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You know, I love all these recommendations on stuff people bought 10-15-20 years ago. Like you are going to get something built like that if you go out and buy new.

 

Well bud, how the hell else can I recommend something? I'm also doubting that Honda has crapped out lately, the new models actually use the same engines as far as I can tell. I understand what concerns you here, but what is the alternative?  I'll bet you 10 years ago people said "They don't build them like the used to" as well, there was probably a old Roman staring at an aqueduct complaining about how in his day they were really build to last, bit now standards are slipping.

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I know if you go into lawn mower/power equipment repair shops, at least ones up by me, there is always a handful of "used" mowers in stock for sale in the "back room." Some are cheap junk, but some are decent finds that folks have turned in because they have retired and are moving to Florida or they decided to have their lawns professionally cut. These sell quick, and the heavy duty ones are quickly picked up by the local landscapers, which we have plenty of in this area. But if you trust the guy in the shop, you can find a good deal.

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Anyone have an opinion on 4 cycle weedwhackers?  Am thinking of getting one instead of a 2 cycle.  Then no fuel oil mixing and I can get a leaf blower attachment for the weedwhacker.

I have a honda trimmer (and a honda edger) It's great, starts easy, it's quiet and EXTREMLY powerful . I HIGHLY recomend them

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You know, I love all these recommendations on stuff people bought 10-15-20 years ago. Like you are going to get something built like that if you go out and buy new.

 

So true,    I think a few companies still make quality stuff, but a buyer can't just rely on a name to determine quality anymore.  A lot of big names have been sold and bought up by a different company who uses the name to sell their cheap crap.  Cub Cadet and Bolens made great machines back in the day, but now they're just rebranded junk.  MTD mostly.

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Don't get electric weed whacker or mower unless you have less than 1/8 acre. Get a plain old 2 cycle weed whacker at Home Depot or Lowes and get an edger attachment if you want. Empty out the gas and run it dry at the end of the season. If you screw up on $120 worth of equipment then lesson learned. They are cheap, reliable, and versatile. If you shell out $250 for a commercial grade piece of equipment you will find you need to spend much more to edge or trim and if you gum it up you will be repairing it instead of replacing it. Get a name brand consumer model from a big box store with interchangeable attachments. Buy twice, cry nonce.

 

Get a self propelled mower.

 

The transition to a riding mower is between 1/4 of an acre and 1/2 an acre in my mind. Mowing more than 1/2 acre with a walk behind has to be a labor of love IMO. More than 1 acre start thinking if you want zero-turn or Garden Tractor.

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Thanks for all the advice so far guys. Just FYI: my new yard is 100'x125', and the front yard is a little steep while the backyard is relatively flat. I have been using my Dad's self propelled Craftsman mower and it seems to be working. Just wondering if there is something better for when I buy my own.

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Just about 1/4 acre, I think you are good with what you got plus a gas weed whacker with optional edger if you like. Too big for electric IMO.

 

Just a little to small for a riding mower because it always misses corners, around trees, removing gutter runs, etc. You'll hit much of that with the weed whacker but the riding mower might be more of a pain than it's worth since it will miss a lot.

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Thanks for all the advice so far guys. Just FYI: my new yard is 100'x125', and the front yard is a little steep while the backyard is relatively flat. I have been using my Dad's self propelled Craftsman mower and it seems to be working. Just wondering if there is something better for when I buy my own.

Which brings up another good point about LawnBoy 2 cycles... A 2 cycle engine will be better for steep terrain because the oil will always get to where it needs to get to. Most 4 cycle mowers use a splash lube system, so they may not lubricate everything when mowing on the slopes. Some 4 cycles use a pressure lube system though, which solves the problem(some Hondas and Kawasakis). Not to mention a light 2 cycle is easy to maneuver on inclines.

 

I guess I'm of the "they don't make things like they used to" crowd. Screw the EPA, I'm keeping my LawnBoy.

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My Craftsman riding mower is a little over seven years old and runs like a champ. My Craftsman weed eater is the same age and is great also. I am looking at a Stihl as a second weed eater to cut down on the work with my wife to replace an aging and beat up cub cadet. My powerwasher is a Troybuilt with a honda engine and that is a machine.We also have a John Deere 445 with a Kawi engine that has over 500 hours on it that is a beast, with only having to replace the radiator on it last year. That is about 14 years old now. My Craftsman chainsaw has been a work horse for five years now with no issues.

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ok, I work on this equipment all the time.  For a weedwacker (or any 2-stroke equipment) I can't say enough good things about Stihl.  I'm at the dealer every week searching through the boneyard for parts and the Stihls are rarely there, and when they are it's usually an easy fix.   I've pulled the motors apart on just about every brand and there really is a difference.  Echo, Shindawa and Redmax are also good.  An odd way to tell about the quality of the motor is when the pull-start is on the opposite end of the output shaft - meaning the pull-start is on the back of the motor while the shaft is on the front.  Point is to spend a bit extra and get the commercial grade with the straight shaft.  

 

As for lawn mowers, just about anything with a Honda motor will do fine.  The only reason I ever see a Honda in the boneyard is when they were run without oil, or if the blade is really bent meaning someone hit a tree stump.  Other than that they're bulletproof with some basic care.  For brand, look for the thickest deck you can find.  I'm not a fan of the electric start models because the batteries are expensive and don't seem to last.  Self-propelled may make sense, and models with front caster wheels make turning easier since the machines doesn't need to be tilted.  There is a reason John Deere stopped making push mowers and merged dealerships with Honda.

 

As for 4-stroke small equipment, I'm not a fan.  The motors get much more complex (and heavier - think of the valve-train), and the annual maintenance is higher since they need regular oil changes.  Those machines are also sensitive to direction - they have a top and bottom because of the oil sump, so you can't always use them in whatever position needed.  

 

If you aren't in a rush, PM me every couple of days and I'll let you know what I find used.  I usually come up with something every week or so, and the junk isn't worth my time so I only deal with the better equipment.

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The biggest thing with 4 vs 2 stroke is people generally don't maintain crap. Everyone does the bare minimum, myself included. I'll never change 4 stroke stuff, but 2 stroke always has proper lubrication.

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Honda engines and equipment are well made, but you forget trying to use any warranty they give you, like most Japanese companies that make engines and power equipment (remember Toyota a few years back initially denying there was any problem with their cars), they will deny your warranty claim and tell you must have done something wrong, even if it's clearly a defect.

 

I would avoid Echo, while they did make a good product, they have gone to selling to the mass merchants (Depot, Lowes, etc) which ends up leading to them compromising quality for price. The other issue is finding someone to repair them, many of the repair shops dumped the brand when they went mass merchant.

 

I would stick with Stihl or Shindawa.

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A friend of mine moved to PA, had to buy a riding lawn mower and gave me his Lawnboy mower. I've had it for 8 years now and he must of had it for 4 or 5 before gifting it to me. I add oil to it maybe once a year, have the blades sharpened at least once a year and pour gas into it. No problems at all with it.

 

I have a battery powered Black & Decker weed whacker. The self feeding line doesn't work anymore and one battery diesn't charge anymore. So now I manually pull some line through the weed whacker before I start and again about halfway through.

 

Check out consumer reports for their fimdings on the newer mowers. U get a monthly online subscription or maybe see if your local library carries an issue that covers lawn moweres & weed whackers. Good luck.

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Also, make sure you fertilize and use weed control. I stopped using Scotts b/c it was the most exoensive and wasn't happy with the results. Now use Vigrio or Pennington products and they seem to work better and are less expensive.

Scotts has people friggin hypnotized. It does work but its not the be all end all. And if one more person asks me about the god damn step program.....

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Ya want a self proppeled mower you can't beat this:

redneck_lawn_mowing.jpg

or something more sporty:

redneck-lawnmower.jpg

 

But seriously, you want something that will outlast good mowers? I've had Toros, Craftsman, etc... But this Poulan thing works effing great.

I leave it out all season, never changed the oil or plug, just add gas treatment if tank is full by winter and it starts with 1-2 pulls every time.

My last Toro I babied like I a fine machine and it lasted 2 seasons before I got fed up and trashed it. Always kept it clean, maintained and shedded.

I can take out this Poulan and it never flinches.

http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=15488586&KPID=13914222&pla=pla_13914222

pACE3-13914222enh-z6.jpg

Not exactly same model because I had mine awhile. But it's cheap and it's kick arse..

As for Whackers or anything, go gas.... I have a rechargable and they will not last long for big properties. Electric cords are not worth the headache.

In most cases with any of this stuff. It's the engines. Not just the looks or anything like that....

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Couple suggestions, im sure a few may have been mentioned, but I didnt read the whole thread.

 

Honda for a decent self-propelled walk-behind mower.

 

As far as trimmers go, def stay away from batter powered.

 

Stihl is good, but there are some issues with their 4 stroke engines.  IMO I would stick to the 2 mix handhelds.  I run an Echo power attachment series and its been very reliable and certainly commercial quality.  I also run Echo blowers, but redmax is certainly the best you can get on that front.

 

My PAS266 is great.  I have the Line trimmer (weed wacker), edger, and Oscillating Hedge Trimmer attachments...

 

You generally cant go wrong with:
Stihl

Honda

Echo

Redmax

Shindiawa

 

for handhelds...

 

 

Check out lawnsite.com for good info on this type of stuff....

Check out the for sale section on there and CL, you can get some really good deals!

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Anyone have an opinion on 4 cycle weedwhackers?  Am thinking of getting one instead of a 2 cycle.  Then no fuel oil mixing and I can get a leaf blower attachment for the weedwhacker.

I have a 4 cycle Ryobi that has the different attachments. It is a bit heavier than the 2 cycles otherwise it is much better than a 2 stroke in my opinion. Starts all the time, no need to mix gas/oil, etc. I check the oil from time to time and it's all good. It has plenty of power as well. 

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ok, I work on this equipment all the time.  For a weedwacker (or any 2-stroke equipment) I can't say enough good things about Stihl.  I'm at the dealer every week searching through the boneyard for parts and the Stihls are rarely there, and when they are it's usually an easy fix.   

 

 

Old thread, but if anyone is interested in a Stihl FS 46 weedwacker (bent shaft, extra long reach, 2 cycle, Consumer Reports Best Buy), I've got one I'll let go for $50.  I always found it difficult to start, and the bump feed was more of a manual feed, so I just upgraded to a different brand.   A little TLC may get it performing the way they are supposed to.   It's probably got less than 2 hours of run time.  PM me.

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Not sure why all the hate for the battery trimmers.  I have 3 gas trimmers that no longer start and not worth fixing.  And I also have a Ryobi 40-volt battery trimmer/edger for a 1/2 acre lawn.  It never runs out during a job, although I am trimming the grass I can't mow over.  I'm assuming nobody is trimming the entire yard instead of mowing most of it, but you just never know.

 

You have to remember not to fully recharge before storing, as it degrades the battery (says the manual).

 

I just can't take the 2-cycle mixing party any longer, nor the pull-string workout.  That's just me.

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Honda mowers, accept no substitutes. I got my walkbehind, self propelled Honda mower when I bought my house 13 years ago.  I hate lawn care, and small engine maintenance.

 

I have performed ZERO maintenance, I have never changed the oil but added more as it "ran out". I do not drain the fuel tank in the winter. I have never cleaned it except as I had accidentally spilled gas all over it and called the gas removing some dirt "cleaning it".  I've replaced the blades twice as I've mangled them with rocks, branches ("Meh, it will chop that up, whats the worse that can happen?")

 

It still works just fine. This is probably its last year as the deck is now really rusted, with a hole or two through it and my running over branches is now a bit dangerous as I can probably shoot shrapnel through the deck now, but the drive train is still rocking. I suspect someone who could be bothered to actually take care of their mower could keep one going for 20-25 years with minimal effort.

 

It wasn't even an expensive mower, I think it was like $400-$500 base model at HomeDepot.

 

So .. buy Honda, just don't cover it with stickers and park bench sized rear wings, that really won't make it any faster. On the bright side it does come with adjustable ride height so you can say it came slammed from the factory.

Sounds like my experience with a Honda that I had for about 15 years that I bought in 1990 or so.  I maintained it just like Vlad did.  I got rid of it because it was a pain bagging the grass, they did not have the recycler design back then.  Went to get another one but I thought the price was just way ahead of the value - they have gotten too expensive.  Bought a high end Toro with the personal pace drive system.  Have treated it just as badly as the Honda and it is about 15 years old now.  One thing I would suggest is to buy these things from a higher end dealer not from HomeDepot.  HD has many of the same models, well they claim they are the same but they are built to lower standards.  I remember looking at the Toro at HD with the same model number as mine and it was about 6" shorter and much of the metal parts were plastic.  HD tells manufactures a price point they will pay and the manufacture strips the product down to meet those specs.

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