When was the last time I changed the oil in my mower?

And when they're being used the engine doesn't have to spin all. the. time.

The mowers are fine, it's the weedwackers that are the problem.

The HOA won't let me have goats to keep the grass low though

I did this for years. I even got into the HOA board just to keep them off my back. It was so freeing to not have to mow.

After spending several hours on Saturdays doing yardwork I didn't enjoy doing for years on end, I finally hired a gardener. Now I get to spend that time doing yardwork I do enjoy, like making landscaping improvements, or gardening.

On the flipside if your yard is that big you can save a lot on gas.

While I can’t say I have a large yard. My 80v Greenworks system can do the job 90% of the time on 1 battery (I have 2). When it can’t from being lazy and not mowing as often as I should have or it was especially rainy, I can swap the batteries in moments and the battery charges within 20 or so minutes. By then I am done or using the battery from the mower in the leaf blower or weed whacker.

I would imagine if I had a larger yard I would go with a third in the event of having longer grass to cut and would have a battery charged, battery charging, and one in use.

I would not trade my yard system with a gas one for any amount of money. If i do anything it’d be to hire someone that uses electric (quieter!) to mow and edge and all that jazz. Or use a Fiskars reel mower.

Oh yea. I drive an ID.4. Suck it gas stations trolololol.

I have 1/3rd acre, takes 2 batteries to mow uninterrupted. Anything bigger than that I hope it's not just grass, that's a waste of space.

You parked the door?

Most mowers are four stroke like automobile engines, this includes pushmowers. Modern ones even have oil filters. Generally, riding mowers have two cylinder v-twin engines and pushmowers are single cylinder.

Two stroke engines are generally found on smaller things like chainsaws and weed eaters.

You mix special oil into the gas for two strokes. They do produce more smoke, especially when first started.

Nah, most push and riding mowers are definitely 4 stroke. You're absolutely correct that 2 strokes need to burn oil and create some visible smoke (to be properly lubricated). Only small, powered equipment (such as trimmers, blowers, and chainsaws) are still commonly made with 2 strokes. My smoking push mower was made in the mid 1980's and is miraculously still running. It apparently has worn seals that are allowing crankcase oil into the combustion chamber.

I've got and used them.

Making sure I'm reading this right - are two and 4 strokes oriented differently? I always thought both were above the cylinder.

Which PS was a damn good lawn mower

I knew some folks with a repair shop as a kid and got to use one of these.

https://youtu.be/-pG7TKX8RCM

I've seen and used them. Not for 10 years or so though.

I found a Lawn Boy in a barn a few years ago that I'm using. Two stroke from 1979. Infact those engines were also used as air cooled outboard boat motors.

I only changed it once with the extra can I bought with the mower but never since. I'd imagine it easily costing somewhere around 20 to 30 euros a year so that'll pretty much cover a new mower every 10 years.

Also, this is a PSA that you should sharpen your shovel. Makes digging way easier.

A shovel with the sides of it sharpened via angle grinder works wonders for chopping tall weeds too. Swing that mf like a baseball bat.

I had a mower I bought in 2001, took it with me for a few moves. Sometime around 2011 it started sputtering and just take running like crap. Tried to drain it, and it basically took so afternoon. But I got it drained and replaced. The filter had disintegrated.

With the electric mower, I've had it since 2013 or so. The battery is finally starting to show its age but it does still work well enough. Still haven't done anything to it. Might replace the blade soon

Like u/possiblylinux127 said, any time you’re not going to use it for more than a month or two, it’s best to drain the fluids. Oil is less important than gas, and you can leave gas in it as well if you add a stabilizer to it.

Personally, I wouldn’t use gas stabilizer for more than one season, but I know many who use it every year with no problem. Just make sure you run the motor with the stabilizer for a few minutes before you store it so the gas in the carburetor doesn’t gum up.

As for oil, I tend to only change it when it looks darker than a piece of burnt toast I’d still be willing to eat. I know that’s vague, but it’s how I do it.

If you don't need it there is no point in having fluids in it. It might not be necessary but it is good practice

My grass doesn't grow for like 5 months of the year. If you don't have winter, you don't need to store your mower for half the year.