OT Lawn Mower OT
I haven’t justied the premium for a zero turn. While it would be nice, not sure if the extra 500 and up is worth saving 5 minutes. If my yard was bigger I would thinking about it harder.
Think about overall build quality. 500-1000 divided by 10-15 years divided by how many times you mow per year is peanuts.
Overall build quality. Decks are welded from 7 gauge steel, not stamped (John Deere’s are stamped, but stamped 7 gauge). The spindles are massive and have grease fittings. Engines are commercial engines and will last at least (understatement) 2500-3500 hrs. Hydraulics are more beefy and are of superior brand (Parker usually) where some of the box stores use different less desired ways for drive train. Seats are nicer and ways for maintenance are way better too.
Now there are some big names making “Estate” mowers that are for those that want quality but not as beefy as true commercial equipment. I know Hustler, Toro, and Exmark have them, not sure of the rest.
cadet is made by mtd who makes all the rest of the junk pretty much. Interesting, I bought my MTD snow blower in 1991, so she’s just finishing up her 25th year. (granted, they may have actually been built in Minnesota back then.) I actually have to replace the tires now; where the heck do you buy snowblower tires??
Are you determined to buy a rider? I have a 1/2 acre as well and thought I wanted a rider. I bought a Forrest Gump snapper rider. Absolute crap. Then noticed all the landscaping guys had Honda pushers. Went and traded my crap snapper for a commercial Honda self propelled pusher. LOVE IT! My wife jokes that I might love it more than the egg. Just a thought in case your mind wasn’t made up.
I’m going in the other direction. I’ve had a Craftsman with 42″ deck, 25 HP Briggs for the past 14 years and the only problems I’ve had were my fault, but it still runs and still mows with minimal maintenance. I have about 1/2 acre of grass with a decent grade to it. I’m seriously considering getting a 30″ walk behind because I’m sick of riding.
I’m in the commercial mowing business. Deere, Hustler, Toro, and Honda are my go to. As mentioned before all of these companies make good homeowner versions. If you get the Deere from a dealer you get a “free” hat with the deal!
At one time, MTD didn’t manufacture the Tank series. Lesco, MTD Pro, and CTP formed a joint venture to make the commercial stuff. Not sure about now though. MTD does make the residential stuff for them and other brands too.
Think I’ve read most of the replies but I still want to chime in with my own version since I’m in Dunlap nearer to you over there in Morton. I have 3/4 acre which has a lot of trees and other obstacles. Been here after building it 36 years ago. A rider would be a joke for me. Even a SP would be more of a PITA than a pusher. In 36 years I have gone thru 2 Lawn Boys and still on my present Toro. Advantage? I walk and stay in shape. I have neighbors with even smaller yards who have kick @ss Deers who are fat and out of shape plus their yards looked like [email protected] until they hire the south of the border crews to take over with their pushers.
I’ve not read this thread. Please be sure there are no children or adults around mowers without recognizing the risk of projectiles harming them. I’ve seen death and blindness. Hate to be the doom and gloom guy, but, until you’ve seen it. Lawn mowers scare me. One took out a car window of mine. Thankfully nothing worse. Give them proper respect. Safety lesson done.
I’ve not read this thread. Please be sure there are no children or adults around mowers without recognizing the risk of projectiles harming them. I’ve seen death and blindness. Hate to be the doom and gloom guy, but, until you’ve seen it. Lawn mowers scare me. One took out a car window of mine. Thankfully nothing worse. Give them proper respect. Safety lesson done.
This guy. Enucleation after puncture injuries and missing appendages were the highlight of summer in Trauma right after Donorcycles. Thank goodness for Dr Rodriguez.
i had dreams of a nice lawn once 16 years later the yard was 3 foot deep in poison ivy vine. this took it all down, even the maple saplings up to 3 inch diameter. have Apple trees growing in the kitchen right now full of apples, the 0.1 acre lot is going to be a mini orchard with mulch now. i found i really hate yard work, its like being a kid getting punished all over again i usually fire this up during heavey downpours and cuss for an hour pushing it thru the thick stuff
Well now some of you have me leaning toward a self propelled. Do they come with beer helmets?
I’ve used a JD 130 series to cut about four acres with many obstacles. It had a wide turning radius- more than the Craftsman I also used. Sure the JD had more of a tractor feel, but the Craftsman needed about the same maintenance and was easier to use. The engine bent a push rod one time. That cost 30.00 in parts including a head gasket. The Deere was bought used by the land owner. It threw deck belts which were complicated to re-thread. I leveled the deck and fixed the problem. The deck was coming apart last time I used it., I personally own a Kubota 21hp diesel for my mountain land. It has lasted for about ten years of abuse by neighbors and serving for his lawn mowing business. Cutting tall grass takes its toll of PTO belts which Kubota gets about 75.00 for. Equivalent belts from major manufacturers run less than 20.00.For my little half acre, I prefer a push mower I can buy for a little over a hundred and throw away when it falls apart.
Lawn Mower Tire Flat Parts Free Riding Tubeless 11 x 4 5 Hub Center Zero Turn
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Riding mower wheel replacement
In the hot summer months it is nice to have a riding lawn mower to make mowing a bit easier in the heat. I always push mow the front and sides because I like the lines from the push mower in fresh cut grass. This past week the John Deere front left wheel went flat. I tried to use the green slime tire repair but only realized then that the tire had a slice along the rim. I had let the tire get low and being the original tires on a 17 plus year old John Deere it split due to the tire being dry rotten. I am going to have to replace the tire.
Jack with stands (a gift from Richard) Screw drivers E-clip pliers (special tool provided by Dave)
Step 2: Removing the tire from axle
First secure the mower with a brick or log to prevent it from rolling as you jack up the mower. Find a solid piece of metal to position the jack under and raise the mower. Set the jack stands to the correct height and position them in location then slowly lower the jack and remove. Jack stands offer the best security that any object raised won’t come crashing down. A jack can be bumped, slowly leak down or fail.
Next pull the plastic wheel cap off located in the center of the wheel you are removing.
Using the special pliers for removing E-clips remove the clip and the rim will slide off the axle. A flat blade screw driver can be used but it is very difficult and time consuming and will cause frustration. Trust me I know. Get the right tool for the job. After trying unseccesfully with a flat blade I went to my friend Dave’s house to get the pliers. These pliers come in handy on multiple small jobs.
The tires are tubeless tires so are seated on the rim via a bead seal. First you must “break the bead”. Old tires like mine are going to be stuck to the rim and very difficult to break. I placed one screw driver between the rim and tire then another a few inches way then a third in the middle and pressed down on all three to break the bead.
I then began trying to remove the tire from the rim by prying the top bead over the rim using a similar method as breaking the bead. Using three screw drivers I was able to get a small portion of the bead over the rim but not very successfully able to do the rest. So I came up with another method to remove the old tire.
Additional tools needed: Saw (hacksaw or bowsaw) Wire cutters
Since I was unsuccessful using screw drivers to pry the tire off and was going to throw this tire away, I proceeded to cut the tire in half to get it off the rim. The saw cut through the rubber easily and then I used the wire cutters to cut the metal bead around the inside rim of the tire. These additional tools made removing the tire from the rim easy. I was wondering how I was ever going to get the new tire on the rim.
I traveled to my local Northern Tool store for a new tire.
I spoke with with a rep there about the difficulty I had removing the tire and if there was anything he would recommend to get the new tire on the rim. He recommended that I either purchase a tire mounting kit for 50.00, I was not thrilled about this recommendation since I am only hopefully doing this one time. He also offered the suggestion to try a store that sells used tires. He said they generally take any business and may install it for me for a small fee. I liked that recommendation the best.
Step 5: Mount and seat the bead
I drove to a used tire store with my rim and new tire and asked the guy, who had no customers, if he has every mounted a tire this small and would he do it. He agreed, took the tire and rim then proceeded to work with two screw drivers to mount the tire. It was about 95 degrees in the shop and this guy was working hard and sweating bullets messing with the tire for 15 minutes while I stood there looking on. Finally, It took both he and I working the tire onto the rim with screwdrivers to mount the new tire on the rim. Next you have to seat the bead or get the tire to seal around the rim by forcing a large quantity of air into the tire and “popping” the bead to seat on the rim. He worked for another 5 minutes trying to get the bead to seat then handed me the rim and said “Try Tread Quarters down the street maybe they can do it with more pressure.” I handed the guy a 10 bill and left. That was probably the hardest 10 he had earned all day.
Arriving at Tread Quarters, I talked to a mechanic and ask him if he could seat the tire on the rim. “That all you want?” he said through his 6 teeth. He took the tire, then proceeded for the next 10 minutes to try and seat the tire. Finally, he walks out bouncing the tire victoriously and says here ya go!!
The tire was seated, inflated and ready to be re-installed.
Step 6: Install the new tire
Mounting the tire is doing Step 2 in reverse.
Pro-cut reel gang mower.
Hey. Thanks for letting me on. I just bought a used gang mower and know nothing about them. It’s green where there’s paint. It looks to be in serviceable condition, except for the tires. One is off the rim and one is broken in two. I could take it down from a 7 gang to a 5 gang but I’d like to get it fully functional. Thanks for any information or help.
I’ll try to get some up here tomorrow. it’s being delivered in the morning. I did get to see it and it looks very serviceable, and totally restorable.
neoteric
I know this is an old thread, But did you ever find tires for it? I have one that is in great shape, but the tires. If anyone is still on here and can help it would be appreciated.
Hey. Thanks for letting me on. I just bought a used gang mower and know nothing about them. It’s green where there’s paint. It looks to be in serviceable condition, except for the tires. One is off the rim and one is broken in two. I could take it down from a 7 gang to a 5 gang but I’d like to get it fully functional. Thanks for any information or help.
The Advantages of Using a Reel Mower
Reel mowers are almost always powered manually. The physical pushing of the mower turns the blade cylinder, which in turn cuts the grass. Since they’re push-powered, reel mowers excel when cutting fine, straight-growing grasses but can bog down in coarse, wiry grass. The following are some of the advantages of using a reel mower.
FAQs
With no toxic fumes, no need to store fuel or charge batteries, and quiet operation, the reel mower is making a comeback. This eco-friendly mower will reduce your carbon footprint while offering some physical exercise. For those thinking of investing in a reel mower, a few questions are to be expected.
Q. Is it hard to push a reel mower?
Manual reel mowers are easy to push in thin sparse grass, but it takes more force to move one through tall, dense, or coarse grass.
Q. Can you mow wet grass with a reel mower?
Although a manual reel mower can easily cut through wet grass, doing so frequently is not advisable. As with other mowers, clippings will clump and look unsightly. Wet clippings that stick to the mower increase rust formation, dulling the blades prematurely.
Q. How often should you mow with a reel mower?
Mow as often as is necessary to keep from removing more than one-third of the grass’s blade. This may mean mowing two or more times in a week during the fast-growing grass season.
Q. When should I sharpen my reel mower?
In general, it’s a good idea to sharpen the blades on a reel mower after 20 to 25 hours of use. For some users, this may be once a year; others may need to sharpen blades two or more times in a season.
Why Trust Bob Vila
Bob Vila has been America’s Handyman since 1979. As the host of beloved and groundbreaking TV series including “This Old House” and “Bob Vila’s Home Again,” he popularized and became synonymous with “do-it-yourself” home improvement.
Over the course of his decades-long career, Bob Vila has helped millions of people build, renovate, repair, and live better each day—a tradition that continues today with expert yet accessible home advice. The Bob Vila team distills need-to-know information into project tutorials, maintenance guides, tool 101s, and more. These home and garden experts then thoroughly research, vet, and recommend products that support homeowners, renters, DIYers, and professionals in their to-do lists.
Add PowerGard Protection Plan
You deserve peace of mind. PowerGard agreements protect you against unexpected repair costs and keep your maintenance on track with genuine parts. John Deere provides one of the best warranties in the business. And with PowerGard Protection Plan, you can purchase additional protection beyond the normal factory warranty term.
For commercial use, please contact your John Deere Dealer.