He wasn’t serious, just trying to zing me.
Ditto! Zero problems with my 40W Ryobi weedeater, leaf blower, and shrub trimmer. Since they all use the same batteries, I always keep a fully charged one in reserve.
I’ve got (5) batteries. It usually takes me 2-4 of the batteries to mow my whole yard and do the weed eating.
The batteries are expensive, I’ll confess. Recently I bought a “generic” one for $39, and it works just as good as the $200+ Ryobi one.
It’s such an amazing feeling to do your last mowing in the fall, and just stick the mower, etc in the garage and forget about it. Then in the spring you literally slide in a battery and get to work. No old gas, no random non-starting, or maintenance.
Don’t forget the other maintenance items like sharpening or changing blades, greasing wheels and other items, and so on. I always do the touch up and wax during th3 off season. Changing filters, plugs, and oil doesn’t take much.
My primary problem with small engines, whether Dad’s or my own over the last 30 years, is getting them to start and stay running.
Back about 1979 I went to buy a new walk behind. I told the guy I wanted an electric start because of all the problems I I had starting it. He showed me the Toro GTS. Guaranteed to start on the first or second pull. Yup, no problem. It was $500 but built like a tank and never failed to start. Used it till I moved in 94 and went to a rider. Then my son used it. Finally gave it to the small engine shop a couple years ago and still great shape. Not cheap but not a hundred dollar Walmart variety.
Then you were doing something wrong. I ran a part time Lawn mowing service for 12 years and had very few problems with the mowers starting and stay running.
[quote=“ChrisTheTireWhisperer, post:18, topic:205805”]
Machines took 20 tries to start, and the lawnmower would motor-boat: v-r-r-OOOOmm-v-r-r-OOOmm, as I cut the first lawn of April. On the low end of that motorboating it would almost stall over a high patch of grass.
I think you answered your own posting, that “small engine shop” charged you $150 to “fix” your lawn mower and you still have the same issues… drive a little farther and go to a shop with qualified “mechanics” And their advice to use Premium is very likely wasting your money…
Look at your User manual or Google the Fuel requirements for your engine. Almost all standard small engines require a minimum of 89 octane (mid-grade) gasoline with an ethanol content of 10% or less.
However, you can safely use higher octanes like 91 or 93; but lower grades like 87 can cause severe engine damage and overheating in high-revving two-stroke motors, such as: Stihl, newer Honda, Kohler OHV engines, etc…
In conclusion, if you do not want o waste money, use the octane rating recommended by the manufacturer…
Should I have added to that list emptying the fuel tank before long-term storage, vs just throwing Sta-bil in a half tank of gas that would sit for 5 months?
Two weeks ago, my mower started and stalled 5 times involving 20 pulls. This was with the 4-year-old gasoline that came out of my Plymouth. The engine surged for 10 minutes while mowing, I stopped and add 8 ounces of fresh gasoline to help clean the carburetor.
Old fuel can be difficult to ignite in a cold engine, but after warm it starts with one pull.
I am not going to look for a qualified mechanic to take my $150, I’ll just put it in a drawer.
Based on a follow-up comment, I suspect the repair shop was referring to a specific fuel station pump with off-road fuel for motorboats and yard equipment.
This company sells kits to turn your gas generator to run on natural gas. easy install.
Rating it by Voltage is a lot like selling gas powered lawn equipment by RPM. I use a 2700 RPM lawn mower. You have a 3400 RPM mower. They have a 6800 RPM weed trimmer on sale. I’ll stick with my old 1800 RPM equipment! Kind of meaningless!
We put the summer lawnequipment away for 5 months around here. I bought a little used 1972Ariens 8 hp snow thrower in 1990 for $1q25 and sold it with my house to my granddaughter who sold it because she was afraid of the old beast.The 318cc flathead had thelow end torque of today 13 hp and would throe a solid chute of snow 35 feet.It was easy staerting and I ran it dry before I put it away and it was never in the shop in the 32 years I had it. Besides doing my driveway and the sidewalks around my court. It would walk through the 5; drifts while guiding it with one hand and I made about 250 foot of paths for my West Highland terriers.
I ran all my summer equipment dry also and the only problem I had with ethanol gas was that it ate the fuel lines off my string trimmer./
You don’t understand battery-powered yard accessories. The volt rating is a direct indicator of the number of cells used and, therefore, the power of the device. P=V x I, remember?
No it isn’t. It’s like selling gas powered equipment by torque.
Just to continue going off the rails, there is the law of diminishing returns for battery equipment. My drills, carpet sweeper, hedge trimmer etc. are all the 20v variety and work just fine. When I wanted a brush cutter though, I ended up with an 80 volt monster. Yup it sure does the job but is so heavy, use time is limited. I cant imagine going any higher than that and would choose gas instead. Now th3 mowers with six heavy batteries is no big deal since you dont have to carry them and ride instead. You’ve been warned.
Computer power supplies have been sold with a concrete block inside to increase the weight and perceived quality or performance. It’s the “fake PFC made of cement”. It’s only a matter of time before this trick is done to batteries coming out of Asia.
provide proof