Lipstick on a...mower? (Long)

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To the OP. You haven't told us the deck size. It is interesting that the mower was declared underpowered, yet no one ever asked what the deck size was. Is this it?

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Yard-Man-38-12.5-HP-Riding-Lawnmower/13373914

My property's previous owner mowed the 1.5 acres just fine with this mower. Quality might not be fabulous but is not the issue.

One thing I notice in that product picture is the internal volume of the deck is low because it is so short. As a result, you cannot tackle thick grass very quickly, or the mower will clog. If you continue to try to mow while clogged, you'll get little done.

You say you put on new blades yearly, so that is one strike against you. The reason is factory blades come fairly dull, usually 45 degrees with a 1/64" flat tip. If you put a proper 40 degree edge all they down they will cut better for a while, but get duller easier. I re-sharpen mine with the top half hollow ground before putting them on. That way they start sharper and stay sharper. A hollow ground edge is concave. For most folks simply putting a 40 degree edge and resharpening every 30-40 hours is such a huge improvement it's enough.

You say you put on new blades yearly, but how many hours is that? If you're putting on more than 50 hours per year, your blades are really dull.

STOP running at 90-95% throttle. Your engine was designed to run and cool itself at 3600 RPM and that requires full throttle. It's not a car engine, it works more like a tractor engine. You won't hurt the engine. Ask any go-kart racer what the true redline of a Briggs is. It's not 3600 RPM.

Also (as stated before) check the blades to see if they're blowing up and not down.

I think it is amusing that you call mowing once a week "idiotic" but it takes you 3-4 hours to do one bi-weekly mow. If you could complete a weekly mow in less than 1 hour, you'd be spending almost half the hours time mowing.

I would do the following: Sharpen the blades, make sure they are upright, set the mowing deck to the highest height, clean the deck, make sure the grass is dry, mow slowly the first week, and then mow weekly thereafter. You'll save time over your current routine.
 
I don't know how you can mow every 2 weeks, I live just north of Shawnee, OK. Which is central.
With all the rain we got this year (over 20 inches in May and so far over 6 inches in June)
I have to mow every 5 or 6 days, and could do every 3, over 5 days I leave little windrows mulching with my Husqvarna zero turn, if I wait 7 days I can hear engine working pretty hard (23 hp Kohler)
You would do much better mowing at least every week.
 
Quote:
I always have to run at ~90-95% throttle


You should be mowing at 100% throttle. All the time. Never in my life have I mowed at any less than 100% throttle.
 
One thing I did last year when I refurbished my grandfather's Deere was I coated the bottom of the mower deck with about 6 coats of Plasti-Dip. We always had clogging issues when we cut the one boggy area of his yard. It's not a problem anymore unless you are mowing at top speed (10mph or so). Nothing likes to stick to it. How durable? Won't know for a few years.

You may want to check your pulleys for wear and upgrade to Kevlar belts for both the drive and transmission. Run it at full power.
 
For my 2 cents, I'd say the engine has enough power to operate the blades cutting grass that is not way overgrown. All the previous comments are pretty much on the money, but I think the real problem is not being addressed, or has not been emphasized enough.
The throttle control likely has a 'rabbit' setting that has a detent or groove to keep the lever from moving. You should use that engine speed to avoid the engine running slow, lugging and, most important, overheating. The air cooled small engines depend on the flywheel blower to pass cooling air over the cylinder and heads. At low rpms, the blower does not pass enough air to keep the engine cooled properly. Instead of 'babying' your mower, you are killing it running it at low rpms.
I also would check the governor operation. The throttle plate should open fully when the control is moved to rabbit with the engine off. The governor will pull the throttle closer to closed when the engine starts, and try to keep the engine rpms at a specific setting. When the load from the deck & blades is added, the engine will normally drop rpm for a few seconds until the governor can allow the throttle spring to open the throttle plate and develop more power. As you get into cutting longer grass, the governor should allow the plate to open, as much as wide open, to handle the load. If you are having the engine slow down and stall when you try to cut a full-width pass, either the engine is not developing its full power, or the governor is not allowing the engine to develop full power. In one case, even with full throttle, the worn out engine is doing its best, in the other, the engine is being limited from doing its job by the governor.
tom

added in response to the OP questions:
Most mowers are not designed to cut at the highest speed setting. They'll cut clean and neat at the middle settings a whole lot better. I do most cutting at 3 or 4 on an AYP, and have not cut in 5 or 6 settings. The lowest speeds are good for maneuvering around obstacles.

Most engines are designed for single weight engine oil, such as 30W. The only exception I know of is the Kohlers that want 10W30. I would check that the multi-grade is suggested for summer use or is more for cold weather operation. B&S suggested plain 30W, and limited the multi-weight to winter, and said there would be more oil consumption.
 
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If you don't like mowing so often you could start mowing really short, it stresses the grass and it takes a while to recover and grow again. Too short for too long lets "weeds" move in but many of them are easier to mow than a thick lawn.
Like you, I don't like to mow the yard more than I have too, as there are 100 better things to do in the summer. I aim for every too weeks or so, or longer if its dry, and a healthy 16-18hp motor on a 42" deck seems to work for me at least.
For you, it might be worth getting a serious rider that can cut hay at good pace. Or hire a guy with the 50hp commercial zero turn 4-5 times a year.
 
Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
Originally Posted By: tony1679
I was erring to the high side at 6" I mow every 2 weeks. It's not TOO tall. 2 weeks is more frequent than most of my neighbors mow. They don't have any issues. Yet my mower struggles.

Do any of them try to do it with an old, used, small, hand-me-down Yard Man mower? It sounds like they have mowers that are far superior to your old disposable Yard Man. Do you suppose the power and quality of the mower makes any difference?
Originally Posted By: tony1679

My neighbor just bought his JD 22hp twin zero-turn and desperately begged me to let him cut my lawn (he wanted to see what it was made of
smile.gif
) He mowed my whole lot in 42 minutes. Without even a thought of struggling.


You just reaffirmed my previous comment. Yet you're trying to insist that your tiny little mower should be capable of doing what your neighbors' mowers can do, when they have almost double the horsepower and far better quality machines.
Originally Posted By: tony1679
Mowing during the week isn't in the cards. And mowing EVERY weekend is just idiotic.


Yet I mow at least once a week. It takes me an hour to mow the three acres that I finish mow. It takes you three times as much time to mow less than 1/3 of what I mow with your Yard Man and your two week cutting schedule. Over a two week period I spend 2 hours covering 6 acres (3 acres twice), and you spend 3-4 hours covering less than an acre once. At the end of two weeks I'm at least an hour ahead of you in time.

Personally, I think spending that much time mowing that small amount of yard is just idiotic, even if it is just once every two weeks. Especially when you spend that amount of time fighting with a disposable, undersized lawn tractor that can't handle what you need it to do.
I wasn't trying to instigate anything. In fact, I agree with everything you have said. By my neighbors, I was referring to others who have older, smaller rigs like mine, only probably not cared for as well. The JD I referred to was to prove that my mower was in fact inferior. Regardless, I have tried a once a week schedule before. I only saved about 20-30 minutes each time. My mower still has issues after only 1 week, just fewer. So by saving 30 mins, 2.5-3.5 hours + 2.5-3.5 hours = 5-7 hours mowing weekly (over two weeks). Or I can mow every other weekend for 3-4 hours total. I agree in normal circumstances (and in your case), weekly makes more sense. But I get screwed either way, so why bother? It takes me more time, and even though my engine is probably smaller than yours, I am pretty sure I use more fuel too. And I have more frustration. This is why I only mow every 2 weeks. All in all, I agree, my mower is a pos.
 
Originally Posted By: HangFire
To the OP. You haven't told us the deck size. It is interesting that the mower was declared underpowered, yet no one ever asked what the deck size was. Is this it?

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Yard-Man-38-12.5-HP-Riding-Lawnmower/13373914

My property's previous owner mowed the 1.5 acres just fine with this mower. Quality might not be fabulous but is not the issue.

One thing I notice in that product picture is the internal volume of the deck is low because it is so short. As a result, you cannot tackle thick grass very quickly, or the mower will clog. If you continue to try to mow while clogged, you'll get little done.

You say you put on new blades yearly, so that is one strike against you. The reason is factory blades come fairly dull, usually 45 degrees with a 1/64" flat tip. If you put a proper 40 degree edge all they down they will cut better for a while, but get duller easier. I re-sharpen mine with the top half hollow ground before putting them on. That way they start sharper and stay sharper. A hollow ground edge is concave. For most folks simply putting a 40 degree edge and resharpening every 30-40 hours is such a huge improvement it's enough.

You say you put on new blades yearly, but how many hours is that? If you're putting on more than 50 hours per year, your blades are really dull.

STOP running at 90-95% throttle. Your engine was designed to run and cool itself at 3600 RPM and that requires full throttle. It's not a car engine, it works more like a tractor engine. You won't hurt the engine. Ask any go-kart racer what the true redline of a Briggs is. It's not 3600 RPM.

Also (as stated before) check the blades to see if they're blowing up and not down.

I think it is amusing that you call mowing once a week "idiotic" but it takes you 3-4 hours to do one bi-weekly mow. If you could complete a weekly mow in less than 1 hour, you'd be spending almost half the hours time mowing.

I would do the following: Sharpen the blades, make sure they are upright, set the mowing deck to the highest height, clean the deck, make sure the grass is dry, mow slowly the first week, and then mow weekly thereafter. You'll save time over your current routine.
Yes, that is almost exactly the same. I wasn't 100% sure what size it was. My yearly use is 50-70 hours. When I change the blades, they are literally rounded at the end, and the width of the blade is less than half it's original width, therefore not able to be sharpened. I don't know how to sharpen them myself. Plus, for the cost to sharpen them, I'm sure it is more sensible to just buy new. That's why I buy new yearly. And I didn't put them on myself, I'm sure the shop I took it to would know which way to put them on. As for the throttle, I had no idea 100% was ideal. I will change this habit. Regarding time, see my response to Pop above. The deck is clean, and this mower couldn't dream of mowing wet grass, so no worries there. I do disagree with mowing on the highest height setting though. That is 5". Even mowing at 2 weeks, that would barely cut anything at all.
 
Originally Posted By: gainestruk
I don't know how you can mow every 2 weeks, I live just north of Shawnee, OK. Which is central.
With all the rain we got this year (over 20 inches in May and so far over 6 inches in June)
I have to mow every 5 or 6 days, and could do every 3, over 5 days I leave little windrows mulching with my Husqvarna zero turn, if I wait 7 days I can hear engine working pretty hard (23 hp Kohler)
You would do much better mowing at least every week.
I live about 4 miles West of Lake Thunderbird, not far from you. This post is regarding the last few years (dry). I agree, all this rain is forcing my hand on frequency. But I am referring to this mower in general.
 
Thank you for your thoughtful response.
Originally Posted By: tony1679
Yes, that is almost exactly the same. I wasn't 100% sure what size it was. My yearly use is 50-70 hours. When I change the blades, they are literally rounded at the end, and the width of the blade is less than half it's original width, therefore not able to be sharpened.

Wow. That's a lot of blade wear.

In that case, I suggest sharpening the blades at 20-25 hours, and replacing at 50 hours (instead of annually). If replacing really costs less than sharpening, just do that every 25 hours.

Blade speed and sharpness are a huge part of cutting efficiency. Honestly sharpening is not that hard as long as you don't wait until the blades are badly worn, but that's up to you.
 
That is an insane amount of blade wear. I've had the same blades on well used push mowers for 10yrs and not seen that in my area.

Like said above, the MTD 38-42" twin blade decks are super shallow compared to the Sears/Husqvarna 42". That could be a lot of the problem too. The shallower deck will choke/clog a lot easier. Sears 42's are a gem of a deck IMO.
 
Several things come to mind.

The blade wear, OP probably has sandy soil. If so the sand is eating his blades like butter. Switch to Oregon blades, harder and better steel. Factory blades are super soft compared to Oregon blades.

OP is lazy. Cuts the grass only when the Sheriff shows up at the front door. OP cuts at 6" which means a foot tall. Wants a HOC at 3". So 12" to 3" is a reach for ANY mower.

Deck belt might be slipping due to excessively high grass. Reason for double cuts and bogging down.

OP's mower mechanic sounds like a loser. OP said to check it all out. He failed.

The rule is don't cut more than a 1/3rd of the grass blade off in one mowing. This stresses the grass plant. Add to that a near hundred degree daily temp. OP doesn't know how to mow his/her lawn. Needs to mow twice a week. Any fert put down on the grass? If so this will make the grass grow more. Harder on the mower.

OP is blaming the mower for not performing well. Think the mower is fine. OP needs some grass cutting wisdom.

Wonder if he/she found any old cars in the yard yet? There's the old Wagon Queen Family Truckster dad. Knew it was round here some place. Jeff Foxworthy.

slomo
 
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Good point on the 1/3rd of grass blade height rule. There are now two Oklahoman's saying you need to mow more often. If you ignore the rest of us, at least listen to your fellow statesmen.
 
Originally Posted By: slomo
The blade wear, OP probably has sandy soil. If so the sand is eating his blades like butter. Switch to Oregon blades, harder and better steel. Factory blades are super soft compared to Oregon blades.
Yes, the last few years have been very dry, and therefore dusty. I will look into these blades.
Originally Posted By: slomo
OP is lazy. Cuts the grass only when the Sheriff shows up at the front door. OP cuts at 6" which means a foot tall...OP's mower mechanic sounds like a loser. OP said to check it all out. He failed...OP doesn't know how to mow his/her lawn....OP needs some grass cutting wisdom...Wonder if he/she found any old cars in the yard yet? There's the old Wagon Queen Family Truckster dad. Knew it was round here some place. Jeff Foxworthy.

slomo
I'm glad you went into full-blown d!ck mode here. I really can't stand it when people put words in my mouth and assume sh!t. In case you haven't noticed, I'm not a stupid redneck wrongfully associated with Oklahoma. I can spell. My grammar is nearly perfect. That aside, I was seeking help and advice from the (usually) honest, helpful, top notch contributors on this site. Clearly you are an exception. When I say 6", I mean 6", not 12. I am not an arrogant [censored] on his throne claiming to be high and mighty. I don't know everything. That's why I am here asking questions. Take your insults somewhere else.
 
Originally Posted By: HangFire
Good point on the 1/3rd of grass blade height rule. There are now two Oklahoman's saying you need to mow more often. If you ignore the rest of us, at least listen to your fellow statesmen.
This year, I don't have a choice. Since May was so wet, I have to mow weekly. I am mainly venting about the last few years collectively. But still I have problems. The same problems. You have been one of the most helpful on this thread. I'm not ignoring anyone. Well, maybe one person (above). I will try some of the things that have been posted here, including raising the throttle, and perhaps the deck 1". By raising the deck to 4", that will cut ~1/3 of my span>. I am 100% positive I will still have problems, but it's a step in the right direction (according to most on here). I just need to figure out the mechanical problems...
 
I will agree with you on blades, in this area it's very sandy and I burn up a set of blades each year, like yours mine are rounded off and back lift is completely worn off.
I was thinking you were talking about this year LOL, sure would hate to see how tall would be this year at 2 weeks !

Mike
 
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