lawn boy staggered wheel 21"

[turfsup]

Does anyone have good things(or bad) to say about the Lawn Boy 21" staggered wheel deck?

[plow kid]

IMO the good ones are the ones with the magnesium decks and have the 2 stroke motors, we still have one that is 25 years old.~NaTe

[Tim Canavan]

Use the Gold Series two-stroke. Just make sure the filter is clean and the blades are sharp. Great mower if your not going to buy a Honda Commercial, that's the one to buy.

Nice Pink Floyd tribute Plow Kid. I saw them on their last tour in Houston and New Orleans.:p

[grasskeeper]

I see that you asked this question a couple of days ago, so you may have already purchased it. If you bought the commercial model 6.5 hp, make sure that you clean the air filter daily. Wash it out with the garden if you must then put a touch of oil on it and replace. The old engine type use to suck in air from pretty much all over the place, lawnboy has since changed the engine design and the mower now, for the most part will only get air from the air filter, once that gets dirty, no more air= no more engine. Keep it clean, stay happy.

[RB]

I've used commercial duty lawnboys for about 4 years. They are the best trim mowers on teh market.

I needed a new mower in a pinch last season so I shelled out the 1K for a new honda. I mowed for 5 minutes on a lawn and returned it. Doesn't vac grass half as well as the commercial duty lawnboy (with govenor cranked up) and you have to have 3 hands to comfortably run it. You can whip the lawnboy around with one hand.

IMO

Ron

[rodney]

i like mine also . lighter on the back also.

[Barkleymut]

I hated mine. I used it for 2 years and finally replaced last summer with a MTD. I love the MTD. I paid about 2 and 1/2 times more for the Lawnboy and I think the MTD will last me longer.

[Ray&Christine]

I have 2 older 21" Lawnboy Comercials and 1 newer 21" 6.5 hp. self propelled. They are great machines, nice and light and very durable. The only 2 things I don't like about them is they tend to clump easy when the grass is a little too long or damp, and on the older models with the muffler under the deck if you bag the clippings you tend to get alot of exhust fumes in your face. The newer ones muffler is out front so they don't have this problem. Compared to my other Toro Proline I prefer the Lawnboy.

Ray

[Hobart]

Ray, if you haven't allready done it take off the metal bar under the discharge chute on the LB & the mower will plow through almost anything.
Also try some Mo-Deck on the deck. Avail. for Canadian delivery at
http://www.rittenhouse.ca/asp/Product.asp?PG=1130

[rodney]

i also like them better than toro proline , and on the silver series it had a bar like what hobart said thats in the discharge area it would make discharging clump took it off and no more clumps mine has went thru hell and still has a couple years of life left.

[vipermanz]

Originally posted by Hobart
Ray, if you haven't allready done it take off the metal bar under the discharge chute on the LB & the mower will plow through almost anything.



YES!!!!!!!!

[Ray&Christine]

The first thing I did when I brought the Lawnboys home is removed the metal bar, but I only have a problem if the really long.If the grass is cut every week it cuts fine.

Ray

[Hookset]

My new one isn't as good as the 25 year old one that rusted out. One thing I hate is if it gets wet at all it want crank. Mine wouldn't even fire, the shop said it had gotten water in the carb. I would have bet it was the ignition module. Mine is the silver series with the 6.5 it has plastic instead of metal under the deck that clogs it up.

[rodney]

Originally posted by Hookset
My new one isn't as good as the 25 year old one that rusted out. One thing I hate is if it gets wet at all it want crank. Mine wouldn't even fire, the shop said it had gotten water in the carb. I would have bet it was the ignition module. Mine is the silver series with the 6.5 it has plastic instead of metal under the deck that clogs it up.

check your filter cover the opening should be at the bottom . i had mine so the opening was on top and after washing the mower it was hard to start . other than this it allways starts first pull.

[SUNSHINE LAWN]

I've had a silver series 4cyl for the last 5 years and its held up fairly well. First 2 years full time use, last 3 years occasional use(back up mower). Pros: always starts in the first couple of pulls, light weight and manuverable, and cuts or bags fairly well. Cons: wheels wear out fast(wobble, no tread), self-propel has slowed to a crawl, and I don't care for the off set wheel design(gets in the way of right side trim mowing, harder to clear some obstacles like steps or curbs). Also, my father had a lawn boy that was 18 years old before retiring it. First 13 years homeowner use only, last 5 years, my first mower for residential mowing(20 lawns per week). For about half the price of a toro proline or equal a lawn boy could be a decent entry level mower. It worked for me!

[BRIAN FOLEY]

DON'T SPEND THE MONEY ON THE COMMERCIAL UNIT BUY THE SILVER SERIES WITH THE 6.5 2 CYCLE IT IS THE SAME ENGINE AT 1/2 THE PRICE AND THEY WORK GREAT, BRIAN::blob3:

[plow kid]

<img src="http://members.aol.com/ncls484/capslock.jpg">

Typing in all caps is considered yelling.~NaTe

(Jodi;) )

[Brad]

If the Lawnboy is going to be your primary mower, a new one with the 6.5 is the way to go. If you are getting a push mower for trimming/small yards, etc, and don't want the self-propelled unit, my 2 cents worth would be get as good a used one that you can, vintage early 90's. I have a '99 model (which will have the bar under the discharge removed as soon as I get done posting this message) and a late 80's unit. The 99 is self propelled and does a great job, but it does not compare with the cut of the older one, which is strictly push. I don't have any reasons, but the appearance of the cut is much superior. As for durability, the older one had to have the motor replaced (with a used motor off a rusted out deck). My daughter tried to mow a 6 inch stand pipe with it, and twisted the connecting rod about 90 degrees. I was really upset with the reliability of the mower after that happened. It only lasted 3 or 4 more weeks before the connecting rod finally snapped off.

An added benefit is that on days when you are mowing near tall,wet weeds or grass, you can mix the gas/oil a bit rich, and it eliminates the mosquitoes around the ankles significantly.

Brad

[rodney]

i forrgot to say if you buy the one with the oil fill tube make sure its the new style they protect it better.nothing worse than mowing under some bushes and knocking that tube off and you cant find the o ring to put it back together .

[buttaluv]

I personly think their deck design sucks, I used one and every little mole hole or dip in the grade, it would nose dive... just my opinion

[Grasshog]

Rodney said it all. I need my back.

Why was Brain yelling

[Likestomow]

I've use my Lawnboy model #10525 with the 6.5 hp 2 cycle and the magnesium deck for two years. It is great and I'd happily buy another one when needed. It is easy to maneuver and has good power with the 3-speed self propelled drive.

Here is a hint: if you reach under the top of the motor, you will see a white wheel. Turn it (only) a couple of turns one way and see if it speeds up or slows down. When you know which way to turn it, crank it up a couple of turns, and the motor will speed up nicely. Then in 3rd gear, it will go faster than you can walk comfortably --- and it will still cut good too. Just don’t turn it up too much.

I took my air filter to a local foam shop and had them cut me some air filters. It is the exact same foam, and I bought 14 for $5, material, labor and tax. Now I don’t have to bother with washing them out any more.

[TLS]

Well there are at least a few past threads on this very subject. I have one (Commercial) and think it is great. There is a big difference between the Home Depot Homeowner models and the Commercial models.

Fuel Tank (MUCH Bigger!)
Aluminum Deck (Light)
Wheels (Steel w/ greasable bearings)

I only paid about $600 for mine a few years ago. The Homeowners model's run around $300, so go with the good one, and it'll last forever. I only use mine about 2-3 hrs a week, and havent changed or cleaned my air filter yet!!! Matter of fact its the factory plug in there! I really like the peace of mind of not having to worry about oil starvation on hills (thats where I use it) like other push mowers with standard oil lubrication.

Only thing I wish that they had was a better (higher) lift blade! I have my RPM's cranked up, and Yes I always remove the antiscalp bar under the discharge chute.

[jeffex]

likestomow, you have me looking for the "white wheel" on my silver series lb 21" 6.5 2cyl. I bought it new last yr and didn't want to f with it but I need some more rpm on it to make it more productive. It is a homeowner version that I use for hills and if I could get it to rev higher the cut would improve enough to be used more. If you can give a better description of where the wheel is I'd be grateful. A quick look last eve. and te only thing I saw was on top the carb???

[TLS]

Thats it, right on top of the carb, give it a few clicks clockwise (I'm pretty sure:confused: ) and listen to the RPM's increase. P.S. do this with the engine off, unless your brave :eek: .

[gusbuster]

QUOTE]Originally posted by TLS

Only thing I wish that they had was a better (higher) lift blade! I have my RPM's cranked up, and Yes I always remove the antiscalp bar under the discharge chute. [/QUOTE]

One thing that helps is having a clean debris bag.
Have you used the optional mulching fan, even if your bagging? I use it and have seen improvement. The biggest thing, is the chute damaged,by the bar that everybody removes when not bagging? Makes a big difference in performance.

Gator make a special blade for the lawnboy. Will be picking up my first set Wed.night. See if it makes a differenc. I know it made a difference with my honda.

John

[vipermanz]

i got a universal gator and it makes a big difference