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How much cheese do you eat?
Lawn Equipment and maintenance
- Thread starter outofyourmind
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How much cheese do you eat?
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About the only cheese I eat would be if it is on an occasional pizza or burger
That is the thing with small engines, one symptom could have several possible causes. TBH I have a really small yard that I can push mow in less than a half hour. A retired neighbor does some small engine repair and sells used mowers. I bought a POS from him for $30 two years ago and it is still going. It will probably shit the bed this summer and when it does I will give it back to him and buy another from him. I almost bought a battery mower but I just cannot justify the cost compared to what I am paying now. Counting gas, oil, and cost of the mower ... It costs me about $20/year to mow my yard.
No need to drain your gas if you treat it religiously with Stabil.
fordman84
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STabil is good stuff, getting ethanol free is easier and cheaper and will outlast even stabil.
Gas lawn engine maintenance down here is a lot more straight forward as you really only put it away for a 8-12 weeks tops.
I’ll say this though....I don’t have this potential issue anymore. I’ve gone all electric with the lawn equipment. Not because I’m some hippy, dippy alfalfa sprout eating guy....but just because it made sense to trust the battery technology that’s come along and go this route.
While the technology is getting good I still don’t know if I see it working for anyone that has more than a standard suburban plot to mow.
Fact remains though that unless you can keep a gas engine running forever (I cant) there will come a day when you go to buy new lawn equipment and the only options have words like “Lithium” and “#Ah” on the box.
I’ll say this though....I don’t have this potential issue anymore. I’ve gone all electric with the lawn equipment. Not because I’m some hippy, dippy alfalfa sprout eating guy....but just because it made sense to trust the battery technology that’s come along and go this route.
While the technology is getting good I still don’t know if I see it working for anyone that has more than a standard suburban plot to mow.
Fact remains though that unless you can keep a gas engine running forever (I cant) there will come a day when you go to buy new lawn equipment and the only options have words like “Lithium” and “#Ah” on the box.
If I only had 2-3k sq ft and little to no trees, then I'd go electric.
With some of the current electric push mowers able to run an hour or so, I could possibly mow through my 10k+ sq ft hilly lawn in that time by really booking it, but there's no way it would handle the oak leaves dropped from a dozen or so trees over the course of a couple months.
That day may come, but not anytime soon, just like with automobiles. Electrics fit a certain niche, but aren't currently capable of being the workhorse at competitive prices. Progress will be welcome, especially if the electricity needed to charge/run them can come from renewable sources.
Yep. I tried to speak to that a little. The bottom line is my yard is easily in the 2-3k range at most. If the grass has grown a lot I’ll be honest....I kill a 6Ah battery just to do half of it. So I’m charging up and getting the other half to the next day. I also have super thick St Augustine.
I’m in that niche. It made sense for me now. Wont for someone in your situation....but I see it coming in the future where you can get a hilly, 10k lawn regardless of length or droppings.
Don't get me wrong, I was agreeing with you on all accounts. I even mentioned that if I had the typical suburban plot of 2-3k I'd likely be electric. I could see a battery mower that can tackle my situation in the next 5-10 years, possibly. However, there would likely be gas powered mowers available at the box stores for a decade afterwards.
My size lawn is probably at the upper end of what someone would want to push mow. I've done it for a few years, but bought my John Deere e140 last year primarily to help with the leaves and pull an aerator or dethatcher behind each year. I still push mow the smaller sections and the first few mows after overseeding, but the rider cuts off a half hour.
That capability is likely 10+ years away and for those that cut acres daily, large properties and lawn services, it's likely even further away. Especially if we consider the cost effectiveness of the initial buy and charging compared to gas.
Will it eventually get there? Probably, but not in the near future.
Yeah....I was a bit hyperbolic in my statements that electric lawn equipment will be the only option soon. I was really stretching out the “soon”.
I know they are doing electric riders now....but I can’t imagine the battery life performance is great at all at this point. Only ones buying those are early adopters with small enough yards I’m sure.
I always run a file over the blade before the start of every season....and just realize I didn’t do that this year. Oh well, I just got the mower halfway through last summer season.
I put on some new mulching blades at the beginning of this year, but they've never given me a good clean cut without some tearing. I plan to take all 3 off and sharpen with an angle grinder and flap disk. While I could get away with some tearing during the spring growth for cool season grasses, I want to make sure I get a clean cut as we head into summer where fungus disease and moisture retention can be greatly affected by the cut.
I'll probably go ahead and sharpen my stock blades as well so they'll be ready for the fall.
I sharpen mine about 4x a year, and replace it every 2 years.
Cuts better. You'll notice.
I have a grinder, so it only takes about 10 minutes to do.
It's a 2 blade mulcher set up.
Do you have a particular schedule or see a distinguishing of the cut in order to know when to sharpen?
Honestly....I’ve never thought more than “sharpen at the start of the season”. But, I need to be doing more. Plus, I don’t have a grinder or good equipment like that. I’ve always stocked up on wood working equipment. But, watching enough crap online I’m interested to start working with metal too. So....this would just be another justification for a grinder.
What I could really use is more shop space. One day, but it’s not coming soon.
fordman84
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a Dremel is good for putting an edge back on, once an edge is set. Won't get you back from a rounded blade, and dremels are always handy for wood work or metal.
Bonus, you could even leave the blade on to sharpen it. Make sure the deck is clean or really wet before grinding on the blade
Yeah, I can see a difference, it's not much.
You can really feel a sharp blade is easier on the mower too.
don't have any real schedule other than the above, just that more often is better than less often, and that usually translate into about 3-4 times a season.
I take both blades off and use this to sharpen them. Just a few seconds for each blade edge.
That’s a good idea. Could be space saving and would do the trick. Thanks for sharing!a Dremel is good for putting an edge back on, once an edge is set. Won't get you back from a rounded blade, and dremels are always handy for wood work or metal.
Bonus, you could even leave the blade on to sharpen it. Make sure the deck is clean or really wet before grinding on the blade