As a new "homeowner" (we'll own it in another 29 1/2 years!), lawn care has become part of my life. Fortunately, our entire lot is only 0.17 acres (about 7400 square feet). This means that keeping the yard mowed and weeds in check should be a manageable task for two people, given the right tools and equipment. Yes, I finally got to buy outdoor power equipment! I'd like to review two of my recent purchases.
First I bought a Craftsman mower at Sears. I selected their model 38811, which has a 21" cutting width, a 6.25 ft-lb. motor (yes, they now measure them in torque, not horsepower), a rear bag, and large rear wheels. For my purposes, this mower has been very good. First of all, you want a mower to start easily. This is one area that Briggs and Stratton (who manufacture the motor) has done well for years now. You fill the mower with gas, push the priming pump three times, and nine times out of ten it will start on the very first pull. There is something satisfying about hearing the engine start the first time each day that I mow, and not having to pull a ripcord fifteen times (as on many mowers of days gone by) makes it that much more enjoyable.
A must in the Mountain West (read American Desert) is a rear bag. Leaving the clippings on the lawn simply leaves a brown mess after a few days. The bag on my mower works fine. It is very easy to attach and detach from the mower, and only slightly tricky to empty into a garbage bag when not using clippings for mulch. My only complaint here would be the bag's capacity, as even when mowing my back yard (about 1600-2000 square feet) I often need to empty it twice. Still, the only way to improve this issue would be to include a larger bag which would make the mower unwieldy. The mower can also function as a mulcher or a side-discharger. This would probably work well in larger yards.
The large rear wheels made me somewhat skeptical. They are intended to improve handling on rough terrain and to make turning easier. I honestly can't say how they really achieve either of these objectives, but they come in handy for me in one area. Immediately behind my house is a concrete patio with a roof. This is level with the back of the house and the driveway, but my back yard is about three feet lower than this level. This led a previous owner to build a set of concrete stairs down to the back yard, with no ramp. Those large wheels certainly come in handy as I ease the mower up each step gently to get it between the front and back yards.
I am actually on my second of these mowers. The first one had some trouble with the height adjuster on one wheel. It kept slipping out of position, risking unbalancing the mower and sending the blade into the ground. After two mowings, my current one has exhibited no such problem. I hope that it continues to do so.
I don't require much of my mower, I think. I don't need one to drive itself, walk the dog, and style my hair. For simply mowing a yard, this mower is more than adequate, especially for a yard under half an acre. It gets five antelopes.
The second tool that I purchased was an electric weed trimmer/edger. This was a 15" trimmer by Toro, bought at Home Depot for $39.97. I also added a 100' 16-gauge extension cord so that I could reach all the areas in my yard. The trimmer actually works fairly well. Again, with a yard the size of mine, the job is not terribly big, but my trimmer has held up well.
It is extremely easy to operate (you simply plug it in and push the trigger), but is a bit low on power compared to gas trimmers. This means that you must trim a little more slowly, and you absolutely must avoid saplings. It does tend to get "clogged" by clippings, so you must periodically clean the underside so that you can free the blade that trims the string as you feed more line out. It does appear to be fairly durable as long as you treat it kindly. It does have plastic body, so don't whack it against wall or buildings. One user review said that they could only trim about 40' at a time. I can say that with a few stops here and there to clean the underside, I can trim the entire 160' perimeter of my back yard without any trouble (at least so far). I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a low-maintenance small-job trimmer. Because of its somewhat limited power it can't quite achieve a full five antelopes. I'll give it four and a baby.
6 comments:
I just bought a new mower too, and it also has the Briggs-Stratton engine (although mine is a Toro). You're right, the thing starts up right away--awesome. In Baltimore, though, I can leave the grass clippings.
Are we now officially OLD because we're discussing lawn mowers???
With less power forcing you to slow down, and the cleaning problem I'd given the weed trimmer less than 4 & baby. How much more expensive would a gas model have been? That would have had the added benefit of not being tethered. How much did you pay for the lawn mower?
John, I think you're right, we ARE getting old. This yard work has me feeling like my dad (who has a collection of 25 garden tractors, mostly non-functional).
As for the trimmer rating, I really am not slowed down much personally, as my yard has very grassy weeds which are easily trimmed. Cleaning the underside partway through is not a necessity, just a preference, and every trimmer would have such a problem because damp grass clings to any surface it contacts.
A gas trimmer would have cost at least $100, and while it would have given me more mobility, they are slightly more prone to mechanical trouble.
I gave it four and baby so as not to insult the trimmer itself and cause it to rebel against me after good service thus far. Yes, it's silly, but I still wouldn't rate it below 4 antelopes in any event.
The mower cost $189.99 plus tax.
some expatriot comments from the UK on "Garden Mowing"
my guess is that they probably use "garden" for "lawn" here because only the Queen can afford to have a property big enough to have a lawn.
1a. Last time I mowed a lawn, it was with a Sears-Craftsman ride-on, but it wasn't mine so that keeps me in the kiddie leagues.
1b. now I have to wait for my landlord to mow at my rented house in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. youth leagues again.
2. he does the "garden mowing" with a "hovercraft style" wheel-less electric mower, which looked a bit like a floor polisher when I first saw them. I know Sears doesn't sell anything like it! I like the quiet of electric mowers, but there's no way these English toys could mow a real lawn.
3. Paving over your entire lawn/garden with gravel is entirely acceptable for the English.
One thing that works great for keeping the "clinginess" of the grass down on the under side of the weed-eater is spraying with WD-40 or silicon and wiping it down. It actually helps minimize the cling of the grass. I love this post. Yard work has become my life over the past couple of years and I'm proud to say that I have the best yard in the neighborhood. It takes a lot of work to have a good yard, no matter the size (mine is about the same as Mr. Weil's) I thought that the cords would cause you to be tethered down a bit but I have actually had very good luck. I have an electric mower as well and wouldn't trade it for anything else, because of the cost efficiency and the level trim.
Now, nice set of wheels on that push mower.
Too bad it's not painted yellow like a good mower,like my 2 functional out of 25 nonfunctional garden tractors.
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