Which lawn mower, electric,petrol?
#33
You might find this useful in future... Candian redneck fixes 3 Tecumseh mowers. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2aqlVajHKc (also part 2 and part 3)
#34
Scooby Regular
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Zed Ess Won Hay Tee
Posts: 21,611
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
petrol is more testosterone fuelled imo
when i took over the wash i found an old petrol mower stored away, it was broke, one day when i was raining badly and we had nothing to do, we stripped it down for rebuild, it had a rudimentary carb fitted, and we started messing with the settings, new spark plug in and it fired up after about 20 pulls, only now it was screaming at max RPM possible and we had removed the exhaust removed anything to catch the grass, so it dumped them back on the ground (large grass areas, takes to long to empty the grass bag all the time)
we left it as it was, as it was now called "the beast"
made a right racket, but never got bogged down, even in wet grass
eventually the blades snapped off the bottom, so we bought a new one, its mod free at the moment
when i took over the wash i found an old petrol mower stored away, it was broke, one day when i was raining badly and we had nothing to do, we stripped it down for rebuild, it had a rudimentary carb fitted, and we started messing with the settings, new spark plug in and it fired up after about 20 pulls, only now it was screaming at max RPM possible and we had removed the exhaust removed anything to catch the grass, so it dumped them back on the ground (large grass areas, takes to long to empty the grass bag all the time)
we left it as it was, as it was now called "the beast"
made a right racket, but never got bogged down, even in wet grass
eventually the blades snapped off the bottom, so we bought a new one, its mod free at the moment
#35
Scooby Regular
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Ascended to the next level
Posts: 7,498
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
You might find this useful in future... Candian redneck fixes 3 Tecumseh mowers. YouTube - how to fix a tecumseh lawnmower part 1 (also part 2 and part 3)
Can't belive people chuck out pefectly good mowers. The only time I would chuck something like that is if the deck had rusted apart and can't be welded+patched or the engine had seized (actually, I've rebuilt seized lawnmower engines....strip of sandpaper on the crank journals and new bearing shells and its good to go....
Here's one I rebuilt earlier (B & S): http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k3...b/DSC00045.jpg
Nothing complex to them at all (note plastic oil pump plunger body - still good on this one), hardest part was getting the alloy blade mount off the steel crank shaft (aluminium+steel = galvanic corrosion).
Still got an Atco 17" cylinder mower, B&S engine: 40 odd years old, grass box long since disintergrated, but its still works, carb is fooked so it either runs very rich, or very lean. Whenever checking the oil level, the oil has a metallic pigment to it, only changed it once. It has no exhaust, the exhaust valve is burnt out (due to the bad mixture), so it backfires quite impressively. The clutch slips, the engine speed governor doesn't work, it won't idle, it vibrates your teeth out. But....
It always starts first time, and it still cuts. ...Ain't broke, don't fix
and on teh subject of fixing mower:
Got an electric mow? lack power? Cuts out? Smells of burning? Catches fire sometimes? ( )
This could be the problem (I pulled this out my uncle's skip): http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k3...r/DSC00210.jpg
Clean+strip motor, polish commutator, square off the brushes, oil bearings and put it back together.
Blades keep going blunt?
They need surface hardening....Sharpen, get a blow torch (preferably MAP gas), heat up (get it as hot as you can), then quench in a bucket of cold water. Then repeat two or three times. Won't go blunt as quick then
Last edited by Shark Man; 02 July 2008 at 09:04 AM.
#36
Scooby Regular
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Ascended to the next level
Posts: 7,498
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
You might find this useful in future... Candian redneck fixes 3 Tecumseh mowers. YouTube - how to fix a tecumseh lawnmower part 1 (also part 2 and part 3)
Just been looking at this guy's other vids....He's nuts!: YouTube - bad air day huge car jump
#37
Scooby Regular
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Logged Out
Posts: 10,221
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
#39
Scooby Regular
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: Where age and treachery reins over youthful exuberance
Posts: 5,275
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
After 40 years of mowing, I've tried everything. I now have a:
Honda.
Petrol.
Rotary with rollers.
Not the cheapest, but certainly the best.
Richard.
Honda.
Petrol.
Rotary with rollers.
Not the cheapest, but certainly the best.
Richard.
#40
Guest
Posts: n/a
Hayter are the best i think. That's what i use, very good with a B+S engine, goes through anything
Lawnmowers and Tractors from Hayter
British too
Lawnmowers and Tractors from Hayter
British too
#42
Scooby Regular
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Swindon, Wilts
Posts: 912
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
No other option... Toro... as used by most top golf courses, Wimbledon, Premiership football clubs, etc.
Toro Recycler - petrol rotary mulcher - fantastic piece of kit.
The important parts, as far as I'm concerned, are:
- Cast aluminium deck... no rusting, very durable (can be hosed down for ever - inside and out - without fear of turning into a lump of rust!)
- Petrol - Briggs & Stratton
- Rotary, with recycler/mulcher - so no need to empty grass bags
- Self powered
- Quick and easy height adjustment - with one control to raise lower entire deck... none of this fiddling with each wheel business.
The Toro that I have goes a bit further and also has:
- Variable speed based on it moving as fast as you walk - clever stuff...
- Electric key operated starter... no need for a pull-start, but it's got one just in case. Battery is often flat at the start of the season!
They're expensive - but the best...
Toro
Toro Recycler - petrol rotary mulcher - fantastic piece of kit.
The important parts, as far as I'm concerned, are:
- Cast aluminium deck... no rusting, very durable (can be hosed down for ever - inside and out - without fear of turning into a lump of rust!)
- Petrol - Briggs & Stratton
- Rotary, with recycler/mulcher - so no need to empty grass bags
- Self powered
- Quick and easy height adjustment - with one control to raise lower entire deck... none of this fiddling with each wheel business.
The Toro that I have goes a bit further and also has:
- Variable speed based on it moving as fast as you walk - clever stuff...
- Electric key operated starter... no need for a pull-start, but it's got one just in case. Battery is often flat at the start of the season!
They're expensive - but the best...
Toro
Last edited by Dr.No; 03 July 2008 at 10:03 AM.
#45
Scooby Regular
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Swindon, Wilts
Posts: 912
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
#48
mulchers just chop the grass up really fine and leave it in the grass so in theory it rots easily and puts all the nutrients back into the grass. Fine in theory but if you don't mow for a week and it gets too long they leave grass everywhere. Personally a Hayter or Honda self propelled with roller is what you want but neither are cheap
#50
Scooby Regular
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Swindon, Wilts
Posts: 912
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
mulchers just chop the grass up really fine and leave it in the grass so in theory it rots easily and puts all the nutrients back into the grass. Fine in theory but if you don't mow for a week and it gets too long they leave grass everywhere. Personally a Hayter or Honda self propelled with roller is what you want but neither are cheap
The Toro's are generally accepted as being the best mulching mower you can get - at reasonable cost - and mine simply makes the cuttings disappear, as if by magic.
I certainly don't cut every week, and quite often leave it for quite a while until quite long... and on the odd occasion, yes, you do get a little visible cutting - but nothing significant. After all, it's not easy to lose 3" of cuttings in 1" of grass...
During the season, if you cut every week or two and literally just take the normal amount off - even cutting very short - the cuttings just seem to disappear... you get the 'collected' look without having to dispose of the cuttings.
More than happy to take some before and after photos if anyone's really interested....
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post