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wayne440

decent 'push' mower without all the bells & whistles

wayne440
12 years ago

I have finally killed the two old Murray push mowers I have owned for 15+ years. Went shopping today for a basic mower, with what I thought were common features, stamped steel deck, 4 wheels that bolt to same, 4 stroke engine, blade on bottom, throws grass out the side.

To my amazement, such a creature apparently no longer exists. The new fashion for is to have a flimsy plastic part on the front and the wheels attach to same. That will last about 15 minutes in my application.

I don't want to spend $4-500 on a rear bag, self propelled, blah, blah, blah, just to get something where the #$%^& front wheels actually fasten to a piece of steel so they might stay on.

I want a basic, durable push mower. Suggestions?

Comments (8)

  • rustyj14
    12 years ago

    Google Southland Mowers. I had one that the PO returned it to the store--said the oil was watery! I got the mower from the manager. It had no oil in it-the fool didn't read the manual, put gas in it and started it. The temporary shipping oil saved it. It was a gift to me. I then sold it to a customer (with new oil in it) and she ran it for ten years, gave it back, and i resold it!

  • wayne440
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Solved. Found a new old stock MTD. Very similar to the old Murray units I had.

  • roadbike
    12 years ago

    Durability and price have a linear relationship. Said another way there are no free lunches when it comes to buying lawn mowers. You get what you pay for. It is worth saying up front that the engine on virtually any mower will last for decades if properly maintained. It is the non-engine parts, in particular, wheels, axle assemblies, adjusters, controls, etc., that are more heavily built on more expensive mowers. A good Toro, Honda or Snapper should last 30 years if properly maintained and problems are fixed when they occur. And more expensive mowers typically give you better control over cut, bagging and mulching. You had two Murray lawn mowers that lasted 15 years, but in reality each had a service life of 7.5 years which is about right for a cheapo machine. If you are satisfied with their performance just get another Murray and expect to buy another in 7 to 10 years. Or buy a Walmart special.

  • wayne440
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    Thanks roadbike,

    The "Walmart special" of 6 or 7 years ago would have been exactly what I wanted. But today's are mostly plastic in the front, unlike the prior models. I have no need for instant height adjusters, mulching or bagging. If Toro, Honda, Snapper etc. made a basic mower without all the extra stuff I have no need for I would have bought one.

    About all this MTD (which is NOS from 2006-7 or so) needs to last a long time is a set of steel ball bearing wheels. When the plastic wheels wear out I'll fit some. I guess I have done OK, this is the first "new" push mower I have bought since 1977. Both the Murrays were freebies.

  • tn_gardening
    12 years ago

    About all this MTD (which is NOS from 2006-7 or so) needs to last a long time is a set of steel ball bearing wheels. When the plastic wheels wear out I'll fit some. I guess I have done OK, this is the first "new" push mower I have bought since 1977. Both the Murrays were freebies.

    Nah. I suspect your new mower weighs about 5 lbs and you can probably slide the thing around on 3 (or fewer) wheels when one of them gives out. :-)

    I'm not knocking you. I can very much appreciate the value in buying low priced stuff. Sometimes that's all that's needed.

  • tomplum
    12 years ago

    I too question that modular deck design with the wheel assemblies mounted in the molded plastic part of the housing. Doesn't seem like a step forward to me either.

  • wayne440
    Original Author
    12 years ago

    I expect it will be more than adequate for the small amount of use it will get, maybe 15 minutes a month. Something about a plastic mower just isn't right to me.

  • roadbike
    12 years ago

    Metal wheel assemblies mounted to a non-metal housing strikes me as a poor idea. Unless an exceptionally durable material is chosen there is a very good chance for fractures in the composite material to develop where the metal is attached. I've seen composite materials used for car springs that seems to last for ever. And I've seen composite materials used for other automotive components like radiator tanks that seems prone to fail from stress cracks.