(NGC) - Joys of working on one's lawn mower.

[Gliderjohn]

Have a X300 John Deere lawn tractor. It has the dual blade cutting deck. Anyway, my belt broke. Nearest dealership is 35 miles away so they shipped me one. Put it on to find out it is a bit to long. Called them up a bit ago as they are open till noon.
After talking with their lawn equipment guy it turns out there are several different belt sizes possible depending upon when it was manufactured. He had me give him the mower's product # and sure enough I was given the wrong belt. The good news is they have the correct one in stock and the lawn equipment guy was going to be driving within ten miles of my house after work and has offered to drop it off at my house. Now that is service!
GliderJohn

[oldbike54]

 Ya gotta love Kansas 

 Dusty

[yogidozer]

shoulda got an extra one

[Lannis]

Have a X300 John Deere lawn tractor. It has the dual blade cutting deck. Anyway, my belt broke. Nearest dealership is 35 miles away so they shipped me one. Put it on to find out it is a bit to long. Called them up a bit ago as they are open till noon.
After talking with their lawn equipment guy it turns out there are several different belt sizes possible depending upon when it was manufactured. He had me give him the mower's product # and sure enough I was given the wrong belt. The good news is they have the correct one in stock and the lawn equipment guy was going to be driving within ten miles of my house after work and has offered to drop it off at my house. Now that is service!
GliderJohn

We cut a lot of grass, so I spend quite a bit of time working on my Husqvarna z6123, 23 HP Kawasaki OHV V-twin, 61" three blade deck.   

I've replaced two blade hubs, welded a wheel onto the taper when poor factory assembly caused the Woodruff key to hog out the taper on the axle, rebuilt a cylinder head when the engine overheated from a mouse nest I didn't find till too late, rebuilt the carb when the float needle failed and filled up the crankcase with gasoline, replaced the blade clutch once, replaced the battery charging rectifier, and replaced the blade and the drive belt one time each.

The place looks nice when it's cut, though.

Lannis

[Gliderjohn]

Off lawn I use a tractor and bush hog.
GliderJohn

[Lannis]

Off lawn I use a tractor and bush hog.
GliderJohn

I do too.   We cut about 6 acres with the lawnmower, about 10 with the bush-hog.

Both tractors are down at the moment with flat tires - one has a wheel rusted so bad that the tube won't hold air.

Always something.

Lannis

[John Croucher]

I bought a self propelled Lawn Boy yesterday.  The P.O. wanted $150 for it.  Then said come and get it for $50 because it will not start.  Up on the bike lift I found, 1 air filter that looked like it had been soaked in mud and dried out and a mouse had set up home, fuel that was a couple of years old.  A blade that had never been sharpened.  A spark plug that was fouled, and oil that had never been changed.  New oil, cleaned tank, cleaned carb, new filter and plug and sharpened the blade.   Started first pull.  It didn't idle well so I stopped the motor and sprayed lube on the speed control pivots.  Feeling confident about my work, I pulled the starter rope again and it broke.  Hot and feeling bittersweet about the mower, I pushed it to the corner for anther day. 

[Lannis]

I bought a self propelled Lawn Boy yesterday.  The P.O. wanted $150 for it.  Then said come and get it for $50 because it will not start.  Up on the bike lift I found, 1 air filter that looked like it had been soaked in mud and dried out and a mouse had set up home, fuel that was a couple of years old.  A blade that had never been sharpened.  A spark plug that was fouled, and oil that had never been changed.  New oil, cleaned tank, cleaned carb, new filter and plug and sharpened the blade.   Started first pull.  It didn't idle well so I stopped the motor and sprayed lube on the speed control pivots.  Feeling confident about my work, I pulled the starter rope again and it broke.  Hot and feeling bittersweet about the mower, I pushed it to the corner for anther day.

Recoil starter rope replacement should be simple on that one.   I took my Echo recoil housing with a broken rope to the shop to buy a new rope, and they replaced it for me as I stood there .....

Lannis

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

...and oil that had never been changed. 

Not a "real" Lawn-Boy then, just a cheapy with the name stuck on. If it ain't 2-stroke, it ain't Lawn-Boy. 

[Gliderjohn]

From Antietam Classic Cycle:

Not a "real" Lawn-Boy then, just a cheapy with the name stuck on. If it ain't 2-stroke, it ain't Lawn-Boy.

Owned a few lawn Boys and that was my first thought.
GliderJohn

[Chuck in Indiana]

Not to start a political argument.. but we used to have anti trust laws. Now, the accepted business practice is buy out the competition, and have a monopoly. About all lawnmowers are owned by the same company the last time I looked.
No, it's not a real lawn boy.

[Gliderjohn]

BTW...new belt was just the ticket and I once again have a lean, mean, grass munching machine. Now if it would just rain enough to grow some grass.
GliderJohn

[John A]

Grandpa had a few Lawnboys, I remember a plate on them that said they were 1953. Sure ran good and were light with that magnesium deck. A friend of mine brought a bare Lawn boy deck to a bonfire . Made a spectacular burn.

[leroysch]

Have a X300 John Deere lawn tractor. It has the dual blade cutting deck. Anyway, my belt broke. Nearest dealership is 35 miles away so they shipped me one. Put it on to find out it is a bit to long. Called them up a bit ago as they are open till noon.
After talking with their lawn equipment guy it turns out there are several different belt sizes possible depending upon when it was manufactured. He had me give him the mower's product # and sure enough I was given the wrong belt. The good news is they have the correct one in stock and the lawn equipment guy was going to be driving within ten miles of my house after work and has offered to drop it off at my house. Now that is service!
GliderJohn

Gotta love JD and the fact that their dealers keep a decent inventory of parts, the online fiche's, and quick delivery of parts when needed. A few weeks ago, decided to investigate why it was getting difficult to raise/lower the belly mower on a 2305 compact tractor. Turns out the springs that support the seat had disintegrated causing the seat to ride low enough to interfere with the control lever's movement. Took 'em to the local dealer, and as I approached the parts counter and before I could say a word the counter guy says.."Looks like you need new springs"..opened up a drawer and pulled out exactly what I needed.

Wish I could find stuff in my shop that quick!

[Lannis]

Not to start a political argument.. but we used to have anti trust laws. Now, the accepted business practice is buy out the competition, and have a monopoly. About all lawnmowers are owned by the same company the last time I looked.

Have a look at this site and see what you think:

https://todaysmower.com/riding-mower-brands/

The info here squares up with what my local dealers have told me.   There seems to still be a lot of independent companies making mowers, although as you say, some have combined ....

Lannis

[Chuck in Indiana]

Grandpa had a few Lawnboys, I remember a plate on them that said they were 1953. Sure ran good and were light with that magnesium deck. A friend of mine brought a bare Lawn boy deck to a bonfire . Made a spectacular burn.

I still have the magnesium frame Lawnboy my dad bought new. I was just a kid and thought he was crazy to spend that much for a lawn mower.. but he wasn't the least bit mechanical and wanted to buy one that lasted. It did.

[John Croucher]

Not a "real" Lawn-Boy then, just a cheapy with the name stuck on. If it ain't 2-stroke, it ain't Lawn-Boy. 

Has a Briggs and Stratton engine.  Has a Lawn-Boy mfg sticker and it is green.  Could not find a MTD name or other mfg. Does appear to be a MTD product which makes John Deer and Cub Cadet, MTD along with many other mowers.

Prior to buying used, I had found new mowers with B&S engines that promoted that the engine oil never needed to be changed.  Found this to be an unusual selling point.

Give me a Wheel Horse for quality in build and durability. 

 

[wymple]

Around here the guys who mow professionally pretty much all use John Deere stuff. Since it costs more, I'm game to assume there's a good reason for that. One of them mowing the park & school grounds in town said he started years ago with Kubota, and was never happy. I was a bit surprised.

[Two Checks]

Pretty much all the lower end stuff is made by Yard Machines and that includes most of the name brands including Husqvarna and JD.
A friend owns a shop and once they start needing repairs its not long before they arent worth fixing.

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

I still have the magnesium frame Lawnboy my dad bought new. I was just a kid and thought he was crazy to spend that much for a lawn mower.. but he wasn't the least bit mechanical and wanted to buy one that lasted. It did.

I have one that my great-uncle bought new in '63, plus another in "kit" form from the same era up in the attic of the shop. Plus, there's my '59 Snow-Boy (Lawn-Boy snowthrower) which I use every Winter and the Lawn-Boy edger of the same year.

[Lannis]

Pretty much all the lower end stuff is made by Yard Machines and that includes most of the name brands including Husqvarna and JD.
A friend owns a shop and once they start needing repairs its not long before they arent worth fixing.

It's good having friends - I have one down in South Carolina who lives near the Husqvarna plant there, and they just expanded last year ...

Husqvarna to make $29 million investment in Orangeburg County facility
By Palmetto Business Daily Reports | May 6, 2016
Addition to Husqvarna's Orangeburg County facility to be completed by end of the year.
 
Officials from Husqvarna Consumer Outdoor Products recently announced that the company plans to expands it facility in Orangeburg County, South Carolina.

This $29 million investment will see a main distribution center added to the outdoor power products manufacturing facility. The addition will be housed in a 513,000-square-foot building at the plant's 172 Old Elloree Rd. location in Orangeburg. It will be used as a warehouse and also for staging and storage. The expected completion date is December of this year.

“We are very excited about the addition of the distribution center to our Orangeburg operations and the operational efficiencies which will be realized on the integration of this new warehouse facility with the current manufacturing operations," Husqvarna Consumer Outdoor Products President Jeff Hohler said.

The South Carolina plant is part of Husqvarna North America, a corporation that employs more than 14,000 employees in 43 nations. Husqvarna is based in Stockholm, Sweden; its largest facilities are in Germany, China, Japan and South Carolina.

“Husqvarna is a leader in the manufacture of lawn and garden equipment, and they have been an important part of the state’s business community for decades," Orangeburg County Development Commission executive director Gregg Robonson said. "This expansion provides another indication that South Carolina’s global logistics triangle (I-26, U.S. 301 and I-95), business-friendly climate and skilled workforce are continuing to attract investment and help our existing businesses grow. Global logistics are critical in business and this location is ideal.”

This doesn't sound like "Yard Machines" .....

Lannis

[Two Checks]

The walmart Husqvarnas are not Husqvarnas. Just as  low end Deeres arent either.
Now they could be bringing that back in house.
It is my understanding their walk behind mowers are built in GA.
And dont look up Husqvarna mower reviews.
Companies like Toro and Sears contract the manufacture of equipment. Some Craftsman stuff is MTD some is Husqvarna. It changes frequently. My son has a Husqvarna lawn tractor. I call it his Harley as parts are always breaking or falling off.
He also has a Toro ztr. Its a MTD.

[Lannis]

The walmart Husqvarnas are not Husqvarnas. Just as  low end Deeres arent either.
Now they could be bringing that back in house.
It is my understanding their walk behind mowers are built in GA.
And dont look up Husqvarna mower reviews.

Probably like many manufacturers .... they'll let some really cheap company use their name on the low-end big box store stuff (maybe Husqvarna, for sure Cub Cadet and Deere), and build nice stuff for the professional end.

It's "our" fault (taking all their customers as a collective).   Just like people in our town threw every one of their neighbor-owned stores under the bus when the ***-**** came to town (I understand that criticism of ***-**** upsets some people, so insert a big-box here), if people see that a lawnmower made by MTD in China costs less than an American brand, they'll buy it, complain about it, throw it away, and buy another one just like it.

So the "good" names let someone build cheap crap, paint it in their colors, and sell it for cheap.   I think it just sullies their name.   You used to be able to trust that a Troy-Built or a Poulan or a John Deere was good stuff, but now you have to make sure it isn't the cheap imitation.

Anyhoo, my $7000 Husqvarna was US made, and is pretty heavy duty even if they did screw up the assembly a bit.    My next one will probably be a US made Cub Cadet pro model, but that's because my local dealer has been taking such good care of me ...

Lannis

[Two Checks]

Dont look now but guess who owns Cub Cadet?


MTD.

[Lannis]

Dont look now but guess who owns Cub Cadet?


MTD.

Well, to be honest, I'm not so concerned about what holding company or consortium "owns" a particular company.   With the interlocking trusts and combines that "own" things in the world, you can hardly know who is the "owner" any more.

The Cub Cadet professional mowers I'm looking at are extremely heavy-duty pieces of equipment, made in the USA at a factory I could visit if I wanted to, with demonstrated lifetimes in the thousands of hours by many full-time users, and with a very good local dealer with service and warranty backup.

If the parent corporation's ownership can be traced to being owned by some Indian financial institution or whatever, that doesn't appear to have an effect on the mower I'm actually looking at buying, EVEN if that same institution also owns a company that makes cheap tin mowers overseas to sell for $995.99 in a CheapCo.

For this one, it really comes down to "I like and trust the dealer, and he has demonstrated years of good, timely, effective service to me."

Lannis

[Rough Edge racing]

 Geez, I hate lawn movers, I hate mowing..........My wife uses this thing to mow ....Old manual trans Diesel Kubota with a Woods finishing mower. The smooth 16 hp diesel  clattering away at a relaxing 2000 rpm  uses 1/2 the fuel of the screaming gas engines...We also have several old gas powered  trim machines..

   

[Muzz]

I found that when I worked in the retail side of an engineering firm that the MTD mowers were real sneaky with their belts. Because in it's travels the belt runs on it's back over the tensioner the belt has to be a kevlar one in order to last. There can be quite large gaps in kevlar belt sizes so they made it so that only MTD carried the correct sized belts. Used to sell heaps of the standard type belt as a stop-gap measure while they got an MTD sourced kevlar one at 3 times the price of what I could sell the neared sized kevlar one for.

Of course, it didn't take long in an isolated farming community to work out that with a little bit of jiggery pokery with the tensioner that the belt track could be shortened enough to a size that I could supply at a third of the price. That has to be Guzzi content!

[Dharma Bum]

I just replaced my 17 year old $300 Home Depot mower with a new $300 Home Depot mower. $17.65 a year to own.  No complaints, this one is likely to outlive me!

[calfruit]

Has anyone seen or used one of these, please report if yes.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-38-in-Battery-Electric-Rear-Engine-Riding-Lawn-Mower-RY48110/300246266