I bought a Toro a few years back from Home Depot, my previous mover was a push mower from sears. I wanted to get a really good one and thought the TOro was quality. When I first used it, it was rattling and stalled on some pretty low grass. I returned it for the same model. Had the same issues, over and over and over - basically it was a piece of crap. I didnt have the energy to return it again. Anytime the lawn is over 4 inches and damp, it constantly stalls. The mulcher sucks, bag never works.
So - I need to get a new one. I want something with balls, something with power. Anyone have any luck and can reccomend a good mower?

I have owned 2 toro's one push one rider, still got the hand me down rider from my dad, it's 20 years old and runs pisser.

Also owned a Murray which I gave away from lack of running it died, it was a great mower other than that.

I pay a guy $40 to mow and weedwack my yard. It's worth every penny, since it takes about 2 hours for me to do it with my mower. You should consider paying someone else do it until your son is old enough to do it.

I pay a guy $40 to mow and weedwack my yard. It's worth every penny, since it takes about 2 hours for me to do it with my mower. You should consider paying someone else do it until your son is old enough to do it.

I usually take my shirt off and mow the lawn, the ladies in the neighborhood really enjoy it and I'd hate to rob them of the little satisfaction in life they have.

2 posts and still no reccomendation on a mower!

I'd have to go with the Guatamalens....

Seriously though, Husqvarna makes a nice mower, I have one and have been very happy with it

I used to burn through Mowers every 3-4 years....finally invested in a John Deere.....it is awesome, had it for about 6 years and still starts up reliably.

I would reccomend one to you.

dad f - what model?
Is it pretty powerful?

I just noticed you were looking at a Push Mower....mine is a Ride-on mower. If you are still interested it is a model LA115

John Deere products for homeowners: Features for LA115 Lawn Tractor (http://www.deere.com/en_US/ProductCatalog/HO/servlet/com.deere.u90785.cce.productcatalog.view.servlets. ProdCatProduct?pNbr=SKG20445&tM=HO&link=enav)

yup - looking for a self propelled push/walk behind.
It seems Hondas have the best reviews.

I pay a guy $40 to mow and weedwack my yard. It's worth every penny, since it takes about 2 hours for me to do it with my mower. You should consider paying someone else do it until your son is old enough to do it.

Thats approx. $1100 for the season? How much gear is that?

Toro Super Mulcher, self propelled, gas powered. Bought new from a lawn and snow blower dealer. Home Depot sells lumber and if their lawn mowers are like their power tools, they are throw aways.

Have had it for ten years, no problems. :)

Thats approx. $1100 for the season? How much gear is that?


Not even close to that. I've paid a total of $360 so far this year. He only comes when the lawn needs it as opposed to every week. He lives on my street (right around the corner from you), so he drives by the house every day. If it looks like it needs to be mowed, he comes by the next morning.

It's worth it to me because I'd rather have that 2+ hours to either be playing with my son or be out fishing. I spend enough doing other stuff around the yard on the weekends.

[QUOTE=RIJIMMY;803145]I usually take my shirt off and mow the lawn, the ladies in the neighborhood really enjoy it and I'd hate to rob them of the little satisfaction in life they have.


If I did that I'd get arrested! There's a man mowing his lawn with his man boobs hanging out and he's balancing a six pick of beer on his gut!

basically it was a piece of crap.

because you purchased it at home depot
that's what happens


Snapper used to make good mowers
I still have mine 17 years later

don't buy a craftsman

but i have this OLD Lawn BOY mower ok...

it doesn't even run anymore but i'd never sell it

why? Because you can take this little 4.5 horse silver series
with the internal mulcher and it'll cut grass as tall as your chest
and rarely stall...
i kid you not.... it is the TANK of Mowers ...I'm telling ya...

now i have a toro rider and a walk behind toro
and they still don't cut like that old lawn boy can.... or could.:uhuh:

btw it pays in gold to keep your blade razor sharp

not odd at all, my old craftsmen would never stall, could cut a forest.
So HD has the cheapy versions? Should have known better.
I'll check in with a power quipment shop. I bought my Ariens snowblower from a shop in Norton, in main st.

not odd at all, my old craftsmen would never stall, could cut a forest.
So HD has the cheapy versions? Should have known better.
I'll check in with a power quipment shop. I bought my Ariens snowblower from a shop in Norton, in main st.

not necessarily but having worked in a lawnmower shop once i can tell ya that some machines have GOVERNERs that prevent you from upping the RPM to deal with the heavier GRASS

and believe it or not having mowed grass professionally on golf courses and commercial properties .........it actually
cuts a bit easier after a "light" rain because its moist and softer

too wet and it clumps tho....

John Deere workd for me

but i have this OLD Lawn BOY mower ok...

it doesn't even run anymore but i'd never sell it



I would imagine that you'd have trouble selling it if you tried. Most people don't want to spend their money on broken old lawn mowers that don't work. Even if it used to be able to cut grass as high as your chest. And about that, why would you wait until the grass was that hight before cutting it? Wouldn't your property look a little shabby with chest high grass? I'd be really concerned with ticks and bad guys if my lawn was that high.

Most old Lawn Boys have 2 cycle engines, and smoke like an old Chevy that needs a ring job.

You come in smelling like an oil refinery after cutting the grass, and your neighbors all love you, too :rotf2:

Then there's the PITA of pre-mixing the gas and oil.

Take a look on CL? I got my Ariens snowblower there last summer. If you know what you are looking for, tis the season to find a bargain. Often see quality machines at a deep discount.

Push mower, get a Honda.
Rider/tractor John Deere (A real John Deere, not the ones they cheapened up and sell @ Home Depot or Lowe's)
Husqvarna makes a good rider/tractor also.
Either one get one with a Kohler or even better a Kawasaki engine !

Im a huge lawnboy fan. Made by OMC, 2stroke makes my carbon footpront larger. and if your mechanicly inclined you can crank em' up good, also will second keeping the blade sharp enough you could shave with it, wet grass will beat the snot out of a blade and the resulting cut with the dull edge isnt good for your grass. just my .02

Im a huge lawnboy fan. Made by OMC, 2stroke makes my carbon footpront larger. and if your mechanicly inclined you can crank em' up good, also will second keeping the blade sharp enough you could shave with it, wet grass will beat the snot out of a blade and the resulting cut with the dull edge isnt good for your grass. just my .02

when you cut a spear on an ALOE VERA cactus
it seals up in about an hour

grass isn't much different and a jagged cut doesn't heal
well on plants like "Grass" making it dehydrate

it's totally opposite of how human skin congeals..
a jagged cut heals back together better than a razor cut...

X-Mark

If your looking for a push mower try and find a used Sensation or Bob Cat
and throw a new Honda motor on it. It will last you a lifetime.
Anything else is junk.

If your looking for a 32 inch or larger self propelled go with a Scag,
Bob Cat or Ex Mark with a 15 HP Honda or Kawasaki engine. With a basket they will run you between $2300- $3000.

X-Mark

this GUY just planted fancy shmancy don't have to even cut it special grass seed
....so you can just buy his mower cuz he no longer needs it.
:rotf3:

I used to work at a college and we mowed a lot of lawn. In addition to a bunch of riders we had one push mower. It would be used for about 35 hrs a week for roughly 16 weeks. Roughly 560 hours a year and last about 20 weeks or a little more than a year. As long as nobody hit a curb, big root, or rock with it. If they did it would die in a week or two.
Guess how much we would pay for a mower to do that?
































The cheapest mower from ACE hardware
That was after we figured out that the more expensive ones died in a week or two after hitting something.

this GUY just planted fancy shmancy don't have to even cut it special grass seed
....so you can just buy his mower cuz he no longer needs it.
:rotf3:

Only the front yard, Raven. and I'm gonna teach the Sheperd how to do the back.

I bought one of these earlier this season for $420 and it is great.

Sears: Online department store featuring appliances, tools, fitness equipment and more (http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_07188776000P?prdNo=2)

I also have a lower-end Sears model that is 5 years old now and it still runs fine. The rear wheel drive mechanism needs a little work but it it is otherwise in good shape. With 2 lawnmowers my twin sons should be able to get the lawn done in 1/2 the time, right? I've always had good luck with Craftsman power equipment. It's the same as Murray, MTD, Noma, etc.

I was thinking about buying a new 32" Ferris hydro mower for $2400. It would make short work of my 1/3 acre lot I am sure, but I just couldn't justify the price. I had no trouble buying a $32K boat and a $36K truck in the same year but I couldn't see spending big money on a mower.

I had no trouble buying a $32K boat and a $36K truck in the same year but I couldn't see spending big money on a mower.[/QUOTE]

cutting by the moon sign:

theres an exact science to it... and that is..........

if you want a perfect lawn ...thats lush and green you cut it
just before its going to rain when the moons in a water sign
of cancer picses or scorpio for example...
preferably before the full moon to ensure the hydroscopic pressure is building same as the tides.

but if you want to minimize growth and not have your lawn
growing GANG BUSTERS where ya have to cut it each week so you have more fishing time.

you cut it during the waning (loosing light) after the full moon
during a barren sign (air or fire) say of LEO , when theres no rain. :uhuh:
and slow down on the friggan Scotts fertilizer
for crying out loud.

because you purchased it at home depot
that's what happens

So HD has the cheapy versions? Should have known better.

(A real John Deere, not the ones they cheapened up and sell @ Home Depot or Lowe's)


I don't know where you guys get this info from...I bought mine through Home Depot. They are actually sold through HD by a local company called James R. Rosencrantz & Sons....which is located in Kingston NH (I purchased mine out of Seabrook NH)...same exact mower I could buy at their shop I got at HD....not a "cheapened down" version.

What exactly is cheapened down? Any examples I can look for? It has the exact same motor that is listed on the JD website, it is all solid steel frame. Thing has run flawlessly for six years....and I'm not exactly easy on equipment.

I had no trouble buying a $32K boat and a $36K truck in the same year but I couldn't see spending big money on a mower.

cutting by the moon sign:

theres an exact science to it... and that is..........

if you want a perfect lawn ...thats lush and green you cut it
just before its going to rain when the moons in a water sign
of cancer picses or scorpio for example...
preferably before the full moon to ensure the hydroscopic pressure is building same as the tides.

but if you want to minimize growth and not have your lawn
growing GANG BUSTERS where ya have to cut it each week so you have more fishing time.

you cut it during the waning (loosing light) after the full moon
during a barren sign (air or fire) say of LEO , when theres no rain. :uhuh:
and slow down on the friggan Scotts fertilizer
for crying out loud.[/QUOTE]


:eek5: Huh??????? What the hell are you smoking? Weed? Grass? Lawn? It's all the same. Put the peace pipe down for a little bit there Raven.

I also have an old Lawn Boy. Getting close to 20 years old now. It's a 4 stroke motor though. I want a new mower, but this one won't die. The only thing not original is the spark plug and a new blade this year.

I don't know where you guys get this info from...I bought mine through Home Depot. They are actually sold through HD by a local company called James R. Rosencrantz & Sons....which is located in Kingston NH (I purchased mine out of Seabrook NH)...same exact mower I could buy at their shop I got at HD....not a "cheapened down" version.

What exactly is cheapened down? Any examples I can look for? It has the exact same motor that is listed on the JD website, it is all solid steel frame. Thing has run flawlessly for six years....and I'm not exactly easy on equipment.

Dad, good question and I hope someone answers. I was told years ago when I was shopping for a snow blower not to buy one from HD. The reason is that HD has agreements with these companies and they manufacture cheaper, mass market products to sell at a low price at HD. Specifically, I heard this about Ariens.
I always assumed its true. From a business perspective, it makes no sense. Like in my case I think Toro sucks, not HD. So how does Toro really profit from this in the long run? Anyone?

:smokin:

. So how does Toro really profit from this in the long run? Anyone?

answer: Guaranteed sales

answer: Guaranteed sales

How is it Guaranteed sales if the word of mouth about their product is that it is crap.

because not everyone hears the local or community gossip
about home depot's merchandise being crap

they have a huge customer BASE ...Toro has to keep the lights on,
their employees paid on time....and all that, so when they sell a huge chunk of
lawnmowers to one customer even at "almost" a loss
it brings in revenue that acomplished that objective.

doesn't matter if they sell slow or fast at home depot
it's not TORO's problem once they (HD) takes delivery
nation wide.

But thats not HD making them give them inferior models....if Toro's are junk they are junk

i have no direct knowledge of how Home depot or any other retailer
requests a cheaper version of the real McCoy http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c66/ravenob1/WB.jpg

i have a feeling though that they (HD) only sell some mowers to appear as a complete garden and lawn supplier so they can sell you all their other stuff for the outdoors....

I googled the question and came up with not credible info to support it.

i bought a toro reconditioned used mower from home depot
in may for less money than brand new and it runs perfect.

Most of the good brands now carry two lines. (Ariens, Honda, Toro, Lawnboy,John Deere.Echo, Husky, etc etc)

Home Depot grade
Commercial grade.

Don't buy anything at Home Depot. For example the same model of Ariens snowblower (900 series) from HomeDepot has a solid transaxle that results in a %$%$%$%$ty turning radius. The same model in commericial grade has the limited slip differential doodad, that allows you to turn easier. Yes you pay more, but it lasts longer and works better.

These equipment manufacturers get taken to the cleaners with Home Depot and Wal-mart, so they have their chinese manufacturers skimp everywhere on their Home Depot lines.

Go to a good Power Equipment retailer, buck up the extra money and get commercial grade.