The 2023 lawn thread

[gmb3]

i broke down and did my first mow today. Front yard was overdue but back yard coulda went another week but figured better to have them even. Year 2 with my self-propelled walk-behind EGO for my 1/2 acre plot and no complaints so far. Was nice to not have to get gas and fight with a pull cord to get started.

 

[pibbles]

Went out to mow today and couldn't get the mower started. Decided it wasn't worth the hassle of fighting with a 17 year old mower every week and went on a search for a new one. I knew what model I wanted from every brand so I started calling around to see what was available locally. Only option I could get right away was bobcat. So, new mower day.
View attachment 211829
61" deck. Thing flies. Easily twice as fast as the cub. Of course they dropped it off right before I had to leave and get the kids, so I didn't get much of a chance to play with it. 0% financing for 60 months, lol. New bike day is gonna have to wait for some time.

I also decided to get a new mower this year. 0 turn lectric hustler! Went to check em out and the guy who told me theyd be out in the spring says they got pushed back to maybe August. Bought a pivot 429 instead. F the lawn!

 

[Mahnken]

I also decided to get a new mower this year. 0 turn lectric hustler! Went to check em out and the guy who told me theyd be out in the spring says they got pushed back to maybe August. Bought a pivot 429 instead. F the lawn!

Haha, I'd love electric, but all the commercial grade stuff is $20k or more. And I just can't spend 8k on a Ryobi, I won't do it 🤣.

 

[Mahnken]

i think they are rated over 2 acres per hour.....congrats.
i see the dork chute is still there
Mine was metal - sheared it right off....

I hit a tree with the chute already, shouldn't take long.

 

[HiFiGuy]

Going to sidetrack this to shrubbery. Any ideas on why I have some dead loss on parts of my Leyland Cypress shrubs/trees. The only thing I could think of is I did trim them a little last year with after using the trimmer during a trail maintenance. Appreciate any input. Thanks

 

[Patrick]

Going to sidetrack this to shrubbery. Any ideas on why I have some dead loss on parts of my Leyland Cypress shrubs/trees. The only thing I could think of is I did trim them a little last year with after using the trimmer during a trail maintenance. Appreciate any input. Thanks
View attachment 211842

Maybe?

Why are my leyland cypress turning brown?

Learn more about Leyland Cypress trees and why their leaves can turn brown. Contact 770 Arborist today for a tree consulation and tree removal service.

770arborist.com

 

[Cole]

The in laws ... Had a flat, 2 plugs and beat the dark.

 

[qclabrat]

Going to sidetrack this to shrubbery. Any ideas on why I have some dead loss on parts of my Leyland Cypress shrubs/trees. The only thing I could think of is I did trim them a little last year with after using the trimmer during a trail maintenance. Appreciate any input. Thanks
View attachment 211842

Noticed lots of casualties due to last year's drought. Did you water them much? I lost 4-5 bushes

 

[rlb]

Noticed lots of casualties due to last year's drought. Did you water them much? I lost 4-5 bushes

I was gonna say the same. I lost 1/2 of a rhododendron. My neighbor lost a few evergreens too.

 

[qclabrat]

I do a walk behind for sloped sections, edges and tight areas. Noticed last week the rear self-propelled seemed weak on the JD. Took off the wheels and found one side was stripped. This is the good side and found replacements on Amazon but they say it's for the front. Any reason it won't work if the wheel size, axle and #teeth are the same?

 

[rlb]

Any reason it won't work if the wheel size, axle and #teeth are the same?

Possibly dished differently? Should be able to cross-reference a part number.

 

[Mahnken]

New mower is a blast. Took mow time from over 2 hours to about an hour.

While riding through the path from the backyard to the driveway, I ducked to avoid a branch. The branch fell on me after the roll bar snapped it right off 🤣
I put the roll bar down after that.

 

[Patrick]

New mower is a blast. Took mow time from over 2 hours to about an hour.
View attachment 212051
While riding through the path from the backyard to the driveway, I ducked to avoid a branch. The branch fell on me after the roll bar snapped it right off 🤣View attachment 212052
I put the roll bar down after that.
View attachment 212053

i wore a hard hat for awhile after my first "bad experience"

 

[ekuhn]

New mower is a blast. Took mow time from over 2 hours to about an hour.
View attachment 212051
While riding through the path from the backyard to the driveway, I ducked to avoid a branch. The branch fell on me after the roll bar snapped it right off 🤣View attachment 212052
I put the roll bar down after that.
View attachment 212053

Putting that bad boy to good use! Minus cracking your noggin….

 

[Matt_]

New mower is a blast. Took mow time from over 2 hours to about an hour.
View attachment 212051
While riding through the path from the backyard to the driveway, I ducked to avoid a branch. The branch fell on me after the roll bar snapped it right off 🤣View attachment 212052
I put the roll bar down after that.
View attachment 212053

I've been wanting to upgrade the seat on my Gravely. You gave me motivation to look into it, and I'm pretty sure its the same seat as your new mower..... how comfortable is it?? Is it, say, a $600 upgrade?? (I didn't realize they were that expensive)

 

[Mahnken]

I've been wanting to upgrade the seat on my Gravely. You gave me motivation to look into it, and I'm pretty sure its the same seat as your new mower..... how comfortable is it?? Is it, say, a $600 upgrade?? (I didn't realize they were that expensive)

It's definitely far more comfy than the cub cadet seat in the old mower. It's got a weight based suspension thing going on. Turn the knob to your weight to set it. Not sure if I'd spend 600 on it if I didn't have to though.

 

[scott62]

Any good suppliers for land mines out there? I am tired of deer eating my bushes. It might also keep those darn kids off my lawn.

 

[SAM]

Prolly belongs in a tree thread, but I decided to do something about the leaner that's about to fall over. For the purists, you can see lawn in the photos and there's even a connection to cycling.

I had on hand a couple of T-posts, some 17 gauge fence wire, and a set of camo 1" x 10' ratchet tie down straps (2,500 lb tension strength). My idea was to sink the posts, tie the tree with the wire and then jack it up with the straps.

I pounded the posts more than 20 inches into the ground at a slight angle and tied the tree with the wire strung though some pieces of old garden hose.


I attached the straps to the posts, but they were too short to reach the tree. Here's where my cycling addiction paid off. Was gonna use more wire and hose to attach the straps but happened to have on hand a Kryptonite bike chain lock that turned out to be just long enough. Plus, the sleeve protects the tree, so no hose needed.


Then, the jacking could commence. I straightened the tree as much as I dared in one session. The ratchets were getting really hard to pull and the stakes pulled forward in the ground about a half inch, even though they’re more than 20 inches deep. I tightened the wire back up and left the straps on (I think they’re needed for now). I’ll take it up a few more degrees in a week, if I can. Might have to do a couple little steps now. Once I have the tree upright, I'll leave it staked with the wire for anywhere between a few years and forever until it's solid in the ground.

Before:


After:

 

[qclabrat]

Any good suppliers for land mines out there? I am tired of deer eating my bushes. It might also keep those darn kids off my lawn.

What are you planting? There's only a few they really won't touch

 

[qclabrat]

Prolly belongs in a tree thread, but I decided to do something about the leaner that's about to fall over. For the purists, you can see lawn in the photos and there's even a connection to cycling.

I had on hand a couple of T-posts, some 17 gauge fence wire, and a set of camo 1" x 10' ratchet tie down straps (2,500 lb tension strength). My idea was to sink the posts, tie the tree with the wire and then jack it up with the straps.

I pounded the posts more than 20 inches into the ground at a slight angle and tied the tree with the wire strung though some pieces of old garden hose.
View attachment 212133

I attached the straps to the posts, but they were too short to reach the tree. Here's where my cycling addiction paid off. Was gonna use more wire and hose to attach the straps but happened to have on hand a Kryptonite bike chain lock that turned out to be just long enough. Plus, the sleeve protects the tree, so no hose needed.
View attachment 212134

Then, the jacking could commence. I straightened the tree as much as I dared in one session. The ratchets were getting really hard to pull and the stakes pulled forward in the ground about a half inch, even though they’re more than 20 inches deep. I tightened the wire back up and left the straps on (I think they’re needed for now). I’ll take it up a few more degrees in a week, if I can. Might have to do a couple little steps now. Once I have the tree upright, I'll leave it staked with the wire for anywhere between a few years and forever until it's solid in the ground.

Before:
View attachment 212135

After:
View attachment 212136

You should dig out some dirt on the post side. also any trees near the posts side? Nothing better than another tree as anchor