What are the chances my lawnmower is still working?

[NewJeffCT]

About 3 years ago, we moved from one small town in CT to another. At the new house, we had a bigger yard and a couple of steep areas, so I used a professional to cut the grass. My lawnmower laid idle for the entire 3 years.

Now, we've moved to a new town in CT that has a slightly smaller yard, and it is also pretty flat. So, I'd like to start cutting my own grass again because it's decent exercise, and also cheaper in the long run.

The lawnmower has been pretty much dormant the past 3 years. It's one of the low-end push models that I probably paid a bit over $100 for 9-10 years ago. It has a gas-powered Briggs & Stratton engine. I never did any maintenance to it other than putting in gas every week and fresh oil every spring.

I'm going to try to pull it out tonight after work to see if I can get it started. But, is there anything more than a snowball in July's chance of it working?

[taterguy]

1. Take it to get a tune-up

Even if it starts it probably won't run very well and a poorly running mower would probably annoy the hell out of your new neighbors.

[NewJeffCT]

5. I figure a tune-up

might be almost as much as a new lawnmower, especially if there is anything that needs to be fixed.

[mikeytherat]

2. Fresh gas, fresh oil, clean the air filter, check the spark plug

and fire it up. Unless it's got really nasty corrosion, it should be OK.

mikey_the_rat

[BOSSHOG]

6. What Mikeytherat said

You can tune it up yourself and will be mowing in no time. Unless, of course, you left it out in the Connecticut winters for the past three years.

You might also consider sharpening the blade and filing the rust off it.

[BrotherBuzz]

15. That, and a some ether aerosol ....

until the juice start flowing through the carburetor.

[Madrone]

3. I'd say yes there's a chance.

BECAUSE ... For the second year in a row I left my mower parked outside, in the elements, under a big pine tree in my yard. I don't have a garage or a shed and just don't know what to do with it. So... this year I'm pretty sure it's dead, after it's second year of snow, ice, and rain ... I drug it out just over a week ago, pulled the starter, and she fired right up on the first pull. I was pretty shocked. Still am, actually.

You have a chance.

[cobalt1999]

4. I'll send you mine.

I decided to re landscape my yard to be all natural without a lawn. It's much more environmentally friendly and much less water intensive.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

7. Check the oil.

If you ran it out of gas before storing it, then it may start right up when you put new gas in.

If it was stored with gas, the carburetor might need to be cleaned.

[Blue Diadem]

8. That's what happened to ours.

My son had to replace the fuel line and clean the carb for me. Now it's back to starting on the first pull.

[NewJeffCT]

10. when it comes to handywork

like cleaning a carb, replacing a fuel line, etc, I'm pretty useless.

My question then would be - is it worth it to spend $100-$120 to have a professional fix it when I can buy a new electric one for under $200?

[Blue Diadem]

11. I think the electric one would be better environmentally than gas

plus with the expense of gas, maintenance, storage of it etc, electric/battery makes more sense. We had small electric mower when we lived elsewhere and had a small yard..kept our gas one here at this house. I really did like the electric one..but it depends on how much you have to cut, unless you get a cordless battery charged type. Those that use the electric extension cord can be a pain..always having to make sure you're not rolling over it. DH managed to cut an extension cord in two when he mowed over a loop he didn't see.

It's probably not cost effective to pay someone to repair your old one if it costs that much. You may want to get an estimate or two before you decide.

Give your mower a try though..you never know if it'll start.

[Oeditpus Rex]

12. On the other hand...

If you have a large yard and/or very thick grass, a rechargeable mower might not be a wise purchase. They don't have a lot of torque and don't hold a charge for very long (the batteries to do that would make the mower quite heavy). On top of that, they're rather expensive.

I've been quite happy with my corded electric mower. But then, I have a small yard and fairly light grass.

[Blue Diadem]

14. Really? I'd heard lots of good things about them..but

now that I think about who had them and the location, they didn't have large yards but typical smaller city lots, and the soil was sandy with a finer grass. The cordless are more expensive too. Now you have me wondering how the electric would work on thick grass like we have here. When we used the electric one, we also were in sandy soil with fine grass.

Here's a link for the OP from Amazon about lawn mower selection: (scroll down to the guide if it doesn't take you there)

Much more at link: http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-Cordless-Mulching-CMM1200/dp/B000NJTFPE/ref=tag_tdp_dp/103-9322401-8215839

snip:

Electric mowers need to be plugged into an outlet to power them, which means you’re constrained by the location of power outlets, the length of your power cord, and any obstacles that may snag the cord. If you have a small yard but don’t want the forced exercise of using a push reel mower, an electric mower may be for you.

Cordless mowers are powered by a rechargeable battery. You don’t have to deal with the hassles of keeping a cord plugged in, but battery life becomes a constraint. Depending on the battery capacity, the size of your yard, and the height of your grass, you may not be able to complete your mowing job on one charge.

Gas mowers offer the most power, which is best if you’ll be mowing tall, dense grass or if your yard is larger than 2,000 square feet. But you will have to keep gas and oil on hand as well as keep the engine serviced.



snip
Batteries
If you’re buying a cordless mower, think about how long it will run on a single charge. Most batteries take several hours to recharge, so you want to make sure it’s going to get the job done before it runs out of juice. As a rule of thumb, a typical 24-volt mower will run up to one-and-a-half hours and cut up to a third of an acre; a 36-volt mower will go for three hours and cut up to a half an acre

[NewJeffCT]

16. My yard is fairly small

a bit under half an acre - a few trees and fairly flat.

[kay1864]

19. I've never been constrained by my corded electric

I'm guessing most houses have an outlet in front and back. You do have to be mindful not to run over the cord. Which mostly involves reminding yourself that yes, you can let the mower stop any time you want (since you don't have to crank it back up again as with a gas mower). Doesn't take long to realize you just keep the cord between you and the outlet (i.e. on the already-mown part).

It does mean a back-and-forth pattern rather than an around-the-yard spiralling-in one.

Never had any trouble with power. Comparable to my old gas mowers. Did I mention that you don't have to crank it back up? Geez I love that.

(and it's quiet)

[Blue Diadem]

31. Tee-hee..that's what my DH did..run over the cord!

Our yard in Michigan(where we had the electric mower) was pretty chopped up..gazebo and decked walkway/bridge, small pond, lots of individual flower beds etc.

I did love the ease in starting.

[chaska]

9. What with global warming and all, I've decided to let my lawn go wild...

I'll trim it up the old fashioned way: slingblade. Worse come to worst, I'll buy an electric.

...What do you do with an old gas mower when you're done with it? It still works, but I'm not going to use it or give it away. I'm at a loss.

[Nikia]

27. We have a mower without an engine

When our gas mower did not start, I started to mow our lawn with that mower again. Unfortunately, we had let our lawn go for too long and it was pushing down some of the long stuff instead of cutting it, not to mention it being strenuous. My husband ended up going to the store and buying a new gas mower. If we mow every week though, we should be able to use the non engine one. At our first place, where we had a smaller lawn without thick sod grass, we used the non engine one exclusively.

[MadHound]

13. Should be OK

Change the oil, either clean and gap the spark plug or get a new one(gap it), drain the fuel in the tank(probably has water in it), clean out the air filter. sharpen the blade, and the sucker should fire up. If it doesn't have a little primer pump on it, take off the air filter and pour a tiny amount of gas into the carb.

About the worse that you might have to do is either gap or clean the points, or put in a new carb kit, neither of which operation is tough, just time consuming.

[KitchenWitch]

17. I just manifested a free lawnmower

With a bag and everything.

I need to get gas and oil, and probably a spark plug, then I am good to go.

[Pacifist Patriot]

18. Should be fine with a tune up.

Same thing happened to me and it was stored in the heat and humidity of Florida. Good luck!

[NewJeffCT]

28. that is my issue

is the expense of a tune-up worth it, or can I get a new lawnmower for a bit more than that?

[trof]

20. Chances? Zero, zed, nada, nyet, none, no-way.

[BrotherBuzz]

22. Your negative vibes should be directed toward the bain of my existence - outboard motors

lawnmowers are simple - fuel and fire. :shrug:

[trof]

23. Outboard motors are the Devil's Conveyance.

You KNOW what I mean.

[BrotherBuzz]

24. Word!

I suspect our stories of woe could fill volumes.

[trof]

25. '87 Merc 2-stroke. Need I say more? '90 Honda 4-stroke.

Ahhhh.....
mo betta

[BrotherBuzz]

26. Us west coast sailers refer to them two-stroke kickers as 'sea anchors'

I'd sworn off outboards by the time the four-strokers made their splash. From your approval, I assume most of the headaches associated with two-stroke engines disappeared with them.

Did you know that a Honda two-stroke outboard (circa 1984) is not covered under warranty if it accidentally drowns while running underwater? Did you know an outboard motor will dolphin away from a boat if it is not firmly fastened to transom, and that the fuel line will arrest its escape? What a sight, watching an outboard motor run underwater, suspended by the fuel line until it dies!!!! "Quick, idiot, fetch me a line".

[wildhorses]

21. same thing here ---not quite 3 years

did NOT change the spark plug or filter and poured OLD gas into and used the old oil that was still in it....that baby cranked right up and mowed three (3) acres like a charm....

you can't beat a briggs and stratton:patriot:

[Morrisons Ghost]

29. Hopefully you

Remembered to drain the gas out of it 3 years ago otherwise you will definately have to take the carb apart and clean it. Good Luck. MG

[Beer Snob-50]

30. it may take a few extra pulls to get going

but it should work. maybe change the oil before you get going.