Changed my mind

[TobyU]

It’s the same as the automobile industry….planned obsolescence. I have 2 old mowers, a 2 stroke Lawn boy and an aluminum deck super recycler from 90’s - 2000’s that I’ll never get rid of.
Problem is a supply/demand issue. Electric units are getting better and guys in their 20’s-30’s still live with their parents, are not getting married so are not buying homes. Dumbass Powell and the feds have purposely kept interest rates high to stifle Trump’s efforts to stimulate the economy, which also limits home loans.

I don't see most of the walk behind self-propelled up to 22-in mowers that are battery powered getting better at all.
In fact they're getting worse because the batteries are getting more expensive so that makes the overall situation not better.
If they had done what other electronic devices and batteries have done since the late 90s, where when they're new and buying OEM batteries they're expensive but after just a year or less the battery prices come down and aftermarket makes quite adequate batteries at about a third of the price, then they would be getting better overall but this has not happened.

They are also not getting better as far as cutting power, increased cutting duration, blade tip speed etc.

The only improvement is some of them are coming with or having an optional higher capacity battery maybe twice the amp hours but even with the best battery you can buy, they typically won't even cut the a huge amount of people's single front yard or single backyard LET ALONE think about cutting your front and back lawn at the same time with one battery with one charge.

Anyone who has experienced otherwise has a very small lot.

So for those people they are fine and they didn't need to get better because they already did this.
In fact, Black and Decker made a better mower over 20 years ago that came with two batteries and they had a handle on them and they were the size of a car battery that you simply dropped into the center of the mower and it locked into place and the mower without mow power wise and cutting time wise almost anything on the market today.
So what that the battery was kind of big and heavy. I would gladly take that idea today for a walk behind mower to be able to mow for 2 hours instead of 30 to 45 minutes.
I also forgot to mention specifically when I said cutting power that these things work very poorly and don't cut very long if you have quite overgrown grass which is the way a lot of people have been cutting their lawns for decades.
Gas mowers don't care as much and they just trounce on through it.

So actually think it's the other way and not that more people are buying and keeping battery powered mowers or at least it's not going to stay that way because as more and more people buy them and try them, they get buyer's remorse quickly or in a few months to within the year anniversary.
They see that they are let down and they have to make sacrifices and changes in their mowing patterns and people don't like that.

They start to wish they had their old mowers back and there's going to come a time eventually where there's going to be a big increase demand for gasoline-powered mowers like people used to have because they want that convenience and power back of being able to get the whole mowing done in just a couple of hours or so in an afternoon without switching between three or four batteries or having to break their mowing over 2 days.

Since the prices of mowers went up, the price of used mowers have gone up too.
I think unfortunately in a few years we're going to see a market of very nice looking used gasoline mowers selling for as much money as they did when they were new like 15 years ago.

For a long time you could buy a Toro Personal Pace for $349. I fully expect people to be listing and people to be buying nice looking used and multiple year old similar mowers for $300 to $350 in the very near future.

 

[TobyU]

To all who have followed this forum for a long time, you will know that I have been a strong supporter of the Toro 21” Super Recycler cast deck mower. I am now changing my mind and can no longer do so. Over the Labor Day weekend I went to the local county fair and was talking to the owner of the business I retired from when COVID struck. He informed me that they were no longer stocking or selling these models. For the past three years their quality and backing by Toro has decreased drastically and this spring they returned almost every model in stock to Toro. He told me Toro is trying to resolve these problems, but has seen no progress. I worked for this business for 12+ years and have known this owner for 40 years, whose business is over 75 years old, and fully trust in what he tells me. My apologies to anyone who has used my support to purchased one of these mowers in the passed 3 years, I’m going to try to keep up on this subject, but as I said, I cannot and will not recommend anyone purchase a Toro Super Recycler cast deck mower. Rivets

Is this kind of like - I've never been wrong. One time I thought I was but I was mistaken.

 

[billroy1]

Something to add to the list like cub cadet troy bilt and husqvarna

Not to mention Honda, I bought one of the last factory repaired recalled HRN 216's from HD and now with 12 hours on it blow's smoke Leaks oil bad from valve cover, Hope to get the season out of it done, what self propelled yard lawn mowers are decent if any?

 

[slomo]

what self propelled yard lawn mowers are decent if any?

Jump on facetrash marketplace. Look for Snapper Commercial mowers. Can grab a clean one for around $350 in my area. Your great great grandchildren will be mowing with it.

True side discharge, mulcher and a bagger that no other mower comes close to. Mine will suck spare change off your garage floor. Most simplistic heaviest duty mower on the planet.

 

[Etbrown44]

Sounds like someone unfortunately bought a defective store return Honda. My experience is the Honda 160s and 190s are very long lasting. Interested in the experience of the old pros. Im just 74

 

[Tiger Small Engine]

I don't see most of the walk behind self-propelled up to 22-in mowers that are battery powered getting better at all.
In fact they're getting worse because the batteries are getting more expensive so that makes the overall situation not better.
If they had done what other electronic devices and batteries have done since the late 90s, where when they're new and buying OEM batteries they're expensive but after just a year or less the battery prices come down and aftermarket makes quite adequate batteries at about a third of the price, then they would be getting better overall but this has not happened.

They are also not getting better as far as cutting power, increased cutting duration, blade tip speed etc.

The only improvement is some of them are coming with or having an optional higher capacity battery maybe twice the amp hours but even with the best battery you can buy, they typically won't even cut the a huge amount of people's single front yard or single backyard LET ALONE think about cutting your front and back lawn at the same time with one battery with one charge.

Anyone who has experienced otherwise has a very small lot.

So for those people they are fine and they didn't need to get better because they already did this.
In fact, Black and Decker made a better mower over 20 years ago that came with two batteries and they had a handle on them and they were the size of a car battery that you simply dropped into the center of the mower and it locked into place and the mower without mow power wise and cutting time wise almost anything on the market today.
So what that the battery was kind of big and heavy. I would gladly take that idea today for a walk behind mower to be able to mow for 2 hours instead of 30 to 45 minutes.
I also forgot to mention specifically when I said cutting power that these things work very poorly and don't cut very long if you have quite overgrown grass which is the way a lot of people have been cutting their lawns for decades.
Gas mowers don't care as much and they just trounce on through it.

So actually think it's the other way and not that more people are buying and keeping battery powered mowers or at least it's not going to stay that way because as more and more people buy them and try them, they get buyer's remorse quickly or in a few months to within the year anniversary.
They see that they are let down and they have to make sacrifices and changes in their mowing patterns and people don't like that.

They start to wish they had their old mowers back and there's going to come a time eventually where there's going to be a big increase demand for gasoline-powered mowers like people used to have because they want that convenience and power back of being able to get the whole mowing done in just a couple of hours or so in an afternoon without switching between three or four batteries or having to break their mowing over 2 days.

Since the prices of mowers went up, the price of used mowers have gone up too.
I think unfortunately in a few years we're going to see a market of very nice looking used gasoline mowers selling for as much money as they did when they were new like 15 years ago.

For a long time you could buy a Toro Personal Pace for $349. I fully expect people to be listing and people to be buying nice looking used and multiple year old similar mowers for $300 to $350 in the very near future.

The hard push by corporate America, the government, and media for battery powered outdoor power equipment and electric vehicles has been the last 5 to 8 years. It has not caught on and been near as successful as they would have liked, for many reasons. I am going to the Equipment Expo in Louisville, Kentucky in about a month, and will see tons of battery equipment. Gas got us here, and gas will take us home. At least for several years to come.