Lawn Equipment

GAbuckhunter88

Senior Member
I am about to purchase a house and will need to pickup a lawn mower and weed-eater. Having worked landscaping all through college I am no stranger to all of the equipment, however I cant afford to go buy the commercial equipment i would want. What would be the best options to look at for a residential application?
 

sinclair1

Senior Member
I am about to purchase a house and will need to pickup a lawn mower and weed-eater. Having worked landscaping all through college I am no stranger to all of the equipment, however I cant afford to go buy the commercial equipment i would want. What would be the best options to look at for a residential application?
Depends on the size of yard. Sometimes commercial is a better deal on a large yard that would wear out a residential mower in two seasons.
I have a small yard and use a husquvarna tractor, honda push mower and echo weed eater and blower. They all do a good job without fail.

My echo equipment is 8 years old and running strong. If you skimp too far on cheap ryobi type stuff it will cost you in the long run.
 

GAbuckhunter88

Senior Member
Depends on the size of yard. Sometimes commercial is a better deal on a large yard that would wear out a residential mower in two seasons.
I have a small yard and use a husquvarna tractor, honda push mower and echo weed eater and blower. They all do a good job without fail.

My echo equipment is 8 years old and running strong. If you skimp too far on cheap ryobi type stuff it will cost you in the long run.

Lot is about half acre. I dont plan on going the cheap route because I know the pain that causes.

Have been looking into a Honda Mower as that is all I used working landscaping.
 

oops1

Buzzard Expert
I'd try to find used commercial. That's what I did after buying a new mower every other year.
 

Wild Turkey

Senior Member
We have Hondas from HD that have been run commercially for 5 years on a daily basis. Nothing but blades so far.
 

rjcruiser

Senior Member
X2 on buying used commercial. I'd try and find an older 36" walk behind. I've seen older belt drives for sub $500. About 5 years ago, I bought an old Yazoo Keyes 36" for $250. Had the 12.5hp kawasaki on it. Bullet proof.

At that size of lot, a standard 22" walk behind is going to take you around 45 mins or a little longer. 36 walk behind will cut that time to 15-20 mins. Huge difference imo.

I'll second echo weedeater. Then get the shindaiawa speed feed trimmer head. Worth the $25.

Ive had kawasaki blowers and shindy blowers. Currently have a big shindy...love it.

Don't have an edger....I just flip my string trimmer over and use it.
 

rjcruiser

Senior Member
I'll add...right now is the time to buy used equipment.
 

TrueBlueEagle

Senior Member
I'll second the echo weedeater and leaf blower.

For the mower, I've had good luck with my ariens 54" riding from HD. A little big for a 1/2 acre....If I was going push mower, hard to beat a honda for that kinda job, IMHO.
 

crackerdave

Senior Member
I got a Bad Boy zero turn from Tractor Supply.It's very well-built and easy to get parts for.
I like my Echo chain saw and string trimmer.Echo saw has a five year warranty,Stihl only has two.
 

rayjay

Senior Member
1/2 acre lot or 1/2 acre of grass ??? 1/2 acre lot probably only has 1/4 acre or less of grass to cut. A decent used Honda push mower is a good bet. The main problem with OPE is letting them sit all winter and expecting them to run next spring. The best bet is too run the machine at least once a month. Plant fescue and winter rye every fall and you will be mowing even in January so this solves the sitting up issue !

Now if you want to go top shelf I do have a $7000 [ when new ] JD garden tractor for sale ! Power steering, hydraulic deck lift, etc.

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mattech

Deranged Throat-Puncher
Go to an commercial type store and buy their homeowner version equipment. Better equipment than the big box homeowner stuff. Although I have an echo trimmer I bought new at home depot 9 years ago. Still runs like a champ. Nothing but a couple spark plugs.
 

GA native

Senior Member
I have a Sears mower that I bought for $200 15 years ago. Not a bell or whistle on it. Starts on the third pull. Cuts great.

A $100 Poulan weedeater from the Walmart lasted me about 13 years with minimal problems. I replaced it with an Echo SRM for $200.

I've had my Homelite blower for about ten years, and it has sucked from day one. And time hasn't helped it much... Looking to replace it with an Echo soon.

The biggest thing is regular maintenance. Keep the air filter clean, the blade sharp, and the oil fresh. And you will get a lot of use out of cheap equipment.
 

Hooked On Quack

REV`REND DR LUV
Hire a yard crew and save yourself headaches and lots of time.

Best move I made 7 yrs ago, sold all my yard equipment hired a excellent/dependable yard crew, never looked back.
 
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