Randomly Open Discussion

UR20Z said:
Thee days, even racing gas(110) might have ethanol added.

You can always "wash" your gas to get rid of the ethanol - Eth is (quite easily) water soluble. Get a suitable container, fill to about 2/3 volume with gas, top up with clean water, (some recommend distilled water, but it's not really required) cap and shake well, let settle, decant the water layer that will settle out, repeat until you're happy. You end up with "clean" gas with little or no ethanol left in it. Depending on the blend, might take 3-4 washes to get it to the point you prefer, but other than that detail, easy-peasy...
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Yes easier if using highest grade (octane) to starting with too🥰
 
Alright, next time the guy comes to cut my grass, I'll grab a robe and run out and ask him what kind of engine he has.
 
Kristy said:
Alright, next time the guy comes to cut my grass, I'll grab a robe and run out and ask him what kind of engine he has.
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He needs a robe to cut your grass? I understand Booties, I think....but a Robe?
You should speak sternly to your HOA...
 
ADreamOfLiberty said:
Electric is the way to go. I hate having a dozen tiny combustion engines whose carburetors clog every winter.
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For smaller tools like weed eaters, edgers, pole saws, etc. in residential applications, absolutely! But anything push mower and larger absolutely not. The main issue with electric is battery degradation over time though. That's the biggest tradeoff. While, with gas and diesel they'll keep running and running and running with regular maintenance. About the longest you're going to get out of a battery is 5 years, maybe 6 years, with regular use, before you have to replace it. And unfortunately the batteries are easily 60% - 80% the cost of a new tool for tools that's now several years old. That's *if* you can even find the same battery, as manufacturers have a habit of changing them every few years. So most people just toss the tool and buy a new one which adds up over time and is simply wasteful.

So it really comes down to, do you want something that you'll need to replace over and over again every 4-6 years, or something that will easily last over a decade that you had to fuss with every now and again to keep running. I'd much go with the latter.
 
FloofyNewfie said:
For smaller tools like weed eaters, edgers, pole saws, etc. In residential applications, absolutely! But anything push mower and larger absolutely not. The main issue with electric is battery degradation over time though. That's the biggest tradeoff. While, with gas and diesel they'll keep running and running and running with regular maintenance. About the longest you're going to get out of a battery is 5 years, maybe 6 years, with regular use, before you have to replace it. And unfortunately the batteries are easily 60% - 80% the cost of a new tool for a tools that's now several years old. That's *if* you can even find the same battery, as manufacturers have a habit of changing them every few years. So most people just toss the tool and buy a new one which adds up over time and is simply wasteful.
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Well I used to have a corded lawnmawer (you may laugh, but I got good at setting it up so the cord was never in my way), 15 years and the motor never died, still got rid of it since everything else rusted or broke.

You're probably right about no battery surviving 5 years of constant use.

Full disclosure: I never mow more than I have to. If it isn't forest it's a "garden" and only mow what might cause a county/Karen attack.

FloofyNewfie said:
So it really comes down to, do you want something that you'll need to replace over and over again every 4-6 years, or something that will easily last over a decade that you had to fuss with every now and again to keep running. I'd much go with the latter.
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Well there are combustion engines that are much easier to take care of. I'd assume ride on mowers would be of that type. I've met people who can't believe I own an excavator but have never had a ride on lawn-mower (or tractor of any kind).

Huge fan of diesel -> hydraulic systems.
 
ADreamOfLiberty said:
Well I used to have a corded lawnmawer
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Ah, well, I didn't take corded into consideration in that post. Lol. I don't have much experience with them because my property is fairly large and I wouldn't want to lug around an extension cord (or cords) that distance. But I've heard decent reviews out of the corded equipment when it comes to longevity. About the only three things I will run an extension cord for is my corded impact driver, pressure washer, and my angle grinder.

ADreamOfLiberty said:
Well there are combustion engines that are much easier to take care of. I'd assume ride on mowers would be of that type. I've met people who can't believe I own an excavator but have never had a ride on lawn-mower (or tractor of any kind).
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Huh, that definitely is odd! When it comes to riding lawnmowers, really it comes down to need. My property is large enough that I'd much rather use a riding lawnmower over a push mower any day. They're also pretty fun to use as well. Instead of pushing around a push mower, which is work, with a riding lawnmower it's basically like taking a leisurely cruise around your property. But they can be a pain to service at times because there's a LOT of moving parts with a rider.
 
FloofyNewfie said:
Ah, well, I didn't take corded in consideration in that post. Lol. I don't have much experience with them because my property is fairly large and I wouldn't want to lug around an extension cord (or cords) that distance. But I've heard decent reviews out of the corded equipment when it comes to longevity. About the only two things I will run an extension cord for is my corded impact driver and my angle grinder.


Huh, that definitely is odd! When it comes to riding lawnmowers, really it comes down to need. My property is large enough that I'd much rather use a riding lawnmower over a push mower any day. They're also pretty fun to use as well. Instead of pushing around a push mower, which is work, with a riding lawnmower it's basically like taking a leisurely cruise around your property. But they can be a pain to service at times because there's a LOT of moving parts with a rider.
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Neighbor has one of those battery powered ztr mowers. He can do about a third of his lawn before he has to push it back to the garage and plug it in for a recharge.
 
UR20Z said:
Neighbor has one of those battery powered ztr mowers. He can do about a third of his lawn before he has to push it back to the garage and plug it in for a recharge.
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Yeah, I've heard that happening a lot actually. Mostly from YouTubers that have bought them and used them of extensive periods of time. Even worse if it's still using lead acid battery technology. Pretty much 70% of them end up regretting buying them it seems.
 
FloofyNewfie said:
Yeah, I've heard that happening a lot actually. Mostly from YouTubers that have bought them and used them of extensive periods of time. Even worse if it's still using lead acid battery technology. Pretty much 70% of them end up regretting buying them it seems.
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Dunno what type battery it uses, but it sure ain't got the "oomph" needed for the lawn he's trying to mow with it. Nice that it's pretty quiet - quiet enough to sneak up on you, actually - but having to spend three days mowing the lawn 'cause you can only do about a third of it before the battery wants 12 hours or so on the charger isn't exactly my idea of a good time...
 
UR20Z said:
Dunno what type battery it uses, but it sure ain't got the "oomph" needed for the lawn he's trying to mow with it. Nice that it's pretty quiet - quiet enough to sneak up on you, actually - but having to spend three days mowing the lawn 'cause you can only do about a third of it before the battery wants 12 hours or so on the charger isn't exactly my idea of a good time...
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Most electric mowers will have a rated acreage range, but in actual applications it's usually 2/3 what they rate them, as they rate them in 100% ideal conditions from 100% battery life to 0% battery life. So if he's working with 6 acres, and the mower is only rated for 3 acres, then you're going to get is 2 acres before it needs to be charged again despite being rated for 3.

I'd imagine your neighbor likely leaped without looking when he pulled the trigger on getting one. He's also likely to be cussing up a storm in a handful of years when he learns how much it'll cost to replace the 6-12 batteries it takes to run one of them.
 
FloofyNewfie said:
Yeah, I've heard that happening a lot actually. Mostly from YouTubers that have bought them and used them of extensive periods of time. Even worse if it's still using lead acid battery technology. Pretty much 70% of them end up regretting buying them it seems.
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You Tubers? Aint he the model for Mr Potatohead?
 
FloofyNewfie said:
Hmm... I'm not too sure about the point of this thread, but...


When it comes to residential lawn tractors, do you prefer Kohler, Briggs and Stratton, or do you believe that the Chinese knockoff motors are fine enough for most residential applications?
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They're pretty much all made in China now-a-days anyways, but I prefer to have a solid brand name behind my products if I can. It makes finding maintenance and repair parts way easier down the road. At the very least, a popular model will ensure there is at least a support network in take-off parts from other units... Still, though, having a better brand name behind the machine product is almost always going to guarantee better parts support and better longevity of your unit.
 
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