I need a new mower and so yesterday I went to Lowes and looked at their “reconditioned” mowers
These are mowers that were returned.
I’m looking for a 21″ Honda self propelled and want to pay about 50 cents on the dollar
Lowes had 8-9 push mowers that had been returned.
Each mower had a “packet” of information including an invoice from a local small engine shop which had repaired each of the mowers
I read some of the invoices and saw that customer had returned the mower because it wouldn’t start and the repair business said “mower started first pull and ran just fine”
Anyway, Lowes has a $369 Honda self propelled mower for $220
BUT THERE IS NO GRASS CATCHER
Their other mowers were an off brand
They had two of their lowest priced mowers (retail $139 on sale for $83) these are the cheaply made wally world disposable type of mower
So I drove over to Home depot and they only had TWO “reconditioned” mowers but THEY ONLY REDUCED THE PRICE BY $20 ON A THREE HUNDRED DOLLAR MOWER
I guess I just wanted to see if anyone else had bought a mower this way and how it worked out for you
I’m looking to buy a good mower (Honda, John deere, Toro) for around $100 and there wasn’t much of anything on craig’s list
Thanks for any input
Edited 9/15/2008 8:27 am by mrfixitusa
Replies
Yard sale.
I was forced to give up an almost new Toro at a yard sale 'cause I didn't need it anymore following a move. The SOB got it for $40.
Grass catchers are not cool. Mulchers are.
Edited 9/15/2008 9:14 am by peteshlagor
Edited 9/15/2008 9:14 am by peteshlagor
I had something happen with my last mower that gave me a lot of fitsIt would cough and sputter and wouldn't run so I would take the carb off and blow it out with compressed airPut it back together and it would run til the next timeThe carb on a sears mower is PLASTICand it is held on by a wire spring clamp type of dealYou can take off the carb in a couple of seconds!!!Anyway I was talking to an old mechanic and he said a lot of these type of problems evolve around the rubber gas line deterioratingA rubber fuel line is different from a rubber vacuum hose and sometimes people will put on the wrong rubber hose for a fuel line and it gives you fitsThanks again for your info
Don't want to hijerk yer thread but damm, you hit a sore spot.
I just recently got back my chainsaw ( yeah, the one I was braggin on) from the "shop", it was doing exactly that you describe. 40 bucks later, they said they flushed the tank and clened the carb.
JUST now I got in from mixing new gas, and getting set to lop up a bunch of wood..same damm thing still happening. There is a screen in the carb inlet that plugs up, and I BET it needs a new fuel hose and filter. Racks me off to no end that I JUST payed to get that looked at..WThell is wrong with these yo-yo's?
I'm the kinda person that has NO patience with the ignorant or thieves, and I feel like I became ignorant by not running the hell outta the saw before I paid..and they were the thieves.
So now, I will fish out the line, use some leftover from a weedwhacker that died, and fix the SOB myself..parts for a 1966 saw are scarce round here..so a new carb would be nice, but probably not gonna happen..good thing I can pull top ( 4 screws) and fish out the screen, blow on it and be running in less than 5 minutes ( if I dont drop a screw or fuggup the gasket)..arrgghh.
Sorry for the rant..Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
They kill Prophets, for Profits.
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LoLI have the same types of issuesThese are tools that I have that I don't use them enough and they get cantankerouschain sawweed whackerpower washerSo I know exactly what you're talkin bout
"and I BET it needs a new fuel hose and filter. Racks me off to no end that I JUST payed to get that looked at..WThell is wrong with these yo-yo's?"Kinda like selling you a printer for cheap, then gouging the hell out of you for ink...
What a fool believes he sees
No wise man has the power, to reason away
Click here for access to the Woodshed Tavern
check your jerry can ...it may be full of dirt and when you pour the freshly mixed gas/oil into the saw, the crud comes with it.toolman65
2nd your yard and garage sale source advice.
Got 2 good Honda mowers at garage sales this year, one for $5 as the blade clutch was stuck, $10 for the other and it even had the grass catcher. Wont pay anything for anything other than a Honda engine mower, rest are junk.
Good engines, used the GSX120 engine for a 2.5 kW generator, dont have plans yet for the other.
Got a sears mower with rusted out deck but running engine off one 'free' pile also. $2 worth of gas still in the tank<G>
mrfixitusa
Don't catch your grass. when you do you steal nutriants from the soil which are replaced with chemicals.. eventually you have to mechanically break up the soil or it will turn into clay.
When you mulch the clippings drop down into the grass and decay attracting worms which are mother natures free soil fixers.. If you have a problem with clumping, several solutions..
First mow when the grass is drier, second mow more often.. so the clippings are smaller.. third keep a really sharp blade on your mower to clip and reclip the clippings to tiny fragments.. fourth vary your mowing pattern.
This isn't a quick solution. it takes a long time to ammend the soil with just grass clippings.. you can speed up the process by getting horse or cow dung and spreading it twice a year. Chicken ship also works too but even aged chicken ship tends to have a rather offencive oder to it..
thanks and that's good info frenchyI've always fought the grass catcher on any mower I've ever hadNone ever worked very wellThanks again
C'mon over and get my Cub Cadet 21" Selfprop. Caster front wheels, catcher, mulcher and side discharge chutes.
I don't use it hardly at all. It runs great. 6.5 HP Kawasaki IIRC.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
They kill Prophets, for Profits.
Hey that sounds like a nice machineI'm going to hit another Lowes and a different Home Depot and finally the sears repair facility and see what's out thereThanks again
I'm going to hit another Lowes...
Especially at Lowe's those price reductions are discretionary. If you see something you're interested in, grab a Zone, Sales, Operations, or Store Manager and ask them to make a deal. Chances are, they will. Department managers and sales associates don't have the power to make a deal, and will just go ask somebody that can...I'd rather make my own deals thanks.
I went to Lowes this morning and the Honda mower I wanted was gone Thanks for your adviceI'm going to the other Lowes this afternoon and will see what kind of deal I can make
What do you mean by "Honda mower". I have a Husqvarna mower with a Honda engine on it. Got it for something around 250 at Northern Hydraulics. All I can say is there are Honda engines they put in things like generators, power trowellers, snowblowers, that start on the first pull and purr like kittens. This mower isn't in that class. I can't really complain about it, it's a cut above a Briggs and Stratton, but it sure ain't like the motor on my Honda generator.
You must have a GC series motor, the GX is the commercial grade and the one with the great reputation.
Jon Blakemore RappahannockINC.com Fredericksburg, VA
Marson
I too have a Honda Mower (rider model 2013) it's going on 15 years old and maybe someday I should replace the spark plugs.. about 4 years ago I did buy a new battery for it.
It's been sadly abused it's whole life. During the construction of my house it was left outside all winter/summer etc.. It's hauled countless trailers full of construction materials around the house saving my back to a massive degree. Tons of Rocks for retaining walls and even the walls of my house.. countless tons of black dirt and peat moss plus all the plants and Garden stuff.
Plus every week or so it mows my lawn.
It's shaggy looking but still does a fine job even if I have to fill the back tire every other week with air due to a leak.
I bought a reconditioned YardMachine mower at HD about 7 years ago. Don't remember what I paid for it, but it was a great deal.
It still starts on the first pull everytime.
Matt Garcia 1986-2008 22 yo Fairfield City Council Member, shot 09/01/08 RIP
Thanks - I looked at a yard machine today and they look pretty good
YardWorks is on my 'no-buy' list because they run Tecumseh engines and buck the guarantee on the engine off to Tecumseh directly. But Tecumseh's guarantee isn't worth the paper it's printed...on unless you happen to live next door to their factory.
They require you to ship the engine prepaid to their Wisconsin factory for evaluation of any warantee issue. If they agree with your claim, they'll fix it and ship it back. If not, you have to pay for return shipping or they'll throw it out.
Gimme a B&S any day. Simle, affordable, indestructible. Still using my No-name $87 lawnmower with a B&S on it; going into its 26th year next spring. And it lives outside all winter, too. Have changed one fuel line and one muffler in that quarter-century....
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....
Ding Ding DingWe have a winner !You have just received a dog bone for keeping the same lawn mower for so many years.The mowers I buy have the cheap plastic wheels and all the other various plastic parts and would never last that long.Saluuuute
While your driving around, stop in at the repair shops, too. They probably have some that have been repaired, but never picked up.
You have just received a dog bone for keeping the same lawn mower for so many years.
The yard mowing season on the side of a glacier is only about 2 weeks long though.View Image
I have an old Jacobsen with a B&S engine that was probably 20 years old when I bought it at a yard sale 20 years ago...no plastic parts, no safety interlocks, pretty much just an engine and a blade. :) I push it under the back porch each fall, drag it back out in the spring, and it starts right up again.
I keep mine under an inverted galvanised laundry tub. Keeps the snow and rain off the engine. Each spring I give it four pumps on the prime bulb and one yank and it starts.
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....
Not sure if you meant YardWorks, or YardMachines like I have. Mine has a B & S engine.
Never heard of YardWorks.
"Everyday we learn something new. Take life as a test and shoot for a better score each day. It doesn't have to be an "A" the next day, but let's hope it improves." 08/27/08
Matt Garcia 1986-2008 22 yo Fairfield City Council Member, shot 09/01/08 RIP
Must be cause it's that old
I had, for a period of years, lawn mowers, two compressors, and a log splitter, all with B&S engines.....
All maintained meticulously, all ####. Carb issues, valve issues, on and on..... One of the compressors was an ingersoll rand with a b&s, bought it cause I figgered it would be "heavier duty" than emglo, or the like. After all, IR has been doing big comps forever, right? Engine blew a rod after 1 year, so I brought it back... Was told that "that engine isn't made to run 30-40 hours a week, even if you change the oil like you're supposed to" so..I bought a new "i/c (industrial commercial) long block, switched it over...1 year later valve needed done. I've had emglos with the old wisconsin robin engines that went for 5 years before I had to do anything other than reg maint and spark plugs.
Splitter engine died, then ran, then died...constantly messing with plugs, carbs, etc. Put a 5.5 horse Honda on it, been 8 years, probly 100 cord of wood, 1 spark plug. Honda is the only small engine I buy on anything now. Not sure what the secret is, but they start first pull, every time. I hear ya about the B&S that's 26 years old, but I don't think that level of quality is there anymore....
my .02
Bing
Not sure if you meant YardWorks, or YardMachines like I have. Mine has a B & S engine. Never heard of YardWorks.
I meant YardWorks. I thought 'YardMachine' was just another variation on the name.
My local Cub dealer told me that YardWorks, MTD, and White are all the same machines, marketed under different names so they can sell simultaneously to competing dealers in the same territory. Nice, eh? Kinda reminds me of the motorcycle business back inthe '70s. Accepted wisdom was that if you should never open a Honda dealership in a two-storey building because Honda would put another dealer right over yer head....
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....
I bought a Yard Machine a couple years ago--mine has a Briggs & Stratton engine, FWIW (used to be good engines and this one seems to be good). I thought, "I can buy this for about $200, or a Honda for at least twice as much--is a Honda twice as good, or will it last twice as long? I doubt it."
I bought the Yard Machine in late fall and never ran it. Put oil in it in the spring and started it and mowed about two passes and it stopped and wouldn't start. Took it back to the store and they said I ran it without oil and added oil later! (Not true--all I can think is that there was an air bubble or something and the oil hadn't had time to run down.) Anyway, I called Briggs & Stratton and they had the dealer rebuild the engine and they paid for it! So I was pretty happy. (I called them back and thanked them--they were very surpised--said everyone calls to complain, but no one had ever called to thank them for good service!)
Still starts on first pull. Only thing I don't like is my yard is real bumpy and I fatigue and break a handle a year! Did the same with my old Craftsman--handles and wheels seem to be the weak spots on most mowers!
the mower I bought has a honda engine and the rest of the mower is Craftsman (from what I can tell)there is a craftsman sticker on the deckThe sales associate at Sears was a nice young man in his 20's and we spent a lot of time talking about mowers, cars, tools, etcwe looked at a lot of different mowers and he gave me his opinion on which one to buyWe talked about front wheel drive vs rear wheel driveHe explained the advantages of eachfront wheel drive works better on rough hilly terrain and rear wheel drive is good for flat surfaces and is easier to turn corners for an elderly person.the associate had me look compare mowers and he suggested I choose the one with the fewest plastic components.I thought that made sensethere were reconditioned mowers that looked brand newon the other side of the coin, there were reconditioned mowers that looked like they had had quite a bit of useOne reconditioned mower looked pretty old !!!It was a 5 horsepower and most (all?) the mowers of today are 6 HPthe sales associate said "wow I haven't seen one of those for a while"I looked at several electric mowers and thought that might be the way to go (never have to worry about water in the gasoline, spark plugs, air filters, old gas, changing oil, broken starter rope, etcthe electric mowers I looked at were price at $189 and they were 12 amp elect motor which I would assume is plenty of power for mowingThese were corded mowersI noticed the most expensive mowers are the ones with electric start or the new mowers that have a vacuum system built into them "4 to "5 flex hose from the deck of the mower into the bagging systemThese mowers are as high as $600I'll close by saying the new mowers DO NOT have a primer and I think this is a good improvement over the old technology
Hmmm. I've never seen a mower with a primer. I've only seen primers on snow blowers.
There is no absurdity that human beings will not resort to in order to defend another absurdity. -- Cicero
My last few mowers have had a primer bulbIt's a rubber bulb and you push it a three times and then pull the starter ropeMy sears weed whacker has one alsoDan, I think you need to get out a litle morePrimer bulbs have been around for at least 10 years now
Well, our 30-year-old gas mower doesn't have one, but our 20-year-old snowblower does. I vaguely recall that the chainsaw we had when I was a teen had a primer button (in addition to the oiler button). Have seen them on a few mowers in the stores, but it was my impression that they were just on the really cheap ones.
There is no absurdity that human beings will not resort to in order to defend another absurdity. -- Cicero
I wait till dump day and pick up the ones they throw away.
Rich people dont mess with trying to fix anything so i get them there, plus i look important going through the dumpsters on that day.
If someone hoity toity comes in i say im helping the town
I can picture you loading up a used mower with three good wheels on it and the handle bent and looking like a pretzel
lot of places you can't dump pick anymore.have to cruise the streets early on trash day to get there before the trashmen.
bobl Volo, non valeo
Baloney detecter WFR
"But when you're a kibbutzer and have no responsibility to decide the facts and apply the law, you can reach any conclusion you want because it doesn't matter." SHG
This is sort of a hijack, but a neighbor lady has a small yard (standard 1/4 acre lot, if that) and hires a company to come in and mow it. Several guys show up, one on a riding mower and he races around the yard so fast the tires throw dirt. He has a path worn in one corner and the tires have worn the grass away packed the earth down so it looks more like the infield of a ball diamond. When they're done you can actually see the tread marks in the dirt! Neighbor seems happy though--weird thing is she has her own landscape design service!
We don't need no stinkin stores! Bought a 20 yr old JD 240 with a Kawasaki 14 hp. $200. Runs like a peach.
Mike
Fixit
Do all the Lowes and HD do this, have recon'd mowers?
I need another mower for my other yard, damn tired of loading up the mower to take over to the other place but to cheap to go out and buy a new one. Figured I'd find a deal here pretty soon as winter is comming and figured the stores would be wholeselling em.
Doug
Yes Lowes and HD has reconditioned MowersMowers get returned and they park them in the back room and then periodically they load them all up and take a full load to the repair shop and in a day or two they are repaired and they bring a load back to the store.I went to Sears this afternoon and they had approx 20 reconditioned mowersTHEY SELL THEM FOR 50% OF RETAILThis is cheaper than either Lowes or Home Teacup !!!!So I bought a Honda mower at Sears this evening for half price !!!Oh Yesss !!!!Sweeeeeet !!!!
I was looking for a cheapo mower a couple weeks ago, went to wall-mart, they only had 2 new mowers in stock, but they had 4 or 5 "returned' mowers, I asked the clerk where they all came from, she said people buy them to get their lawn mowed then return them. the new one was 138.00 +- Bought one of the used ones for 50.00 Looks like new,couldnt have been used more than once or twice
Thanks, I'll give them a looksee.
Doug
Ideally you could take your time and look around for a good dealEspecially at this time of year they should be going on saleI made a mistake by waiting until my old mower crapped out and then I had to do something quickI would like to buy a good mower for $10 at a garage sale like some of the guys have done on hereI will tell you that I bought a $89 mower at wally world several years ago and it was fine for a year or twoAbout the third year the muffler rusted out and the engine started smoking pretty bad. I was really disappointed with the qualityGood luck!
I got a friend that goes to the city dump and gets all of his mowers. I'm always amazed that he doesnt spend much time at all before he gets them running.
We had some pretty bad flooding here this summer, same guy(from above) goes over to the local(three blocks from his house) mower shop and gets himself 4 brand new Honda motors, the shop had discarded everything and these motors were sitting out in the pile headed for the land fill. He drained them of all fluids and did whatever other else he could think of and they all run, dont know what he will do with all of em but he has them just in case.
Doug
your all set now,but i have bought 4-5 items from lowes that had been repaired,so far not a turd in the bunch.but what i do is go over there with some gas,if there out side aqnd nobodys paying attention i throw alittle gas in it and see if it will fire right up,if not on to the next one. the edger i bought was inside so i paid for it and walked out and gased it,it was ok,but if it wouldn't of started easy i would of just walked in and returned it.
must be a reason they have my pic posted on the registars.........
sears probably the same ,but lowes does give full warranty ,home depot is a bust for this stuff.larryif a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?
LoLThat's funny taking your own gas can to Lowes and firing up mowers and trying them outI'd like to see you take off across the parking lot on one of their expensive riding mowers. lolI ended up buying a mower at Sears in Town East MallThey have a caged area outside where they have all the reconditioned mowers, although there were a few more inside the store on the display floor.I paid 50% of retail (which was their asking price) and was patting myself on the back but now I'm second guessing myself and wondering if I should have offered lower? I'm kicking myself thinking I should have offered half of what they were wanting. Oh well.Anyway, I'm vowing to never pay retail for any more tools One last thing Larry, my phone is ringing off the hook with people wanting to hire a handyman.I'm getting calls everyday.It's still a little early to see how it will pan out but I'm really surprised at amount of interest.A guy called me today and we talked and he said he is needing a handyman ON A FILL TIME BASIS. He's a realtor and he has his own rentals and he does property management. I said I want to make $1,000 a week and he said "no problem"famous last words
You bring gas and fire them up.. you are my hero
couple years ago they had a really good weedeater that looked like it had been really used,but i wanted it. i go to lowes 1-3 times a day so for probably 3 days everytime i'm there ,i stop and fire it to see how it's going to start. it did good,so i finally got em down to 40.00 and it is my favorite weedeater. it's a husky commercial type and is 1 mean sob. larryif a man speaks in the forest,and there's not a woman to hear him,is he still wrong?
http://www.neutonmowers.com/ContentPages/CSTM_62_Overview.aspx
From what a John Deere dealer told me two years ago, stear clear of their current walk behind stuff (like you'd buy at Lowes). Even though it's made by Snapper and painted green, he said the quality took a hit from when Deere was still making them themselves. His first choice was a Toro (another line he sold) or Honda.
My dad bought a Techumsa powered MTD about 15 years ago. It was a dog from day one. It was replaced by a Deere JS63 in 1998 - no major problems until last year when the B&S engine started burning more oil than gas and eventually died. Replaced it with a Honda last April. No problems to date except replacement parts are expensive. Up until the Honda each mower mowed his yard and then either myself, one of my brothers, or my sister used them to mow an additional 4-6 yards a week. When you take that amount of use into account, each had a decent lifespan.
Father in law is on his second Toro in about 15 years. Only reason that he replaced the first one is that the drive transaxle went out on it and a replacement was 2/3 the cost of the new mower.
I've almost always used yard sale and auction mowers.
I once had a 25" riding mower that was given to me. Behind it I pulled two push mowers - One that was given me, and another one that I had paid $15 for. I could mow a 60" swath, and I only had $15 invested.
Another time I got a really old, heavy cast 22" mower deck and put a 7 HP B&S engine on it. It weighed a TON, but could cut danged near anything.
I would like to see the riding mower with the two other mowers attached to itI think it shows a lot of ingenuity to do things like that (plus it's impressive to make something at a fraction of the cost of a riding mower)In the past two days I've looked at some riding mowers priced at $6,000
my mower is getting long in the tooth.only about 12 years old.some parts probably should be replaced.it is the kind that has a "clutch" (friction connection) to engage the blades.figure it could use new belts (2), new "clutch", and 2 drive wheels (tread worn off)while I haven't priced the parts, my guess is that they will cost a lot. a new blade is about $25.engine runs, starts on first pull, but power may be down, or the "clutch" is slipping .afraid to figure out what the replacement parts cost will be.
bobl Volo, non valeo
Baloney detecter WFR
"But when you're a kibbutzer and have no responsibility to decide the facts and apply the law, you can reach any conclusion you want because it doesn't matter." SHG
"I would like to see the riding mower with the two other mowers attached to it"
I have some old 35MM pics somewhere, but don't have a scanner. So I don't think I can post them.
Basically I made a "V" shaped sling with ropes. The sling tied onto the riding mower at two points. I put an eye bolt in the front corner of the push mowers to hook the rope onto.
The tracking of the push mowers was adjusted by changing the lengths of the two legs of the rope where it attached to the riding mower.
It worked fairly well for me back then, but there were problems. Like it was hard to keep 3 engines running consistently. Sometimes I'd make one trip around the yard only to find that one of the engines on the push mowers had died and I hadn't noticed.
It was deafeningly loud, so I always wore hearing protection. That made it harder to hear when something went wrong.
A couple of times I hit something and one of the push mowers would flip over.
If the ground was squishy it made it hard for the rider to pull the push mowers.
What the heck - Back then I had time but was poor as a church mouse. So I did what I had to do to get by, and it worked.
I spilled spot remover on my dog.
He's gone now.
mrfixitusa,
I bought my Honda Rider for $1800 about 15 years ago, last time I looked they were up to $2200. If you read how usefull it's been to me and how little maintinace it's needed over the years the $120 a year I'VE SPENT ON IT IS MONEY WELL SPENT.. (go back to post 36)
Edited 9/16/2008 10:44 am ET by frenchy
here's my experience with a honda mower that i bought at home depot about 7 yrs ago. was always hard to start 10 or more pulls, i thought they advertised a one pull start. i finally had enough last year and bought a new carb, now i can start it with 3 pulls. if i ever buy another honda i'll get it from a honda dealer, i think home depot models are made to lesser specs, but that's imho.
Just based on your title?
Manual mower.
Pluses are uses no gas & will exercise your children<G>. At least it did when Mother & Father made me mow...
Drying out. 3 dead mouzies in traps, proof that winter is coming early.
LoLThey still sell them and I saw one at Lowes