Support NeoGAF

[12Goblins]

I have a standard Briggs & Stratton push mower that is driving me mad

Gave the carburator a proper cleaning and got a new spark plug. Gas tank is drained and now fresh gas. Even bought a new carburator to try

Still Won't start. Sometimes it will start for a brief second and die

What's weird is I was able to use it once this spring for 20 minutes until it went croaked

Time to toss it and buy an EGO electric? It's probably 10 years old

 

[Synless]

I went electric for the last 5 years and regretted it. This year I bought a Honda mower, no regrets. Going back to gas was the best choice I made in a while.

 

[T8SC]

I know just the man:

 

[AJUMP23]

Briggs and Stratton are the worst small engine motors on the market. Buy anything else. I have a kholer engine in my zero turn. you want a Japanese engine if you can get one.

 

[Thaedolus]

I went electric for the last 5 years and regretted it. This year I bought a Honda mower, no regrets. Going back to gas was the best choice I made in a while.

On the contrary, I haven’t regretted going electric on my yard equipment one bit. The one thing I’m skeptical on/haven’t replaced is the snow blower. But for a mower? Weed whacker? Leaf blower? All electric and never had a goddamn issue with a fouled spark plug or carb

 

[StreetsofBeige]

I went electric for the last 5 years and regretted it. This year I bought a Honda mower, no regrets. Going back to gas was the best choice I made in a while.

First time I moved to a house I bought an electric. Engine burned out as it couldnt handle damp grass when I mowed the lawn in the spring. Lucky for me the store gave me full store credit when the mower bombed out a year after I bought it.

When it was broken, I borrowed my neighbours small sketchy gas mower which looked like it was 20 years old. Plowed through that grass like a champ even though his mower looked like a piece of shit.

Bought a gas mower soon after and it's been fine for almost 10 years. Still going! I dont know anything about lowers, but with the credit I bought a Remington mower and it's been fine.

 

[Winter John]

Check your battery dude. Had one years ago and it did the same shit. After doing everything else I eventually changed the battery. Problem solved.

 

[GymWolf]

The thing to cut your pube hairs sponsored by the ufc?

 

[ClanOfNone]

Mowing the sizable lawn of the house I grew up in was one of my main chores, and man, I fuckin hated doing it. I swear St. Augustine grass grows like an inch a day in the hellswamps of Florida, I’d have to mow twice a week in the summers.
When I moved out at 18 I said “never again” and at the ripe old age of 48 I haven’t mowed nary a lawn since.

 

[Maiden Voyage]

I always buy the cheapest mower so that when something goes wrong and I can't repair it, I don't feel bad spending $120 bucks on the new one. They usually are B&S motors and require me to clean the sparkplug and filter every spring before the thing will start up again. I have gotten about 5 years out of them before they break or stop altogether.

 

[FunkMiller]

I know lawn mowers.

Oh yes. I know lawn mowers. And I will teach you, my son.

You must journey to the top of the mountain that the sun touches first in the morning. There, you will learn of the five stages of lawn mower perfection. It will be hard. It will be long. People will die. But at the end, you will return from the mountain an expert in the art of lawn mowering.

...or just buy a fucking Flymo.

 

[nush]

...or just buy a fucking Flymo.

This man mows.

 

[Northeastmonk]

I just had my mower serviced. You have to get it serviced every year. I get an oil change, cleaned, and the blade sharpened. I have a Cub Cadet, which is a $1,000.00 mower. I use to use a riding lawn mower and I would love to go back to one in a couple years. All I know is seasonal maintenance is mandatory if you want the best outcome for your mower.

 

[Lunarorbit]

You could get some engine starter designed for mowers. Does your mower have a fuel primer that you can push to cycle gas into the mower engine?

If you don't use all the gas from the previous season it can age and degrade and gum up the fuel lines or carburetor too.

 

[GeekyDad]

...Time to toss it and buy an EGO electric? It's probably 10 years old

Regardless of the problem, it might be a lot cheaper to simply bring it to a repair shop. Most Ace hardware stores still offer lawnmower repairs.

 

[Nester99]

Ryobi electric from Home Depot is an absolute champ.

Tech has improved a lot. Can do my .54 acres on one battery and does a very good job. First few cuts of the spring if long and wet need more juice.

If it breaks I am buying another in a heartbeat.
Try to avoid mowing wet/damp grass if you can

 

[The Cockatrice]

Ask your neighbor. Theres always that one neighbor who always knows everything and wants to fuck your wife.

 

[AJUMP23]

The Best Lawn Mower

Keep your lawn looking great with these low-hassle, high-performing mowers.

www.nytimes.com

These are all far more expensive than I thought they would be. But Wirecutter has good recommendations.

I think I still prefer gas for mowing, but I use all electric for weed eater, blower, trimmer and all that stuff.

 

[Dural]

Electric is only good for the cleanup work. We bought an electric push mower several years ago and it just can't handle the lawn unless you're mowing multiple times per week. Let the grass get a little too long and you're screwed. We ended up buying a push mower off marketplace and then last year I got a Toro zero turn from my grandmas estate. The zero turn is a life saver, what took a couple hours with the push mowers is done in less than 20 minutes with the zero turn.

 

[22:22:22]

Personally? Yes. Great guy.

 

[sharp weiner]

Lonnie Mowers?

 

[dem]

I just got a new EGO mower... and yall are scaring me.

Was already a bit unsure about an electric mower. Not sure about the power or run time. Thing looks like a damn plastic spaceship.



My old Briggs mower worked great for like 15 years. Always started easy... even though it was abused.

 

[Synless]

I just got a new EGO mower... and yall are scaring me.

Was already a bit unsure about an electric mower. Not sure about the power or run time. Thing looks like a damn plastic spaceship.



My old Briggs mower worked great for like 15 years. Always started easy... even though it was abused.

The main issue I had was when it’s hot out, if your grass is thick like mine and having a .5 acre yard is the battery overheats.

I am perfectly fine with weed trimmers and blowers being battery operated though. No issues with those…. Mowers suck ass though.

 

[JGBtypeR]

I've had my EGO mower since 2016 and have never had the battery overheat. It has definitely drained quicker when my grass gets real tall and it has to run in what I call high speed mode, but as long as I mow weekly it's no big deal. Mine is a push one and not self propelled, so maybe that makes a difference. I get 45-50 minutes per 5 Ah battery typically.

I would absolutely buy another one if I had to get a new mower.

 

[8bitpill]

 

[bender]

My great, great, great, great grandfather was a John Deere.

 

[TransTrender]

Due to climate my lawn doesn't grow like crazy and at most I'll have to hit it twice a week if the conditions are perfect. My yard is only about 1K square feet.
Sure, an electric mower doesn't have the raw cutting power of a gas mower but I have no regrets going electric.
Electric mower, trimmer, and edger all using the same type of battery pack. The big battery is in the mower and the smaller one is swapped between the trimmer and edger.
If the lawn gets away from me then I'll have to do two passes, one higher than normal and the other at my regular height, and with the larger battery pack I don't need to stop at any time.
This will be my 5th season with this stuff. All works thus far.

 

[Men_in_Boxes]

My daddy and his daddy before him used to put a drop or two of gas in the spark plug. Works every time.

 

[MachRc]

open the lid on the bottom of the carb where the gas goes. There is a pin holding floater, take all that out and use a thin needle to clean ( where the pin stay) out too.

The white carb, clean that top hole with a (thin ass needle, my wife sews) wire brush like all of youtube says.

check to see if blades spin freely while holding the un brake handle, you can shoot some lubricant into spark hole and loosen it up.

after all this, I usually shoot carb cleaner (works well) into spark hole, put back the spark plug, prime, and let er rip and it goes.

edit:

These are simple but bulletproof motors. With some quick fixes, should last you easily more than a decade.
Mine is from 2009

magic mirror on the wall, who's got the greenest grass of them all>>??

 

[Aesius]

Ryobi electric from Home Depot is an absolute champ.

Tech has improved a lot. Can do my .54 acres on one battery and does a very good job. First few cuts of the spring if long and wet need more juice.

If it breaks I am buying another in a heartbeat.
Try to avoid mowing wet/damp grass if you can

Same. I was looking at mowers in Home Depot when a Ryobi rep was there. I have a quarter acre and was going to buy one of their smaller mowers, and he recommended going bigger because you get two batteries, which is basically a $200 value. I'm glad I did because the big self-propelled ones are badass. Mine does a great job on my lawn and it's awesome to not have to worry about anything except charging the battery. And if one dies, I just use the other one.

 

[Tams]

Electric is only good for the cleanup work. We bought an electric push mower several years ago and it just can't handle the lawn unless you're mowing multiple times per week. Let the grass get a little too long and you're screwed. We ended up buying a push mower off marketplace and then last year I got a Toro zero turn from my grandmas estate. The zero turn is a life saver, what took a couple hours with the push mowers is done in less than 20 minutes with the zero turn.

That's why you get a robot one.

 

[Meicyn]

Large amount of misinformation going on in here. Biggest thing about electric mowers is that they are no different than any other appliance or tool. You will get varying degrees of quality and capability, which of course lines up with pricing. You get what you pay for. Electric mowers are by default more expensive than the comparable gas powered model. But the suggestion that they are inherently worse is a massive oversimplification.

Buy a cheap Greenworks push mower off Amazon that runs on a 40V battery, and you’re gonna have a bad time if you run behind on lawn upkeep. They also run like shit if the grass is damp. Their 80V models on the other hand? They’re equivalent to your average gas powered mower when it comes to capability. Naturally more expensive too.

To further the point, check out the Milwaukee M18 electric mower if you’re looking for professional grade, extreme (excessive?) power:

M18 FUEL 21" Self-Propelled Dual Battery Mower Kit | Milwaukee Tool

MILWAUKEE® M18 FUEL™ 21" Self-Propelled Dual Battery Mower Kit offers more torque than 200cc gas. The cordless electric lawn mower has superior airflow & increased lift for the best cut quality

www.milwaukeetool.com

 

[Winter John]

Personally I love mowing. And Jesus of course. He's awesome. People often say, “Hey John, what’s the best time of the day to mow?” I like to start mowing around four in the morning, have a little break for lunch, then mow until ten or eleven each evening. Sometimes I’ll skip meals altogether, or have a sandwich on the go. When I’m riding my mower, I like to pretend I’m on my horse. A magnificent steed called Jesus.

The best thing about mowing every day is the interaction with my neighbors. I’ve cut a path to all their yards and I carry a tape measure with me at all times so I can check their tree branches aren’t overhanging the borders. I own a gun and I’m not afraid to protect my property.

I like to wave to my neighbors when they drive past. Sometimes they’ll stop and say, “Hey John, your lawn’s looking great,” and I reply, “Thank you, the trick is to cut it on the second highest setting and fertilize twice a year. Why do you keep closing your bedroom curtains at night?”

I don’t wave to Asians though. I’ve seen them drive past slowly, checking out my brass hose fittings. I once killed a man with a crossbow.

 

[ForAcademicPurposes]

 

[reezoo]

Same. I was looking at mowers in Home Depot when a Ryobi rep was there. I have a quarter acre and was going to buy one of their smaller mowers, and he recommended going bigger because you get two batteries, which is basically a $200 value. I'm glad I did because the big self-propelled ones are badass. Mine does a great job on my lawn and it's awesome to not have to worry about anything except charging the battery. And if one dies, I just use the other one.

Nester99 Aesius
Would you like to share which mode you bought, want to buy one in few days, eletric looks to be less hassle but hearing they have much less power.