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The devil made me do it the first time, second time I done it on my own - W

My craftsman (B&S) did the same thing last night. It's only 2 years old though.

I suppose I should check the oil.

Never put stabilizer in.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

My Troy-Bilt is the same way. Especially the 2-stage string trimmer, by all rights that thing should never run again, but it does.

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The secret of a long life is you try not to shorten it.
-Nobody

First mow of the season every year and mine starts on the second or third pull every time with the gas from last fall in the tank. After that, every week is first pull.
Best indeed.

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A false humanity is used to impose its opposite, by people whose cruelty is equalled only by their arrogance

I bought my Toro used for $100. That was eight years ago, I changed the oil once. Runs like a champ.

Is it the same engine as your Civic?

No, this one actually runs.

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How does Danny Hart sit down with balls that big?

I have a craftsman as well. Inherited it from my Grandma when she passed away 10+ years ago. Mower is at least 20 years old. I never put stabilizer in and don't remember the last time I changed the oil. Last weekend was the first time I mowed the lawn this year and it started first pull.

I have a Honda, too. I sharpen blades, change oil, replace the spark plug and air filter every spring after running it down to very little gas in the fall. Top off the gas with fresh 93 octane stuff and it takes about 10-15 pulls to get it started the first time.

I'm doing it all wrong.

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Travis Rassat
Vector Cycle Works
Noblesville, IN
BikeFit Instructor | FMS | F.I.S.T. | IBFI
Toughman Triathlon Series Ambassador

Lawn Boy rules. I have a 4-cycle Silver Series mower that's >10 years old and looks like a complete POS but starts on the first pull just about every time. I do run the gas out of it at the end of the season but I can't remember the last time I changed the oil or the plug. I've replaced the pull cord and several cables but that's about it for maintenance apart from sharpening the blade every now and then. The housing that contains the pull start cable/mechanism got so loose that the vibrations while it was running wore away the rivet holes until it finally pulled right off of the body. Now, you have to set the pull start mechanism on top of the flywheel and hold it in place with one foot while you pull, and then lift it off the mower - pretty janky, but it works. When it finally refuses to start easily, I'll get a new one but until then...

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_________________________________________________
"The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare" - Juma Ikangaa

http://www.litespeed.com

I have a Ratillio mower! Mexican brand, best mower I've had!

I had an old something or other, forget the brand, with an MTD engine. replaced the pull cord once, and the blade after I hit that piece of granite in the yard. and that's about it.

Gave it to a friend who was getting back on his feet when we got the craftsman, it's still running too. The old one has to be at least 15 years old by now, my wife bought it second-hand back in '08.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

I have the exact same issue with my mower and in researching this a bit it appears to be an issue with the autochoke on the engine. I think there may have been a recall by my engine doesn't appear to be covered by the recall, despite it having the same issues as those that were. I haven't gotten far enough to figure out the solution.

Mine is actually a Troy-Bilt but the motor is Honda, you know, the part that matters.

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How does Danny Hart sit down with balls that big?

Back in the day (1960's), you were lucky to get 3-4 years out of a lawn mower. That was with putting in new spark plugs, changing the oil, cleaning the air filter, putting in white gas over the winter, etc.

Everybody makes better lawn mowers today. (Are any lawn mowers manufactured in the USA these days?) I had a Craftsman that I bought in 1996 for less than $150. Never did anything except fill it up with gas and once in a blue moon adding a little oil (but I never changed the oil). Last summer, the starter rope broke. The plastic wheels were starting to disintegrate and the grass catcher bag had some holes in it by then. It was easier to go out and buy a new Troy Built than to get the starter rope replaced. Lo and behold, the owner's manual on this mower specifically says there's no need to ever change the oil, just add oil when/if you need to.

Bliss.

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"Human existence is based upon two pillars: Compassion and knowledge. Compassion without knowledge is ineffective; Knowledge without compassion is inhuman." Victor Weisskopf.

On my essentially 3 rd one. They are good. Starts first pull almost every time. First one was my brothers who I used to live on the same block. Both used it for about 10 years, along with another neighbor who joined in the last 3 years before something went on it. I forget what broke but it wasn't worth fixing. Brother is a mechanic so it was a part issue. Got another one and for three years before myself and the other guy using it moved we beat the hell out of it. We always leave gas in it over the winter and I don't know that we've ever done anything other then sharpen blades. Unless my brother was keeping up with oil and all that stuff. But I doubt it considering he'd leave it outside in the rain at times.
Until I get the blessing to buy a tractor this thing will get beat up pretty good.

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"I think I've cracked the code. double letters are cheaters except for perfect squares (a, d, i, p and y). So Leddy isn't a cheater... "

The spring thaw must be occurring. The Canadians are talking lawnmowers.

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_________________________________
I'll be what I am
A solitary man

Jose Ratillo? How often does he mow your lawn? That guy is great!

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Proud member of the MSF (Maple Syrup Mafia)

I was the last holdout on the street. I was ordered by my wife to mow since "we have the worst lawn on the street!".

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How does Danny Hart sit down with balls that big?

every Monday, he only has one name Ratillio. He said yard look no good, 2 month me make better. He is a grass magician!

We bought a Honda HR194 in 1989. We have changed the oil every five years or so and had a tune up / cable replacement service done four years ago. The only preventive maintenance we have ever done is closing the fuel petcock after every use and letting it run out of gas.

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I have a personality disorder, I don't drink coffee...

I have a craftsman that's at least five years old. I've never done any maintenance on it beyond sharpening the blade and it keeps running.

Are you guys sharpening your own blades, or taking them in?

If you are doing it yourself, how?

I bought a bench grinder at a yard sale for $10. I'm pretty sure the thing is at least 40 years old, but it works great. Just youtube a video and you can do it yourself in 5 minutes. Just make sure you balance it right or you will wear out the bearings in the mower.

I'm still holding out. My neighbor's lawn is his life's work so our lawn looks pretty bad relative to his. Our dandelions must keep him awake at night.

My neighbor has a grinding wheel.

I bought a small grinding stone that fits into the chuck of my drill. Just flip the mower on its side and go to work on the blade. It probably doesn't do as good a job as a bench grinder, but it's plenty effective - and I don't have to take the blade off. Never worried too much about getting the blade unbalanced since I don't take off much material in the process. My mower is well over 10 years old and still has the original mulching blade on it.

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_________________________________________________
"The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare" - Juma Ikangaa

http://www.litespeed.com

Angle grinder then bench grinder then if I'm feeling fancy a file. If I'm in a hurry just the angle grinder

I agree that Honda's are probably the best. If my 15 year old Craftsman ever dies, that's what I will get.

How many people in your neighborhood mow their own lawns? Here on Long Island, I'm the only one for miles around. No wonder they call it Lawn Guy Land!

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''Sweeney - you can both crush your AG *and* cruise in dead last!! 😂 '' Murphy's Law

Virtually everyone in my neighbourhood mows their own lawn.

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How does Danny Hart sit down with balls that big?

ha! I thought everyone in Long Guy Land just had a big dick.

I bought a Honda mower last year. It replaced a Toro (with a Tecumseh engine) that lasted an amazing 35 years.

When I lived on long island, I mowed my lawn (it was a household chore), a lot of people had a lawn care company. I never understood it, it was expensive and the lawns are not that big.

What really gets me is the people who have riding lawnmowers for their whole 4000 square feet of lawn to mow. My father in law always wanted one and does two things with his riding lawnmower, mow his 2000 square foot yard and give his grandkids rides on it.

Blep, you really should change the oil. In these small engines it's recommended to change every 8 hours. For one thing your are wearing out a very good motor slowly, and when it fails, it will fail totally!

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''Sweeney - you can both crush your AG *and* cruise in dead last!! 😂 '' Murphy's Law

The guy at my local mower repair shop likes Robins Subaru engines best. He said they are well engineered and built, last a long time, and aren't terribly expensive to fix when they break down.

Not sure if any lawn mowers even use these engines any more. Ryobi mowers used to but I think that now they only make electric mowers.

I just have a Mexican mowing my lawn. Best mower ever.

This is one of my neighbors. Apparently the husband has a grass allergy, so she has to mow. After a couple of years they got a riding mower & she still does it 100% of the time. Until recently, I thought the husband might have been a fantasy or a blow up doll, as I had only seen him twice and wasn't even sure that he actually lived in the house. 100% of the work I've seen done outside, from grass to any other project, have been done by the wife or what I assume are their parents.

My other neighbor has upwards of 20 push mowers in his garage -- buying, repairing, reselling -- but has a friend with a landscaping business mow his lawn instead. It's kind of funny, but he just hates mowing and knows how funny it is. I'd be the same if I weren't such a tightwad about things like that and if there weren't podcasts to listen to.

My wife generally mows since I have spring allergies, but she likes to mow. I'll pull the weeds in the garden.

My neighbor's wife got into the whole Fitbit step counter craze. He got her to mow the lawn all year so she could get her steps in and he sat on the porch drinking beer.

That man deserves a badge of honor. Brilliant. Now I know exactly what to do when my wife has her next step challenge at work. She gets into those things and is competitive. Now to procure my drink of choice. Decisions, decisions.

My wife has decided that mowing our yard is fun. Likes zipping around on the zero turn looking at all the plants and such. She even thinks it was her idea.

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I'm beginning to think that we are much more fucked than I thought.