Need Recommendations on New Homeowner Lawn Equipment

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Casutherland
Posts: 364
Joined: July 4th, 2016, 8:33 pm
Location: Cane Ridge, TN
Grass Type: TTTF
Lawn Size: 1000-3000
Level: Some Experience

Need Recommendations on New Homeowner Lawn Equipment

Post by Casutherland » July 10th, 2017, 2:33 pm

So as some of you may or may not know, I recently ran a small landscaping business on the side to my normal day job in healthcare. I have received a few promotions, and have decided that this will be my last year running that business. Therefore, I plan on selling all of my equipment to get more "homeowner" oriented equipment for my size lawn (2500 sq ft). I have looked some at the electric equipment which seems cool :mod:


Do you guys have any suggestions or recommendations? Currently I am thinking I will need a lawn mower, string trimmer, leaf blower, hedge trimmer. Thats really all I am think of at the moment.

Let me know your thoughts! They are much appreciated!

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andy10917
Posts: 29739
Joined: February 23rd, 2009, 10:48 pm
Location: NY (Lower Hudson Valley)
Grass Type: Emblem KBG (Front); Blueberry KBG Monostand (Back)
Lawn Size: 1 acre-2 acre
Level: Advanced

Re: Need Recommendations on New Homeowner Lawn Equipment

Post by andy10917 » July 10th, 2017, 10:30 pm

I don't know if you're limiting the equipment to power equipment selections, but a backpack sprayer is pretty standard homeowner equipment

Casutherland
Posts: 364
Joined: July 4th, 2016, 8:33 pm
Location: Cane Ridge, TN
Grass Type: TTTF
Lawn Size: 1000-3000
Level: Some Experience

Re: Need Recommendations on New Homeowner Lawn Equipment

Post by Casutherland » July 11th, 2017, 1:39 pm

andy10917 wrote:
July 10th, 2017, 10:30 pm
I don't know if you're limiting the equipment to power equipment selections, but a backpack sprayer is pretty standard homeowner equipment
I already have that. I am just looking for what was mentioned above.

I did a little reading and know that you recommend the Honda HRX217 mower, but I think that could possibly be a little overkill for my size yard? Is that a dumb assumption?

Prior to stopping my lawn business. I had a Toro Timemaster (way too much overkill for 2500 sq ft), a Shindaiwa T242 String Trimmer, and a Shindaiwa EB854RT backpack blower (also way too much overkill for my size yard).

HoosierDaddy
Posts: 347
Joined: August 15th, 2013, 5:07 pm
Location: Fishers, IN
Grass Type: Front: Bewitched/Prosperity/Midnight/Blueberry; Back: Midnight/Prosperity/Blueberry
Lawn Size: 3000-5000
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Re: Need Recommendations on New Homeowner Lawn Equipment

Post by HoosierDaddy » July 12th, 2017, 1:59 pm

I have a 5000 sq ft yard and the HRX217 is perfect for it. However, I would consider battery if I were to have a smaller size. You might check out this guy's review: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=22544

As for the other equipment, I replaced a gas powered multi-tool and gas powered blower with 20v trimmer/edger and blower. LOVE the convenience and light weight. Perfect for a small yard. Actually replaced my old drill/screwdriver with 20v equipment off the same battery system and it's also the same as my 20v Chapin sprayer.

glenforest
Posts: 378
Joined: January 31st, 2009, 10:15 pm
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Grass Type: KBG
Lawn Size: 1000-3000
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Re: Need Recommendations on New Homeowner Lawn Equipment

Post by glenforest » July 20th, 2017, 1:34 pm

I took the plunge and ordered a cordless mower on a recent Home Depot 25% off sale--Echo 58 volt battery-operated mower. The Echo and Ryobi battery-operated lines of OPE are both made by the same company, Techtronic Industries.

I've only used the mower three times, so these are just preliminary observations compared to my old mower (and I do mean old), a LawnBoy 4600 rear bagger that I bought in 1984.

In general the Echo cuts as cleanly as the LawnBoy if the blades are comparably sharp. The LawnBoy has a slight edge on the uniformity of cut. My lawn is mostly KBG with a little fine fescue in shady areas. So the grass is soft and kind of floppy. The Echo mower cuts well but not perfectly--you will probably see a few stragglers left behind that aren't cut. Not surprisingly, the mulching performance is better than the old LawnBoy, which really does best when bagging. I haven't tried the Echo in bagging mode.

My yard is about 2300 square feet, and there are lots of walls, steps, beds, and obstacles. The LawnBoy edged better; the Echo leaves me more trimming--a couple of inches all the way around, which isn't all that much, I guess.

My main reason for going battery operated was to reduce the weight of the mower. My yard is a slope (30 degrees in front, 20 degrees in back), and I have to carry the mower up 13 steps to reach the back yard. The Echo weighs 49 pounds without battery(ies). That's almost 20 pounds lighter than my LawnBoy, so it's much easier to carry and push. Each battery weighs 4 pounds, and the mower will accommodate up to two.

The battery still shows two out of four bars after mowing.

The biggest complaints I have so far are minor. There are several tight spots in my layout where I can't turn, and I have to pull the mower back. It leaves a lot uncut in the reverse direction. Also, it doesn't have a lot of suction to stand the grass up (in mulching mode anyway), so it will also leave a lot uncut if the grass is even slightly wet and it gets pressed down by foot or wheel tracks. The manual does say not to cut wet grass, but this contradicts one of the selling points--i.e., you can mow early in the morning without disturbing the neighbors (but only if there is zero dew).

I'm interested in seeing how well it will tackle leaf mulching in the fall. As of now, I'll probably decide to keep it because it performs about as well as my old mower and has the benefit of being lighter to carry.

I assume, because you're a member here, that you're mowing a well-tended lawn and not cutting foot-high neglected weeds (like my neighbor). If that's so, I think a cordless mower will probably suit your needs well enough, especially with a small lawn. I haven't tried any cordless trimmers or blowers, so I can't comment on those.


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mitten
Posts: 266
Joined: October 9th, 2016, 10:53 am
Location: West Michigan - Zone 6
Grass Type: Midnight, Diva, Everglade KBG, plus Fiesta4 PR and Zodiac Fescue
Lawn Size: 3000-5000
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Re: Need Recommendations on New Homeowner Lawn Equipment

Post by mitten » July 22nd, 2017, 9:42 am

What's your budget? I like battery for blower and string trimmer (40V DeWalt). Ego brand from Home Depot gets great reviews and is lower priced if budget is a concern. I prefer gas for mower (Toro SR4) and edger (McClane).

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