I have debacled my mower

Hear hear. But to be honest, I wouldn't mind mowing -- my own yard. It works up a good sweat.

And it would beat fuck-all out of being woken up by the goddamn mowers every third day at my complex. I fucking hate that worse than anything. Always seems to be at 8 a.m., right when I've finally settled in to sleep.

 

I use electric cord. Gets in the way a bit, but a small tradeoff for the smoothness.

 

Is there oil in it? People sometimes forget to put oil in mowers and they seize up.

You can get a rechargeable one like mine:

 

I have a $150 Briggs & Stratton push mower from Home Depot. It's my second one. I debacled the first one by trying to change the blade myself. I forgot to take the oil and gas out first, too. Ended up with a leaky mower with a loose blade that sounded like it was about to detach and cut off my legs. I put it on the curb halfway through a mow and ran out to buy another, which I've had for two years now with no problems at all.
Change the oil once or twice a summer, keep the air filter clean, run the gas out at the end of the summer and maybe swap out the spark plugs at the beginning of the year. So long as you're not cutting two-foot tall grass you're good to go.

 

I've got one of those. It's a great workout. But don't plan on getting the job done quickly. It'll take about three times longer to mow your yard with a push mower.

Also, make sure you've got A) old shoes and B) a garden hose handy. When you use one of those, the clippings fly backwards in a perfect arch to hit your feet. I've taken to wearing flip-flops so I can stand on the back porch and rinse the clippings off my feet before going inside.

Dixie, go to your local hardware store. Local, not Home Depot or Lowe's. Pick up a few things, then wander over to the lawn mower section. Explain to the old dude what's happened, ask his advice. Do what he tells you. Buy what he tells you.

Or ship it to me, and I'll fix it. I've started buying broken mowers for $5-$10, fixing them and selling them for $50.

 

Ahhh. I love condo living.

I still want a house, though. Anyone want to offer to cut my grass?

 

So your hiring?

 

I love mowing the lawn; I do it for my mother because her lawn is pretty large (an hour and a half, using the riding mower and push). A freshly cut lawn looks and smells great ... and now today's riding mowers have a cup holder for your beer. Truly, the American way.

dixiehack ... how was the oil level? That sounds awful like a seized engine ... I hope not. And three years seems WAY too short of a lifespan.

Not mower-related, but in the same family: We have a Briggs and Stratton snowblower that my grandfather said he bought new in 1957. There isn't a bit of plastic or rubber anywhere on here; even the wheels are metal. Pull out the choke, pull the cord twice and fires up every single time. It's amazing. Doesn't throw the snow far - usually just pushes along spirals - but what the hell, it still works.

 

Preach on.

 

I had a similar problem last summer with the start cord on mine. I don't remember the fix (sorry) but a guy at the local Lowe's walked me through what to do and got it working again. You may try that, or Home Depot. See if there's someone there who knows lawnmowers well and ask what they think.

 

Same here. You get used to working around the cord.