Is thirty years too long to keep a lawn mower?

[mmaliga]

I had a 1967 Cub Cadet that I could still get parts for easily. My tipping point was when I saw that i was working on the tractor more than mowing with it.

 

[sixdogs]

Over the years I have sold many things that may have worked well and caused no problems only because I felt they were at the end of their life expectancy and would soon cause problems.

As time marched on, I watched the new owners of that equipment use it for years and sometimes for decades and I don't recall a problem that developed with anything I sold. In fact, I wish I had almost all of it back.

On the flip side, those who buy used equipment in good shape can get a good price on a serviceable item and reap the appropriate rewards. If they maintain things, they usually can sell what they bought for more than they paid, because it's fully depreciated, and enjoy the use of it for what amounts to free.

 

[Fields_mj]

My dad has a wheel horse garden tractor that he bought new in '78. He had the 16hp Kohler engine rebuilt around 1993 and got a new deck for it at the same time. Had the local cable company not left something sticking up in the grass in the corner of his yard last year, he'd still be mowing with it. I don't recall what it was, but it trashed they deck. They paid for most of a new (box store) ztr which will last him the rest of his life. The best think is that now he can leave the 36" snow blower mounted on the wheel horse year round... lol That old tractor has mowed a lot of grass, blown a lot of snow, and plowed a lot of gardens over the years. He used to maintain 4 gardens (ours, both sets of grandparents, and a 1/2acre plot for some friends out in the country). I never understood why they stopped building tractors like that.

 

[Oaktree]

goes w/o saying, but will say anyway: mower longevity also includes exclusive use of non ethanol fuel. plus avoid carburetors from China, but tariffs may take care of that anyway

I've run e10 in everything I own since the 80s with the exception of a 2 year old chainsaw that required higher octane. That lawnmower that wouldn't die? e10. Never drained the tank, let it set all winter half full.

I'm with Moss on this. Never had any issues that could be even remotely blamed on E10 on any 4 stroke power equipment. 2 strokes different story. Most mower failures I've had were caused by flimsy mechanical components...steering, deck pulleys, etc.

As far as Chinese carburetors go, where do you think the original one came from on anything manufactured in the last 25 years or so? Never had a bad experience with any of the Chinese aftermarket ones I've bought. They're inexpensive (at least for now), and even if you need to replace it in 4-5 years, you're still ahead.

 

[RB5]

I have a 2013 Gravely ProTurn 25HP 60" deck. I've had the motor replaced once. It hit something and the key on the drive shaft coming out of the motor broke. Would have to take the mottor apart to fix it, so I bought a new motor complete online for $500 that had a Deere sticker on it. It now needs a deck rebuild kit because the spindles are going out and the belt comes off. It runs great, starts great, and mows good. The new mowers appear to be in the $10k range from what I looked at the other day. I didn't get into specifics, but most of what I saw was $8k or more. I mowed way more than I should have and way thicker grass than I should have with this thing for several years before I bought my tractor. It held up pretty well. I have a good repair guy that doesn't rip me off, so I will most likely use it until the frame breaks. It's way cheaper to repair it than buy a new one.

Yes he answered his own question when he mentioned the other mower he has. I'd still get belts and keep it running.

 

[RB5]

I had a 1967 Cub Cadet that I could still get parts for easily. My tipping point was when I saw that i was working on the tractor more than mowing with it.

That's why my 1970 Ford 2000 is sitting near the fence in a field. Many days when I took longer to get parts and repair than I had time to mow. The last time it got stuck in gear and we had to hammer on it. Got it to move and parked it out of the way.

 

[cleat]

I love old iron.
My passion is Wheel Horse tractors and implements.
They range from 1984 to 1992 vintage and do most of the snow removal and all the mowing duties.

 

[DK35vince]

I love old iron.
My passion is Wheel Horse tractors and implements.
They range from 1984 to 1992 vintage and do most of the snow removal and all the mowing duties.

Thats quite the collection of Wheel Horse.
I still have a 1978 Wheel Horse C-101 (bought it used in 1986)
New paint and decals a while back.

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[bgr]

A good place for belts is OFF ROAD BELTS on Ebay. They can match belts for you.
Can match your belts in HD Kevlar. They have saved me a lot of time and $$. Mainly time saved in lookup and search is great

 

[cleat]

DK35vince;
That is a good looking tractor.
seven of mine are fully restored, one is in nice original condition, and the last one is in good condition but it will be restored within the next year.
I am rebuilding mower deck # 6 right now. It is in good shape, just needs some bearings, paint and decals to be like new.