal, I'll just pay the little extra and buy non-ethanol.

How to make your own ethanol-free gasoline • GL1800 DIY Articles • goldwingdocs.com

Probably not saving much if you're removing 10-15% of the volume of the gas you bought.

If you can pay less than an 11% premium for ethanol free gas versus E10, then you're paying the same amount per gallon of gas. And you aren't potentially dumping water into your gas tank.

 

[ERD50]

You must live right then. It has been a huge problem around here with boat engines, lawnmower engines, rototiller engines and all sorts of other small engines.

I can't imagine how 'living right', or even luck would have any effect on my engines for decades.

I don't know, but I suspect that ethanol is a scapegoat for all the regular old problems that people face with small engines. Mercury in vaccines, fluoride in water, GMO, ethanol - all the usual suspects.

If people are letting that fuel sit for extended periods of time, and exposing it to moisture, maybe the absorbed water causes an occasional problem. But that is so easily dealt with by keeping the can sealed, and using the engine once in a while. I said, I do try to start mine a few times during winter (5 months between cuttings), but I've also missed doing that and no problem.

-ERD50

 

[robnplunder]

I pay $40 per month (once a month is all we need to mow in drought laden CA) for someone to do this for me. That is at least 30 minutes of my weekend time I can use to do nothing or something I prefer/enjoy to do. $1 for each minute of my "preferred" life? That's ultra cheap in my book.

 

[ArkTinkerer]

Probably not saving much if you're removing 10-15% of the volume of the gas you bought.

If you can pay less than an 11% premium for ethanol free gas versus E10, then you're paying the same amount per gallon of gas. And you aren't potentially dumping water into your gas tank.

Most of the info I can find on ethanol fuel shows mileage decreases by 5% to as much as 10% when you use 10% ethanol fuel... Never made much sense to me why we required ethanol in fuel when you consider that.

 

[Lakewood90712]

Most of the info I can find on ethanol fuel shows mileage decreases by 5% to as much as 10% when you use 10% ethanol fuel... Never made much sense to me why we required ethanol in fuel when you consider that.

Those of us in urban areas with air quality problems do benefit from E-10 , as it lowers certain emissions CO ?. We originally had MTBE as the "Miracle" additive, then the EPA determined MTBE was poisoning reservoirs mainly via 2 stroke boat engines , and groundwater contamination from spills/leaks. Ya, it theoretically does lower mileage, Gallon of straight Ethanol IIRC is like 60% of the heat value of straight unleaded. So 5 - 10% lower mileage sounds about right.

So now it's E-10. I'm not even going to touch the issue of Ethanol and the "Corn Lobby"

 

[ERhoosier]

My Sears tractor has been runnin' great. Got it 5 yrs ago & still looks good too. Actually don't mind drivin' it around to cut the grass. My 45-60min of Zen

 

[ArkTinkerer]

Those of us in urban areas with air quality problems do benefit from E-10 , as it lowers certain emissions CO ?. We originally had MTBE as the "Miracle" additive, then the EPA determined MTBE was poisoning reservoirs mainly via 2 stroke boat engines , and groundwater contamination from spills/leaks. Ya, it theoretically does lower mileage, Gallon of straight Ethanol IIRC is like 60% of the heat value of straight unleaded. So 5 - 10% lower mileage sounds about right.

So now it's E-10. I'm not even going to touch the issue of Ethanol and the "Corn Lobby"

Quick check shows that is a small advantage 25% reduction but I can't find if that is per gallon or typical per mile. Didn't know that! Thanks!

 

[txtig]

A few weeks ago, I went out to mow my lawn. I gave a pull on the rope starter and the mower started, but the rope also broke at the same time. I gave a little thought to buying a new mower, but then decided to check YouTube to see if it was repairable. I found lots of good videos, and it looked like a pretty simple job so I ordered a new starter rope from Amazon. When it arrived, I removed the cover so I could remove the starter assembly to replace the rope. I was surprised to see that it was riveted onto the the engine (the one I saw on the video as attached with screws). Well, I drilled out the rivets but wasn't sure how I would reattach the assembly. I had never owned or used a rivet gun. I then went down to Lowes and picked up a rivet gun and several different sizes of rivets. It was pretty simple to use the gun to reattach the assembly. I had no idea that this was such an inexpensive and useful tool! Now, I'm back to mowing and looking for anything else I can rivet back together.


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[doneat54]

LOL, funny thread, I can relate. I can't even imagine paying someone to cut my lawn. Even if I could, I'm sure they wouldn't do it to my standards.

Anyway, some 20+ years and one house ago, I bought an old sears riding tractor from a friend for a few hundred, tinkered around with it, bought some parts, and got it running. Sears was, and is, always good about making parts available. I cut the grass, then pulled a lawn sweeper behind it (no bagging option on this one) and I had a 36", single stage snow blower attachment for it. I couldn't get the belt engage clutch on the blower to work right, so you had to unhook the belt, start it, let it warm up, shut it off, then put the belt back on. Thus, when the engine was running, so was the blower attachment.

I ran that old tractor for probably 8 years in New England, cutting grass and clearing snow on a 150' long driveway. But it started breaking down more and more often, not starting, etc. And near the end, I swear, I had to stop each time midway during mows, to add oil. One day, cutting the grass, and in a particularly ornery mood, something busted free from the 2 blade mower deck, a belt, some other parts and sparks came flying out from under my feet. I shut the tractor down, went in the house, got my keys and wallet, and went down to Home Depot and dropped $4000 on a new John Deere tractor, with powered vac deck, bags and a 42" wide blower attachment (which I have since sold and bought a Dodge Ram plow truck).

But the real amazing part of the story was I actually sold the old tractor and attachments for more than I paid for it originally to some guy who was really "in to" these old sears tractors........!

 

[Nunthewiser]

I found the queen of my lawn mower fleet, a 1999 two-stroke 6.5hp Lawn Boy

I have three of these beasts, one gets used here, one at my 95 year old Mom's house (selling the house but not that Lawn Boy) and one for parts (cheaper than buying most anything).

If the Lawn Boys don't cut it, I get my 1965 Gravely walkbehind with the 30 inch deck and 10 pound brush blade unlimbered.

 

[travelover]

I have three of these beasts, one gets used here, one at my 95 year old Mom's house (selling the house but not that Lawn Boy) and one for parts (cheaper than buying most anything).

If the Lawn Boys don't cut it, I get my 1965 Gravely walkbehind with the 30 inch deck and 10 pound brush blade unlimbered.

Those old Lawnboys were indestructible unless you put a rock throgh the cast aluminum deck. I recall one that was run without oil in the gas. I shot some SAE 30 weight oil into the spark plug hole to temporarily boost the compression and started it and let it run through a tank full of mixed gas to loosen up the piston rings, which were seized in their lands. After that, it ran fine.