Is thirty years too long to keep a lawn mower?
t1kilo
Silver Member
My push mower is 52 years old this year. It’s a Kee commercial high wheel mower with a thick cast aluminum deck. No sides on the deck, so it’s not for the faint of heart. Bought it when it was 14 years old from an older gentleman who had moved from his farm into the city. I gave him $125 for it and almost felt guilty. At that time, you could still buy them, but they were $750 plus. It’s not self propelled, but as light as it is, that’s not a problem, even for my 95 pound wife at that time.
on the subject of walk behinds, this is my choice for steep slopes & pond dams. a hyd zero turn walk behind (vs belt propelled) is the max way to go. but to the OP's thread, this does not qualify since it's only 12yrs old. foam fill on rear tires helps, but i should have gone bar rather than turf tires. regards
encoreequipment.com
» Hydro Drive Walk-Behind Mowers
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bigtiller
Super Member
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Not in my case.
The dealer had no trouble selling my trade-in. It usually had less than 40 hours.
It cost me $50 to trade every year. Spring sales push and employee discount. This was back in the 90's.
For 50 bucks I didn't have to do any spring maintenance
terraformer
Silver Member
My push mower is 65 years old I used to use it on my parents lawn when new.
My main riding mower is about 43 years old, a Bolens/iseki 19 hp diesel tractor, Japanese made, that pulls a brush hog. I have had it for about 2o years. Doesn't burn any motor oil. Uses about a gallon of diesel in 3 hours of mowing.
Nice thing about a walk behind is that you get some exercise.
My main riding mower is about 43 years old, a Bolens/iseki 19 hp diesel tractor, Japanese made, that pulls a brush hog. I have had it for about 2o years. Doesn't burn any motor oil. Uses about a gallon of diesel in 3 hours of mowing.
Nice thing about a walk behind is that you get some exercise.
Zork
Veteran Member
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No! 30 year old equipment that is well maintained and has some sort of parts supply is not too old to keep. It might be too hard for some peoples pride and it “could” cause some customers to unnecessarily question a company’s image and/or success.
Gord Baker
Platinum Member
Put a ridiculous price on it and see what happens. You may have a bearing seized that is causing belt problems
sixdogs
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Over the years I have sold many things that may have worked well and caused no problems only because I felt they were at the end of their life expectancy and would soon cause problems.
As time marched on, I watched the new owners of that equipment use it for years and sometimes for decades and I don't recall a problem that developed with anything I sold. In fact, I wish I had almost all of it back.
On the flip side, those who buy used equipment in good shape can get a good price on a serviceable item and reap the appropriate rewards. If they maintain things, they usually can sell what they bought for more than they paid, because it's fully depreciated, and enjoy the use of it for what amounts to free.
As time marched on, I watched the new owners of that equipment use it for years and sometimes for decades and I don't recall a problem that developed with anything I sold. In fact, I wish I had almost all of it back.
On the flip side, those who buy used equipment in good shape can get a good price on a serviceable item and reap the appropriate rewards. If they maintain things, they usually can sell what they bought for more than they paid, because it's fully depreciated, and enjoy the use of it for what amounts to free.
Fields_mj
Silver Member
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My dad has a wheel horse garden tractor that he bought new in '78. He had the 16hp Kohler engine rebuilt around 1993 and got a new deck for it at the same time. Had the local cable company not left something sticking up in the grass in the corner of his yard last year, he'd still be mowing with it. I don't recall what it was, but it trashed they deck. They paid for most of a new (box store) ztr which will last him the rest of his life. The best think is that now he can leave the 36" snow blower mounted on the wheel horse year round... lol That old tractor has mowed a lot of grass, blown a lot of snow, and plowed a lot of gardens over the years. He used to maintain 4 gardens (ours, both sets of grandparents, and a 1/2acre plot for some friends out in the country). I never understood why they stopped building tractors like that.
Oaktree
Super Member
I'm with Moss on this. Never had any issues that could be even remotely blamed on E10 on any 4 stroke power equipment. 2 strokes different story. Most mower failures I've had were caused by flimsy mechanical components...steering, deck pulleys, etc.
As far as Chinese carburetors go, where do you think the original one came from on anything manufactured in the last 25 years or so? Never had a bad experience with any of the Chinese aftermarket ones I've bought. They're inexpensive (at least for now), and even if you need to replace it in 4-5 years, you're still ahead.
RB5
Silver Member
I have a 2013 Gravely ProTurn 25HP 60" deck. I've had the motor replaced once. It hit something and the key on the drive shaft coming out of the motor broke. Would have to take the mottor apart to fix it, so I bought a new motor complete online for $500 that had a Deere sticker on it. It now needs a deck rebuild kit because the spindles are going out and the belt comes off. It runs great, starts great, and mows good. The new mowers appear to be in the $10k range from what I looked at the other day. I didn't get into specifics, but most of what I saw was $8k or more. I mowed way more than I should have and way thicker grass than I should have with this thing for several years before I bought my tractor. It held up pretty well. I have a good repair guy that doesn't rip me off, so I will most likely use it until the frame breaks. It's way cheaper to repair it than buy a new one.
Yes he answered his own question when he mentioned the other mower he has. I'd still get belts and keep it running.
Yes he answered his own question when he mentioned the other mower he has. I'd still get belts and keep it running.
RB5
Silver Member
That's why my 1970 Ford 2000 is sitting near the fence in a field. Many days when I took longer to get parts and repair than I had time to mow. The last time it got stuck in gear and we had to hammer on it. Got it to move and parked it out of the way.
cleat
Silver Member
DK35vince
Super Member
Thats quite the collection of Wheel Horse.
I still have a 1978 Wheel Horse C-101 (bought it used in 1986)
New paint and decals a while back.
Attachments
cleat
Silver Member
DK35vince;
That is a good looking tractor.
seven of mine are fully restored, one is in nice original condition, and the last one is in good condition but it will be restored within the next year.
I am rebuilding mower deck # 6 right now. It is in good shape, just needs some bearings, paint and decals to be like new.
That is a good looking tractor.
seven of mine are fully restored, one is in nice original condition, and the last one is in good condition but it will be restored within the next year.
I am rebuilding mower deck # 6 right now. It is in good shape, just needs some bearings, paint and decals to be like new.
