Zero Knievel

Yeah…with enough rain it could get that bad, but I have a brush mower that could handle it. It’s a matter of cost vs. benefit. What we’re being charged for two cuttings a month is quickly adding up…even if you presume 3 months with no cuttings and 2 months with maybe only one cutting. I also wonder if the zero turn is worth the money compared to other riding mowers. A nimble enough riding mower would work just as well, but an issue I think exists is that zero turns have a lower center of gravity, so if you’re going along the edge on a sloped bank, you don’t have to hang off the edge of the seat. Of course a quality riding mower may cost just as much.

Good to know. Honestly, IF the lawn guy would be content to only come once a month, I might justify the cost. Problem is that mom wants the yard to look “nice.” I just want to keep the grass from growing unchecked. When she dies, all the plants needing maintenance are gone because I have neither the time, inclination or skill to do the needed gardening to keep them healthy.

SCAG…which I believe is above what my budget would allow.

Well, I do have an extra decal I could put on it. Incidentally, this is what I have my eye on. https://www.homedepot.com/p/Cub-Cadet-Ultima-42-in-22-HP-V-Twin-Kohler-7000-Engine-Dual-Hydrostatic-Drive-Gas-Zero-Turn-Riding-Lawn-Mower-ZT1-42/318303310 This model was rated a 2023 best budget model. I debated having a wider cutting deck, but the next size up (deck alone) means the overall width would make it problematic storing in the garage.

What web sites will help you find the best deal on a particular make and model? Google is fairly useless because it keeps pushing the same major players to the top of the list.

Maintenance was done, but as I said, mom drove though flood waters. I thought I flushed the system since then, but who knows. I only track maintenance on my vehicles…and her car has over 250k on it.

Not you, but you’d think the manufacturer would have representations of how much protection it offers. Security cables are better than chains, but it depends on what they are made from and how thick. If a pair of tin snips could cut through the net, it’s not much protection. If you need fairly large bolt cutters, that’s much better.

Or just replace the damn caliper. It was less work and time than trying to extract the nipple.

I asked the clerk. I didn’t know there was other options. When I returned it, the clerk said it was junk and he didn’t know why they bothered carrying it. In the future, when buying a tool, I’ll ask what my options are rather than take whatever they pull from the shelf.

Just curious as to how “secure” it is to a prepared thief.

How does it hold up to wire cutters or bolt cutters?

I asked the clerk for a screw extractor. This is what he brought me. Multiple reviews online say this set is junk, but I wasn’t shopping online. I will have words for the clerk when I return it. They had better options to offer. The product claims to be vanadium steel, but as easily as it broke, I suspect there’s no substantial steel content.

So, why do the INSTRUCTIONS not mention this? The largest that would fit barely went in, so I went a size smaller. Doesn’t change the fact that using a small adjustable wrench and my bare hands, it broke.

As far as I can tell. I switched calipers and moved the brake line last…then flushed the line.

I’ll check next time he’s here.

Why? The caliper didn’t fail. I broke the bleed nipple. Doesn’t matter, I replaced the caliper and it’s solved.

Okay, we’re paying for one, maybe two if his son comes along. So, no they aren’t doing anything I can’t do myself in about the same time. All they are saving me is time and dealing with allergies, BUT the cost is not going to be sustainable if I have to pay 100% myself. More so, only around the house needs mowing every 2 weeks. Everywhere else can go a month or later, but if they come out here, they do all of it. If they did less work, they’d not discount the price because were paying for the distance they have to come. Same with the house cleaners. I could do all of it myself, but mom would rather hire ladies to come in once a month, but they never really clean as well as she’d do on her own. You’re also essentially “in town.” He can probably hit your house and 2-3 others in one day.

I don’t need local service. John Deere is off the list because of the proprietary BS they’ve been doing to frustrate DIY repair and maintenance. Most brands don’t do that, but most don’t have franchise dealerships struggling to stay in business. So long as 80% of regular maintenance or repairs is DIY, that’s good enough. I want to avoid models with expensive repairs or replacements even in spite of being well-maintained.

Dave, at $300 a month, we’d already have paid off a new one by now based on the prices I’m seeing.

It’s what they had. There were no forged eye bolts in either store.

This winter, mom and I will consider getting a zero turn riding mower and let go of the yard service. Please suggest brands and models. Affordable, reliable, easy to service DIY are top priorities. I will not consider John Deere because of the issues they’ve had. Our last JD was reliable, but if it had an issue, repair work from a JD dealer was a pain. Not opposed to buying used if it’s clean and well-kept.

That’s a thought…although it bothers my sense of completing the job properly. Inspections are not always done by auto mechanic shops. In fact, I avoid those because some of them will claim you need work done then quote a price for doing it. When the other caliper seized, they wanted over $500 for both sides (not necessary), and they were quoting parts I knew don’t exist or have no need for the replacement of the caliper. This is a shop my mom went to for tires but I warn everyone to avoid them. Actually, screw that. Replacing a caliper is easy enough. If the cost of a replacement is low enough, might just be easier to do that than try to have a mechanic extract the stub. It was a screw extractor. You could see it twisting as you tried to remove the nipple. That’s poor quality metal. I should have stripped out the stub before the tool showed any stress. Very unhappy.

I’ve flushed brakes several times. Never had this happen before. Other side froze. It was replaced. Likely a throwback to when my dad had thoracic surgery scheduled and they had to drive through flood waters to go to the hospital. This was the only nipple to have an issue. 2005 car, so anything is possible. Now someone tells me. That might be the case here. Still, the removal tool shouldn’t have done what it did if it was steel as advertised.

Opposite side needed replacement. It’s going to the mechanic now. The tool was pot metal BS (steel…my ass) and broke off. I’m not fucking with it anymore.

Okay. I'll PM my address. Do not show up with a 6-pack of beer and a thong.