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Mowing the lawn
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alligator
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Jun 12, 2006, 10:03 PM
 
Is there any other task on earth as boring as mowing the lawn? I'm considering getting some good noise blocking headphones (recommendation anyone?) so I can listen to my nano while I mow.

I wish engineers would hurry up and invent the laser beam mower. One sweep and you've mowed 1/2 of the lawns in the neighborhood.
     
macroy
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Jun 12, 2006, 10:07 PM
 
ah... the benefits of a good HOA

or, you can get this http://www.friendlyrobotics.com/robomow/

The local hardware store used to have one do their lawn as "advertisement". I've always wondered how you keep them from being stolen though.

Your other choice would be to pay someone else to do it......
.
     
willed
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Jun 13, 2006, 05:51 AM
 
Originally Posted by alligator
I wish engineers would hurry up and invent the laser beam mower. One sweep and you've mowed 1/2 of the lawns in the neighborhood.
...and cut everyone's feet off in a 2 mile radius...
     
besson3c
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Jun 13, 2006, 07:37 AM
 
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scaught
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Jun 13, 2006, 09:07 AM
 
seriously though, i honestly enjoy mowing the lawn. well, MY lawn at MY house anyway. yes, its a menial task. relatively thankless. the grass just grows back in another 5 days. it usually puts a damper on fun weekend activities like going to the beach and drinking cuh-hold ones.

but. in my world where work tasks sometimes stretch on for weeks, personal relationships feel strained, getting something "official" done ellicits headache after headache, its good to have a task with a well defined start and finish. a task that gives you immediate feedback and satisfaction.

look upon your freshly manicured lawn. nice straight lines. you did a bit of edging and swept up the grass trimmings. ahh. its very pretty, a job well done. oh, you didnt do the edging this week. ahwell. its still better than it looked. next time you can take care of that.

as far as the headphones go, how loud is your mower? i use my ipod all the time at a moderate volume and dont have any problems hearing it.
     
zmcgill
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Jun 13, 2006, 09:07 AM
 
I mowed people's yards for several years in high school, it bought me my iMac for $1100, not bad for a high school freshman. I went through three mp3 players. Started with an Iomega HipZip, until my cousin jammed a disk in backwards and Iomega's customer support didn't exist. (3 months to get a replacement the was DOA). Next was a Samsung flash based one the size of an egg. The day I got my FM transmitter in the mail, the play button broke off internally. I could still put on songs and look at them, but not play. Then I got my friend's sister's Rio. Now I have a Shuffle, but I don't mow anymore.
     
memento
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Jun 13, 2006, 09:07 AM
 
Get a fast commercial walk-behind with a stand-up sulky. It's (almost) like being on a jetski! You get a little exercise and have a blast.
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karent
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Jun 13, 2006, 09:22 AM
 
We have a half acre lot (which, if I did my math correctly is .002045 km2) so it takes a long time to mow with a push mower so we have a lawn tractor. I love to drive that thing! I always draw stares from passersby when I'm on it. They don't expect to see a woman on a John Deere.
     
davesimondotcom
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Jun 13, 2006, 09:31 AM
 
I don't like to mow only because my allergies are terrible at this time of year and cut grass sends them off.

But I listen to my Shuffle while I mow, no problems. I use a pair of Koss KSC-55. Great headphones for such things as mowing or the gym for $20.

As far as noise, my mower is average loudness-wise. But I'm going to be getting a rotary push mower this year, no gas, no noise.
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Railroader
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Jun 13, 2006, 09:33 AM
 
I enjoy mowing the lawn. It's a cheap way to make my property look good. However... my faithful mower is on it's last legs. It's served me well for about 8 years. Always started on the first pull. Mulched the clippings very well. But it has recently started to leak oil. VERY BAD.

I could certainly fix it, but I think this is a perfect time to go electric. I have a pretty small lawn. It only takes me about 30 minutes to mow at a moderate pace.

Does anyone have personal experience with owning an electric CORDLESS mower? I'd like something that could mulch and have at least a 19" wide cut. I own a reel mower that I like a lot, but it doesn't mulch and it's a bit narrow. Plus it doesn't have enough height adjustment. I like to keep my grass length long to choke out weeds and keep the lawn healthy.

Anyone ... Bueller? ...Bueller? Fry?

EDIT: Forgot to add, I listen to my iPod with noise blocking in ear buds. I set the volume before I mow and never touch it. Still have awesome hearing, see the recent ringtones threads.

EDIT2: changed '29" ' to '19" '. and added "CORDLESS".
( Last edited by Railroader; Jun 13, 2006 at 10:03 AM. )
     
kikkoman
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Jun 13, 2006, 09:36 AM
 
I don't mind cutting the grass. I do wish my lawn wasn't so big. It takes about one hour and 15 to 30 minutes to complete, trimming, cutting and cleaning up.

As for headphones, I have Etymotic ER-6is. They are the ear plug type headphones. They do a good job reducing the drone of the lawn mower. I like the fact they are lightweight and offer excellent isolation, while sounding great.

Can someone give a suggestions on how to keep grass growing against the side of the house. When the grass gets too long, it grows behind the siding. I could probably save 20 minutes if didn't need to trim around the house. I don't want to put landscaping around the house either.
     
kikkoman
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Jun 13, 2006, 09:40 AM
 
Originally Posted by Railroader
Does anyone have personal experience with owning an electric mower? I'd like something that could mulch and have at least a 29" wide cut.
I had a Black & Decker Grasshog when I had a smaller lawn. It actually worked pretty well. It mulched better than my current gas powered Honda. I got pretty good with working around the power cord. However, I doubt you'll find any electric mowers wider than 21 inches.
     
davesimondotcom
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Jun 13, 2006, 09:48 AM
 
Originally Posted by kikkoman
As for headphones, I have Etymotic ER-6is.
Good headphones.
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zmcgill
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Jun 13, 2006, 09:52 AM
 
Originally Posted by kikkoman
I don't mind cutting the grass. I do wish my lawn wasn't so big. It takes about one hour and 15 to 30 minutes to complete, trimming, cutting and cleaning up.

As for headphones, I have Etymotic ER-6is. They are the ear plug type headphones. They do a good job reducing the drone of the lawn mower. I like the fact they are lightweight and offer excellent isolation, while sounding great.

Can someone give a suggestions on how to keep grass growing against the side of the house. When the grass gets too long, it grows behind the siding. I could probably save 20 minutes if didn't need to trim around the house. I don't want to put landscaping around the house either.
Gasoline. But seriously, one of the older women I used to mow for had her son spray something around the house that killed the grass right up against the house, it really made my job easier.
     
production_coordinator
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Jun 13, 2006, 09:58 AM
 
I rather enjoy mowing smaller lawns.
- Good exercise
- Outside when it's nice
- It's only about an hour to mow the lawn (for many people)

A great way to start the weekend if you ask me.
     
Railroader
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Jun 13, 2006, 10:04 AM
 
Originally Posted by kikkoman
I had a Black & Decker Grasshog when I had a smaller lawn. It actually worked pretty well. It mulched better than my current gas powered Honda. I got pretty good with working around the power cord. However, I doubt you'll find any electric mowers wider than 21 inches.
DANG! I meant 19" and also cordless. I do NOT want to mess with an extension chord, as my lawn is narrow and long.
     
kikkoman
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Jun 13, 2006, 10:37 AM
 
Originally Posted by Gossamer
Gasoline. But seriously, one of the older women I used to mow for had her son spray something around the house that killed the grass right up against the house, it really made my job easier.
I'm sure spraying gasoline on anything will kill it. Does it require regular applications? A permanent soultion is preferable. It doesn't sound earth friendly, not that I'm a tree hugger but I try to avoid putting toxic things in the ground.
     
zmcgill
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Jun 13, 2006, 10:44 AM
 
Originally Posted by kikkoman
I'm sure spraying gasoline on anything will kill it. Does it require regular applications? A permanent soultion is preferable. It doesn't sound earth friendly, not that I'm a tree hugger but I try to avoid putting toxic things in the ground.
Whatever he did lasted quite a while. The dead grass prevented anything new from growing. If you wanted to go all out, you could do some landscaping along the house, and put in some mulch over some of that weed stopper, the put a couple nice bushes in. That's what my parents did, it looks pretty nice.
     
Jawbone54
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Jun 13, 2006, 10:55 AM
 
Originally Posted by kikkoman
I'm sure spraying gasoline on anything will kill it. Does it require regular applications? A permanent soultion is preferable. It doesn't sound earth friendly, not that I'm a tree hugger but I try to avoid putting toxic things in the ground.
Not to mention that you could be in for a big surprise of one of your smoking neighbors decides to flick a butt down too closely to your grass...
     
Heavy Fluid
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Jun 13, 2006, 11:18 AM
 
I thoroughly enjoy mowing our lawn. First, I fire up the Craftsman weedeater and go around everything. Then I fire up the mower, and make sure that I put perfectly straight lines on the yard. Finally, I finish it up with the edger, making sure to have a nice edge everywhere, including around the pool (in ground w/ cement border. It only takes about an hour or so, and the end result is well worth it. We get a lot of compliments from our neighbors on how nice our front yard looks.
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cjrivera
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Jun 13, 2006, 11:31 AM
 
Originally Posted by Gossamer
Whatever he did lasted quite a while. The dead grass prevented anything new from growing. If you wanted to go all out, you could do some landscaping along the house, and put in some mulch over some of that weed stopper, the put a couple nice bushes in. That's what my parents did, it looks pretty nice.
Could it be something like Roundup?
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Jun 13, 2006, 11:35 AM
 
I pay 2 guys $45 each week to do my ritual lawn maintenance. I did it myself for years, so I figured I've earned the ability to watch someone else do it.



As a matter of fact, the guys that do my shrub trimming and weed pulling are here today, as well (they come every 2 months to clean the flower beds, etc.).
"Everything's so clear to me now: I'm the keeper of the cheese and you're the lemon merchant. Get it? And he knows it.
That's why he's gonna kill us. So we got to beat it. Yeah. Before he let's loose the marmosets on us."
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ort888
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Jun 13, 2006, 11:38 AM
 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...Fencoding=UTF8

I use these when I mow my lawn. You have to listen pretty loud and you can never really cancel out the mower noise but it still helps the time go by. I do not enjoy mowing my lawn. I'm tempted to replace it with astroturf.

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zmcgill
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Jun 13, 2006, 11:39 AM
 
Originally Posted by RAILhead
I pay 2 guys $45 each week to do my ritual lawn maintenance. I did it myself for years, so I figured I've earned the ability to watch someone else do it.



As a matter of fact, the guys that do my shrub trimming and weed pulling are here today, as well (they come every 2 months to clean the flower beds, etc.).
How big is your lawn?? I spent an hour and a half push mowing and weed whipping an older lady's yard and I got $20/pop.
     
andi*pandi
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Jun 13, 2006, 12:39 PM
 
around the house: our landscaper put stones, to stop the grass going against the siding. the grass is creeping in on them though.

Railroader, I have an electric CORDLESS black and decker and we've been very happy with it. Got it off ebay. Charge it up, more than covers our whole lawn, not too noisy, I can hear my ipod just fine, no oil to deal with. Adjustable heights for mulching and such. this is our 4th year with it, probably needs sharpening this year. Have no idea where to go for that, anybody?

I like mowing the lawn, like scaught said, it's satisfying to actually finish something.
     
zmcgill
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Jun 13, 2006, 12:41 PM
 
Originally Posted by andi*pandi
around the house: our landscaper put stones, to stop the grass going against the siding. the grass is creeping in on them though.

Railroader, I have an electric CORDLESS black and decker and we've been very happy with it. Got it off ebay. Charge it up, more than covers our whole lawn, not too noisy, I can hear my ipod just fine, no oil to deal with. Adjustable heights for mulching and such. this is our 4th year with it, probably needs sharpening this year. Have no idea where to go for that, anybody?

I like mowing the lawn, like scaught said, it's satisfying to actually finish something.
Our local small town mower repairman (works out of his garage) does it for $1. You could get a dremel and do it yourself pretty easily.
     
RAILhead
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Jun 13, 2006, 01:06 PM
 
Originally Posted by Gossamer
How big is your lawn?? I spent an hour and a half push mowing and weed whipping an older lady's yard and I got $20/pop.
Just under an acre — but I live in South Texas and it's really hot and humid, and I don't like to sweat if i don't have to.
"Everything's so clear to me now: I'm the keeper of the cheese and you're the lemon merchant. Get it? And he knows it.
That's why he's gonna kill us. So we got to beat it. Yeah. Before he let's loose the marmosets on us."
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scaught
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Jun 14, 2006, 10:55 AM
 
Originally Posted by Railroader
I enjoy mowing the lawn.
i knew you would be in on this.
     
Goldfinger
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Jun 14, 2006, 11:08 AM
 
I enjoy it as well. Doesn't take too long (±1h30) and it looks great when it's done. It doesn't require a lot of mental capacity either which is a good thing after a week of school. I do it every friday afternoon. And I get payed for it as well, that's a plus.

I have this feeling that our Toro mower is on his last legs, it's 16 years old now.

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Monique
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Jun 14, 2006, 01:32 PM
 
When I used to do it for my parents; there were weeks I did not mind and some weeks I did mind. But, I agree you should see it as taking fresh air and some exercise and I was paid for it.
     
cjrivera
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Jun 14, 2006, 01:36 PM
 
I like mowing the lawn...
the problem is finding the time to actually get it done.

Now pulling weeds.... that really sucks.
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finboy
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Jun 14, 2006, 03:10 PM
 
Originally Posted by RAILhead
Just under an acre — but I live in South Texas and it's really hot and humid, and I don't like to sweat if i don't have to.
That's a pretty good rate for the size of the yard that you have. Mine (1/5 acre) would cost about $25 per week all in (in Southeast Texas). Texas' humidity is a little above the call of duty -- I've never seen anything like it.

Trouble right now is mosquitos. I mean swarms of them. I got bitten dozens of times in 1 hour on Sunday. The heat is bad enough, but wearing long sleeves and Off to mow is crazy.
     
finboy
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Jun 14, 2006, 03:12 PM
 
Originally Posted by cjrivera
I like mowing the lawn...
the problem is finding the time to actually get it done.

Now pulling weeds.... that really sucks.
OMG. My wife and I spent 2.5 days pulling weeds over spring break, while other parts of the country were having freak blizzards and such. Again, we have 1/5 acre.

For around the house (to keep grass from growing under the siding, or whatever) try Ortho Weed-B-Gone, or Roundup. Depending upon the amount of rain you get, you may need to reapply.

Of course, that's not really all that environmentally friendly, you know. That stuff will run off and kill a snail-darter somewhere.
     
Railroader
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Jun 14, 2006, 04:20 PM
 
Originally Posted by scaught
i knew you would be in on this.
Explain.
     
Abit667
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Jun 14, 2006, 06:52 PM
 
I love mowing the lawn. We have a riding mower and a push mower, but I prefer using the push mower because it takes longer and requires less attention. Being able to go outside and listen to music really loudly for 1.5 hours without having to care about anything or anyone is great.
     
nforcer
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Jun 14, 2006, 08:57 PM
 
bash.org quote: I wish my lawn was emo so it would cut itself.
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mydog8mymac
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Jun 14, 2006, 09:09 PM
 
It's like vacuuming — instant gratification.

But mowing in the heat sucks.
     
   
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