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How did you get your first mower?

#1

M

mois25

I tend to be the lazy type when it comes to shopping and I was wondering if I will be able to get my first ever mower without any help.

Did you seek expert advice when buying yours or simply walked to the nearest and went on to purchase your first mower?


#2

A

AndyMan

My first mower was my Dad's. He was getting a new one, so I got his old one. It was the one I used to use to mow his yard, so I already knew how to use it.

If you don't like shopping or don't know where to start, just wait till spring and walk into any home improvement shop. They'll have mowers everywhere and you can take your pick. Pick something cheap. Once you get it home and decide you don't like it, you'll have a better idea of what you liked and what you didn't like, and it will help you know what questions to ask the next time.


#3

K

KennyV

That's an interesting question..
It's been so many years ago I don't remember the first... But I'm sure it would have been a used one... (likely very used)... :smile:KennyV


#4

RobertBrown

RobertBrown

I remember it well
I went to home depot for something...I don't remember what, and on the way into the store one of the employees handed me a football out in the parking lot.
Stop me if this happened to you as well......


#5

K

KennyV

RobertBrown said:
...on the way into the store one of the employees handed me a football
Click to expand...

a FOOTBALL??
and how did that become your first mower? ??:smile:KennyV


#6

A

abeja_reina_1989

I asked some friends for advice but for the most part just kind of grabbed whatever I thought. I tend to do that a lot, and lucky for me it worked out okay. I tend to rush into things because I don't like standing around in stores too long lol.


#7

JDgreen

JDgreen

abeja_reina_1989 said:
I asked some friends for advice but for the most part just kind of grabbed whatever I thought. I tend to do that a lot, and lucky for me it worked out okay. I tend to rush into things because I don't like standing around in stores too long lol.
Click to expand...

I got my first mower as a gift from my dad, he knew I didn't have enough money to buy one, he went to Monkey Ward back in '75 and bought a push mower, gave it to me with the condition I had to keep his two apartment buildings mowed. I didn't take very good care of it, being young and stupid at the time.


#8

BGC

BGC

My first mower was my grandfathers. He had bought a newer one after he got older and I would cut his grass for him. The first one I ever bought was the same brand but I wasn't sure what I was doing either.


#9

S

Shaun

Our first was a Home Depot purchase a few years ago and it still runs like a champ. My wife and I kidded around that it was our first "grown-up" purchase!


#10

BGC

BGC

I get mine from Home Depot now or the local tractor store now. It is amazing how much we learn about mowers as we get older. I still have the old one as a keep sake does that make me a hoarder? lol


#11

JDgreen

JDgreen

BGC said:
I get mine from Home Depot now or the local tractor store now. It is amazing how much we learn about mowers as we get older. I still have the old one as a keep sake does that make me a hoarder? lol
Click to expand...

Compared to me, NO. I have every mower I ever owned except for two, the Monkey Wards I got as my first one and my '83 vintage Craftsman I just got rid of three years ago.


#12

RobertBrown

RobertBrown

KennyV said:
a FOOTBALL??
and how did that become your first mower? ??:smile:KennyV
Click to expand...

Glad you asked:rolleyes:
The guy with the football was part of a promotion. The promotion was as follows: Throw the football through the hole and you get up to 20% off of ANYTHING IN THE STORE. So, since there was no risk I said sure, l'ill try it.
The hole was about 10-12 inches in diameter cut through a sheet of plywood. If you stood 1 parking spaces away you got 10% off 3 15% and 4... well you get it. I tried the 4 and to my surprise the ball went thruogh the hole without a sound.
So I spent about 2000$ in there that day and I still don't remember what I went in there for, so I'm sure there is a screw missing somewhere.
I bought a webber grill, a lawn mower, a washing machine and probably some other stuff it was a long time ago....

Don't want to get off track but, since I bought that Weber grill I won't consider another brand. Far and away the best grill I have ever used. It's obvious the engineering is first rate. We do a lot of grilling here in Florida.
You really could bake a cake on this grill.


#13

JDgreen

JDgreen

Thanks for providing that info, I was curious. The local HD opened here about 1996 and they were basically the only home center big box store after Builders Square closed about a year later...we currently have two Lowes. two HD's, and two Menards in this area.


#14

M

mois25

It seems most of us capitalized on our folks getting new mowers. I as well tend to be the kind of shopper that does not like spending so much time in the stores. If I ever buy one I doubt if I will have room to compare brands.


#15

E

EverGreen

I searched the internet for sales and when Sears had a sale, I purchased it online and picked it up at the store. I've had it for a while now. I got it when I had a much smaller yard, it's a push mower, and I need something that will make my life a bit easier.


#16

Kingwood990

Kingwood990

I got my first mower from a guy that worked with my mother at work. It was a well used Craftsman LT-1000. This mower led to me collecting bigger and better machines.


#17

K

KennyV

BGC;14458 ...I still have the old one as a keep sake does that make me a hoarder? lol[/QUOTE said:
There are much less interesting things to hoard than mowers...
So if you do collect mowers that would be GREAT... :smile:KennyV
Click to expand...


#18

S

Stevie-Ray

My first was given to me by my dad after he got his first rear-bagger. His new one was a Wards 3.5hp job and the handed down one was also a Wards, but 2.75hp. What the hey, it worked for quite a while. He then got a self-propelled Craftsman and sold me his Wards rear-bagger for 35 bucks.:laughing: I had that damn thing for a lot of years and it was still running when I bought my MTD, the mower I'm using today. Been married for over 35 years and now have only my third mower and the only one I bought new.:laughing: I've spent a total of $235 buying lawnmowers in my lifetime and I'm retired.:tongue:


#19

JDgreen

JDgreen

Stevie-Ray said:
My first was given to me by my dad after he got his first rear-bagger. His new one was a Wards 3.5hp job and the handed down one was also a Wards, but 2.75hp. What the hey, it worked for quite a while. He then got a self-propelled Craftsman and sold me his Wards rear-bagger for 35 bucks.:laughing: I had that damn thing for a lot of years and it was still running when I bought my MTD, the mower I'm using today. Been married for over 35 years and now have only my third mower and the only one I bought new.:laughing: I've spent a total of $235 buying lawnmowers in my lifetime and I'm retired.:tongue:
Click to expand...

People like you are the reason some companies go bankrupt and close...nobody is buying their products !!! :laughing: :laughing: I am jealous...in the past nine years I have spent close to 26 grand for mowers and parts and maintenance...:eek:


#20

D

dgl24087

JDgreen said:
People like you are the reason some companies go bankrupt and close...nobody is buying their products !!! :laughing: :laughing: I am jealous...in the past nine years I have spent close to 26 grand for mowers and parts and maintenance...:eek:
Click to expand...

Let's see, I've bought my home in 1988, and last fall bought my third lawn mower. The first was a Murray 21" push mower bought from Rose's Dept. Store. It was a customer return, paid $79 for it. It lasted about 7 years, so I replaced it with a 22 inch Murray push mower from Walmart, paid $119 for it. It's still running, but last year I decided I needed a self propelled mower. I stumbled upon a Honda HRM 21 on Craigslist, paid $150 for it and feel like I stole it.


#21

twall

twall

I've never paid more than $50 for any mower.

Most of my collection was free. The first piece I got was in 2000, when I was working as an auto mechanic in a small shop. The owner was going to throw the mower away, because it was getting harder and harder to start, and would stall. I replaced the carb/tank assy with one that had a primer bulb 10 years ago (after running it for a season on a carb rebuild). Still mow with that freebee to this day.

It was the snapper self-propelled I posted pics about last week.:biggrin:


#22

JDgreen

JDgreen

twall said:
I've never paid more than $50 for any mower.

Most of my collection was free. The first piece I got was in 2000, when I was working as an auto mechanic in a small shop. The owner was going to throw the mower away, because it was getting harder and harder to start, and would stall. I replaced the carb/tank assy with one that had a primer bulb 10 years ago (after running it for a season on a carb rebuild). Still mow with that freebee to this day.

It was the snapper self-propelled I posted pics about last week.:biggrin:
Click to expand...

When you want to get rid of that one, I will happily accept it for free to spare you the bother of junking it....:biggrin:


#23

twall

twall

JDgreen said:
When you want to get rid of that one, I will happily accept it for free to spare you the bother of junking it....:biggrin:
Click to expand...

I will gladly donate it to you for free......for a small $250 handling fee....then there's the shipping........:wink:


#24

S

Stevie-Ray

JDgreen said:
People like you are the reason some companies go bankrupt and close...nobody is buying their products !!! :laughing: :laughing: I am jealous...in the past nine years I have spent close to 26 grand for mowers and parts and maintenance...:eek:
Click to expand...
Tut tut, my friend! (I always wanted to say that.:biggrin:) My reverie will be short lived. As I move to my new house, I will have to purchase a riding mower. I've pretty much decided on either a Cub Cadet or a John Deere, just depends on what the guy where I'm going has at the time and of course, prices. Either way though, I'm going to be in for a bundle, but that's what happens when you go from a small lot to almost an acre and a half.:wink: It'll be an expense, but I'm sort of looking forward to it.


#25

K

KennyV

Stevie-Ray said:
that's what happens when you go from a small lot to almost an acre and a half.:wink: It'll be an expense, but I'm sort of looking forward to it.
Click to expand...

You will like having the "opportunity" to mow more space ... with a larger mower... :smile:KennyV


#26

SouthCentral

SouthCentral

My parents bought it. I just called it mine. It was a rear bagger MTD with big wheels. Not the coolest looking mower but it got the job done.


#27

Snapperfreak

Snapperfreak

when i was a kid i always wanted a snapper but my parents never bought one, too expensive. always had sears junk. so in the winter of 1997 my girlfriend (now wife) were at a home and garden show and there was a snapper dealer there. i was fond of the old red/white mowers from the '80s but i wanted new so i ordered a 21" 5hp self-propelled with upgraded "classic" bag with the z-closure. cost me about $400 after tax. perfect mower, still built well like the older ones before they stared loooking wierd like whats out there now. always kept that thing in the garage, always started on 2nd or 3rd pull. but a couple years ago i sold it because i wanted to go vintage and bought and sold several older snappers until i found the two i have now. both are good, clean solid commercial units, one with a wisconsin robin 4cycle 5hp and the other with a briggs 4 hp ic although i want to find a wisconsin robin 2 cycle to swap it out with. also found brand new old stock (white) bags for both, one z-closure one with door. i love my old snappers. will NEVER buy new again. but it was fun buying my first one new back then.

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#28

bwdbrn1

bwdbrn1

Bought my house back in the fall of '75 and used my father-in-laws for a while. Then went to a story we used to have, called Venture, anybody remember them? Spring of '76 and I didn't know anything about mowers, and didn't really want to then. They had some kind of mower on display, who knows what brand. All I can remember was it was candy apple red, with a white engine, handle and rear bag. Used that for several years until I got hard to start. Gave it to my brother-in-law who used it for several more years. Then a Snapper push, and probably a couple of others, but now my mower of choice is an 80s Honda HR214 that ran me all of $50.00. Oh, there's something like 13 or 14 vintage mowers out in the garage dating back to the 40s, 50s and 60s. They're just for fun.


#29

Mad-Mike

Mad-Mike

Saved my pennies and bought my first in 1992 when I was 9!

It was a $110 Southland 20" basic push mower made by Southland Mower Corp in Selma Alabama, with a 3.5HP Briggs & Stratton Classic engine on it.

I had that mower almost 15 years before I basically gave it to the neighbors as I had a 22" Franken Murray-MTD that I really liked.

I bought it because we had an 80's Lawn-Boy 8125P that kept breaking down all the time as the engine-blade safety wire kept breaking on it, I later fixed that with a rotary switch & the tone knob off a Fender Stratocaster guitar. Mom said I had to buy my own mower because she was "teaching me about the value of a dollar". It worked.


#30

S

SS16 diesel

My dad got me my first mower when I was 9 yeas old he got it to teach me about engines and transmissions and electrical and we have been collecting them for years I'm 14 now and I mad a diesel tractor I had fabricated all the mounting did all the wiring the only help I had was I needed a 28mm pulley to put on because it was a gen motor with a tapered shaft so I had a 1" bored out and my dad welded it on other wise I payed for all the parts and my grand father gave me the motor and the sears ss16 frame was laying around it works really good but my first tractor was a case 220 that has now Been restored new paint, rebuild the engine, smoke stack, etc I'm vary thank full for what my dad has done for me!!!!!!!


#31

reynoldston

reynoldston

I was just starting a family and bought a 1 acre lot and a mobile home to put on it. The days before zoning laws. Living paycheck to pay check as mechanic at a car dealership. Back in them days you could start a credit account at Sears. Bought the cheapest rider mower Sears had on the monthly payment plan. As I remember that lot had a lot of stones and rocks on it and that mower caught hell.


#32

jakewells

jakewells

My first one i got was free from my grandpa he bought it new in 1973 it was a old old wizard ( western auto ) push mower it was 22 inch cut 3hp had no spark and has sat for a long time.

I put in new points and condenser rebuilt the old vacu jet carb and soaked the tank to clean out the gunk.it ran good but smoked i lapped the valves and changed the oil twice because it was sludged up pretty bad.

It finally quit smoking i put a new blade on it and changed two front wheels it worked like a charm after that i used it about 2 yrs it developed a heavy oil leak from the oil seal. i ran it dry and stored it away i have not tried it since. that was 4 yrs ago.

I need to pull it back out and give it try im sure it will need everything since it has been setting with no gas in it for 4 yrs now :laughing:


#33

S

snapsstorer

I can honestly say that i never needed one until 12 years ago(my age is 56 now). I moved in with my now wife, and she had 2.25 acres that we mowed with a 25 year old snapper 21"push mower that lasted another 3 years before the deck broke. after that it was a 32" cut 6 HP rider no-name brand


#34

midnite rider

midnite rider

My first mower was a hand me down Snapper push mower that I got when I was a young lad back in 73. I pushed that old Snapper up and down our road that summer cutting neighbors yards for a dollar or two if I cut the front and back yards. Had a lot of old widows whose yards I cut that always would fix me a cold drink to cool down. :smile:
I still remember the day going with my Dad to the Snapper dealer in the 60's when he bought it new.


#35

6

6211lawnslayer

I traded a buddy of mine some parts for his Chevy s10. In return got his husqvarna RER mower. I got it home. Changed the oil.plugs.airfilter. ect and mower for 3 hours and fought a rock in the spindal asm. That blasted everything apart in the deck including the blade. It also punched a huge hole in the deck. Well when I was at the husky healer I totaled up 300 bucks in parts. Then the guy tried to sell me a husky 455 rancher chain saw. I decided I had enough of that place so I left. And drove home jumped on Craigslist and bought my simplicity 6211. Messed with that for a week or so. Got that running and by the end of the year I had found every rock on site. And I smoked out 4 belts.


#36

S

SeniorCitizen

Bought it new. Pusher with 4 wheels and a Briggs - $ 29.95 + somewhere around 2 percent sales tax.


#37

M

mowerguy

i bought a big box store JD from a neighbor for $500. thats what started my mowing business. since then i traded it for a 48" JD. i have up gradedonce more and sold that and bought a 54" toro proline


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