Stunned and amazed

[castle key]

The lawn mower actually fired up for the first time without too much aggravation!!

The string trimmer uses 2 stroke fuel; is it ok to put fuel stabilizer into 2 stroke fuel? I put it in the can for the 4 stroke machines.

[Declaration Day]

Yes, you can use fuel stabilizer in 2-stroke fuel.

[230RN]

Ace Hardware (and probably others) sells ~1 liter cans of pre-mixed (in various ratios) 2-stroke fuel which has stabilizers also premixed in.  Apparently these have a long shelf life and the cans of it don't leak.  As an experiment I kept one can in my car in all kinds of hot and cold weather without a single sniff of leaking fuel from the can.

[Declaration Day]

^ But you're paying $28 / gallon for that.

[Tallpine]

Yeah my riding mower popped right off 

Got sick last fall and didn't get a chance to drain the tank and run it out of gas.

[Perd Hapley]

The lawn mower actually fired up for the first time without too much aggravation!!

Mine too!

Particularly amazed me, as the wheelbarrow and tarp blew off of it sometime this winter, and I've no idea how many times it got snowed on. The string trimmer was indoors, but it won't start. I may have neglected to stabilize the fuel, last season.

[roo_ster]

I ditched my 12yo gas mower and trimmer in the fall and went electric with cord.

Works great as the mower is a fraction of the weight as before and my 9yo sone can push it while i do other stuff in the yard.  Daughter is too small at 8yo and tiny but she works cord management for my son.

Yard is small enough for electric to be practical.

[41magsnub]

Mine too!

Particularly amazed me, as the wheelbarrow and tarp blew off of it sometime this winter, and I've no idea how many times it got snowed on. The string trimmer was indoors, but it won't start. I may have neglected to stabilize the fuel, last season.

And mine.  I was even impressed my totally unnecessary electric start kicked it right over.

[mtnbkr]

I ditched my 12yo gas mower and trimmer in the fall and went electric with cord.

Works great as the mower is a fraction of the weight as before and my 9yo sone can push it while i do other stuff in the yard.  Daughter is too small at 8yo and tiny but she works cord management for my son.

Yard is small enough for electric to be practical.

I've been using an electric mower for my townhouse yard for the last 12 years.  Same mower too.  Front yard is about 10'x40'.  Back yard is 20x30ish.  The only maintenance is receives is a once or twice a season hosing-down and a blade sharpening once a season or so.

Chris

[Perd Hapley]

I always figured cord management would make an electric lawn mower really aggravating. Is it pretty much like using a corded vacuum cleaner?

[mtnbkr]

I always figured cord management would make an electric lawn mower really aggravating. Is it pretty much like using a corded vacuum cleaner?

Pretty much.  It's a minor annoyance the first few times, but once you get used to it, you don't notice it.  The lack of noise, maintenance, and need to store gas and oil more than offset the need to manage a cord while mowing.

I wouldn't use one for a large yard, but it works well for my tiny yard.

Chris

[roo_ster]

I always figured cord management would make an electric lawn mower really aggravating. Is it pretty much like using a corded vacuum cleaner?

Yep.  The cord can aggrivate at times.  But you develop a system that minimizes flipping it around.

On the upside it is about a third the weight of a gasser.  No way was my son able to use the 6hp self propelled beast.

[MillCreek]

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-SPCM1936-Self-Propelled-Removable/dp/B004JMZH3A/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1399246502&sr=8-2&keywords=black+and+decker+cordless+mower

I went to my cordless B&D 36 volt mower a couple of years ago and have nothing but praise for it.  And this was after decades of owning various gas-powered lawn mowers.  It accommodates the often wet and thick grass of my 6000 SQ FT Seattle-area lot just fine. 

[Tallpine]

I always figured cord management would make an electric lawn mower really aggravating. Is it pretty much like using a corded vacuum cleaner?

We had an electric mower once - well, it went with a house we were renting.

I got so frustrated with it that I went out and bought a $99 (back then  ) 3.5 hp basic B&S mower.

[RoadKingLarry]

How well would one of those electric mowers work on 600'+ of extension cord?

[mtnbkr]

How well would one of those electric mowers work on 600'+ of extension cord?

Probably better than a tractor would work in my yard.

Chris

[Neemi]

Growing up, we had an electric mower. Once I started mowing, the frequent cost of new cords offset any savings. 

[Boomhauer]

My mower is a 33hp tractor with a finishing mower on the 3pt hitch. The little 3cyl Yanmar fires up every time right away...

 

[roo_ster]

Pretty much.  It's a minor annoyance the first few times, but once you get used to it, you don't notice it.  The lack of noise, maintenance, and need to store gas and oil more than offset the need to manage a cord while mowing.

I wouldn't use one for a large yard, but it works well for my tiny yard.

Chris

This sums it up.

I was due a new mower or a rebuild of the motor at the least so it is not like I up and dropped a serviceable gasser.  Last year it needed ether to turn over and get rolling and it had started to burn oil.  I maintained it well, it just was at the end of its service life.

And my gas trimmer was shot, too.

A 14ga Yellowjacket 100' cord that I have owned for 10 years allows access to all the property.  Thus far neither I nor my son have run over the cord. 

I like the lack of noise with the electric.  Gas lawn equipment sure could use more effective mufflers.  And not having to mess with the fuel or fuel/gas mix.  I also have a man-powered push mower with the swirly blades I use to sort of pre-trim for my son.  He is not yet at the "manicured lawn" level of finish and expertise.

[Tallpine]

If you have a really small yard then one of those rechargeable cordless electric mowers might be just the thing 

I think the trick to cord management is start next to the house and go back and forth as the cord plays out between the mower and the house(plug in).

[roo_ster]

If you have a really small yard then one of those rechargeable cordless electric mowers might be just the thing 

I think the trick to cord management is start next to the house and go back and forth as the cord plays out between the mower and the house(plug in).

My experience with high capacity rechargeable batteries is such that I found the cord option superior.

[Mannlicher]

I hire a guy to mow my lawn.  3/4 acre of grass, and I don't care what he uses.   

[charby]

Lawn-boy brand oil has fuel stabilizer in it.

I got a Lawn-Boy 2cycle mower, 12 seasons old. I used last years gas in the mower and from the gas can, filled the tank, dumped in a few ounces of Seafoam, turned the gas one, primed about six times and she fired on the 2nd pull. Mowed the yard.

I use Seafoam every year on the first tank of the season on all my 2 cycle engines. Usually run it in my boat most of the season unless I am going through a lot of fuel. A lot of fuel means 6 or more gallons on a weekend. My big motor is a 25 hp so I can run all day on 6 gallons.

[RoadKingLarry]

My preferred tool for edging is Glyphosate. My 3 gallon "weed eater" is just about right.  If I let it get out of hand the 25 gallon tank sprayer is my backup.