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New member, not a know it all!

#1

Sassyspy

Sassyspy

In fact when it comes to all this equipment I'm pretty clueless. But just bought my first house that's on 2 acres, so figured I better start learning as much as possible!
No favorite brands as yet but I'm QUICKLY NOT becoming a Ryobi fan- the problems are how I found this forum
So, hi everybody!


#2

B

bertsmobile1

Ryobi are like a lot of companies who design products then tender the manufacture out to a third party.
This is always fraught with problems as you loose control over quality .
Also from a uses point of view we never know weather it was made by a top end factory or the cheapest nastiest cut price factory on the planet.
Thus one model will be fantastic & the next size up / new model can be a total dissaster.
They are also designed as throw away items and in many cases you break covers that are held on with tabs when you dissassemble them .
Try to avoid buying any brand new gear for the first couple of years till you know what you are going to do with the yard and how the seasons affect it.
When you do buy from the commercial ranges
Even Stihl makes & sells cheap throw away junk .
They have to do this to get people to come through the shop doors


#3

M

MParr

We bought our house and property three years ago. I have three acres to mow. Over that period of time, I’ve learned a lot about mower capabilities and sizing a mower to match the lawn.
I found out that an an entry level residential 50” zero turn is only good up to two acres. There isn’t a lot of adjustment in the mower deck. They don’t handle rough terrain well.
For lawns larger than two acres, an estate mower or commercial of 54” to 61” is the best fit. They are built quite a bit beefier than big box store mowers.
Buying a mower from a servicing dealer is a plus.
For lawns over 1 acre and aren’t perfectly smooth, an electric powered riding mower isn’t going to cut the mustard.
Gravely is making a commercial grade electric mower but, who is going to spend $25,000 on new technology?


#4

Sassyspy

Sassyspy

MParr said:
We bought our house and property three years ago. I have three acres to mow. Over that period of time, I’ve learned a lot about mower capabilities and sizing a mower to match the lawn.
I found out that an an entry level residential 50” zero turn is only good up to two acres. There isn’t a lot of adjustment in the mower deck. They don’t handle rough terrain well.
For lawns larger than two acres, an estate mower or commercial of 54” to 61” is the best fit. They are built quite a bit beefier than big box store mowers.
Buying a mower from a servicing dealer is a plus.
For lawns over 1 acre and aren’t perfectly smooth, an electric powered riding mower isn’t going to cut the mustard.
Gravely is making a commercial grade electric mower but, who is going to spend $25,000 on new technology?
Click to expand...
I believe you are so right. I have very rough terrain thanks to my pal, the mole, and it does stall out more when I'm hitting all the bumps/holes.
I thought I'd really done my research. I thought even though it was expensive it would do the job and last awhile.
Wrong on both counts, but I really hope I can recoup somehow and will buy a used mower from the mower guy till I learn what will work best on my lawn, like you said.
Problem is the growing season right now and it's just getting longer. Can't even pay someone to bring their mower and come do a one time.


#5

M

MParr

Sassyspy said:
I believe you are so right. I have very rough terrain thanks to my pal, the mole, and it does stall out more when I'm hitting all the bumps/holes.
I thought I'd really done my research. I thought even though it was expensive it would do the job and last awhile.
Wrong on both counts, but I really hope I can recoup somehow and will buy a used mower from the mower guy till I learn what will work best on my lawn, like you said.
Problem is the growing season right now and it's just getting longer. Can't even pay someone to bring their mower and come do a one time.
Click to expand...
See if you can take it back for a refund. You would have been better off with a John Deere or Husqvarna 48” lawn tractor.


#6

cpurvis

cpurvis

So far, I still don't know what mower you bought to mow your two acres.

A 52 to 54 inch mower should handle two acres with ease. What problems are you having with your mower preventing that from happening?


#7

M

MParr

@cpurvis
If you are talking to me, I now have a Gravely Pro Turn 160 (60”) with a Yamaha MX800V.


#8

cpurvis

cpurvis

MParr said:
@cpurvis
If you are talking to me, I now have a Gravely Pro Turn 160 (60”) with a Yamaha MX800V.
Click to expand...
No, my comment was meant for the OP.


#9

Catherine

Catherine

Welcome to the forum! Hopefully, we can point you in the direction of the right mower for the job.


#10

Douglasdzaster

Douglasdzaster

bertsmobile1 said:
Ryobi are like a lot of companies who design products then tender the manufacture out to a third party.
This is always fraught with problems as you loose control over quality .
Also from a uses point of view we never know weather it was made by a top end factory or the cheapest nastiest cut price factory on the planet.
Thus one model will be fantastic & the next size up / new model can be a total dissaster.
They are also designed as throw away items and in many cases you break covers that are held on with tabs when you dissassemble them .
Try to avoid buying any brand new gear for the first couple of years till you know what you are going to do with the yard and how the seasons affect it.
When you do buy from the commercial ranges
Even Stihl makes & sells cheap throw away junk .
They have to do this to get people to come through the shop doors
Click to expand...
I have a Stihl fs76 that’s 23-25 years old. It’s always screamed and will cut all day. I bought a new fs70 a couple of weeks ago and it’s not near the machine I thought it was going to be. It should actually be over kill for what we do around here as far as size.


#11

Sassyspy

Sassyspy

cpurvis said:
So far, I still don't know what mower you bought to mow your two acres.

A 52 to 54 inch mower should handle two acres with ease. What problems are you having with your mower preventing that from happening?
Click to expand...
I'm sorry I thought I stated it's a 38in Ryobi electric rider, but I did post in 2 threads so I probably missed it.
52 to 54 sounds HUGE! Though I do think the 38 inch is a bit too puny for the job.
Apparently I am too puny for the mower please see my other post in 'other brands'


#12

Sassyspy

Sassyspy

Catherine said:
Welcome to the forum! Hopefully, we can point you in the direction of the right mower for the job.
Click to expand...
Thank you. I appreciate all the help I can get. So many times I find myself saying "oh why did I have to be a girl?" Seems guys are practically born knowing how to do mechanical stuff! But I'm learning, better late than never!


#13

7394

7394

Welcome aboard, Don't let the girl thing stop ya. Women are doing everything anymore.

My youngest sister teaches plumbing at their local trade school.


#14

B

bertsmobile1

Sassyspy said:
I'm sorry I thought I stated it's a 38in Ryobi electric rider, but I did post in 2 threads so I probably missed it.
52 to 54 sounds HUGE! Though I do think the 38 inch is a bit too puny for the job.
Apparently I am too puny for the mower please see my other post in 'other brands'
Click to expand...
Sassyspy said:
I'm sorry I thought I stated it's a 38in Ryobi electric rider, but I did post in 2 threads so I probably missed it.
52 to 54 sounds HUGE! Though I do think the 38 inch is a bit too puny for the job.
Apparently I am too puny for the mower please see my other post in 'other brands'
Click to expand...
It is common for set switches to be too sensitive .
My usual trick is to drill a very small hole in the end of the plunger then fit a self tapping screw in the end to make the plunger longer
Some times it needs to be backed off 1 to 2 turns to get it right.
I mow several acres of very rough hilly road side with mowers that range from 24" to 38"
Smaller decks usually can mow at a faster speed just so long as you don't let the grass get too tall .
Most decks will struggle if you try to cut any more than 2" off the top of the grass .


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