Is thirty years too long to keep a lawn mower?

[ultrarunner]

The BX24 had lots of issues with plastic and was short lived…

Not condemning plastic but the resin Kubota used was not up to the task.

 

[CliffordK]

Some of the mowers discussed had a primer bulb. That seems like awfully NEW technology. Most of the mowers I used started on a hope and a prayer.

I have an old 5 HP Snapper, I think. It is at my other house. I don't really know how old it is, but my grandparents had it before they moved in the mid 90's. So going on 30 or 40 years. I got it in 2008.

It is really a pain to start, and I end up taking the carburetor off almost every year and cleaning it. After which I can get my mowing done.

 

[sd455dan]

A lot of people were unhappy with the initial switch to plastic, but it's been proven over 40 years that it lasts longer, and takes regular weathering and wear much better than the metal parts.

My 1986 Deere 855 had a plastic hood, but everything else on it was metal. When I sold the thing in 2019, it was 33 years old and that plastic hood was the ONLY part of that whole tractor that was still looking like new. The metal was all rusting, scratched, dented.

There have been many other comparisons done, YouTube is your friend, that show the plastic holding up better over decades, to everything but outright abuse. Drop a tree on your tractor, and metal will fare better. But for nearly everything else it will see in its lifetime, from weathering and rain to scratches from brush and low hanging branches, the plastic just holds up better.


My older pickup trucks also weigh more than my newer ones, but broke down way more often, even when new. Weight and heft are a very poor measure of quality or reliability.

Well my X500 was not so lucky before I acquired it. Lucky it was not in 3 pieces instead of basically 2, adding the Factory JD brush guard did cure some of what must have caused the cracks on top but still does not explain the lower broken ears where they meet the foot pads. Time and temperature cycling plastic gets brittle, UV does damage it over time.

 

[WinterDeere]

Well my X500 was not so lucky before I acquired it. Lucky it was not in 3 pieces instead of basically 2, adding the Factory JD brush guard did cure some of what must have caused the cracks on top but still does not explain the lower broken ears where they meet the foot pads. Time and temperature cycling plastic gets brittle, UV does damage it over time.

Yeah, UV embrittlement is definitely a problem with some plastics, especially thermoplastics. I expect the newer ones are better than the older stuff.

My 855 hood was glass-reinforced plastic resin, essentially fiberglass. No issues with that one, despite the tractor spending half its life sitting outdoors. But I know some other plastic types fare worse.

 

[IXLR8]

I agree that it's better to buy a commercial mower over a homeowner model if you're mowing very much. The quality is definitely better. But I still don't see the commercial offerings of today lasting 30+ years.

I'll agree with this. I bought a used commercial JD Z-turn mower 18 years ago. I think it was 5 years old when I got it. I change the oil/filter, put gas in it, grease the fittings and sharpen/change the blades. Still running the original belts. Oh, I did have to replace the key switch, that wore out and I couldn't turn the key without spending a few minutes playing with it.

 

[5030]

When I sold the thing in 2019, it was 33 years old and that plastic hood was the ONLY part of that whole tractor that was still looking like new. The metal was all rusting, scratched, dented.

If you had bothered to take care of it, it would not be dented, scratched and looking bad. My Kubota's are ancient in build but look just fine.

Dents and scratches are entirely 100% on you.

 

[WinterDeere]

If you had bothered to take care of it, it would not be dented, scratched and looking bad. My Kubota's are ancient in build but look just fine.

Dents and scratches are entirely 100% on you.

Not really. The machine was 30 years old when I bought it, and sold in better condition than it was when I got it. I may have added a few scratches, but the rust and dents were all pre-installed, long before my time.