Advice for first lawn mower and weed eater.

[CTownIntegra]

So the wife and I have finally started to process of buying our first home. Coming from an apartment, we are having to buy our first fridge and lawn equipment.

I'm letting her handle the fridge and interior stuff. My job is to get the lawn equipment and wire the home for ethernet.

So the property has a small lawn (0.34 acres) with a stream in the back. I was looking at 3 different push mowers for purchase. The first being a Black and Decker 36v SPCM1936. Second was a Ryobi 40v unit until I read all the horror stories of the battery and charger failing after 6 months. And the last, and one I am leaning toward the most is the Greenworks 25302 twin power.

I am not opposed to gas, but being such a small yard and populated area, the electric versions just seem like the way to go. I also wouldn't have to worry with maintenance or storage, and if the wife wanted to mow, she wouldn't have to deal with a pull cord.

Whichever mower I get will probably be the deciding factor on what weed eater I get. Does anyone on here have an electric one? If not, what are some of the good gas alternatives I can look into.

 

[davglt]

Stihl for the weed eater hands down. Toro gas mowers start one pull most every time and are simple to maintain, just my two cents

 

[volk06]

1/3 of an acre seems small until you have to mow it 22" at at time... You will definitely want a gas powered, you don't to to get half way done have a battery die. Plus the battery powered ones just dont have the power as the gas, especially in a little taller or slightly damp grass.

+1 on stihl weed eater and toro mowers.

 

[Coprolite]

Mowing with a cord is not that bad. If you want exercise you could always go for the human powered mower. That would depend on your grass type and how much of your .34 acre is actually grass.

 

[oggb]

Gas powered for the mower. Electric mowers suck. You'll hate yourself for buying one, trust me.

Electric weed eaters aren't terribly awful.

 

[FL_Rob]

To expand on what Coprolite said...and in agreement with,depends TOTALLY on grass type ,if its a weed lawn use whatever .Same with Bahia. St.Augustine varieties You'll not get through it if it's thick and/or spongy.Bermuda... maybe, again depends on the thickness.

Caveat:if it's a weed lawn with torpedo or other types of "twisty grass" you may have trouble with an electric,and I'm not only talking duration but just raw cutting power without choking up the discharge.Mulch blade or not.The key to efficient electric mowing is dry cutting frequently only the top 1/3 grass blade length.

 

[SrDriver]

Toro rear wheel drive gas mower.

 

[Barkleymut]

I have never operated an electric mower. But any 21" mower with a Briggs engine should work just fine and run for a long time with just a little maintenance.

As for the trimmer, I have TONS of experience with commercial units and a little with electric. An electric one will work. It will take a while and be underpowered but you can do it. If you go for a gas unit, do yourself a HUGE favor and spend $200 and get an Echo, Redmax, Shindaiwa, Kawasaki, or Stihl straight shaft trimmer. Any of these will last you a minimum of 10 years and probably 20. And it will have the power to edge, clear thick growth areas in one or two passes, and since it is a straight shaft it is much more comfortable to operate than a curved shaft.

 

[donnyj08]

i would recommend gas as well. Electric mowers are usually more of a hassle to deal with than pull starting a small gas mower.

find a push mower with a 5hp briggs and it will run forever.

my 70 year old grandmother has had the same craftsman mower for 7 years and its only had the oil changed once. it still runs great, she just tops it off regularly. even at 70 she has no problem starting the engine.

dont skimp on the weed eater. the featherlite ones are cheap and tempting, but the usually will not run longer than a couple years. as said before spend a couple hundred on a good one. im partial to husqvarna

 

[itguy08]

Ditch any idea for a battery mower with that size yard. We're on .4 acre and with our 22" Craftsman self propelled it takes me a good hour and a tank of gas to mow it. No battery will last that long. Dealing with almost 200 ft of cord is also not something I'd want to do. I've used a GPS app on my phone and it's almost a 3 mile walk to cut the lawn!

My suggestion would be for some type of self propelled mower. At that size it will help make it bearable as you will be guiding the mower vs pushing it.

So pick your mower - ours is a Craftsman and it's doing fine. On year 5 and it's needed some repairs (we had it at our old house which was small) but it still chugs along at this house. When it dies, I'm seriously thinking riding mower like most of our neighbors.

 

[afoulk]

Don't forget, some lawn mower manufacturers are making push mowers with electric start now too. I know lawn boy makes one, who I believe is owned by toro now. And they're new models all seem to have switched to Briggs engines, foregoing the problematic smaller Kohler engines.

 

[meep]

#2. avoid the inexpensive 2-stroke trimmers. you still pay good money for them and they become a pain to use in 2 years.

I recently spent good $ on a husqvarnha 4-stroke trimmer. serious sticker shock but it's honda-powered and is a joy to use. have never been able to make that statement about a trimmer before.

the ubiquitous honda mowers have served me well. if you are on a budget, you could forego self-propelled and get a unit with oversize rear wheels, which are very easy to push.

 

[2Fast4U]

Couldn't agree more about the honda powered products. Just top of the line. I've had my honda powered craftsman since 98. I changed the plug once and that was 2 years ago. It can sit all winter long and I prime it with 10 pumps and starts on first pull. My parents have been through multiple push mowers in this same time frame. Everything they used has had BnS engines and all have been problematic. Their current toro will be on year 3 this year and it already needed a plug last year and now this year already it's very difficult to start.

 

[afoulk]

I might add too, if your on a budget, maybe you want to look at a used mower as well. My wife and I bought our first house a couple years ago now and were in the same situation, had just moved out of an apartment. I got lucky and had a friend at work give me his old silver siries lawn boy (tecumseh engine). Its a little rough, does not cut real even, but it gets the job done for now. I had a guy give me his old echo string trimmer too, but it lasted one summer, it was just old and worn out and I never could get it to run right, even after replacing everything but the carb. I finally got rid of it and bought a new Husky from lowes and love it so far. If your like us and looking to maybe use a card from one of the home improvement stores to make your purchase, I like lowes for most everything, but I like Homedepot's selections when it comes to mowers and string trimmers. They sell Lawn Boy mowers which I don't think are all that bad and have great parts support since they are owned by Toro. They also sell echo string trimmers which I don't think you can go wrong with. Lowes does sell Husky mowers, which I don't think are bad either, but the rest of their mower selection is junk in my opinion. I didn't know it until I had bought my Husky string timmer that they were now owned by the same company that owns Poulan, which is usually junk, and have heard that unless your going with one of their commercial units, not to bother, so we will see how mine holds up. I believe their mowers are built by the same company that makes the Craftsman mowers

 

[Hokiefyd]

In your situation, I'd buy a used mower off Craigslist until you can decide and save for what you really want (unless you have a lot of time still). Do you know what you want in a mower? Do you enjoy mowing the lawn, or is it a "chore"? This stuff has to matter to you for it to matter. That sounds obvious, but if you are happy with a cheap mower and don't care what it "feels like" to mow with, then a nicer mower is just a waste of money for you. Just like cars. Someone who likes BMWs won't be happy with a Cobalt. The guy in the Cobalt laughs at all the money the guy wasted buying the BMW. Simply a different perspective.

To that end, I've owned Tecumseh engines, I've owned Briggs & Stratton engines, and you can see from my signature that I prefer Honda engines. In fact, my 2003 Honda GCV160 is sitting on a Lawn-Boy that was originally powered by a small Tecumseh LEV120. The best mowers are built, not bought!

My 2001 Honda GXV140 is on a very stout aluminum deck Honda Masters mower. They're expensive machines, but they're built like tanks, and your grandkids could use them. I bought my Masters used...paid $300 for it back in 2005 I'd guess. The original owner couldn't get the choke adjusted right and just wanted out of it. It was a $900 mower new. It runs like a dream and is the smoothest mower and mower engine that I've used. Wheels are ball bearing, all controls are commercial grade, etc.

I don't believe Honda engines are any more reliable than any other brand...I haven't had a problem with any small engine I've owned. But I like how the Hondas run compared with other brands.

For the string trimmer, I've had excellent service from my Echo GT-200R. I had finnicky Weed Eaters for years, and finally replaced them with a brand new Bolens from Lowes. Mistake. It was no better and never started well. We had a joint yard sale with a friend from work and she had this year-old Echo they were selling because they were moving from a house to a townhouse. I asked how much she wanted. $25. Sold. That was back in 2004 and I'm still using it today. Runs like a champ. Like the Honda mowers, I love the details on the Echo. Most string trimmers have the throttle cable in a simple plastic sheath back to the carburetor; the Echo runs it through a nice metal conduit. The Yama carburetor has a very smooth feel to it. The throttle is very progressive and it's a joy to use. Compared to cheaper equipment that has an on/off type feel to it.

If I were buying a new string trimmer today, I'd pay up for a Honda at Northern Tool or a Honda-powered Husqvarna at Lowes. I've found Honda engines to be good enough to ask for them by name, and I continue to do so.

Be careful if you refer to Husqvarna as "Husky". Husqvarna is not Husky; Husky is a separate outdoor power equipment company.

http://www.huskyoutdoortools.com/

Lowes does not sell Husky mowers; Home Depot does.

 

[Tdbo]

I would say that an electric mower is about the last thing you need to mow that size of yard. In regard to lawnmowers, if cost is a factor, I would just look on Craigslist or classifieds for a used one (I like the old Lawn boy 2-cycles or Toros) or just go to Sears and buy whatever they have on sale.) If you want a mower that might be more of a pleasure to use and cost is not a factor, go buy a new Toro or Honda.

In regard to weed eaters, buy the one you feel the most comfortable with. I have a $56. Weedeater Superlight that I bought at Walmart in 2003. Only things that I have ever done to it beside clean the airfilter, is add fuel and trimmer line. Last year, I went out last year and bought a new Echo straight shaft trimmer because I have 3 40' Bluespruce trees that I need to trim under and I couldn't do it with my other one. After I get done trimming under the trees, I go back and use my cheapo because it is light, and handy to use.

Just go and look for both and see what you like and what you feel comfortable with.

 

[AandPDan]

If there are any outdoor power equipment dealers near you, try them. Most around here have "older" equipment that was either traded in OR the customer just never picked up.

The prices are competitive, they just want to get rid of them. Almost all have some warranty.

Good luck.

 

[afoulk]

Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
In your situation, I'd buy a used mower off Craigslist until you can decide and save for what you really want (unless you have a lot of time still). Do you know what you want in a mower? Do you enjoy mowing the lawn, or is it a "chore"? This stuff has to matter to you for it to matter. That sounds obvious, but if you are happy with a cheap mower and don't care what it "feels like" to mow with, then a nicer mower is just a waste of money for you. Just like cars. Someone who likes BMWs won't be happy with a Cobalt. The guy in the Cobalt laughs at all the money the guy wasted buying the BMW. Simply a different perspective.

To that end, I've owned Tecumseh engines, I've owned Briggs & Stratton engines, and you can see from my signature that I prefer Honda engines. In fact, my 2003 Honda GCV160 is sitting on a Lawn-Boy that was originally powered by a small Tecumseh LEV120. The best mowers are built, not bought!

My 2001 Honda GXV140 is on a very stout aluminum deck Honda Masters mower. They're expensive machines, but they're built like tanks, and your grandkids could use them. I bought my Masters used...paid $300 for it back in 2005 I'd guess. The original owner couldn't get the choke adjusted right and just wanted out of it. It was a $900 mower new. It runs like a dream and is the smoothest mower and mower engine that I've used. Wheels are ball bearing, all controls are commercial grade, etc.

I don't believe Honda engines are any more reliable than any other brand...I haven't had a problem with any small engine I've owned. But I like how the Hondas run compared with other brands.

For the string trimmer, I've had excellent service from my Echo GT-200R. I had finnicky Weed Eaters for years, and finally replaced them with a brand new Bolens from Lowes. Mistake. It was no better and never started well. We had a joint yard sale with a friend from work and she had this year-old Echo they were selling because they were moving from a house to a townhouse. I asked how much she wanted. $25. Sold. That was back in 2004 and I'm still using it today. Runs like a champ. Like the Honda mowers, I love the details on the Echo. Most string trimmers have the throttle cable in a simple plastic sheath back to the carburetor; the Echo runs it through a nice metal conduit. The Yama carburetor has a very smooth feel to it. The throttle is very progressive and it's a joy to use. Compared to cheaper equipment that has an on/off type feel to it.

If I were buying a new string trimmer today, I'd pay up for a Honda at Northern Tool or a Honda-powered Husqvarna at Lowes. I've found Honda engines to be good enough to ask for them by name, and I continue to do so.

Be careful if you refer to Husqvarna as "Husky". Husqvarna is not Husky; Husky is a separate outdoor power equipment company.

http://www.huskyoutdoortools.com/

Lowes does not sell Husky mowers; Home Depot does.

Sorry, by "Husky", I meant husqvarna, which lowes does sell. Hokeyfied, how do you tell which husquvarna trimmers have the honda engine?

 

[afoulk]

P.S., love your repowered lawn boy by the way. I've been thinking about repowering mine as well, but my deck is pretty beat up as well. I'd sink the money into it, but my dad left me his 2stroke lawn boy rear bagger before he passed away the other year and I'd rather sink the money into that. It what I learned to mow with when I was a kid Its rough, but I couldn't bare to part with that one.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: afoulk
P.S., love your repowered lawn boy by the way. I've been thinking about repowering mine as well, but my deck is pretty beat up as well. I'd sink the money into it, but my dad left me his 2stroke lawn boy rear bagger before he passed away the other year and I'd rather sink the money into that. It what I learned to mow with when I was a kid Its rough, but I couldn't bare to part with that one.


Can you start a new thread in this section about it so we don't take this one too OT? I'd love to tell you more about it. I also have a 2-stroke Lawn-Boy 8157.