Why don't todays lawn mowers last longer?

[Mopars & Missiles]

Hmmmmmm............not sure what I'm doing wrong. My rider is 22 yrs old and runs/cuts just fine yet. Push mower is about 26 yrs old and still running strong. I must have got a couple of lemons.

 

[Moparsmitty]

About 12 year ago I bought a Craftsman GT5000 garden tractor from Sears mostly because they were on sale so I got it pretty cheap. I had several guys tell me that it was a piece of s*#% and wouldn't hold up. Well, after 12 years of mowing about 4 acres of lawn and other odd jobs, the thing is running like a top. It has a Kohler V-twin engine that I swear by. I'm pretty good about maintenance and I've rebuilt the deck once. I'm happy with it.

 

[Duda]

I under stand completely, my mower just stopped working after this incident.

 

[moparjohnny]

i have a old sears craftsman 22 inch cut,keep ethanol conditioner in it chg oil and filter each season and she sings like a fat lady at the opera no sputter or choking just eat the grass up.

 

[Pops1967GTX]

I had a Lawn Boy two stroke push Mower that lasted 10 years without a peep. While away on business my wife decided to cut the grass and fill the lawn mower with straight gas. Did not add the Oil then it seized.

Well sorry to hear that...But it’s father Day.......I see a lawn mower coming......

 

[70rr-brian]

i bought the cheapest john deer lawn tractor there was 23yrs ago. i gave it to friend a month ago; still runs great. i bought a simplicity to replace the john deer. i don't think the simplicity will last near as long as that john deer.

I have a 12 yr old Deere with the Kholer engine in it. It wasn't cheap when I bought it. Aside from the tires needing replaced it runs like new. Now the Deere's have those God awful Brigg's and Straton motors. The presence of the B&S motor versus the Kohler has dropped the price on most of their products tremendously. But you get what you pay for. But like everyone else...They have fallen into the competitive mode with cheap Chineseium garbage. Deere is a shadow of their former self IMO. They never used to have crap versions. It was a great mower or nothing...not any more.

But if you find one with a Kholer engine... then that means the rest of it probably is made well and as a result will run in the 4-6k range. Those Deere's you see at Home Depot/Lowes are the Chinesium versions.

 

[BIGSHCLUNK]

i have a good friend that is a plant manager at a nearby John Deere facility that makes the smaller mowers. he tells me that even the John Deeres that you see at Lowes or Home Depot ARE NOT really a Deere. you have to go to an outdoor power equipment dealer to get a real John Deere. i think the models like the LZ-something are made mostly by MTD. even the Troy Build that used to be an expensive long lasting machine are also made by MTD.
I just bought a Snapper last year. it is 100% build in the US and has a full 5 year warranty. it only cuts 36" so it is not a tractor it is a mower. the Snapper was about $2000. the Deeres that are really a MACHINE cost about $4-5000.
just my 2 cents

pt in tennessee

I've found this to be true, if you want a real "DERRE" you gotta get up in the 4K range!

- - - Updated - - -

I buy the cheapest push mower made,usually around a $100 run it till it don't and get another.Change the oil every spring and get maybe 4 years out of them.They were getting to run real crappy last year so I switched to the good gas this year with no ethanol and both run like a champ now.

Agreed, I've found that mowers/blowers/ chain saws dont like ethanol!


Yes there's lots of "old" ones out there stll rockin' but they were made before todays plastic fantastic production ethods

 

[Finallygotmine]

AH, yes Todays junk lawnmowers. I had never owned a rider until last year. Went to Lowes and bought a Troy-bilt. I should have done some research first. But all I remember is that it used to be a good name. Little did I know that it is now built by MTD. Piece of junk. Of all the things to go wrong, the front 2 tires WOULD NOT hold air. I even took them off and took them to the tire place down the road and had them put bead sealer on them. STILL would not hold air. Took them back to Lowes and since it was 35 days since the purchase and not within the 30 days, they said they couldn't do anything. All I was asking them to do was to swap the tires from a display unit. They said no and told me that it didn't matter that I had spent 3500 bucks in the last month there. That was until I wrote to the corporation's web site in the "contact us" portion and explained how the local manager said it didn't matter if I took my business elsewhere. All of a sudden I'm getting a phone call from the local store and how they would like to (now) swap those front tires, just like I had suggested in the first place.
I also told the corporate guy I couldn't understand how if Lowes was so good at customer service and cared for their customers, why they would even carry anything that presented so many problems. Ironically, the last time I was in Lowes, I notices that there were no more Troy-bilt machines on the floor. I hope there were many more people who spoke up. too many people wont. I guess I will ride this one into the ground and spend the extra money. I paid 1400 for the one I bought. Guess you gotta spend at least 2 grand? Ridiculous!!

 

[2059]

"NOT Everything is made by MTD."

You're right KD. That's why I wrote almost everything else is made by MTD.

 

[moparcanuck]

It's called "planned obsolescence".

 

[Budnicks]

Probably has one of these on it.... MADE IN CHINA, I'm surprised nobody already said it... I don't mow lawns anymore, But I do own an old Craftsman POS 22, don't remember or let alone care what engine it has, it's a walk behind/self propelled, probably 13 y/o now, but hasn't seen grass in 6+ years, I hit a big root at my old house, day I was moving out, it died & I haven't used it since.... Don't plan to, any time soon either.... I have no lawn, some guy owns a tractor behind me & mows the fire break a couple times a year for, a case of beer each time, enough said... Have a Happy Fathers Day , especially when you DON"T have to any freaken' yard work, I love maintenance free yards....

 

[wahya]

I buy the cheapest push mower made,usually around a $100 run it till it don't and get another.Change the oil every spring and get maybe 4 years out of them.They were getting to run real crappy last year so I switched to the good gas this year with no ethanol and both run like a champ now.

Change the oil? I also buy a cheap mower,use it until the wheels fall off(usually about 5 years) and buy another.

 

[62MAX]

Hmmmmmm............not sure what I'm doing wrong. My rider is 22 yrs old and runs/cuts just fine yet. Push mower is about 26 yrs old and still running strong. I must have got a couple of lemons.

You're not doing anything wrong,you just bought when stuff was still good !!

 

[MoparMitch]

Finally got tired of the crap and bought a John Deere model 445,.... 17 yrs ago!! The only drawback was convincing my wife that it was worth the money. LOL. Kawasaki 2cyl 4 stroke, liquid cooled and fuel injected. Has spin on hydraulic and oil filters. Has 600 hrs on it now. One of the better investments I ever made. Just like any other equipment though, they must be maintained properly. Probably would have had to buy 3 or 4 of those crap yard tractors in those 17 yrs. Signed ..... Happy Mower

 

[ws27]

I run an old Scag walk behind hydro drive. I've gotten air bouncing off rocks and it still keeps going. My snow blower is an old 1972 Airens 8 HP that throws snow like nothing else around. It's only two year younger than me! I like my equipment the same as my cars, they may not be pretty, but they keep going.

I also do all the repairs myself, there is not one shop in the area I'd trust with anything...well, OK I fix my vehicles myself too, maybe it's me...

 

[WileE]

Probably has one of these on it.... MADE IN CHINA, I'm surprised nobody already said it... I don't mow lawns anymore, But I do own an old Craftsman POS 22, don't remember or let alone care what engine it has, it's a walk behind/self propelled, probably 13 y/o now, but hasn't seen grass in 6+ years, I hit a big root at my old house, day I was moving out, it died & I haven't used it since.... Don't plan to, any time soon either.... I have no lawn, some guy owns a tractor behind me & mows the fire break a couple times a year for, a case of beer each time, enough said... Have a Happy Fathers Day , especially when you DON"T have to any freaken' yard work, I love maintenance free yards....

I'm glad I don't have my auto business any more, because I'd puke if I was putting in the Chinese crap parts in peoples cars.

 

[747mopar]

I bought a 42" Cub Cadet about 10 years ago for almost $3,000 and it's been a good mower. I was in a Lowes the year after I bought mine and saw a 52" Cub Cadet for $2,600 needless to sat I was pissed until I looked it over, everything was cheaper, lighter and made by MTD. My dad recently bought a Steiner 4X4, Kubota diesel, skid steer "that thing is a beast" it has quality written all over it and does a great job but cost a fortune. You either pay big once or pay over and over.

 

[zyzzyx]

Mow Dawg!

All of my friends think I'm crazy the way I research a product before I buy. This is why I have to do what I do. I've learned that nothing runs like a Deere if it's a real Deere made in Moline. If you

neet a tractor, you have to buy one of these. Home Depot doesn't sell them. If you want a walk-behind mower, then Honda is your brand. Everyone else has sold out! You will always be able to buy

replacement parts for these real machines, and hey, that's what we want five or ten years down the road don't we? Yeah, they cost more, but they still build the best. Honda and Deere are both made

in the United States, and they are quality. Just make sure you don't "Cheap-Out" and buy one of their import models. All of this info can be found out on-line. Deere had to start selling junk through

Home Depot because of pressure from Home Depot. They dictate alot of crap to the bigger companies because they sell so much volume and have that POWER! I own a Honda walk behind with the

plastic deck, and when my Daughter and her husband bought a home with 1-1/2 acres, I bought them a John Deere "Garden Tractor", not a lawn tractor. They will always have it, and I will always

have peace of mind that I did my best for them. They will also be able to fix it ten years down the road. Just my 2c'nts.

 

[theman440]

...made in China

 

[joshb1983]

i mow with a 1986 craftsman...still runs like new