What lawn mower to get?

E10 has killed several of my mowers over the years .

Does anyone make a E10 proof mower?? Preferably USA made.

I only have a small yard to mow, but want it to last.

Thanks

Depending on just how small your yard is, an electric mower might be a good choice.

People seem to blame E10 for their mower dying but being as virtually all gas sold is now E10 and all the engine companies have had plenty of time to make the minor tweaks necessary to deal with it, it seems unlikely any recent vintage engine would have had any unusual trouble with it as a fuel.

If your yard is small, Craftsman with a Honda 4-stroke engine might be worth a look. They seem pretty indestructible and Sears is pretty good about keeping parts available for many years. I have had two hand me down Craftsmans, the current one is 30 years old. I also had two Toros, and they both bit the dust after about 10 years.

I've been happy with Craftsman mowers with Briggs & Stratton engines. I'm on my 3rd one and get about 8-10 years out of them. Engine has never failed, always winds up being the deck rusting out or breaking. Usually have to mow about 8-9 months of the year and in the summer time, its twice a week, so they see a lot of use. Only thing I do is add fuel, oil, and the occasional spark plug as preventative maintenance. I did have a front wheel break on my 2nd one, but Sears carries those in stock, so it was an easy fix.

just pony up and get the 91oct non-ox fuel. been buying that for just about everything recently. 55gal tank on the boat hurts to fill, but at least it wont hurt the motor.

Look into Starbrite StarTron. I have had ethanol issues as well, and have started using this product to "safen" this fuel. Haven't been using it long enough to be able to give a good report on it, but I am hopeful.

As far as helping an engine already plagued by ethanol issues, I mixed some fresh premium gas with good 2 stroke oil, and added a 4x rate of Seafoam. I ran the two engines wide open for at least 5 minutes, then let them sit. Weeks later, they seem to start easier.

Stihl MS280 saw
Shindawai ST242 trimmer

I too have had good luck with Craftsman/Briggs mowers. Check where they are made first. My current Craftsman is ~8 years old. A lot can change in that time.

Best small lawn mower I have ever owned period is the one I have now, a Husqavarna with a Honda motor.

We're on like year five, not a hicup of any sort, and I may get around to changing the oil someday.

I'll +1 on the craftsman. Parts were available for almost 12 years on our last one. John Deere also makes a nice but very expensive lawn mower. I currently have a Honda Customer Appreciation Mower (used hotel points to get a free Honda brand walk-behind mower)... It's ok, but the throttle control is absolute crap, and I know one other person with the same model and same problem...

Honda Quadracut.

I use a Kubota B6200E with a woods 48 inch mower
it catches all kind of abuse and keep's on going

I've had a snapper hi vac for about 15 years. Last year my son hit a landscape spike and bent the shaft on the original B&S motor. Found a factory take off motor for $140 and now it has a OHV B&S motor on it. All this time the snapper drive with multiple speeds and open rear differential (corners easy) have worked without fail. Still on the original mulching blade but its getting pretty thin. Also had to redo the bag about two years ago. You couldn't sell me anything else, this is one of the few products I've owned that I am 100% satisfied with.

For reference I have about 1/4 acre lot of mostly grass, I keep mower inside and do full maintenance each spring.

My Walmart Weed Eater Brand 20" push mower did this after about four months of service. Someone told me that fuel additives will prevent this. The engine was a Briggs & Stratton.

Troy-bilt....made in the U.S.A. I'm on my second Troy-bilt pushmower. My first one I gave to my sister because she needed a better mower. It is five years old and still starts on the first pull. I now have a new one which I like just as much. I buy them at Lowe's. Give em a look see!

This:
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=fiskars+reel+mower&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=15819825325265187339&sa=X&ei=qeJBTpbNN8HKgQeZtsGwCQ&ved=0CHsQ8wIwAg

There is a reason why the vast majority of professional lawn services use Honda mowers... it's because they're good.

I have a B&S/Husq mower and wish I'd have ponied up the extra $$ for a Honda.

Last summer when my 21 year old hand-me-down John Deere rider went tits up (transmission and rear end), I bought a 46" cut Husqavarna with a Kohler engine. Been very happy with it.


Vulcan94

I have 25 years on a Snapper with Briggs&Stratton motor. Getting long in the tooth....my neighbor just bought a Snapper Commercial at an estate sale for $5. !!! Yes, I am still green with envy.....need to start going to those sales.

Get a Honda.

I have one that is 17 years old. It gets an oil change every year and the airfilter has been changed twice in that amount of time. I use the air compressor and blow the filter out in the spring. In the spring it takes 2 - 3 pulls to start. After that it starts 1st pull every week.

If it crapped out tomorrow I would buy Honda again and never look back.

Concerning that "new Blue" stuff in a bottle it's all well and good if you use regular gas in your stuff. Better bet just pony up to mid or premium gas. Just my $.02

Why not goats,(female only) or sheep!
Win!Win! Win! Lawn is kept short. You get milk as well as meat!
No fuel usage!

Just thinking out of the box!


PITA45

sorry tom but, i'll top that, i still mow my mothers lawn every week with her 1969 purchased, commercial, 2 stroke lawnboy. it's small, green & light weight so long as you don't fill the big orange fuel tank. this was made long before honda made made lawnmower engines. all i ever do is sharpen/replace the blade, change air filter, spark plug, add premix and pull the cord. i've been mowing that lawn every week since i suggested she buy it when i was 10 well over 40 years ago. And, i never had to change the oil.

to the op. if the newer fuel was burning out the mowers, my mothers mower would be long dead by now. i don't think it's the fuel.

and, it's self fertilizing too. btw, goats, do not eat the lawn. thats a sheep thing.

I have a Honda HRS21 mower I bought in 1987 that still starts on the first pull. I bought a new honda that's self propelled, so I recently gave my 14 y.o. son the 1987 model.

My Toro came with the spark plug cross threaded from the factory. What a P.O.S. Use Startron in your fuel to offset the ethanol issue. It's worked for me just fine.

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