Zero Knievel
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Posts posted by Zero Knievel
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Looking at this now. It seems zero turn models are a premium, but other than going faster, they don’t, per se, do significantly better cutting.
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4 hours ago, DaveK said:
Wait, at $300/month - that would be cheap? Or you actually looking to be cheap?
LOL
After enough time, I’d be paying for the equipment anyhow.Just as leasing makes no sense if you want to keep a vehicle for over a decade.
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13 hours ago, Zero Knievel said:
SCAG…which I believe is above what my budget would allow.
Yikes!
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2 minutes ago, blackhawkxx said:
I don't know about your area but here in the spring mowing the grass once a month you would be baling it like hay. Sometimes it could use twice a week unless you are bagging so the clippings isn't laying thick and compounds the following week.
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.
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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.
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On 10/8/2023 at 4:37 PM, RXX said:
What brand mower does your yard guy use?
SCAG…which I believe is above what my budget would allow. -
1 hour ago, blackhawkxx said:
Admit it, you just want a mower named after you. 😀
Well, I do have an extra decal I could put on it.Incidentally, this is what I have my eye on.
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.
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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.
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55 minutes ago, tomek said:
I'd say unless operator error was involved broken nipple is clear indication of no maintenance, more specifically brake fluid never replaced. It is internal corrosion.
In this case internals might be in sorry ass state- replace caliper.
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. -
9 hours ago, SwampNut said:
Just like everything else, not at all. And how do you propose to actually answer it? I should go start cutting with progressively larger tools? Maybe I should park in the ghetto and pay a crackhead and record 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. -
5 hours ago, XXBirdSlapper said:
I don't agree with this. If you are too close to root diameter the screw extractor will expand what is essentially now a sleeve making it more difficult to extract as twisting the extractor forces it to expand. I start well below max size, and that way if it strips you redrill to the next size. If you gain experience a small drive impact can be used to "burp" it to shock it loose. Zero is not in this club.
Or just replace the damn caliper. It was less work and time than trying to extract the nipple.-
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2 hours ago, jon haney said:
I figured you had the spiral-type. Breaking one of those in a soft steel bleed screw, definitely makes the material suspect. Heat-treat may have not happened.
That being said, what did you expect for that price?
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. -
1 hour ago, SwampNut said:
Always snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
Just curious as to how “secure” it is to a prepared thief. -
How does it hold up to wire cutters or bolt cutters?
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1 hour ago, superhawk996 said:
They typically do, and the extractors are typically marked for what size range of bolts they're to be used for. Post a link or photos of what you used.
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.
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57 minutes ago, superhawk996 said:
Tell me you don't have a clue about using extractors without saying so.
Always drill the biggest hole possible and use the largest extractor you can. If you used the extractor that would fit into the existing hole, of course it broke. Once you break an extractor in a hole you're usually fucked.
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. -
2 hours ago, blackhawkxx said:
Did you get all the air out?
As far as I can tell. I switched calipers and moved the brake line last…then flushed the line. -
1 hour ago, RXX said:
What brand mower does your yard guy use?
I’ll check next time he’s here. -
1 hour ago, XXBirdSlapper said:
From a business in that situation I would have done both sides as well. They could be liable in an accident and it proper practice to do both. And now here you are. Should have done it then.
Why? The caliper didn’t fail. I broke the bleed nipple. Doesn’t matter, I replaced the caliper and it’s solved.-
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5 hours ago, DaveK said:
No offense taken Fur... at all. My only point was really to say "are you thinking a $300/month lawn service can be replaced with a "mower." A 6 person, 4 person, 3 person team that shows up and services a house can't be compared to a single person with a "mower" regardless of time or expense.
If I get rid of my Housekeeping company (4 ladies - 1 hour) would take my wife 6 hours and cost of chemicals.
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.
4 hours ago, SwampNut said:I only spend $100/mo for my Mexican, so maybe it's a different cost bracket, but I simply can't make the plants look as good as he does.
You’re also essentially “in town.” He can probably hit your house and 2-3 others in one day. -
59 minutes ago, Biometrix said:
Since local service seems to be one of your main concerns, maybe see what dealers in your area are convenient and have high satisfaction ratings first and then focus in on a brand/model that they carry?
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. -
45 minutes ago, DaveK said:
You should definitely get rid of the service and get an incredibly expensive zero turn.
It will give you years of things to complain about.
I’m excited.
Dave, at $300 a month, we’d already have paid off a new one by now based on the prices I’m seeing. -
18 minutes ago, superhawk996 said:
Actually, he himself posted the photo of the forged eye bolt. I'm pissed at myself for being surprised that he then went and bought the weakest style.
I wonder what clusters of fucks will come with the tie-down rings you gave him.
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.
Zero turn lawn mower suggestions.
in Handyman
Posted
Wow. A positive response. Please say you aren’t messing with me.