Mower, Pole Saw Selection

[RSKY]

As you may have read in the Rural Living Section I lost my lawn equipment in a fire. We have replacement insurance but know nothing of the reliability of various brands or models. Due family responsibilities and work I have about a week, maybe two, to make my decision. I desperately need information on homeowner zero turn mowers and pole saws

The mowers I am looking at are zero turn models; Toro Timecutter 17-42Z, Cub Cadet Z Force, Husqvarna CZ48-17, and the Husqvarna Swedish Rider. This mower will be used to mow one to five acres a week of fairly level ground. I have also looked at the Gravely and the Dixon. Price and lack of features eliminate these tow brands.

The pole saws are made by Echo, Stihl, Husqvarna, and Shindiawa.

Here are my first impressions on the mowers. Toro: Pro, cheapest. Con, lightest built deck, no deck grease fittings, no nose roller, and smallest gas tank. Husqvarna Z: Pro, grease fittings on deck, biggest gas tank, foot operated height adjustment, nose roller, dealer closest to home, attention to details, grass catcher included in price. Con, highest price, and no rear hitch. Husqvarna Swede: Pro, has steering wheel instead of levers, deck tilts for cleaning and blade changing. Con, strange looking, no information on them. Cub Cadet: Pro, reputation, grease fittings on deck, best looking. Con, dealers farthest from home.

Impressions of pole saws. Echo: Pro, good experience with other Echo equipment, dealer close, shaft extends. Con: extendable shaft flexes, expensive. Stihl: Pro, dealer close, friend has had good luck with one, extendable shaft. Con: extendable shaft flexes, expensive, heaviest. Husqvarna: Pro, lightest, longer bar, good reputation. Con, expensive, does not extend. Shindiawa: Pro, cheapest, nearly as light as Husky, grease fitting on bar. Con, I know nothing about Shindiawa equipment and know nobody who has owned any.

I would greatly appreciate any information on these products. You may contact me here or at resonly@yahoo.com . If you have another product that you need to let me know about feel free to do so. The brands and models listed are available for purchase at this time. I am going to post this on several forums and in several spots in forums. Thanks for your help.

 

[LAGEORGE]

RSKY, I own an Echo pole saw and it has worked fine for me. I was going to buy the Stihl model like the county ag guys use around here but stuck with the echo due to the 2-year warranty for homeowners. I hear and see that Stihl made some improvements to their pole saw so maybe it would have won the comparison race. On my Echo, I have had problems with the housing, plastic gets deformed and has to be snapped back in, oilier screw broke but I have not sent it in yet. I noticed the chains do not stay sharp so I have a few in hand to back me up. All in all the Echo has a long heritage and proven design that works.
I will add I do not own a chain saw so the pole saw is my chain saw. My wife would and still will not let me own one. Why? she thinks I will cut everything down. So I have to ask my neighbor to come over when I need the big stuff cut. So my pole saw see’s a lot of action that most would never see.

George

 

[dieselsmoke1]

Let me begin by saying I have never owned or driven a Husky Swede, however I did consider one awhile back and will pass along what the local Husky dealer had to say.

I wanted to do business with him and had seen a Swede at Lowes and asked his opinion.

First advise: Buy something else, anything else.

Second: if you absolutely must have one, please buy it from Lowes and do not ask me to order it for you, as I want to remain your friend.

They sure looked like they would work slick and may be the best thing since sliced bread, however he spooked me well enough to eliminate the thought.

 

[Slamfire]

Shindiawa saws are faily popular with arborists. Husky, Stihl = Ford/Chevy. Both good, some like one some like the other. Echo trying hard to break into the pro ranks. Unmentioned but a contender Jonserd. If I was making the choice it would come down to dealer/proximity.

 

[fishman]

I believe husqvarna does sell an extendable pole saw. Could be wrong, but I'm almost positive I've seen them before.

I've been shopping for a pole saw too. I think you've hit the nail on the head with your analyses. Stihl, husqvarna, and echo all make good products. Chose the one you like the best.

 

[BigDave]

Are you sure he was a Husky dealer? /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif Did he sell some other equipment that had a higher margin? My dealer is more than happy to stock every chainsaw Husky makes, and I like to go visit and drool from time to time. I already own 3 Husky saws, so I can't buy anymore without grave consequences. /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

Please don't buy a Husky at Lowes, a local dealer is usually competitive on price, and you get better service to boot. My dealer has been cheaper than Lowes for every Husky item that I have purchased. Plus I got set-up, a full tank of gas & a demo. I even get a return option not available at Lowes if I choose a piece of equipment not sized correctly for what I need. I don't own a pole saw so I can't give you any personal experience, but I don't think you can go wrong with either a Husky or a Stihl product.

 

[Chillimau]

I've got the Stihl pole saw about a year old, has been a good saw so far, no problems. I have a shindiawa trimmer that is a 1980 model. I have replaced the carb and various little rubber fuel hoses but it still runs good and I am very happy with it. I just realized that thing is almost 24 yrs old!!!!! I probably would have bought a shindiawa pole pruner but I liked the extra reach of the Stihl unit.

I was talking with a shindiawa dealer and he said the particular trimmer I have is the one that made shindiawa a name in the trimmer market. Dumb luck on my part to have ended up with a good unit.

 

[dieselsmoke1]

He is a husky dealer. I tried out an XP from him, nice machine just would not work in my situation. He just wanted nothing to do with the Swede.

 

[jmc]

I've had an extendable Stihl for 3 or 4 years and like it. When I need to make one or two cuts that are less than about 8 inches, I grab the pole saw instead of the regular chain saw. The blades have lasted well and it cuts fast. No exhaust in your face like with a regular chainsaw run by a lefty. The dealer wouldn't come down on price but he threw in one of those hardhat/face shield/ear protector combo units that is handy. I've been out of shape for the last 30 years or so and the saw does get heavy.

I bought a Toro zero turn mower that I l am pleased with and actually don't mind mowing the yard anymore. Didn't shop around much so I don't know how it stacks up against the others. Three things I'll watch for next time:

They make the rear wheel width about as wide as the deck so while they are zero turn on flat ground, they aren't zero turn while mowing around a tree or something else that has heigth since the rear tire wants to climb over it.

This is a consumer grade rather than a professional grade and I wonder if the professional grades have a better way to keep the inside wheel from scuffing the grass on a sharp turn.

The steering handles will trap you in the seat if you ever need to bail out fast.

John