Mower recommendations needed

Fullboogie

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My boy is heading off to college in a few months so I'll be (gladly) taking over yard duties again. I'm going to need to ditch our old Craftsman push mower in favor of a powered mower because of my knees. I live in a cul-de-sac so my yard is rather small and pie shaped. So I don't have long stretches of straight line mowing.

Looking for a powered mower that doesn't weigh a ton, because there's a lot of pulling backwards, changing direction, and then going forward. Looking at the Hondas from Home Depot for around $400. Any ideas?
 

RocketcarX

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Honda makes a great small engine, can't go wrong there. Stay with name brands and you should be fine, no Yard Machine or Pulan.
 

skwerl

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My last small mower was a 22" Toro 'Personal Pace' mower from Home Depot. Was very easy to use because it would only go as fast as you walked. The harder you push down on the handlebar the faster it goes. Basically the sliding handle pushes on the idler pulley on the drive belt. The harder you push, the less the belt slips and the faster the mower goes.

Sounds like a cheap setup but it worked amazingly well. I had to replace the belt after about 10-12 years but it's still running great (at least it did the last time I used it).

The flexibility in the drive system makes it very easy to use where there is a lot of stops and turns because you don't have to engage or disengage the drive, or worry about what speed it goes.
 

Fullboogie

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Much appreciated. I'll look into the Toros this weekend. What I don't want is a 100lb mower that I have to pull back and forth when maneuvering in my small yard.
 

WARstang

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Have you thought about a small 24-30" rider? I have seen them as cheap as 699
 

Fullboogie

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If you saw my yard, you'd LOL at that. Back yard is about 110' x 20' (with a big deck in the middle), front is probably 1,500 sq feet. The only reason I can't use a light, cheap push mower anymore is that my knees are going bad and I'll need one with drive wheels.
 

skwerl

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The more you talk about your knees, the more I think the Personal Pace mower will be right for you. You won't be forced to walk as fast as the mower wants you to walk. It will go as fast or as slow as you do.

The first time I used it I thought it worked a lot like a self propelled vacuum cleaner. Very easy and intuitive, took all of about 30 seconds to be completely comfortable with it.

They are cheap, too.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Toro-22-...r-with-Briggs-Stratton-Engine-20332/100659628
 

Fullboogie

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Heading to Home Depot tomorrow morning to check it out. Thanks Skwerlio!
 

05stroker

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Best thing I ever did was hire someone to mow my shit for me! We have 2 aces that we keep landscaped and 8 more that just gets brush hogged. After all the up keep on the diesel mower and all the shit that goes wrong, I think I spend about 1k per year extra and dont have to touch a thing.
 

redfirepearlgt

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Been using the same cub cadet self propelled 6.75HP lawnmower now for over 15 years. Done nothing to it except put gas in it, top off the oil, and installed two new rear drive tires 2 years ago. It sits out all winter behind the garage with a tub over the engine. Oh, I did replace the spark plug (the original was fine but figured it was time) and air filter last summer for the first time. Air filter finally fell apart after being cleaned so much. I treat the thing like a rental car and it just keeps going. Starts on the second or third pull first mowing of spring and then starts first pull every week thereafter.

Updated version of mine. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Cub-Cade...gclid=CPLTnN_MzdICFZe6wAodQzEAEg&gclsrc=aw.ds
 
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J B

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My first cousin is a Toro dealer and a briggs and stratton master technician. He used to deal Husqvarna, snapper all the other major brands. He stopped switched to Toro because Husqvarna wouldnt honor waranty work on brand new mowers. This happened over and over on brand new commercial grade zero turns and stuff. He couldn't afford to sell them because he had to keep footing the warranty bills himself. Now, he deals Toro and has loved the company ever since.
 

retfr8flyr

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I use a Hustler Raptor SD riding mower but I have had a Toro Personal Pace mower for 15 years, for the really tight areas and it still runs great, it is garage kept though. If you want something light, have you thought abut a cordless mower? EGO make a fantastic cordless lawn mower. https://egopowerplus.com/products/20-inch-mower. I have all their lawn tools and the batteries are great. I have heard nothing but good things about their mower. I would never go back to gas tools after having their cordless lawn tools.
 

BadPiggy

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^

I have no experience with the EGO products, but my local commercial mower shop sells & swears by this company. No bigger than the area you have to mow, I'd highly consider this electric mower, too.
 

Iceman62

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Another satisfied Toro owner here too...found my current self-propelled push mower at a garage sale (actually "divorce" sale). Dude sole me a slightly used (new paint under deck) $375 mower for $25...10-years-ago & it's still running like a champ. Hell, the bagger's still hanging in my shed w/o a stitch of grass inside. Liked it so much I traded my shit tractor/rider in for a Toro ZTR too and it's the funnest thing to ride...actually makes mowing entertaining.

Either way, you can't go wrong w/quality so invest a bit into this yard machine. Also, for your situation, go with the "big rear wheels" option b/c it eases turns/maneuvering a ton. Finally, stay away from those green/tree-hugging battery mowers...they're heavy, die fast and frustrating to run. Just ask my neighbor who tried to save the earth & now runs the same Toro as mine...=8^)
 

BadPiggy

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Well good morning, sunshine! Where have you been hiding? Been too busy with your new house to stop by any more? Do you even still own a Mustang?

Hey Cupcake!

Yup, pretty busy with the house and now that Spring has arrived, add work to the list. Doing pretty much a complete interior remodel to the house...floors, cabinets, doors, paint.

As for my Stang, damn right I still have it. It isn't going anywhere unless someone offers me stupid money. They'd have to offer because I'm not putting it up for sale. Want some pictures of it in all its stripped apart glory? LOL!

I stop by pretty much every day. Just not posting much. Doesn't mean I love you any less, just busy.
 

tjm73

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I have just under 5 acres, all mowed. I have a 60" Exmark zero turn to do the heavy and fast mowing. Takes about 3.5 hours to mow. I've been thinking about a push mower to do close to the house and trees and fences.
 

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