Push mowers??

[james dilley]

O K here goes I bought A 3.5 H P push mower today used for $45.00 I know it may not last long. But the acre I need to mow is over grown. And the easement has not been mowed in 8 years. The last owners S I L was/is A lazy bum. The grass/weeds are quite thick. I need to sharpen the blade I know that.I worked on the easement for 30 minutes tonite. There was very little debris in it. So was that A decent deal?? The motor is A briggs /Stratton It dosen't smoke and It runs real decent for A used one. I just could not see $200.00 for A new one for this job. I have A 24 H P riding mower thats almost new.And I want to keep from tearing it up.

[sleeps723]

man thats lots to mow with a 3.5 hp. its the heavy loads that kill motors. the more horses u use then the less stress ur putting on the motor. plus all the pushing. if the motor isnt bogging down bad it will be alright. and for 45$ if it lasts a summer u did pretty good. have u thought of a pull behind mower for mowin large patches?

[james dilley]

Well I need to mow Around the Cactus and the Mesquite trees that are there. They are large patches. Of Cactus like you would NOT beleive. And the thickets of mesquite are horrible and will tear up the riding mower. I have the wheels set to A highest setting. And only mow A bit at A time. I cut A small area and take A long time to hit it..

[sleeps723]

i use a pull behind sometimes, 10.5 hp. it mows cacti and small saplings.

[PyroDon]

Are you planning to use this as a throwway ? In other words do you really care what happens to it after your done clearing this area of brush?
If not open up the discharge area (cut it larger) and cut the front of the mower open and far enough back to let a little of the blade show. this way you can ease it into even heavey brush 1&1/2" or so and cut it down .
You can also modify the blade and put free swinging disc mower blades on the end . They are a lot stronger than standard mower baldes and hold their edge ten times longer. you can find them at atwoods or tractor supply
They sell a kit to convert many riding mower to use the replacible disc mower blades

[james dilley]

I prefer NOT to tear it up and with the whels st high It clear and will cut the brush as long as I don't take A big bite. I cut about A 12 inch strip at A time.

[insanity]

Sounds like a fair price to me. They sell for 45 to 65 here.
And you bought the best engine Briggs ever made.
Don't waste money on these new 5 to 6 hp mowers that little 3.5 will out cut them coming and going.
If you do manage to kill it. Just stop by here and ill give you another engine for free. I get them from the land fill when the original owner throws them out because there (supposedly) worn out. Most of them just need a quart or so of oil pored out of them. (For pets sake a 3.5 even has a dip stick). Or the water dumped out of the tank. In other wards if the crank aint broken or bent it will run. And surprisingly Ive only seen a couple that used oil, and they must have been 20 years old 3hp models. Oh by the way you cant go wrong with a 3hp either.

As said if your just clearing brush with it. Id cut the deck open a bit so it can discharge the chopped weeds easier.
Might try sticking a 20inch blade on it. More torque and more room between the blade end and the deck.

I don't blame you for not putting that new mower into the deep unknown. I hit a 4ft piece of rebarb with my 21hp rider last year while clearing. Cost me 80 bucks to get it fixed. Thinking ill stick to push mowing the unknown areas to.

[wilderness1989]

You might get someone with a tractor and a "bush hog" mower to mow it and clean up all the junk vegetation you don't want and give you a place to start clean with your little mower.

[crafty2002]

Originally Posted by wilderness1989

You might get someone with a tractor and a "bush hog" mower to mow it and clean up all the junk vegetation you don't want and give you a place to start clean with your little mower.

I second that motion. For the money you paid for the push mower you cound have had it bush hogged and then keep it cut with the rider.

[fordson major]

we have had a similar junk mower for years, use it too mow the side road. friend of mines wife clear 2 acres with one this summer, could not find anyone that would risk their bush hog in the trashy weeds!

[blufford]

Maybe you would be better burning the brush.

[james dilley]

Not Allowed by law to burn. The locals wanted nothing to do with brush hogging it As theres glass and metal scattered thru the property, The last owners sil burned trash the barrel got full he would just dump it. So theres untold amounts of glass. I mowed A area today where I needed to get A trailer in ,To move A bldg. And the 3 foot tall grass and trash would have tore up the riding mower. I just need to sharpen the blade and open the discharge shute. The sad thing is the old boy who lived there would tell everybody he was A yard man. In reality he is A lazy bum.

[sleeps723]

man u gotta mess to clean up. doesnt anyone wann help u any at all i bet.

[james dilley]

Anybody in the area will not try and help. The lazy bum moved to San Antonio texas. I mean how can you let A acre lot get over grown when you have mowers and weedeaters And worse yet this is A 10 year accumulation of brush. And some of the trees are A big clump. And the cactus is grown into some trees. This is A job and A half. I mow a bit here and there and thats all I can do.I hope this mower holds up. I already have had 10 truck loads of scrap metal hauled off.

[sleeps723]

i have an extra 6 hp tec if u need one, its a shame neighbors dont help each other anymore.

[uncle Will in In.]

Why do you want to mow it? You have a wildlife santuary there. What will you use it for after you get it all cleaned up? Time is on your side. At least it won't grow back every week.

[james dilley]

I need it cleaned up ,Because its A haven for vermin. I have gotten rid of the rodents and now the Possums are needed cleared out. After that I can move my breeder pens for fowl onto the property. And get my bird bldg put up. So my Lovebirds can start breeding as well as the Parakeets I have. After I get it under control then come rthe sheep . I Am thinking 4 for meat production.

[sleeps723]

never ate a sheep or a goat, got a few recipes tho