Lawn & Equipment Thread

Outlaw

TCG Elite Member
TCG Premium
Jul 24, 2009
19,609
16,068
Johnsburg
Still have the 420 as well. It lives at the GF’s farm in Harvard where there’s about 1.5 acres of flat lawn to mow. Also tows the shit spreader sometimes, but I usually use a wheeler.

60935F33-5C15-48F5-93CF-5FF1AEFC334C.jpeg


336890CD-F03F-4D5C-A2FE-5BA8AB8C8DBC.jpeg


FD72279F-1657-478F-921B-B07654FFC422.jpeg
 

Outlaw

TCG Elite Member
TCG Premium
Jul 24, 2009
19,609
16,068
Johnsburg
And this is what I use to cut my grass at my house 90% of the time because I’m weird and don’t like using the Simplicity since it’s too nice. I use this mower for thatch collection after we do a power raking service on a lawn but I just bring it home to cut my grass.

I bought and went through this machine this spring knowing I would hold onto it. New blades, belts, PTO switch, fresh oil and oil/fuel/air filter, carb clean, etc etc.

C1342A6B-ED46-4516-88CF-BA8CA9A0F79C.jpeg
 

FESTER665

TCG Elite Member
TCG Premium
Apr 13, 2008
39,950
66,068
Streamwood
And this is what I use to cut my grass at my house 90% of the time because I’m weird and don’t like using the Simplicity since it’s too nice. I use this mower for thatch collection after we do a power raking service on a lawn but I just bring it home to cut my grass.

I bought and went through this machine this spring knowing I would hold onto it. New blades, belts, PTO switch, fresh oil and oil/fuel/air filter, carb clean, etc etc.

View attachment 57454

I keep thinking about looking into something like this instead of my John Deere LX266 riding mower....

What do these usually run if theyre around 36" wide?
 

Outlaw

TCG Elite Member
TCG Premium
Jul 24, 2009
19,609
16,068
Johnsburg
36's go for big money because guys often run them for a long time. Most landscapers keep one on every trailer to get through gates and such, but they often see little use so they just hold on to them. A nice belt drive 36" goes for anywhere between 9-1,300 bucks. A nice hydro anywhere from 1200-2000.
 

Outlaw

TCG Elite Member
TCG Premium
Jul 24, 2009
19,609
16,068
Johnsburg
Picked this up today... I thought I overpaid at $325, but after posting pictures of it on a Lawn Boy Facebook group I was informed they sell from anywhere between $600-$1,000 in this condition. New in the early 2000’s this unit cost around $800

2001-2003 Lawn Boy 22261 Commercial 21” walk-behind Mower. 6.5 Horsepower 2-stroke.

99490A75-8CCA-4879-8848-EDC93DDCC569.jpeg


DC66AC36-71AB-48FC-A095-E3A4C3972393.jpeg


C5E27521-70BB-402E-A2A8-C3B566372E19.jpeg


86720AFD-A296-4704-969D-A420A9583E8D.jpeg
 

Outlaw

TCG Elite Member
TCG Premium
Jul 24, 2009
19,609
16,068
Johnsburg
That’s a great everyday saw. You’ll love it. Do yourself a favor and buy STIHL Moto-Mix pre mixed fuel OR something like the VP 94 Octane 50:1 blend (I run the VP)

Ethanol free, much longer shelf life, no guess work... I swear by it in everything.

I have two STIHL saws, an MS250 I bought new four years ago and an older 046 I bought this spring. A late 80’s Husqvarna 50 that my dad bought new and was handed down to me as well.

I’ll have to take a picture of my saw collection, nothing spectacular but I’ve got some cool 50’s/60’s saws that run/operate on display in my basement.

I need to take pics of everything I have power equipment wise. It’s borderline nerd status.

2EF3FC39-48FF-46D8-8ABA-50DE40099E10.jpeg


9103EE77-2D52-415E-B707-E495433BB7E9.jpeg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jon01 and Broke EF

Outlaw

TCG Elite Member
TCG Premium
Jul 24, 2009
19,609
16,068
Johnsburg
I just picked up a STIHL FS 111 RX string trimmer last week. Ironically I haven’t owned a string trimmer of my own EVER. I had a few garbage pick ones that barely worked and I finally said fuck it. This thing is a BEAST, I typically buy the commercial lines of equipment just because it’s built to last moreso than homeowner grade stuff IMO.

32cc, 1.4 BHP. Thing is a beast. You can buy the sawblade or brush cutter head for it as well and it simply threads on.

E0E8530E-9A4B-4B8A-A0E8-0A1DEBD29952.jpeg
 

Broke EF

TCG Elite Member
Dec 8, 2017
1,724
4,345
The sticks
That’s a great everyday saw. You’ll love it. Do yourself a favor and buy STIHL Moto-Mix pre mixed fuel OR something like the VP 94 Octane 50:1 blend (I run the VP)

Ethanol free, much longer shelf life, no guess work... I swear by it in everything.

I have two STIHL saws, an MS250 I bought new four years ago and an older 046 I bought this spring. A late 80’s Husqvarna 50 that my dad bought new and was handed down to me as well.

I’ll have to take a picture of my saw collection, nothing spectacular but I’ve got some cool 50’s/60’s saws that run/operate on display in my basement.

I need to take pics of everything I have power equipment wise. It’s borderline nerd status.

View attachment 59790

View attachment 59791
I almost bought that pre-mix fuel, but didn't. I got the Stihl oil though because if you buy it at the same time it doubles the warranty. So since I bought the trimmer, blower, and chain saw I have a fuck ton of the oil now. Hopefully it all last me quite a while. So far I am very happy with it all. I ended up with the FS 56RC trimmer, which is the highest end homeowner unit. It was a big price jump to get into a bigger commercial unit. The next one up is the low end commercial and they said is pretty much identical but with an orange housing. So to have any real difference I would need to go 2 or 3 models up and they are $150-200 more. I decided to spend the extra money on a beefier blower instead.

20200521_112639-X3.jpg
 

Outlaw

TCG Elite Member
TCG Premium
Jul 24, 2009
19,609
16,068
Johnsburg
Broke EF Broke EF for residential use you'll be more than happy with that trimmer. There's a huge price jump going from the res units to commercial, and like the guy said there aren't many differences on the lower end commercials minus some more durable components like guards and handles. I have an account at a retailer so I got almost $90 off of mine. They retail for $369 I was under $300 OTD. I wanted something I could use to clear brush mainly, as a "use around the house" trimmer it's way overkill.

When I bought my chainsaw I bought the 6-pack of the silver bottle oil as well and it didn't cause me any issues. I switched to the premix because I wanted consistency and easy to acquire ethanol-free fuel. I live about 10 miles from a station in Wisconsin that has ethanol-free 91 octane, but I never have it when I need it, plus keeping track of the 50:1 for my small shit, 32:1 for my lawn boys, etc etc was getting old lol.

I've read a few studies that point to the oil not blending with the ethanol in fuel like it does with pure gas. When I buy stuff like this it tends to stick around so I try and give it the best chance of a long successful life.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Broke EF

Chester Copperpot

Unvaxxed Untermensch
TCG Premium
May 7, 2010
39,409
40,177
Blanco el Norte
I've had that MS170 and the same trimmer for the past couple years. Also bought the premix and the oil and they both start up first/second pull every year after winter. If you can find non-eth gas, using the oil and it is fine but if you can't, just buy the premix. As Frank said, zero guesswork and you know you won't gum up the carbs.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Outlaw

Outlaw

TCG Elite Member
TCG Premium
Jul 24, 2009
19,609
16,068
Johnsburg
For the first few years I just used ethanol based 93 because it's what I had easily on hand. It worked fine, never had any major issues starting anything, but I'd run the fuel out of everything at the end of the season. Now that the fuel's cheaper in Wisco I drive to the Genoa City station to fill my vehicles, so I take two of my VP cans and fill them when I'm there. The premix is so nice though. I have noticed a difference in starting and dare I say my Kawasaki handheld blower feels more powerful with it.
 

Broke EF

TCG Elite Member
Dec 8, 2017
1,724
4,345
The sticks
I was able to use pretty much all my gear this weekend. I couldn't be any happier with it all. I really should have gotten a before shot of this area, but this was all 4-5 feet tall weeds and grass that has been over grown since we moved in. I powered through it with my trimmer with no issues at all, then chopped it all up with the mower. Still kind of looks like shit, but WAY better than it was.

i-Q4nvxKQ-X4.jpg


Then we used the chainsaw to chop down some branches, and one small tree that had fallen before we moved in. No pics of that, but man it just ripped right though with 0 issue. The tree was probably 5-6" thick which I know would have killed the electric one I used to borrow from my father in law. I was grinning ear to ear after it just went though it like butter :D

My mower was in the shop a couple weeks ago, and my grass got super long so I borrowed my neighbors bad ass Deere zero turn to cut my grass.

20200530_084205-X4.jpg


This was when my yard still had the really bad "wetland" area through it. I avoided that pretty good, but I was mowing down in the culvert on the other side and it slid into some mud and I felt bad about getting his mower dirty. Well I guess I shouldn't have worried too much, because this was him running it Saturday

i-47MKttQ-X3.jpg


Guy was legit chopping down trees with it! He cut a bunch of trails back through here for the ATV's. I had to pull him out of some mud once, and he actually stalled the blades once. I'm not so sure I would do it with my mower, but I appreciate that he did :)
 

Broke EF

TCG Elite Member
Dec 8, 2017
1,724
4,345
The sticks
Well guys, I think I may be in the market for a new mower sooner than later. I got mine back from the dealer a couple weeks ago, and its the same if not worse than it was. They never called me to talk about what they did, but when I picked it up they said they couldn't replicate my problem. They noticed that the belt that drives the pump was a little loose so they drilled a hole to reposition the tensioner. Not the repair I would have done on a 1 year old mower, but whatever I guess. It seemed exactly the same right away. When I mowed the other day I was getting pissed, I could not get a straight line no matter what. I asked my neighbor to come give it a shot and see what he thought. Maybe its just me and I was expecting too much. He did one pass and was like yeah, its definitely fucked up. He tried a bit more, put it on a hill etc. He wasn't exactly sure what the issue was but he says it doesn't control right.

So now I am trying to decide if I fight with the dealer about it more, or just cut my losses and trade it in on something better. The dealer has jacked up hours because of COVID, so I need to miss work to get it there and pick it up. They want $160 to come get it from me since I am so far. I think after spending so much money with them that they should grab it for free, but I doubt they will. I did find the manual from the OEM of the drive, so I could go though it myself and probably at least make it better. I think it has air in it, or is just low on fluid. I checked the mower manual and it says they are sealed/non-serviceable units, but the OEM shows how to check them and bleed them.

At this point I think even if I get it fixed up I want to trade it in on something beefier next year anyway. I have a decent amount of yard, and I really don't want to have to fuck with my mower all the time. If I get into a lower end commercial unit I should be all set for years besides normal maintenance. Whats TCG think?!
 

Broke EF

TCG Elite Member
Dec 8, 2017
1,724
4,345
The sticks
I reached out to the local Hustler deal to see what they can do. They are only a minute or two from my house, and have normal hours which is nice. I was under the impression that it only had a 1 year warranty, but it turns out its 3 years unlimited hours. So I will see if they can get it fixed up for me. As much as I would like a new mower, I would rather spend the money on a second ATV. But we will see how it all shakes out. I need to use the mower a lot more than I would use a second ATV. Plus my neighbors have ATV's I can borrow whenever I want. So if it comes down to it I will get a new mower over the ATV, but if this one can be fixed up I'll try to hold onto it. If I get it in this local dealer and it comes back the same, I may not make it though this season without trading it in on a Deere :)

Speaking of which, my neighbor took the opportunity this weekend to again show me how superior his was compared to mine. He has been clearing out the property across the street, and used his mower to drag a downed tree from one side to the other to be cut up. It is probably a 10-12" diameter so not massive but not tiny. I hooked onto it with my mower and it didn't budge. He hooked onto it, never even took it off idle and drove away like it wasn't even attached.

So now I have determined that I need to get a 930 so that I have more HP than him when I get mine :) I can get more power in a 915 or a 920, but only with the bigger decks. I can only do a 54" deck unless I want to redo my gates on my fence (something I may do anyway). But I also don't really want a bigger deck anyway just because I already have to trim a good amount where I cant get in with the mower. That's enough drama about me and my mower, Ill leave you guys with a pic

i-9jQzgnv-X4.jpg
 

Tight Lines

TCG Elite Member
TCG Premium
Jan 18, 2014
2,147
1,316
Missouri
Found out my Grandpa in law is downsizing his house so I am inheriting this bad boy. Will have to tow it home from connecticut later this summer.

View attachment 61561
Damn, that thing looks like it is in great shape. If you don’t want it, I will gladly take it......?
Love mine, wish it looked half this good.
 
Old Thread: Hello . There have been no replies in this thread for 90 days.
Content in this thread may no longer be relevant. Consider starting a new thread to get fresh replies.

Thread Info