i bought a WB lesco/and i HATED IT!!!!!!!!!

[TheLawnRanger]

ill take lawn boy over lesco any day! for small yards that is. ( thats ill i do) i took out a tree with it the other day it hard to stop 600 lbs. OPPS! i sold it today<br>for 1500.00 i can buy 30 lawnboys to one lesco! hum i think i made the right choice for me.the lescos to hard to controll! and sucks gas down quick! i can cut 3 to 4 lawns with one tank full in my l.b. i really didnt save that much time either! an 1 1/2 hrs with lb or 40 mins. with the lesco!but the lesco scalps! cant get close to things and it takes out anything in its path!!im wondering if theres a bigger pusher out there? instead of a 21&quot; is there any thing bigger? a 25&quot; or 28&quot;but not a wb!with pistol grips! (yuck)!ty mark!

[trimmer]

snapper makes a bigger walk behind without pistol grips I think it is 26&quot; or somewhere around there you might want to go check it out. You might be able to mow faster with it than you did with the lesco. You also might want to check out the toro 32&quot; walk behind I know its not what you are looking for but get a demo and see what you think. Well that is my opinion.<p><br>Exquisite Lawn Services <br>Central Floridia<br>Where the grass is tough!

[Guido]

THELAWNRANGER - Let me clear a few things up in your post so you don't turn off the other new guys to commercial size mowers. <p>You said Lesco scalps........I bet I can make your lawn boy scalp!! <br>THE OPERATOR MAKES THE LESCO SCALP<p>You said the lesco is hard to stop. I disagree, I can stop it, it has brakes right? YOU HAD TROUBLE CONTROLLING YOUR LESCO<p>The Lesco takes down everything in its path. I don't think it did it on purpose. I'm sure it didn't appreciate hitting the tree, cause then your talking bent blades, and by the time you spend hours weekly bending them back straight, etc. (hehehehehe) YOU COULD NOT STEER YOUR LESCO AROUND THE TREE YOU RAN OVER!!!<p><br>I'm not bashing you man, I just want you and the other guys that your talking about some very productive equipment if your properly trained and know how to use it. You have to get used to it, like anything else. It can save you time if you get the right mower for the job. You cut your time in half almost, isn't that pretty good?? And about sucking gas, I dunno what your talking about but remember this, your cutting almost 3 times the grass each pass compared to your 21&quot;<p>One more I didn't agree with. The Lesco can't get close to things. WHY NOT? THAT SHINEY GREEN PAINT ON THE NON-DISCHARGE SIDE OF YOUR DECK.............PEEL IT OFF!!! THATS HOW CLOSE THE LESCO CAN GET. YOUR THE ONE WHO COULDN&quot;T GET CLOSE.<p>I hope you don't get pissed at me for trying to explain this, I don't know of any other way to put it. I hope I can give you a little insight on the problem you had. One more thing, you blamed this all on the Lesco.......the things you didn't like are 90% standard on all walkbehinds (pistol grips, and all that other good stuff) I don't think it sends the right message when your post title is I HATE MY LESCO, or whatever it was. You should agree after what I've told you that YOU DIDN&quot;T LIKE YOUR 48&quot; MOWER FOR PERSONAL REASONS&lt; NOT BECAUSE OF A CERTAIN BRAND. I hope this helps and again, hope you have better luck with new equipment in the future!!<p>----------<br>&lt;a href=&quot;http://communities.msn.com/guidosequipmentpics/&quot;&gt;&quot;Guido&quot;&lt;/a&gt;<br>David M. Famiglietti

[lawrence stone]

I had the same problem at a lesco open house.<p>Since I am a Toro operator I have little to no exp. with pistol grip steering.<p>The Lesco manager &quot;tried&quot; to sell me this 48&quot; hydro that had a stand on sulky attached.<br>It was one of those old 17hp one cyl. Kaws.<br> after he pull started it a dozen times<br>(and worked up a good sweat) it fired.<p>It tired to run the thing around the parking lot but IMHO that pistol grip steering<br>just plain sucked.<p>You have to give those lawn boys the boot<br>ranger. What you need is a 32&quot; Toro.<br>If you can buy brand new the Toro twin blade 32 which is an eXmark metro with toro steering is the why to go. They have a real cheap model with a 10.5 hp Briggs.<p>Or you could get a used single blade 32&quot; Toro. They have been in production for 10 years so they are availble from time to time.<p>Also try raising your deck up by a half inch if your are scapling.<br><p><font size="1">Edited by: lawrence stone

[GrassRoots Lawn Care]

Everything I was thinking about saying in response to your post, Guido and Stone already said. It's not the equipment, its the operator. Don't feel bad though, ALL of us and I mean ALL of us had trouble when we first started with larger more powerful equipment. Just take the time and learn. I'm sure the guys at Lesco will take the time to show you.<p>----------<br>Mike Reynolds,<br>GrassRoots Lawn Care, Florida

[AB Lawn Care]

Guido-I agree alot with your statement!I bought a scag 36 last year and it took me about 4 months to get use to the controls.At somepoints I would get very angry when I would loose control of it but now that I am use to running it.I think it is one of my favorite mowers!<p>thelawnranger-I know you thought the lesco went through alot of gas.Trust me!Walkbehinds are awsome on gas.My Walker go throught twice the gas as my walkbehind.Don't dissmiss all walkbehinds!!!!!Maby there is one out there that you will love!I try to keep my mind open to any mower.I use to think Walker was the best and there was nothing close to it.I still feel they are the best for clean-ups and bagging but I know there are better mowers out there for different uses.<p><p>----------<br>from:Adam<br>AB Lawn Care

[Greenthumb]

Simply I agree I dont like lesco it was my first com. machine .toro the way to go

[Starling Lawn]

ranger,i`m not sure if i recommended the lesco to you in an earlier post or the chat room.i had the same problem when i bought my 1st pistol grip.stupid me started in 4th gear,ran across my yard and into my garage.cinder block does not like being hit by wb`s.the point is ,try to find a wb you are comfortable with and practice with it before you take it on your customer`s lawns.it will take some time ,but a bigger mower is the way to go.<br>dave<br>

[TheLawnRanger]

thanks for the replys!<p>ok im not mad. BUT....<br>im not in this for the money!<br>i do this to relax! i have a nervous condistion and mowing helps!!!<br>i bought a lesco thinking it would help saving time! so i could spend more time at home with the kids. BUT...<br>i hit two trees killing one!<br>scapled about 8 times on some very picky custerms!!!! it just to big for small 40by100<br>lots!! with dips and valleys it tore up a whole crap load of grass i got yelled at really bad! scaple this ladys grass twice<br>not b/c of operator error! just b/c pistol grips SUCK! and its to big and bulky for tight spots!i never scapled in three years with l.b. i bought another one today from my neibor 30$ hahaha ill make 100's off that return. i think us (me) small guys!<br>who arent in it for the MONEY shouldnt waste r money buying big expenisive useless junk.<br>i spent more time worring about scapling and hitting crap then relaxing! lol with my lb i can just cut! and relax ! and im happy!!!<br>i can buy 30 more lb to that ONE LESCO!!!!!<br>ps i like money but im in it for the peolpe too. i take pride in finishing a job PERFECT!<br>with lb i can do it and i do it well.i never advertize my work does it for me<br>

[lawnworker]

if your happy iam happy but as for me i will stick with my pistal grip exmark walkbehinds nothing like the durobuility of those strong decks and greasable casters.

[yardsmith]

I've ran both alot before & I say T-bars suck! Pistol grips give you tons more control, because your hands stay in the same place, not twisting wrists & moving back & forth, etc. As above, It's all in the operator.<br>You definitely would hate my Honda WB. Pistol grips plus individual hydro controls; you could run your own feet over if you didn't know what you're doing. But once learned/mastered, (like fire & money) it makes a wonderful servant, & a terrible master.<br>Practice Practice Practice!<p>PS-a WB takes getting used to because you squeeze levers to turn the thing; most folks try to pull it side to side like a push mower to turn it, & it makes things worse. Let the machine turn itself for you, & magic will happen!<br>----------<br>Smitty ô¿ô<p><p><font size="1">Edited by: yardsmith

[kenneybros]

Pistol grip is hard to control, but not when you know how to operate it. I ran up a metal pole my first time, it hit 6 times or so and left that many lines. All you need is practice.

[TGCummings]

So far, I agree completely with the author of this post. My new 36&quot; Exmark Metro HP is the most difficult piece of equipment I ever owned. It's tenacious. It's stubborn. It goes left when I want to go right. It goes forward when I want it to stop. It scalps everything I run across...<p>It'll do an hour and a half lawn in forty minutes?<p>I love my Exmark 36&quot; Metro HP. :)<p>Practice, practice, practice...<p>-TGC<p>

[Toroguy]

Mark,<br>Fleet Farm has a 33' WB, it isnt comm. Sears has a one blade 33&quot; non comm. also. <p>Toro and eXmark...Stay away from the fixed decks, the floaters give you quick adjustment for a variety of conditions.<p>Dont use the big mower on the hilly properties or low manuevabilty ones. Just hackaway with the 21. The bigger mower will allow you to pick up the larger properties...nice and flat and only a few trees to destroy. <p>It takes time to get used to new equipment, keep trying.

[KirbysLawn]

My opinion both t-bar and pistol grips suck! Used Bob Cat 48&quot; for the first year of business, woke in AM with numb hands! Checked Toro and did not like, then tried a Great Dane Scamper, what a difference! Very easy to operate going forward or back. Try one if you get a chance. This mower flies with a velkie attached, when I mow with it my trimming is very minimal! I love this machine!

[geogunn]

well lawnranger...you certainly got my attention with the title of this discussion.<p>obviously, you did the right thing by getting rid of this &quot;menace of a lawn machine&quot;. no way I'd let you unload that thing in front of one of my properties!<p>I just hope that you gave the new owner a fair &quot;buyer beware, no return and cash only!&quot; warning before you released this rogue machine to another unsuspecting lawn twit! I bought a used car from a guy like you one time. I think I kept it about ten years and put about 250k miles on it. the bastard!<p>and you talk about stress.... I can see how holding the &quot;pistol grip handles of destiny&quot; in your hands was apparently causing way too much stress in your life. especially since you don't mow for money. mabe I'll try mowing for therapy when I retire.<p>and one more thing, you didn't mention that the &quot;lawnboy mowers&quot; (not to be confused with &quot;lawnboy, the mower&quot;, that posts on this forum occasionally) are a catchier green color than that awful green that lesco paints theirs.<p>FINALLY! (whew!) with all the myriad of concerns youve posted about your experience with a lesco mower (seems like you either love'em or hate 'em), I gotta wonder if you've experienced the dreaded hybrid lesco/MTD PRO variant of what is otherwise a strong, dependable, desireable piece of lawn equipment. Iduno, man. I just had to wonder.<p>by the way guido, thanks for taking &quot;point&quot; on this one!<p>good luck,<p>GEO

[lakegastonla]

All I know is that I wouldn't trade my Lesco 48's for ANY other mower on the market.<br>LawnRanger, If you knew how to control pistol grips, then it would be a different story.<br> I think I will try your stance when I do my tax return next year. I'll wait till <br>next August to send it in and then blame it on the US Government for being late.<br> Someone from LESCO should show up on your doorstep, knock politely, then when you answer the door drag you out in the yard and whip you with some rose bush stems!<br><p><font size="1">Edited by: lakegastonla

[Guido]

GEO - No problem! I had to read your post twice before I woke up!! I'm not as nice as you though, soooo.......<p>Lawnranger- I can't believe you still don't get the point, in one of your last posts, again, you blamed the mower scalping on the pistol grips? Somebody back me up on this, but the pistol grips have nothing to do with scalping. Do you know how to raise the blades up? And its also hard to believe that when you squeeze the right handle the machine goes left.<p>But what I do believe is that you do not know how to operate commercial equipment, and don't want to learn. The point of my first post was to make you understand that weather you bought a Lesco, Exmark, Scag, Bunton, etc, you couldn'tve (I know its not a word) ran them either. Don't blame a name ran for operator inexperience. You sou8nd like the last guy on here that was bashing Lesco mowers becuase of engine problems!! DUHHHHH Lesco / Kawasaki One makes a mower / one makes an engine. I'm going to start blaming Toro because my Honda Accord doesn't steer well on the highway!!!<p><p>----------<br>&lt;a href=&quot;http://communities.msn.com/guidosequipmentpics/&quot;&gt;&quot;Guido&quot;&lt;/a&gt;<br>David M. Famiglietti

[lakegastonla]

Ranger,please attach the following to your forehead.....<p> L<p><br>&lt;font size=&quot;1&quot;&gt;Edited by: lakegastonla<br><p><font size="1">Edited by: lakegastonla

[Evan528]

how old are your lawnboys? Lawnboys made the past 8-9 years are trash.i dont see how anyone could be using one of them commercially! i still get a kick out of watching my neighbor across the street start his 20 yr old lawn boy in one pull and my 5 yr old lawn boy wont even start half the time. his 20yr old still runs like new while mine does not run very smooth from day one. I have a late 80's lawn boy that is great, starts on the forst pull and runs real strong... i think its the last of the good lawnboys. Lawnboys are not just about as good as a craftman! thank god i only use a oush mower about a hour a week!

[TheLawnRanger]

ok

[TheLawnRanger]

what ever<br>what works for one doesnt for the other.<br>im happy with my 21&quot;<br>no worries no stress no SCALPING!!!!!!<br>a 21&quot; does a better job!<br>a 21&quot; is user freindly<br>a 21&quot; is way better than any wb<br>for small yards<br>im happy r u!

[bdemir]

Lawnranger,<p>Dont feel bad you were probably only venting some anger you had about that lesco. Some of the people here are trying to help but it sounds negative at times. You should go with the mower that you fell like. I agree with you. <br><p><font size="1">Edited by: bdemir

[thelawnguy]

A guy around here used to use 21 and 33 inch mowers exclusively, advertised that smaller mowers give a better cut, this year he went out and bought a 48 Metro and now he's trying to backpedal on his better cut claims, he is now convinced its better to have a fatter wallet than a better cut. Heck, a fat wallet sure eases my stress a few notches.<p>Bill

[geogunn]

I'm happy. especially happy I'm not cutting grass with a push mower!<p>GEO