Got It Right The First Time

[Bill Dufour]

My sister ha done of those front time tillers from Monkey Wards. I replaced the wheels with cast iron lawn mower wheels. That really reduced the bouncing.
BillD

[Warren Lake]

tool and die maker i knew was smart. At his home one day outside coffee watching deer saw his mower and had air tires. Later when the deer were moved on asked if i could fire it up and try it. It worked amazing half the resitance of any plastic wheels or less. He machined some bolts for me so i could put air wheels on mine. Same huge difference. Way easier to push way less bumping on the dry lawn. Years later give a personal pace toro that took care of rolling resistance as it pulled itself along. Wrote Toro told them they need to put air tires on the mower. Never listened but some do, funny though they never sent royalty cheques.

[Warren Lake]

it will depend what year big pig. The 92 will drop from 4th to 2cnd and make tons of noise and hardly go any faster. the 96 with 2.93 and 80 more HP was night and day. The 92 with a 2.56 rear at times could pull of 27 MPG canadian and was told the 96 should be able to do better as a different motor. When the old guy passed they asked if i wanted his 2016 Equinox. I told them I appreciated it but I would only sell it and get a better Wally wagon so they should sell it put the money in his estate. I drove the equinox for six months as he wanted me to. Getting back into the wally was a shock., Even as a 92 it blew the equinox away in most ways. 28k for the wally in 92, 26K for the Equinox in 2016, guess it should have still they are great cars and some people make them lots better. I always was impressed original exhaust at 387k on the car. Proof of how good stainless could be and decent grade and thickness. Lots of good machines and tools from the US. Even the Newton boring machine very nice quality.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Our Buick was a 1978. It was dark tan. The kids loved to open up the secret jump seats in the way-back.

[Brian Elfert]

tool and die maker i knew was smart. At his home one day outside coffee watching deer saw his mower and had air tires. Later when the deer were moved on asked if i could fire it up and try it. It worked amazing half the resitance of any plastic wheels or less. He machined some bolts for me so i could put air wheels on mine. Same huge difference. Way easier to push way less bumping on the dry lawn. Years later give a personal pace toro that took care of rolling resistance as it pulled itself along. Wrote Toro told them they need to put air tires on the mower. Never listened but some do, funny though they never sent royalty cheques.

Wouldn't pneumatic tires on a push mower potentially vary the height of the cut? I could see punctures being a big reason not to do pneumatic tires for the masses on push mowers. I've never had a flat with my riding mowers, but they have much bigger tires than what would be on a push mower.

[Warren Lake]

never had a flat on the air tires on the push mower. Same with the ride on and its old fair bit of tread worn off. Lkely added air once a year as they were low budjet princess auto air tires. Worked great. Tool and die maker had larger tires than mine did but im in a sub division with lawns, he was on 16 acres. I have some ditches there that are a total pain in the butt. No issues with height when cutting from the tires. Really makes a big difference.


DVC08882A.jpg

[Curt Harms]

This is why I lament the demise of American manufacturing. I have a Scotsman Merry Tiller too! (it has a Honda engine on it).

Maybe manufacturers don't want things to last too long. When the demand for a product is expanding it's fine from a manufacturer's point of view for things to last a long time. Once everybody that wants one has one, how does the manufacturer stay in business? Selling replacement parts isn't going to cut it.

[Jerry Bruette]

Maybe manufacturers don't want things to last too long. When the demand for a product is expanding it's fine from a manufacturer's point of view for things to last a long time. Once everybody that wants one has one, how does the manufacturer stay in business? Selling replacement parts isn't going to cut it.

Ding Ding Ding, we have a winner.

Just Google "planned obsolescence" and read how American Industry and Manufacturing started doing it almost 100 years ago. We made our goods so durable that they didn't need to be replaced. Bring in changing body styles and changing aesthetics so we no longer have new parts for repair and now we'll make the consumers buy new products to replace the ones that can't be repaired.

[Dave Cav]

Snapper rear engine riding mower. I just bought an early '90s model that works as well as the day it was built (the engine has been upgraded to 11 HP). Takes about five minutes to change out the clutch.