The Lawnmower Thread

[Dexman PE PMP]

My mower is several years old and I have stored it every year with gas still in the tank. It still starts after the 2nd or 3rd pull everytime. Only issue I'm developing with it was the fact that it was stored outside so the rubber primer bulb is starting to degrade a bit. I probably won't do anything about it until it fails, in which case I'll probably replace the entire fuel system.

It's a Craftsman push mower with the oversized rear wheels. I currently have it setup to just mulch while it mows (metal plate blocking the side chute). I will still rake-up the majority of the leaves before mowing in the fall, but I won't be too picky about leaving a few behind because the mower cleans them up nicely.

 

[pbrme]

Well, I have a 7 year old (cheap) yard machine.

I have never sharpened the blade and never even checked the oil.

It still runs but I can tell it's on it's last legs. I so want to get something better. Side discharge just isn't doing it for me anymore.

Same here. I ditched the side bag and purchased a discharge dam from an online store, and mulch now. Bag never stayed on that well in the first place, It would always fall of turning corners or hitting bumpy parts. It started acting up last year, would run for 15 min. (get warm) and start to choke out. I took the carb. off and cleaned with carb cleaner and ran guitar strings in all the ports. Shot compressed air through and replaced the gasket and air filter. Still chokes out. Seems like it's pulling a vacuum on the gas tank. So now every time it starts to spit/sputter I just reach down and crack the fill cap. Tried a new cap, but will probably just drill a small hole to add more vent.

 

[MA_PE]

MA, I wonder how many mowers had to be replaced and will be replaced solely because of the crappy new ethanol fuel.

I run the mower until it runs out of gas for the last mow of the season, just to get rid of all the junky fuel.

Same here. I also add fuel stabilizer to my "small motor gas can" that I store my lawnmower/leafblower/snowblower gas in.

Well, I have a 7 year old (cheap) yard machine.

I have never sharpened the blade and never even checked the oil.

It still runs but I can tell it's on it's last legs. I so want to get something better. Side discharge just isn't doing it for me anymore.

Same here. I ditched the side bag and purchased a discharge dam from an online store, and mulch now. Bag never stayed on that well in the first place, It would always fall of turning corners or hitting bumpy parts. It started acting up last year, would run for 15 min. (get warm) and start to choke out. I took the carb. off and cleaned with carb cleaner and ran guitar strings in all the ports. Shot compressed air through and replaced the gasket and air filter. Still chokes out. Seems like it's pulling a vacuum on the gas tank. So now every time it starts to spit/sputter I just reach down and crack the fill cap. Tried a new cap, but will probably just drill a small hole to add more vent.

DO you have a paper filter in the top of the cas cap? It might be crudded up and be the restriction to the vent.

 

[humner]

MA, I wonder how many mowers had to be replaced and will be replaced solely because of the crappy new ethanol fuel.

I run the mower until it runs out of gas for the last mow of the season, just to get rid of all the junky fuel.

Same here. I also add fuel stabilizer to my "small motor gas can" that I store my lawnmower/leafblower/snowblower gas in.

Well, I have a 7 year old (cheap) yard machine.

I have never sharpened the blade and never even checked the oil.

It still runs but I can tell it's on it's last legs. I so want to get something better. Side discharge just isn't doing it for me anymore.

Same here. I ditched the side bag and purchased a discharge dam from an online store, and mulch now. Bag never stayed on that well in the first place, It would always fall of turning corners or hitting bumpy parts. It started acting up last year, would run for 15 min. (get warm) and start to choke out. I took the carb. off and cleaned with carb cleaner and ran guitar strings in all the ports. Shot compressed air through and replaced the gasket and air filter. Still chokes out. Seems like it's pulling a vacuum on the gas tank. So now every time it starts to spit/sputter I just reach down and crack the fill cap. Tried a new cap, but will probably just drill a small hole to add more vent.

DO you have a paper filter in the top of the cas cap? It might be crudded up and be the restriction to the vent.

there are two different stabilizers for gasoline. One is red for straight gasoline, blue for ethenol added gasoline

 

[pbrme]

Well, I have a 7 year old (cheap) yard machine.

I have never sharpened the blade and never even checked the oil.

It still runs but I can tell it's on it's last legs. I so want to get something better. Side discharge just isn't doing it for me anymore.

Same here. ...Seems like it's pulling a vacuum on the gas tank. So now every time it starts to spit/sputter I just reach down and crack the fill cap. Tried a new cap, but will probably just drill a small hole to add more vent.

DO you have a paper filter in the top of the cas cap? It might be crudded up and be the restriction to the vent.

No, it's a plastic cap with a metal disc under the cover, It's a replacement cap. The old one was just like it but the plastic stem that held the metal disc broke and the disc was covering the fuel supply port. I've heard of people replacing the fuel hose and putting in an inline filter to catch particles from adding a vent hole.

 

[MA_PE]

there are two different stabilizers for gasoline. One is red for straight gasoline, blue for ethenol added gasoline

I did not know that. I've been using the red one. I guess I'll have to pick up some blue. What are the consequences of adding red to ethanol added gas?

 

[Road Guy]

I think you get sucked into the Matrix!

Ive been looking around on craigslist, some pretty good deals on fairly new mowers.. I've been wanting a rear wheel drive one for a while (well my kids want one)

I noticed that all the new lawn mowers have an attachment so you can attach a water hose to your mower to let it self clean? why do they have to add stuff that is just going to eventually break?

 

[Capt Worley PE]

I wouldn't think it'd even clean all that well....

 

[MA_PE]

I noticed that all the new lawn mowers have an attachment so you can attach a water hose to your mower to let it self clean? why do they have to add stuff that is just going to eventually break?

self-clean how? Whats the matter with just holding it up and squirting down with a hose and nozzle? It's all about "features"

 

[humner]

shit, just when I bragged about my decade old Toro.. went to start it this weekend and the spring and cable that engages the safety lever broke off... I tried to jerry rig it with a couple of zip ties, but no avail.. been looking around for repalcement parts on the "internet" with no luck... damn $300 out the door.. but I guess 10 years is a pretty good run.... maybe I will park the next one in doors this winter...

just remove the safety feature, I did, runs without it.

 

[Road Guy]

How do I do that?

 

[humner]

How do I do that?

find a competent engineer, should be able to walk you through it, LOL

 

[mudpuppy]

^Wow, did you just call the owner of engineerboards an incompetent engineer?

 

[Dexman PE PMP]

Damn, I got deleted for calling him a dumbass. I'm curious to see where this leads...

 

[humner]

^Wow, did you just call the owner of engineerboards an incompetent engineer?

absolutely not, did you not see the lol at the end?

 

[mudpuppy]

Hee hee hee, just wanted to make sure oking:

 

[jeb6294]

With our warmer/wetter winter than usual, our front yard was getting a little out of hand. We have a guy who mows our lawn...that's right bitches, that's how I roll (actually it's just a landscaping friend of ours who does it for us cheap since I'm overseas). Since this was while I was home I broke out the push mower to give the front yard a quick trim. My Yardman/Honda mower wouldn't start. It hasn't been used that much and it isn't that old, but it's ended up sitting in the shed unused more than two years now so I guess I can't be too terribly upset. The motor is a Honda so I'd imagine it just needs tuned up and it will be fine but I wasn't going to bother since it was just going to be sitting again for at least another year so I just called Pat.

 

[Chucktown PE]

Pat cuts your grass?

 

[Supe]

Remove air cleaner. Spray in ether or carb cleaner. Start!

 

[jeb6294]

I figured the carb was just gummed up, but at the time it wasn't even worth running to the store to get carb cleaner because I knew it would just happen again since it's sitting again.