Lawnmowers

Hi guys! I've just bought my first home and it's got a 50x213 lot and a tiny house, so lots of lawn to take care of. I need to get myself a lawnmower pretty soon, but I'm having trouble figuring what my needs are and how my money is best spent. 1. I hate mowing the lawn, so the faster and easier it is, the better. 2. I'm cheap. My parents gifted me some money to get me started with furniture and all that kind of stuff, so I could buy new if I wanted but the less I have to spend the better.

So far I think I want a gas, self propelled mower. My yard has lots of trees and isn't smooth, it has a bunch of dips here and there. I've been searching the local Kijij (think craigslist for my town) and here's a couple that have caught my eye:

$190 Poulan Pro http://manitoba.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-home-outdoor-lawnmowers-leaf-blowers-POULAN-PRO-6-7-HP-W0QQAdIdZ394833156 Cheap, big back wheels sounds good. No idea if Poulan is a good brand.

$250 Toro http://manitoba.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-home-outdoor-lawnmowers-leaf-blowers-Toro-lawnmower-W0QQAdIdZ395105317 Good name, why does he have two though?

$300 Toro http://manitoba.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-home-outdoor-lawnmowers-leaf-blowers-TORO-SELF-PROPELLED-LAWN-MOWER-W0QQAdIdZ393610254 About what I think I want, but a bit expensive

$350 Toro http://manitoba.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-home-outdoor-lawnmowers-leaf-blowers-Toro-Recycler-22-Rear-Wheel-Drive-3-in1-Lawn-Mower-W0QQAdIdZ372160621 Larger width, looks very well taken care of. The only downside here is price, 4 years of almost daily use and only $180 (after tax) savings over new doesn't seem that great. Not really considering it unless someone can convince me otherwise.

$400 John Deere http://manitoba.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-home-outdoor-lawnmowers-leaf-blowers-2012-John-Deere-JS28-lawnmower-Brand-New-In-Box-W0QQAdIdZ394016892 Should be trouble-free for a long time and some $$ saved over new.

Any opinions? Should I just go find the cheapest push mower at a garage sale, or is gambling on a used mower not worth the savings over buying a new one that I can keep for the next 15 years or so?

In that price range, you could probably swing a rider. Hell, I sold one of the same model of Toro as the $350 for $20. It needed an air cleaner, but it was otherwise very clean and appeared to have been used very little.

Then again, I live in Florida where lawn equipment is replaced, often well before it's worn out.

The last push mower that I bought was about 10years ago. I've been finding free mowers in the spring on CL that have "died", I bring them home clean the carb and run them until I break them. I usually get a few years out of the mower, but in most cases would get more if I didn't try things like porting the head, cutting underbrush from the woods next to my property, etc.

If I were you I would buy cheap use it until I got tired of fixing them and then move onto the next one.

I picked up a new Craftsman this spring to replace the one I've been using since my parents bought it back in the late '80's. The new one is so light there is no need for it to be self propelled. That probably means the deck will rust out--which the old one didn't, but boy, after using it once I can't believe I waited for the other one to die before buying a new one.

We have 2/3 of an acre so I do have a rider. The push mower is just to do the clean up stuff and use at the rentals occasionally.

I think this is the one I have. It was on sale for $180 this spring: http://www.sears.com/craftsman-190cc-low-wheel-rear-bag-push-mower/p-07137031000P?prdNo=3&blockNo=3&blockType=G3

I got a free riding mower about 7 years ago. It had been sitting behind a friends shed for a year or two. He even delivered it to me. This pas a POS Montgomery Ward mower, not some high end deal. I had to replace a ball joint and the battery. It then ran like a champ for 7 years until this summer when my new larger yard was too much for the old girl. First a belt broke. That was an easy and cheap fix. Then the transaxle went south. At that point I bought a new mower and put the old one on CL in the free stuff section. I guess there are a lot of people who want an old rusty Montgomery Ward mower that only operates in reverse if it is free. It was like throwing 12 buckets of chum into the middle of a shark convention. No advice on the push mowers BTW, I just felt the need to hijack your lawnmower thread with my unrelated lawnmower story.

I have this one. Toro self-propelled I prefer the larger rear wheels, easier to handle rough terrain. Also converts from rear bag, side dischage or mulch. Your needs might be better off with a bigger cut. I have 1.2 acres and use this is the smaller tight areas and have a John Deere LA105 lawn tractor for the larger areas. A Toro weedeater with attachements help do the trimming and clean-up.

Might want to check out lawn mower repair shops. They usually have good mowers for sale and will get you by until you figure out what features you like on a new one.

I have a self-propelled Craftsman, and it works very well. It has a fancy electric start, which is a lot of fun. I use this, because the local community improvement bunch won't let me pave the yard.

I have been using a Honda-powered Craftsman for about 10 years and love it. It always starts and never gives me any grief. It's not self-propelled, but it's so light it doesn't need it. No VTEC, though.

In my old house I mowed about 1/3 of an acre with a Me-Propelled Craftsman. Usually spent 20-25 minutes with the mower and trimmer to do it all. Best advice I can give is to go with a Honda engine and large rear wheels.

Mowers are like all other tools, good ones hold their value and sell for close to new while the throwaway ones sell for pennies on the dollar

Back in '95 I scored 3 new mowers (2 SP) for $40 at a hardware store fire sale, literally.. pulled 'em out from beneath the rubble, the building remains were still smoking and there was water in the fuel tanks.

After disassembly and cleaning I had one zero time self- propelled mower and had spare wheels, drive axle, engine and belts. The carb eventually puked out from water/ corrosion but a replacement was scarfed from a remote roadside dump site, bingo.. back in business.

Dad was 'helping' me w/ the grass last year and hit a tree root, bent the crank... vibrates a bit and uses oil now. Been meaning to get the spare engine off the shelf and keep 'er runnin'. It's had a rough life, can't abandon it now... may be the next winter project.

lots of people needing money now . I bet a good rider could be picked up oncraigslist in short order. Helps you out and somebody else make a house payment

wlkelley3 wrote: I have this one. Toro self-propelled I prefer the larger rear wheels, easier to handle rough terrain.

I bought this one new 10 years ago and it runs great. I have replaced the belt and 2 worn out wheels. I bought my father this one 2 years ago and it seems lighter weight compared to mine. I have been happy with mine.

As far as yard work goes, if it takes more than a machete, I'm not interested. I do have a 5HP weed whacker on wheels I use about once a year or two on the driveway. However, in your case, I would look in the $20-75 range on CL, etc. I've seen some really nice ones used in the $100 range, electric start and all at swap meet kinda things. Toro is a good name. The John Deere's are well built, but with a Briggs & Stratton engine built to JD specs. Don't know if it's worth the premium.

I thought we already went over this in another thread recently. I maintain that the answer is still the Weedeater cheapie from the big box store.