Lawn Mowers
I have had many lawnmowers over the years and wish to share my experience with them. I had push mowers, self-propelled mowers, and garden tractors. The first walk-behind mowers had the old pull-string around the top of the motor, and they were tough to start. Later, we had a two-cycle engine mower that lost its compression and became worthless. We had a self-propelled mower that had its power from the wheels, and when the grass was a little damp, you had no control. The cheaper brands never stood up to the test of time. Some of my favorite mowers are Cooper with a cast aluminum frame, Snapper, and Toro self-propelled with a cast aluminum frame. My riding mowers over the years were Cub Cadet, Ariens, Toro, and John Deere. The old Cub Cadet was built to last, and it lasted for many years. We had several Ariens over the years. The Toro mowers mow nicely. My favorite riding mower is the John Deere 425, which I still have, and the new 700 series mowers. John Deere mowers are easy to change the oil and filters on, and most are low maintenance. I always buy the commercial deck as the steel decks rust out on all mowers, and without a deck, you have no lawn mower. The run-of-the-mill riding mower will not last over two years if you live on an acreage, as the deck will fall apart.
Garden Tillers
We had a front tine tiller, a rear tine, a small tiller, and a counter-rotating tiller. The front tine tiller lasted, but you had a workout going over the ground as maneuvering the tiller was hard and bumpy. The rear tine tiller was better, but the soil was still not lovely and finely ground. I had a tiny tiller that lasted about ten years and was excellent for weeding between the rows. I have a Craftsman counter-rotating tine tiller that I have had for 26 years, and it does an excellent job and still starts with at least the third pull of the rope. It is on its third spark plug. It does not use a drop of extra oil.
Weed Whackers
My favorite gas-powered weed whackers would be Stihl or Echo. I once had a small Homelite that did an excellent job. I had an Echo weed whacker that was twenty years old and still going strong. I now like my Worxs battery-operated weed whackers. I have a walk-behind weed whacker that is 24 years old, and it works and runs great.
Chain Saws
We had a large Jonsered commercial chain saw that never wore out. I had to sell it as it was too heavy to lift anymore. We had a small Homelite chain saw for a while. I now have a commercial Stihl chain saw I have had for at least 20 years, and she still cuts like butter. I have a small battery-operated Stihl chain saw that is excellent for small branches and trimming. I once had a Stihl pole trimmer, but I had to sell it as it was too heavy to lift high enough. I loved using the pole trimmer as it was handy and quick.
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