|
Sat, May 8, 10 at 1:25
| OK, so I am willing to bet that someone else has asked this question before (or, I might have even asked it a year or two ago and forgotten...), but the search this site link keeps taking me a broken page. Anyway, while there is plenty of decisions to read over which mower is best for this or that, I'm still debating on if I even need a new mower. My current mower is a JD, at least 10 years old, if not older. It is a side discharge, not sure what make the engine is, not a BS though. I have a bag for it, but no attachment for the bag (if I had the connector for the bag, it looks a bit like a Snapper Hi-Vac setup), so I have been side discharging with it ever since it was handed down to me (about 3 years ago). I sharpen the blade and do all the maintenance once a season and it hasn't ever given me any trouble aside from a broken pull cord and the fact that it takes a bit to get it started. It has rear wheel drive, which is nice for days I'm super tired, but, I've always hated to use any type of drive system just because I always feel so lazy. Anyway, like I said, it runs well, cuts, etc. Unless I cut every 5 days, you are certainly going to see a trail of clippings and it is next to useless in trying to mulch leaves and pine needles, though it does a decent job of helping me get them in a pile. This brings me to my question, if I was to go out and get something in the 300-400 dollar range, with a concentration on mulching, am I really just going to be so impressed by the results that I don't think I could have better spent that money? Now, don't get me wrong, I know, that w/o a doubt, the clippings are going to be next to nill vs what I am getting now, but, aside from that... I'm just trying to justify this thing one way or another. |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
| Look at it another way; #1, you're going to keep your old mower as a back-up, so it'll always be there. #2, you may well like an up-to-date mower better - more power, advanced mulching designs, side or rear discharge, bigger wheels, etc. In case you don't like the new mower, see #1. :) |
|
| Big boys don't really need an excuse or reason to get new big boy toys unless they are married. |
|
| If you buy a mulching mower, with big wheels, and no drive system, then you will avoid unnecessary repairs. No drive system means, no drive system failures. I'm not sure why your current mower is not capable of shredding and mulching leaves. Our "yardman" does a good job of shredding tree leaves. The mulching blade looks pretty standard to me. |
|
| @saxman1, you make a good point. I would be keeping the old mower to mow over a section of the yard that is always full of sticks and such. @evdpgh, I am married, this is a fathers day or birthday present. ;) @ericwi, I think that if I put a mulching blade on here and I was able to find the piece that sealed the side discharge, it would do a pretty decent job of mulching. The problem is, the last time I was able to find the piece, it was about 60 dollars+shipping. I went to the JD store and they offered to get me one for 79. So, either way, I'm looking at $100 dollars (when you include the blade) to mulch. Granted, much less then 300/400 dollars, but @ 1/3 or 1/4 the cost, I'd rather move up to something new. |
|
| For what it is worth, the current model I have something like a JD 14sb/sm or something around there. I need to take some photos and get some experts to identify it. IF so, I think, I found a mulch plug for about 20 + shipping on ebay figure in whatever else the blade costs and I MIGHT do that. I went to look at some Gravely's today, but they were priced much higher than we want to spend. The place was supposed to have Toro's and Snapper's, but they only serviced them. I'm going to the Toro and Snapper dealer later this week. I don't know, I have honestly been looking at a new mower for 3 years now and I can't convince myself, but now that I've got father's day + birthday coming up...... |
|
- Posted by richard_schmidt 8 (My Page) on Sun, May 9, 10 at 9:57
| Dear Friends, Thanks for your past help. New Problem: I keep my Lawnboy dry, but recently my 10323 lost its fire. If you can explain, in simple term, the kill mechanism when it attaches to the engine. My kill cable broke-so I stall the engine with the choke bulb. This set up worked for a year, but yesterday I lost fire and can't seem to get it back; any suggestions? |
|
| Richard; you must start a new thread - you're hijacking bdm's thread. |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Lawn Mowers Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.