mark@cbosgd.UUCP (Mark Horton) (11/19/85)
I'm also interested in lawn mower information. I'd just mail the original poster and ask for a copy of the replies, but there are more details I'd like to know about. I just went out with our cheapo Sears mower and tried to pick up during our one-day break from the rain. There are people building arks here in Columbus, it's been raining almost nonstop since late October. The ground is saturated, we broke the record for the wettest November ever on the 15th of the month at 8 inches of rain, and nobody got their lawn mowed or their leaves raked for 2-3 weeks. By the time we saw that foreign flaming ball in the sky on Sunday, the lawn was a jungle with leaves somewhere underneath the grass. And things were damp but not as wet as before. We took our best shot and went out and mowed. Well, the results weren't real hot. The side bagger on the mower never got any grass in it, most of the grass just clumped on the ground. (But it did get cut, except for the grass that was laying down from having been raked.) The area of the lawn with leaves now has lots of leaf bits all over it (mostly maple and elm) and the parts I did rake don't look any different. The leaf blower was useless, even on the dry leaves. This is the second fall I've tried to get my mower to pick up leaves in the bag and failed. I've resolved that next year I'll buy a good mower that will be able to pick up leaves and grass in lieu of raking, and during the summar can work safely without the bag (so I can mulch the clippings) and be reasonably lightweight in that configuration. Rear bagging would be a big plus, for reasons of maneuverability, although I'm concerned about safety on such a mower if I take off the bagger. I have to be able to back up the mower, so a forward-only configuration is no good. I'd like to hear about pusher-mowers that meet these requirements, preferably at a reasonable price. Also, comments about the best times of year to buy them and places to look would be appreciated. The selection is nonexistent in November, so it looks like it's wait-til-next-year time. Mark