Author Topic: How old is your lawn mower?  (Read 1612 times)

Duke03

  • Bristles
  • ***
  • Posts: 468
How old is your lawn mower?
« on: October 17, 2019, 05:31:00 PM »
My current Husqvarna mower is going on 8 years old. So far this year I've replaced the carb and the stop cable that broke.  Both cheap easy fixes, but going forward this mower will need about $100 worth of work.  It needs two new wheels a new blade and will also need a tune up before next mowing season. Other than that it's in good shape and still looks like it's only 1-2 years old.  It does have a Honda motor if that matters.  I'm just on the fence if I keep putting money into it or spend $500 on a new one.  I know I know rich people problems.  I figure if I replace the wheels and put a new blade on it the mower should last at least 2 or 3 years baring a complete motor failure, but I've always changed the oil spark plug and filter every year so it's been maintained.

middo

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1772
  • Location: Stuck in Melbourne still. Dreaming of WA
  • Learning.
Re: How old is your lawn mower?
« Reply #1 on: October 17, 2019, 06:18:23 PM »
I bought mine a few weeks ago.  Spring time here in Australia, and we have 1/2 an acre.  We got by without one last year, but petrol power it is now.  It cost $179 from memory, new, from Bunnings.  It is about the smallest available, and should last longer than I will live here. 

I kept the receipt in case it dies before then.

chemistk

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1739
  • Location: Mid-Atlantic
Re: How old is your lawn mower?
« Reply #2 on: October 18, 2019, 04:56:42 AM »
On the $100 cost part - you can purchase bits for your drill that allow you to sharpen the blades, or you can use a wheel grinder if you have one. Most lawnmower tune-ups focus on the carb, replacing hoses, the spark plug, and the air filter. You can easily get all those parts for ~$30 and DIY. The only thing you'll have to buy new (or used) are the wheels - I would consider looking for someone who buys and repairs old lawnmowers, they're bound to have some drive wheels in good condition.

Back to your original question, my lawnmower is 6 years old but I've had it for about a year and a half now. I bought it from someone who has a side-job landscaping business and his philosophy was to just run his mowers until they needed repair and then sell them. Honda mowers - the $600-$700 ones. I got mine for $100 because it ran wonky. It needed a new carb ($13 for a whole new carb on Amazon) and air filter. I also discovered that someone using it hit a rock which caused the crankshaft to bend. A few hours with a heavy hammer and I was able to bend it back just about straight.

Prior to the Honda, I had another ~6 year old mower. This one was the cheapest model they sold and I bought it for I think $40 off a guy who refubs them. Then a year and a half ago, the crankcase developed a stress fracture that caused it to leak lots of oil. Tried to use JB Weld with no success, so onto the curb it trod.

Papa bear

  • Handlebar Stache
  • *****
  • Posts: 1838
  • Location: Ohio
Re: How old is your lawn mower?
« Reply #3 on: October 18, 2019, 06:14:18 AM »
Current is 4 years old. Honda.

My dad has an old toro that lasted 30 years. Then he bought a Honda.  That’s been going for 15, but has been relegated to a vacation house.   

I would keep maintaining your current mower.  But source cheaper parts, or just clean/fix components instead of replacing. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

max924

  • 5 O'Clock Shadow
  • *
  • Posts: 41
Re: How old is your lawn mower?
« Reply #4 on: October 18, 2019, 09:12:18 AM »
Well, mine is a 1978 I believe, so pretty old. It is a John Deere rider. Not comparable really since most things are rebuildable on mine compared to most mowers nowadays being just replace the whole thing. Last year I put new brushes on the starter, was quite surprised I could still buy the starter rebuild kit (only $12!).

I would say just sharpen the blades yourself, fairly straightforward job and very rewarding. I have to admit I never do yearly 'tuneups'. Unless totally necessary it is kind of wasteful to be changing out spark plugs and filters every single year. Same for the oil, although that is harder to do a visual inspection on so better to do that on some schedule (maybe every other year depending on service time).

Also I second cleaning/fixing instead of replacing, I am pretty surprised on an 8 yr old mower you already had to replace the carb and stop cable...

Blue Skies

  • Stubble
  • **
  • Posts: 172
Re: How old is your lawn mower?
« Reply #5 on: October 18, 2019, 09:32:59 AM »
Mine is nearly 20 years old.  Change oil and filters ourselves as needed.  Have taken it in for repairs once because the self propel mechanism broke down.  Runs fine now.

WSUCoug1994

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 537
  • Location: Bay Area, California
Re: How old is your lawn mower?
« Reply #6 on: October 18, 2019, 02:40:33 PM »
Lawn mowers are designed to run forever as long as you run ALL of the gas out in the off-season, sharpen the blades and change the oil.  Those four stroke motors are bullet proof.  You can get generic wheel that will fit almost any mower.  I can't imagine what you are spending $100 on.

BDWW

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 733
  • Location: MT
Re: How old is your lawn mower?
« Reply #7 on: October 18, 2019, 03:23:41 PM »
Curious why it needs a new blade?

I'm the lazy sort who runs over all sorts of sticks and random junk. I find it's just easier to take it off once a year and run it over the bench grinder than to try and pick up all the sticks. Point is I'm borderline abusive to mine, and after 6 years, it's got plenty of life left in it.

If you're less abusive, a metal file would work fine for touching up the edge every now and then.

ketchup

  • Magnum Stache
  • ******
  • Posts: 4323
  • Age: 33
Re: How old is your lawn mower?
« Reply #8 on: October 18, 2019, 03:28:38 PM »
I think it's about four years old now.  El cheapo 21" (I think) mower from the hardware store.  We live on 200 acres but only mow about a total of 1.5 acres near the house and paths/driveway.

oldladystache

  • Pencil Stache
  • ****
  • Posts: 943
  • Age: 79
  • Location: coastal southern california
Re: How old is your lawn mower?
« Reply #9 on: October 18, 2019, 04:09:57 PM »
Mine's 18 years old. Or wasn't that what you had in mind?

Sibley

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 7428
  • Location: Northwest Indiana
Re: How old is your lawn mower?
« Reply #10 on: October 20, 2019, 02:39:11 PM »
My lawnmower I bought when I bought the house in 2017. I'm probably fairly abusive towards it: I hit sticks and stones, leave gas in it over winter sometimes, change the oil once a year, change the filter once a year, only changed the spark plugs once so far. It's running fine (well, it wasn't starting but that's why the spark plug got changed).

I plan to keep the thing indefinately. My parent's lawn mower was over 30 years old when it was stolen then fell off the back of a pickup truck. They got a new one.

TomTX

  • Walrus Stache
  • *******
  • Posts: 5345
  • Location: Texas
Re: How old is your lawn mower?
« Reply #11 on: October 20, 2019, 07:02:06 PM »
The gasoline push mower I'm trying to sell is 12 years old, Honda engine, works great. It was sitting 6 months and started with a single pull with the old gasoline still in there (little secret there - I use white camping fuel, so much cleaner than gas station fuel)

Why? Because it is so much more pleasant to mow with my $250 Ryobi battery-electric mower. It's quiet. It doesn't stink. It weighs maybe half as much as the Honda. No pulls at all to start. ;) 3 years old now, one charge on the pack does my whole yard.