Lawn Mower Sharps- please help a girl out

[Minnow]

I have been googling and it looks like the Yardman MTD with 187 cc Honda (i think that was it?) engine that they are selling at Costco is fairly well regarded, though some guys question the stainless steel deck. It's $269 for push type. I saw they had a look-alike next to it that was self-propelled for $350 or so with the larger rear wheels. We don't have any hills but the back yard is pretty rough with tough weedy patches. Will that make a dif, or should I just stick to the push one? I'm afraid rear-wheel drive is just one more thing to require maintenence that we don't really need?
Also I see cheap-o dept store ads featuring weed eater brand.. trying to economize yet get something thats going to last awhile.

ps- is "mulching" just a nice way of saying it chops up grass and spews it out the side instead of bagging?

[michael777]

[Mr Falcone]

MowBot – automatic lawnmower, robot lawn mower, robotic lawnmower, uk > Home

[Mr Falcone]

Honda makes great mowers. I would go self propelled myself. But I am a lazy fuck

[michael777]

agree,you have to go self propelled minnow,those push mowers are a pain

[Minnow]

That cub cadet looks cool! I'd be volunteering to do neighbors yards, I think. And the mowbot.. wow, that would drive my dogs mental! I actually kind of like getting out there to mow as long as I don't have to yank the rope a million times or hunk wet grass off the blades every 10 minutes.

Ok, so spring for self-propelled? How about the mulching deal? That just means the blades chop grass to smithereens before blowing it back out?

[(sportman)]

ps- is "mulching" just a nice way of saying it chops up grass and spews it out the side instead of bagging?

YES

[clevfan]

self propelled is the only way to go!

[KoolPappyPD]

Originally Posted by Minnow

I have been googling and it looks like the Yardman MTD with 187 cc Honda engine that they are selling at Costco is fairly well regarded, though some guys question the stainless steel deck. It's $269 for push type. I saw they had a look-alike next to it that was self-propelled for $350 or so with the larger rear wheels.

ps- is "mulching" just a nice way of saying it chops up grass and spews it out the side instead of bagging?

Minnow, you can not go wrong with a Honda mower...I have a Honda mower that I have had for 10 years and it still starts and runs perfect...well, worth the extra money...they sell them locally at Home Depot. I would think the Yardman with the Honda engine would be just fine too.

As for self propelled: If your yard is flat, and not too large, then I would save my dimes on that feature. For a yard that is not level, or is a little larger, it might be nice. You would be suprised how many cold beers you can earn by pushing the mower around.

As for mulching: Mine is a mulching mower. I don't think it really makes the lawn any healthier. Plus, you can't let the grass get too awfully tall between mowings with the mulcher. I don't think it is worth the cost.

[StarnetGypsy]

Originally Posted by KoolPappyPD

Minnow, you can not go wrong with a Honda mower...I have a Honda mower that I have had for 10 years and it still starts and runs perfect...well, worth the extra money...they sell them locally at Home Depot. I would think the Yardman with the Honda engine would be just fine too.

As for self propelled: If your yard is flat, and not too large, then I would save my dimes on that feature. For a yard that is not level, or is a little larger, it might be nice. You would be suprised how many cold beers you can earn by pushing the mower around.

As for mulching: Mine is a mulching mower. I don't think it really makes the lawn any healthier. Plus, you can't let the grass get too awfully tall between mowings with the mulcher. I don't think it is worth the cost.

i agree with Pappy on this, Minnow. i've seen your yard and i think a pusher would work just fine for you, especially in that corner closest to the road?

with a self-propelled you also have to take into consideration that the ole man may wanna drive it down to the stop'n'shop to grab some munchies? and i know how you hate goin to court

[Minnow]

Our last mower wasn't bad, but after paying 1/3 of what a new one would have cost to have "oops forgot to drain old gas" and general maintenance service, it was stolen from my daughter's backyard just before we moved here. So last year we were just having a neighbors kid do it with riding mower for $20 a whack.
It's not the extra 70 or 80 bucks I was sweating for the upgrade, it's the fact that rear-wheel drive is just one more thing that might go wrong. Kind of like buying a fridge that makes ice cubes and having to have that feature fixed every year.
So I guess I'll go pick up the Costco self-propelled and a 6 pack. Thanks for input.

Gyps, I think we might roto-till that corner and put in a small veg garden.

[StarnetGypsy]

Originally Posted by Minnow

Gyps, I think we might roto-till that corner and put in a small veg garden.

yeah, okay veg garden ... uh huh. sure. just a nice little place to sip your tea eh?

[Uncle B]

Originally Posted by (sportman)

ps- is "mulching" just a nice way of saying it chops up grass and spews it out the side instead of bagging?

YES

depends on where you live i guess.

if you don't put piles of mulch around your plants in shrubs here in the south, you'll be watering them non-stop...mulch keeps the base of the plants cool and damp..

as far as mowing..


gotta be a kid on the block you can sucker into that job.


I used to mow once in awhile, but, the neighbors called the cops last time, so, i leave it to the pros.

[StarnetGypsy]

Originally Posted by Uncle B

I used to mow once in awhile, but, the neighbors called the cops last time, so, i leave it to the pros.

WHAT?!?

What is it about you Unc? Dark cloud over your head? Born under a bad sign?

[Uncle B]

Originally Posted by StarnetGypsy

WHAT?!?

What is it about you Unc? Dark cloud over your head? Born under a bad sign?

tell you the truth man, i can't even remember why they called them.


i think it was too early or something...or too late maybe.

hell i don't know..i just know the last time i mowed, the cops showed up and asked me to stop..

[skilled27]

minnow, mulch is a process different than when it spits it out the side. With mulching you dont get any grass spit out the side. It cuts it and cuts it over and over again inside until the grass is fine particles. Then it falls to your lawn and acts as a fertilizer for your grass. You never even see most of the mulch. I never use any other process other than mulch. Makes the yard look good without the rows of spewed out grass.

[Minnow]

I finally made it back to Costco and my hubby tagged along. What a pain in the ass it is shopping with him. We grabbed one of those pallet deals outside, and he goes sprinting down the aisle with it like there was 1 mower left and 16 Mr Greenjeans aiming for it. I make my way to the stack of mowers (pretending I don't know him) at my own pace and he's not there yet. I spot his red bandana about 4 aisles over still on "brisk" but way off course. We end up with the push mower, as it turns out I remembered it wrong. The self-propelled one was actually $389., so a 120 difference.

I had been planning on picking up the self propelled one on my own and saying it was the $269 one, but that plan was now dashed. I got slightly screwed out of an area rug I had my eye on too, since I had earlier set him up saying I had seen one that was a steal at $100. When I was about to haul out the nicer, slightly spendier one he said oops! There's the $100 ones over there. ( )

As it turns out I was glad I had him with me. Although I have a big trunk the box wouldn't fit. We had to undress it in the parking lot and maneuver it into the trunk, then cram the empty box in the back seat. At breakneck speed, of course. :)

So there you have it. I'm still looking forward to lawn mowing season! :)

[Mr Falcone]

WOW what a great read.Thanks for the female perspective.......

like there was 1 mower left and 16 Mr Greenjeans aiming for it.

slightly spendier one he said oops! There's the $100 ones over there. ( )

Good stuff, thanks for the laugh

[Minnow]

For the record, Mr F. I am not really much of a shopaholic. The last time I was at the mall was at Christmas time, and only because we felt compelled to scare the grandbaby by sticking her on Santa's lap. I don't always lie about how much stuff costs either. Only sometimes fudge a bit on "big ticket" items that I'll have to live with for years. I am not impulsive either, which is why I asked about mowers here in the first place. But him.. minkya. He honestly acts like there is a contest to get out of stores in record time. Same thing with driving. "I'm not criticizing your driving, I was just commenting that if you looked far enough ahead you could have easily made that light..." Kind of ironic venting in a forum full of men.. lol