I need a new lawnmower

[theprofessor]

Finally made a decision and here it is .....Honda HRX

 

A little more than I wanted to spend but I believe with the lifetime warranty deck and the Honda engine this mower will be my last. Does pretty much everything except make a latte and give me a BJ. ----- watch the video ....

Edited May 11, 2010 by theprofessor

[Big Country]

Surprised this thread went 3 days with no Messican or deportation jokes.

 

Had a Honda at my previous hous which had a hugh yard. Now I just pay someone else to do the yardwork... $50 for twice a month is a sweet deal to not have to do it.

[buddahj]

Finally made a decision and here it is .....Honda HRX

 

A little more than I wanted to spend but I believe with the lifetime warranty deck and the Honda engine this mower will be my last. Does pretty much everything except make a latte and give me a BJ. ----- watch the video ....

That could be pretty messy if it did.

[Rovers]

Surprised this thread went 3 days with no Messican or deportation jokes.

 

Had a Honda at my previous hous which had a hugh yard. Now I just pay someone else to do the yardwork... $50 for twice a month is a sweet deal to not have to do it.

 

Do they mow the grass too? Or have they been deported yet?

[Sugar Magnolia]

If you don't sharpen the blades, you are ripping the grass, not cutting it. Ripped grass gets a brownish appearance. The tops turn brown. But. if you haven't even changed the oil.... I doubt you care much.

 

Stay away from Briggs and Stratton engines.

 

One thing to look at is HP and blade tip speed. Most homeowner machines don't have the blade tip speed for a good cut. Craftsmans don't allow for changing the speed or engine RPM's. Hondas, Toros and some LawnBoys are very good.

 

With my dull blades I've got the greenest lawn in the neighborhood and I'm the only homeowner who actually mows my own. Everyone else has a service come every week in their riding mower.

[Rovers]

With my dull blades I've got the greenest lawn in the neighborhood and I'm the only homeowner who actually mows my own. Everyone else has a service come every week in their riding mower.

 

When it comes to landscapers, there are a lot of complete hacks out there. They throw down lime out of a bucket by hand. They charge 40 bucks for that. If you don't put down at LEAST 20 pounds per thousand sq ft, it's useless. It's also dishonest.

 

The properties here are too small for riding mowers, although some knuckleheads still use them. oh... did I mention I own a landscaping company?

 

Your lawn would look even better with sharp blades. That is a point that is not debatable. But, if it looks good enough to you, then it's good enough.

[Sugar Magnolia]

When it comes to landscapers, there are a lot of complete hacks out there. They throw down lime out of a bucket by hand. They charge 40 bucks for that. If you don't put down at LEAST 20 pounds per thousand sq ft, it's useless. It's also dishonest.

 

The properties here are too small for riding mowers, although some knuckleheads still use them. oh... did I mention I own a landscaping company?

 

Your lawn would look even better with sharp blades. That is a point that is not debatable. But, if it looks good enough to you, then it's good enough.

 

Our lawn was horrible when we moved in. A fungus (forgot the name) was destroying the lawn. The Chem-lawn guy, whom the previous owner contracted, tried to sell us his services. He said the fungus was in the soil and would have to be treated several times a year with a fungicide, and forever, or rip up the lawn, remove the existing few inches of top soil and start over He said before we moved in he had to replace a bunch of sod and now it was diseased.

 

We never used chemicals. We dethatched by hand (the lawn was in such bad shape the thatching machine tore the lawn to shreds) and laid down compost in the spring, and aerated and put down a good winter fertilizer in the fall. It took two seasons to come back. Our lawn now looks iike a golf course fairway. Luckily we got good advice from an employee at a home and garden store who caters to the local landscapers. We live in the desert with 10 inches of rain a year, and our we only have one month of frost free weather a year. Our summer is 3 months long at best. To give you an idea of our weather, it is May 12th and I just got back home from skiing all day .A few days ago I was golfing in 34 degree weather. Growing grass ain't easy here.

 

I agree that we need to sharpen and or replace blades. Is this easy to do on our own?

[bpwallace49]

I agree that we need to sharpen and or replace blades. Is this easy to do on our own?

 

It is very easy to remove blades and either sharpen yourself if you have a good grinder or just take it to your neighborhood hardware staore and have them sharpen it for you. Cost me 12 bucks last time I went . . .

[Rovers]

Our lawn was horrible when we moved in. A fungus (forgot the name) was destroying the lawn. The Chem-lawn guy, whom the previous owner contracted, tried to sell us his services. He said the fungus was in the soil and would have to be treated several times a year with a fungicide, and forever, or rip up the lawn, remove the existing few inches of top soil and start over He said before we moved in he had to replace a bunch of sod and now it was diseased.

 

We never used chemicals. We dethatched by hand (the lawn was in such bad shape the thatching machine tore the lawn to shreds) and laid down compost in the spring, and aerated and put down a good winter fertilizer in the fall. It took two seasons to come back. Our lawn now looks iike a golf course fairway. Luckily we got good advice from an employee at a home and garden store who caters to the local landscapers. We live in the desert with 10 inches of rain a year, and our we only have one month of frost free weather a year. Our summer is 3 months long at best. To give you an idea of our weather, it is May 12th and I just got back home from skiing all day .A few days ago I was golfing in 34 degree weather. Growing grass ain't easy here.

 

I agree that we need to sharpen and or replace blades. Is this easy to do on our own?

 

Pretty good advice from that garden store guy. Compost helps the soil immensly. Microbes in compost really help grass. Power rakes or "dethatchers" do more damage than good. Fighting thatch is best done with core aeration, as you did. Um... if you fertilized, you used chemicals... you just did not use pesticides. I know squat about lawns in such a dry climate, but fungus can ONLY grow when there is moisture present. I doubt it was a fungus problem. More likely an insect issue.

 

These big nationals like Chem Lawn and Scotts.... they are franchises. Some are good, others are awful, clueless. Some are company outfits. Chemicals are not a bad thing, when used correctly and reponsibly. I use them as little as possible, but there are times I need them. I have a state Pesticide Applicator's license and a Biz permit for applying pesticides in NYS. Almost all problems from the use of chemicals come from home owners and companies that apply pesticides illegally and irresponsibly.

 

You can sharpen blades at home with a file, but it's best done by someone who knows how to do it. The blades have to be balanced Take too much off one side, and the mower won't be happy if the blade isn't balanced. I pay 8 bucks to get two blades (my big mower uses two blades) sharpened around here. Even replacement blades don't cost much. They are very easy to remove and replace. Take the blade off and go to Lowes or HD. Just take the spark plug cap off (a good time to replace the spark plug too) and be sure the blade is chocked with a piece of wood. (I do neither of these safety things, as I am a professional, and think I am impervious). All you need is a socket wrench and a piece of wood to chock the blade from rotating. Do this on the walkway, in case gas spills through the gas cap when you tilt the mower. Better yet, and maybe MOST important, replace or at least clean the air filter on the mower. That is even more important than changing the oil.

[Sugar Magnolia]

Pretty good advice from that garden store guy. Compost helps the soil immensly. Microbes in compost really help grass. Power rakes or "dethatchers" do more damage than good. Fighting thatch is best done with core aeration, as you did. Um... if you fertilized, you used chemicals... you just did not use pesticides. I know squat about lawns in such a dry climate, but fungus can ONLY grow when there is moisture present. I doubt it was a fungus problem. More likely an insect issue.

 

These big nationals like Chem Lawn and Scotts.... they are franchises. Some are good, others are awful, clueless. Some are company outfits. Chemicals are not a bad thing, when used correctly and reponsibly. I use them as little as possible, but there are times I need them. I have a state Pesticide Applicator's license and a Biz permit for applying pesticides in NYS. Almost all problems from the use of chemicals come from home owners and companies that apply pesticides illegally and irresponsibly.

 

You can sharpen blades at home with a file, but it's best done by someone who knows how to do it. The blades have to be balanced Take too much off one side, and the mower won't be happy if the blade isn't balanced. I pay 8 bucks to get two blades (my big mower uses two blades) sharpened around here. Even replacement blades don't cost much. They are very easy to remove and replace. Take the blade off and go to Lowes or HD. Just take the spark plug cap off (a good time to replace the spark plug too) and be sure the blade is chocked with a piece of wood. (I do neither of these safety things, as I am a professional, and think I am impervious). All you need is a socket wrench and a piece of wood to chock the blade from rotating. Do this on the walkway, in case gas spills through the gas cap when you tilt the mower. Better yet, and maybe MOST important, replace or at least clean the air filter on the mower. That is even more important than changing the oil.

 

Fungus is a problem around here, because of poor soil with very little nutrients (we live on lava beds) and poor or no soil amendments done when landscapes were put in. Our soil isn't clay but similar in issues that arise. So water sits on top and drowns the lawn and encourages fungus. Right now many of the golf courses around here are replacing greens because of anthracnose (sp?), especially the greens that are in the shade. You also have here a lot of freeze/thaws in the winter that I think might encourage growth. I know the golf courses prefer a heavy snow year where snow stays on the course to create in insulating layer. I just looked up the fungus we had on our lawn--neucrotic ring spot.

 

Thanks for the advice on the blades.