Best lawnmowers, snow and leaf blower. What do you use?

[wdb]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

The Stihl cut fine once it started. It would ALWAYS require pulling the plug and drying out the cylinder. And I kept it dry* since the day I bought it. Stihl just made it too fancy with their easy-start compression release junk.

I have a handful of Stihl 2 stroke gizmos. At first I, too, hated them because they were So. Hard. To. Start. I finally found a method that works for all of them:

• never ever Ever EVER touch anything resembling a primer bulb on any Stihl 2 stroke
• set full choke, open full throttle
• pull until it sputters -- 3 pulls usually
• choke off all the way, still full throttle
• pull 2-3 more times and presto

I did have to replace the ridiculously thick wool felt air filter on the leaf blower as well. I replaced it with oiled foam rubber and now I can start it using the above method. Before I did that it flooded Every. Single. Time.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by wdb

I have a handful of Stihl 2 stroke gizmos. At first I, too, hated them because they were So. Hard. To. Start. I finally found a method that works for all of them:

• never ever Ever EVER touch anything resembling a primer bulb on any Stihl 2 stroke
• set full choke, open full throttle
• pull until it sputters -- 3 pulls usually
• choke off all the way, still full throttle
• pull 2-3 more times and presto

I did have to replace the ridiculously thick wool felt air filter on the leaf blower as well. I replaced it with oiled foam rubber and now I can start it using the above method. Before I did that it flooded Every. Single. Time.

So that's an oxymoron regarding your method: set to full choke but use full open throttle... just doesn't make rational sense for starting a 2-stoke let alone any engine. Kudos for figuring it out. I used the manufacturer's technique provided in the owner's manual

Running it over with the tractor and setting it on fire was way more fun.

Just sayin'

[chief1richard]

After pushing around Walk Behind ,hard to start gas Snow Throwers, I invested in a John Deere 1025 Diesel Tractor with 50" Snow Thrower. Throws snow 25'. Makes clearing my 200' driveway fun. Usually end up doing my neighbors as well.

[pennsiveguy]

Originally Posted by CTinline-six

Stihl saws used to be good, most of their stuff now is garbage. I fix equipment on the weekends and have seen lots of quality issues with Stihls the dealers won't warranty. Also Stihl has made is basically impossible to buy parts in the aftermarket. Those two things will make me steer clear of them, and suggest my customers do the same.

My personal saw is a German made 1995 Makita (Dolmar). Never had an issue with it and it just screams.

I've got a fleet of Stihl saws, but they're all 10+ years old. They work great as long as you maintain them reasonably well, but so do my friends' and neighbors' Jonsereds and Husqvarna saws. I have a Kombi head and several attachments, but it's also from around 2008. I do all the maintenance and sharpening myself and I never loan anything out. I take good care of my stuff and I've learned the hard way that the less time my stuff spends in the hands of others, well-intentioned though they may be, the better it holds up. If someone needs a saw, they can go buy one just like I did. If a neighbor is in a pinch and there's a downed tree blocking their driveway, I don't hand them a saw; I go cut it up and haul it away myself.

[ramman434]

I've got an EGO push mower (w/auto drive) and weed eater. They both use an interchangeable 56v battery. Work great for my small yard (7500 sq ft).

I've also got a gas-powered Stihl Blower, that the previous homeowner left for me, since he was moving to a condo. Works great as well.

[pennsiveguy]

I use a John Deere X734 with a 60" mower deck and a 54" snow blower. Has a receiver hitch too, though I've never used it. Great machine, a bit of overkill for my needs. Tinkerer/tuner that I am, I did the rubber mud-flap impeller mod on the blower, and it throws wet snow 50' at half-throttle.

[Efthreeoh]

Been the year of small engine tune ups for me.

[kyrix1st]

Has anybody added F82 M4?

[chief1richard]

Took my Husqvarna saw and threw it in the trash. Had it for several years and would never start when I needed it. Bought a Milwaukee Battery operated chain saw that works incredible. Always there when I need it. Reliability, that's what counts especially in an emergency.

[Drop the hammer]

Originally Posted by pennsiveguy

I use a John Deere X734 with a 60" mower deck and a 54" snow blower. Has a receiver hitch too, though I've never used it. Great machine, a bit of overkill for my needs. Tinkerer/tuner that I am, I did the rubber mud-flap impeller mod on the blower, and it throws wet snow 50' at half-throttle.

Haha, I did this mod to my craftsman snowblower as well, because I mod everything. It now launches snow a very long ways!
Also modded my craftsman self propelled lawn mower for higher rpm for more power.
I’m on the fence to go full Ego rechargeable system. my mower is getting old at 22 years and my snowblower is getting close to 30 years old but is in mint condition still.

[CTinline-six]

Originally Posted by pennsiveguy

I use a John Deere X734 with a 60" mower deck and a 54" snow blower. Has a receiver hitch too, though I've never used it. Great machine, a bit of overkill for my needs. Tinkerer/tuner that I am, I did the rubber mud-flap impeller mod on the blower, and it throws wet snow 50' at half-throttle.

Nice, I did that mod for the 42" snow blower on my Deere. I find the most noticeable improvement is the performance in wet slushy snow, where it would clog or barely throw it before the modification.

Originally Posted by chief1richard

Took my Husqvarna saw and threw it in the trash. Had it for several years and would never start when I needed it. Bought a Milwaukee Battery operated chain saw that works incredible. Always there when I need it. Reliability, that's what counts especially in an emergency.

Ethanol fuels have made rarely used small engines like homeowner chainsaws/weed eaters, etc a nightmare to own for many people. I fix small engines as a side gig, and currently have a bunch of 1-2 year old customer equipment in my garage that won't start due to fuel being left in it from last season. Manufacturers won't warranty the repair either if the machine wasn't stored per their instructions.

[Hawkeye]

I have gone battery operated for wedd whacker, blower, chainsaw and love all of them. Makita makes some great 36v stuff and I have never needed more power to date.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by CTinline-six

Nice, I did that mod for the 42" snow blower on my Deere. I find the most noticeable improvement is the performance in wet slushy snow, where it would clog or barely throw it before the modification.




Ethanol fuels have made rarely used small engines like homeowner chainsaws/weed eaters, etc a nightmare to own for many people. I fix small engines as a side gig, and currently have a bunch of 1-2 year old customer equipment in my garage that won't start due to fuel being left in it from last season. Manufacturers won't warranty the repair either if the machine wasn't stored per their instructions.

100% on this.

All of my small equipment gets run dry when it's put away for an extended period (3-months). I never have a starting issue with any of it (the Stihl saw the exception). My Echo leaf blower I usually don't drain and run dry because I use it year round; I keep Stabil in my gasoline for the small equipment. But after 8 years or so the Echo need a new carburetor. The fail on the Echo was the float needle valve de-chromed and bits of chrome got all in the passages. I suspect the ethanol helped the carburetor deteriorate. A good thing in the end really, because the replacement carb has none of the speed adjustment screws capped or tamper-proofed.

The few Stihl equipment I have had recalls because the fuel caps would react with the ethanol and expand and get locked in place.

Most Joe homeowners have no idea how to care for their equipment, let alone read the owner's manual.

[CTinline-six]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

100% on this.

All of my small equipment gets run dry when it's put away for an extended period (3-months). I never have a starting issue with any of it (the Stihl saw the exception). My Echo leaf blower I usually don't drain and run dry because I use it year round; I keep Stabil in my gasoline for the small equipment. But after 8 years or so the Echo need a new carburetor. The fail on the Echo was the float needle valve de-chromed and bits of chrome got all in the passages. I suspect the ethanol helped the carburetor deteriorate. A good thing in the end really, because the replacement carb has none of the speed adjustment screws capped or tamper-proofed.

The few Stihl equipment I have had recalls because the fuel caps would react with the ethanol and expand and get locked in place.

Most Joe homeowners have no idea how to care for their equipment, let alone read the owner's manual.

They really don't. The number of engine failures I've seen on relatively new equipment due to being run out of engine oil is staggering. Crazy that someone spends $7,000 on a zero turn mower, and 2 years later they blew the $1500-2000 engine because it ran low on oil. I deal with quite a few small lawn care businesses as well, and those guys are honestly the worst. They buy brand new equipment they can't afford, then don't maintain it and cost themselves money in failures while still making payments. For a lot of homeowners it's just their stuff sits around and the fuel goes bad or mice get into the machines.

Another rule I live by is assume all fuel has ethanol. I've seen E10 gas come from stations that "claimed" to have E0 in their pump.

[XutvJet]

Honda all the way when it comes to typical residential home mowers and snow blowers. Back in 1987, my father bought a Honda self-propelled mower. He had that thing until 2008 when he gave it to me because the self-propelled drive wasn't working. I bought $50 in OEM parts and fixed it in 30 minutes. I used that thing until 2015 when the rings finally went. That's 38 years of service. I of course bought another Honda and a Honda snow blower as well. They're flawless, start on the first pull, never go out of tune, etc.

The most important thing though, if you're a DIYer, they are easy as hell to work on and you can easily find parts for them, even 1980s era Honda mowers. Parts are cheap too and shop diagrams are readily available. Sure, you might spend more up front, but in the long run, you'll save a bundle. Most people is know buy mowers every 5 to 8 years and they assume that's normal. Not with a Honda.

As for a leaf blower, I took my parents leaf blower when they moved to a smaller house. It's a 2008 ECHO gasoline leaf blower. It's been flawless. Just add a quality fuel/oil mix and run dry in the winter.

[upstatedoc]

That reminds me I have to fire up the snowblower to make sure it's working

[pennsiveguy]

Originally Posted by CTinline-six

Nice, I did that mod for the 42" snow blower on my Deere. I find the most noticeable improvement is the performance in wet slushy snow, where it would clog or barely throw it before the modification.




Ethanol fuels have made rarely used small engines like homeowner chainsaws/weed eaters, etc a nightmare to own for many people. I fix small engines as a side gig, and currently have a bunch of 1-2 year old customer equipment in my garage that won't start due to fuel being left in it from last season. Manufacturers won't warranty the repair either if the machine wasn't stored per their instructions.

I have reliable access to 91 octane non-oxygenated gas at a number of different stations, so that's the only thing I use in anything I don't drive on the road. Perhaps it's not widely available. Before storing anything for the season I always run the engine dry and drain the tank, then spray a short blast of WD-40 into the intake and crank or pull it several times. I have very little patience for sh!t that won't start when I have a job to do, so it's good preventative maintenance for the machines and for my sanity as well. If I have to fuel something up every time I use it, it's a small price to pay for having it work every time.

[pennsiveguy]

Originally Posted by Drop the hammer

Haha, I did this mod to my craftsman snowblower as well, because I mod everything. It now launches snow a very long ways!
Also modded my craftsman self propelled lawn mower for higher rpm for more power.
I’m on the fence to go full Ego rechargeable system. my mower is getting old at 22 years and my snowblower is getting close to 30 years old but is in mint condition still.

I like this guy's design, and the results are spectacular. He mounted a big v-twin engine and doubled-up the pulleys and overdrives them. Sends the snow right back where it came from.

[pennsiveguy]

For small areas that I can't mow with the tractor, I have my grandpa's old pre-Toro aluminum-deck Lawn Boy 21" mower. It's super light and maneuverable. Runs like a champ. Quiet, too, since the exhaust comes out under the deck. Just re-ringed it a rebuilt the carb a couple of winters ago. Made for a nice weekend project. Had a couple cans of Hamm's beer, in grandpa's honor. He used to pound a few cans of Hamm's after he got done mowing.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by pennsiveguy

I like this guy's design, and the results are spectacular. He mounted a big v-twin engine and doubled-up the pulleys and overdrives them. Sends the snow right back where it came from.

Serious Tim Allen moment there - LOL.

[pennsiveguy]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

Serious Tim Allen moment there - LOL.

And then there's this guy, who figures if you can start it with a rope it ain't much of a snowblower.

[CTinline-six]

Originally Posted by XutvJet

Honda all the way when it comes to typical residential home mowers and snow blowers. Back in 1987, my father bought a Honda self-propelled mower. He had that thing until 2008 when he gave it to me because the self-propelled drive wasn't working. I bought $50 in OEM parts and fixed it in 30 minutes. I used that thing until 2015 when the rings finally went. That's 38 years of service. I of course bought another Honda and a Honda snow blower as well. They're flawless, start on the first pull, never go out of tune, etc.

The most important thing though, if you're a DIYer, they are easy as hell to work on and you can easily find parts for them, even 1980s era Honda mowers. Parts are cheap too and shop diagrams are readily available. Sure, you might spend more up front, but in the long run, you'll save a bundle. Most people is know buy mowers every 5 to 8 years and they assume that's normal. Not with a Honda.

As for a leaf blower, I took my parents leaf blower when they moved to a smaller house. It's a 2008 ECHO gasoline leaf blower. It's been flawless. Just add a quality fuel/oil mix and run dry in the winter.

The older Honda stuff is indestructible. I always pick up "broken" ones I find on Marketplace for cheap to fix up and give to friends. The newer stuff not so much. They are still nice, but have turned into luxury cars of the power equipment world. The Honda walk behind mowers use a hydrostatic self propel, and the transmission often goes out after a few years. The part alone is $250 from Honda, and a shop will likely mark it up plus whatever their labor is to replace it. The track drive snow blowers also have some expensive parts on the drive system that fail and require complete disassembly, which can be a very expensive repair bill ($1000) for an aging snow blower.

My favorite mower is the Toro Super Recycler with the personal pace self propel, and you can order it with the Honda GCV160 engine. This is the mower I use for my front yard and it's been flawless.