[Bongoxxx]

I have the following and have had no issues other that maintenance:
Honda powered Toro lawnmower
Honda trimmer
Stihl blower
Honda snow thrower

The snow thrower I’ve had for 25 years and only had to change the plug and oil once. Wife thought I was crazy spending $2000+ when I bought it, considering you could buy similarly sized other brands for $500-600. It fires up no problem every winter and runs like a champ. The track drive is amazing and I have to laugh at my neighbour who is on his 3rd machine in 11 years (craftsman x 2 and poulan pro) and constantly breaking pins and other parts.

[spazzyfry123]

We have a little over half an acre.

Honda mower
Ryobi string trimmer with an array of attachments (I don’t recommend Ryobi... bought it new and have had problems with it from the get go)
What’s a snow blower?

[King Rudi]

I have Husqvarna self-propelled, bagged push mower and a Craftsman push mower. I used the bagged mower for the front and the Craftsman for the back. The deck on the Craftsman will go lower than the Husqy and my back yard only gets mowed twice a month due to the lack of sun it gets, it just doesn't grow.

All peripheral devices, blower, weed eaters, etc. are all Stihl gas powered. Have had all of these for longer than 6 years and have yet to have an issue with any of them.

[Hawkeye]

I feel like your mower is well covered by now but for weed eater and blower I use the Makita 36v line and love it. I do my house and my parents house (~.7 acres total) for both trimming and blowing on just two 5.0ah batteries. The kit I bought came with 4 for a little less than a gas trimmer would cost and I already had a bunch of Makita tools so it was a no brainer for me.

I believe they came out with the quick change head system for the trimmer similar to some gas powered alternatives so you can do trimming, edging, bush/tree trimming, etc all with one tool now as well.

[wdb]

Mower deck size depends as much on your yard layout as it does acreage if you ask me. I have a lot of trees, patios, gardens, outbuildings, and so on, which means a lot of driving around and between stuff. I got the 42" deck. If I had a big empty rectangle to mow I'd go bigger. Even with all that trimming I'm done pretty quickly.

Baggers: A requirement where I live. For me anyway a bagger is useless without a 'turbo' (or whatever your manufacturer calls it) blower fan to feed it. Stopping to clean a clogged bagger hose, even once, would nix it for me.

Mulchers: Living in the woods, I pick up literally tons of leaves every year. There's no way I could mulch them all. (My neighbor claims to do it but her yard is crap.) So I've always put a premium on bagging over mulching. I wish I could mulch during those times when I'm not picking up tons of leaves, but I haven't seen a deck that does both well.

I would think that battery powered trimmers and such would be pretty good for your typical suburban lawn scenarios. I'm more rural and run into stuff with larger diameters on a pretty regular basis, so I like the extra oomph a gas engine provides.

Forgot to mention that my generator is a Honda. If I did it over again today I might consider a Generac automatic system because they've dropped a lot in price. But once again, due to my rural situation, I don't want to be dependent on the propane truck. So the generator's a gas powered unit. I plug it into the house and throw a few breakers this way and that when we need it. Which is a couple of times a year. Because rural.

[Kolyan2k]

There are also automatic robo lawnmowers nowadays. They seem to get positive reviews, but require some installation with perimeter wire

[Hawkeye]

Originally Posted by Kolyan2k

There are also automatic robo lawnmowers nowadays. They seem to get positive reviews, but require some installation with perimeter wire

My old neighbor had one and it seemed like it worked really well. Ran almost every other day so there was minimal damage to the grass and seemed to run rain or shine. I should check in to see longevity. I do think 0.8 acres would be pushing it on the robo mowers though size wise.

[Rmtt]

Originally Posted by Now_Rudi

I have Husqvarna self-propelled, bagged push mower and a Craftsman push mower. I used the bagged mower for the front and the Craftsman for the back. The deck on the Craftsman will go lower than the Husqy and my back yard only gets mowed twice a month due to the lack of sun it gets, it just doesn't grow.

All peripheral devices, blower, weed eaters, etc. are all Stihl gas powered. Have had all of these for longer than 6 years and have yet to have an issue with any of them.

Sounds like we have the same problem. Too much shade, but we have our dogs out there and I'm not cutting anything for their benefit.

[andrewmr]

Originally Posted by Kolyan2k

Hoping to move to a house soon. Will probably need to purchase lawnmower right away and all other stuff later as well. Any recommendations? I was looking at zero-turn mowers....lot is like 0.8 acres

Kolyan.... you have already received very sound advice in the replies above mine. But, allow me to add my recommendations.

You say eight tenths of an acre.... is that the lot size or is it the amount of grass you'll be cutting after you take out the house and driveway? Is the property flat/level? Trees?

A while back I replaced my Kubota yard tractor (48 inch cut) with a John Deere zero turn mower (60 inch). My property is 5 acres and I cut perhaps half of it. The other half is trees and I do cut some of it perhaps twice a year so I don't really count that. My property slopes from the front corner to the back corner.

When I first got the JD I fell in love with it. It's so much more comfortable to use than the Kubota. The more I used it, I came to realize a zero turn mower isn't the best for hilly terrain. I've learned a few tricks on how to cut on hills, but I didn't have that problem with the tractor. I currently use the zero turn mower with a 21 inch Honda mower to get into places the big mower can't get to.



The zero turn mower spins the blades much faster than the tractor, and as a result gives a much nicer cut. But I do think a zero turn mower might be overkill for less than an acre. There are deals to be had for used mowers/tractors on craigslist. If you have trees that shed leaves, or needles, look into something with a nice bagging option.



Trimmers and such. I bought into the whole cordless Ryobi system and have for the most part been happy with the system. The hedge trimmer could be a little more robust, but if I take my time I get it done. If I could start all over I'd look at the 40 volt stuff instead of the 18 volt stuff. If you wanted to go even better, then Stihl is the answer.



Snow blower. You don't say where you live or how much snow you expect annually. So it's kinda hard to give a recommendation without the possibility of going overkill. I currently use a Honda HS928 track drive blower. I think it's best snow blower on the market. I chuckle every time I use it and it throws snow half way across my property. Ariens makes pretty good stuff, but in my opinion, it is a small step back from the Honda line.


It's like everything else in life, you pretty much get what you pay for. You'll never so wrong with anything with a Stihl label on it. Buy a quality mower (whatever brand) and it will serve you well for years to come.



Whatever you end up with, if it uses gas, use only ethanol free gas.

[King Rudi]

Originally Posted by Rmtt

Sounds like we have the same problem. Too much shade, but we have our dogs out there and I'm not cutting anything for their benefit.

I feel you on that. My back yard is mostly moss these days. The woman I bought my house from never raked the leaves in the back yard. The only tree in my yard is a maple and that's where it resides. Now that doesn't mean that I don't have leaves basically all fall and winter long, but they are only there because my elderly neighbors don't pay to have their leaves cleaned up until mid spring. Extremely frustrating to spend 4-5 months cleaning up everyone else's leaves that blow into my yard.

[GenXer]

I have a Cub Cadet XT1. It's parked outside all year long for 4 years now and it starts every time on the first start. Besides changing the oil and general cleaning I haven't done anything to it. Sure it's not as nice as their other model with zero turn but it's still a great lawn tractor. Easy to engage blade, easy to drive with a hydrostatic transmission, easy to change oil, easy to remove mower deck. It even has LED headlights. I got a matching Cub Cadet polymer cart with 1000 pound capacity, a front bumper and arm rests.

I also have a set of Worx blower, and weed wacker. They share 20v LI-ION batteries on a quick charger so I can keep trimming and cleaning almost non stop.

[omasou]

It really depends on your budget.

For lawnmowers I like eXmark but they are expensive. I had a walk-behind and when wet the drive belt would slip. I ending up selling and buying a zero turn with a hydro drive, which is very expensive. If you go with a different brand looks for a thick welded deck vs. stamped steel b/c if you hit something hard like a curb or concrete around a bilco door a stamped deck will bend.

For trimmer and blower (you want a blower, especially if you live on a corner lot or have a sidewalk a broom will not cut it). I originally purchased Kawasaki trimer and blower both worked extremely well and lasted ~9 years before the main bearing in the blower went and the fan blade committed suicide.

I replace the blower w/a top of the line Sthil and I would not recommend it b/c when I give it gas it torques and even with all the strap adjustments it isn't very comfortable.

I replace the string trimmer with a Honda HHT35, which is very nice but you may want to consider the HHT25 b/c the HHT35 is very heavy. Either way get a straight shaft.

For a snowblower, I purchased a honda track drive. I bought a 24" b/c I thought 36" would be too wide. Get a 36" otherwise you will be doing too many passes on the sidewalk and driveway. I would also think about wheels b/c the tracks make it hard to turn and don't really give me the traction I though they would. I am also very, very disappointed that the sides bend in very easily from the pressure of tall snow (not from hitting the curb).

Whichever string trimmer you get replace the head with a ECHO Speed-Feed 400 Universal Trimmer Head. It will save you hours of frustration!!!!

The nice thing about the Hondas that I have is they run on gas w/o oil.

Never forget is to add oil to the gas for the tools that require it. If you use straight gas it will run for ~ 15 minutes then die.

HTH.

[AlpineWhite_SJ]

Originally Posted by spazzyfry123

We have a little over half an acre.

Honda mower
Ryobi string trimmer with an array of attachments (I don’t recommend Ryobi... bought it new and have had problems with it from the get go)
What’s a snow blower?

What sort of issues? I just got one a few months ago and it’s been ok so far but curious what I should watch out for.

[AlpineWhite_SJ]

Originally Posted by omasou

The nice thing about the Hondas that I have is they run on gas w/o oil.

Never forget is to add oil to the gas for the tools that require it. If you use straight gas it will run for ~ 15 minutes then die.

HTH.

Yeah, really glad the Honda’s are straight gas. Also be sure not to fill the tank so much that you’re leaving gas in it for extended periods, add in some fuel stabilizer, and turn off the gas line and let it run down to clear gas out of the carburetor before storing it.

[tim99ws6]

I have a Toro Titan HD 60" cut ZTR

Actually just had it's 100hr service done and had a mulch(chute block) installed while it was in for service.

I freaking love cutting my yard, and consider it a pleasure rather than a task. So, I spent more for a mower that makes me happy haha.

[corn18]

For those who use gas, I made the switch a long while ago to ethanol free gas and really like it. No more gummed up carbs and rotted fuel lines. I had to buy mine online because no one sold it near me, but it was well worth it. I have since gone all electric (EGO) and no longer need gas, which is a joy. But I still keep the ethanol free gas around for my emergency generator.

[AlpineWhite_SJ]

Originally Posted by corn18

For those who use gas, I made the switch a long while ago to ethanol free gas and really like it. No more gummed up carbs and rotted fuel lines. I had to buy mine online because no one sold it near me, but it was well worth it. I have since gone all electric (EGO) and no longer need gas, which is a joy. But I still keep the ethanol free gas around for my emergency generator.

The place where I got my mower stocks TruFuel and I’ve considered it, but it’s definitely not cheap at $21.99 a gallon.

[Kolyan2k]

0.8 is the lot size, so less lawn. Pics attached. Gas here is 10% ethanol

[BMWGUYinCO]

Our yard is a tad larger than average I would say.

I bought all electric EGO products:

Lawnmower
Trimmer (allows for multiple attachment options such as trimmer, edger, chain saw, etc. - pretty convenient)
Blower

Have multiple spare batteries so I am always in power - they work fantastic and I don't miss smelling like gas when I do yard work.

PS My wife keeps asking me why I don't hire out for someone to do all this, but since I invested a decent amount in the EGO brand, I don't mind getting out there myself.

[omasou]

Originally Posted by AlpineWhite_SJ

The place where I got my mower stocks TruFuel and I’ve considered it, but it’s definitely not cheap at $21.99 a gallon.

It's not cheap but I gave it a try. To tell the truth, I don't notice a difference but when you consider that you don't need to add stabilizer or star tron it takes a bit off the edge of the price but not completely.

[Kolyan2k]

Can also get Diesel to avoid gas issues I checked diesel lawnmowers are very expensive

[AlpineWhite_SJ]

Originally Posted by omasou

It's not cheap but I gave it a try. To tell the truth, I don't notice a difference but when you consider that you don't need to add stabilizer or star tron it takes a bit off the edge of the price but not completely.

I just added Sta-bil to regular gas and, like I said, I turn off the fuel line and burn off what’s in the carb.