Lawn care?

Discussion in 'The Mainboard' started by hudson, Apr 17, 2015.

  1. bigred77

    bigred77 Well-Known Member
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    You should park it next to a car or something so we can see how big that MFer really is
     
  2. bigred77

    bigred77 Well-Known Member
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    Just look at his grass and you will feel better
     
  3. UncleJesse

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    Edited the previous post because I was waiting on it. Just moved a load of dirt in to level out my front. Work in progress.
     
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  4. tmank87

    tmank87 Well-Known Member

    Good questions. Outside of a Swardman I wouldn't buy the others for much more than 500 bucks. You can get a good used Greensmower for 800-2K depending on years, reel life, hours etc. Can take a bit to find one and typically need to jump fast.

    From a maintenance standpoint, sort of depends. My Baroness is gear driven but the others are belt driven so you've got some things to keep an eye on there. The reel and bedknife always need to be sharp and cut paper all the way across. Baroness has a harder steel reel than the others so I've never had to have it ground (use a local golf course), but I do backlap my machine. It's pretty simple. Obviously need to grease the zerks, change the oil, air filter and spark plug just like any other gas powered machine. The keys are really the reel/bedknife/height of cut. I was intimidated as hell at first but there really isn't a lot to it. May need to replace a reel or a bedknife if you do something like hit a rock, your sidewalk etc., but with things like YT these days, it is relatively easy to do yourself. My machine has never seen a shop/mechanic.
     
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  5. Det. Frank Bullitt

    Det. Frank Bullitt God Bless Texas
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    don't feel ashamed.

    I have a 21" self powered. $240 and no problems.

    Unless you are talking about being ashamed of the condition of your turf...
     
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  6. Det. Frank Bullitt

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    I cut my bermuda (not sure if hybrid or common; I have at least two varieties) at 1.75 but you guys have me considering dropping to 1.25
     
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  7. tmank87

    tmank87 Well-Known Member

    Do it. You won't regret. Just make sure you stay on top of the mowing.
     
  8. NothingIsOT

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    No way I can commit to every 3 days. 7 is good enough right?
     
  9. Jeffrey Lebowski

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    I was going to post progress from my first dethatcher pass today, but after seeing tmank87 yard, I think I’m going to pave over my whole lot
     
  10. tmank87

    tmank87 Well-Known Member

    Need about 3 mows in 7 days :awesomeface:

    Could always think about a growth regulator. That'll put you at 1 in every 7.

    Jeffrey Lebowski let's see it
     
  11. hawk217

    hawk217 Well-Known Member
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    I want to run through your lawn barefoot playing capture the flag.
     
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  12. tmank87

    tmank87 Well-Known Member

    Come on wit it. Going to get some croquet going out back soon. Gunning for Pinehurst, ha!
     
  13. hawk217

    hawk217 Well-Known Member
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    I’ll bring the bomb pops
     
  14. arrdub

    arrdub Well-Known Member
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    He had me going that this was all for real until I saw this

    how about the Johnson rods do you need to oil them too
     
  15. Jeffrey Lebowski

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    I was in Fort Mill yesterday. #soclose
     
  16. tmank87

    tmank87 Well-Known Member

    I figured posting that might be inappropriate, but yes - always oil the rods.

    Could nearly taste it.
     
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  17. The Milkman

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    That comment wasn’t serious. I use a snapper self propelled 21”. Not a massive yard.
     
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  18. bigred77

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    We're all just pal'in around
     
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  19. The Milkman

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    Here's my spread
     

    Attached Files:

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  20. bigred77

    bigred77 Well-Known Member
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    I can't see
     
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  21. Where Eagles Dare

    Where Eagles Dare The Specialist Show On Earth
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    Appears summer heat and absolutely no rain is here for the south east.

    Water bill gonna be :taz:
     
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  22. arrdub

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    I don’t have the data to back this up but I’d guess May has been the toughest month on the plants and lawn of late because it’s been bone dry and hot the last few years. Thankfully the cooler weather (80s) lasted a little longer this year.
     
  23. Where Eagles Dare

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    Yeah we've had little rain, but it's been so nice until this week.

    90s for the next 10 days :killme:

    Probably like this for 3 months :killme: :killme:
     
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  24. bigred77

    bigred77 Well-Known Member
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    I'm hoping to get to mow my yard on Wed if it dries out enough

    Last mowed the 14th right before it started raining
     
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  25. tmank87

    tmank87 Well-Known Member

    I saw it was the driest spring since 2016 in the Charlotte area.
     
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  26. NothingIsOT

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    Rooting for Saturday the 29th but in Roswell it’s only 30% right now.
     
  27. Where Eagles Dare

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    Yeah the best chance of rain is like 25% but it's also memorial day weekend. Fuck
     
  28. Jeffrey Lebowski

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    My most recent water bill was already $70

    :gross:
     
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  29. bigred77

    bigred77 Well-Known Member
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    Lol, my monthly water connection fee minimum bill is $65

    Thank God I have a well to water the yard with
     
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  30. Russellin4885

    Russellin4885 Well-Known Member
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    What? Do you hand wash all your dishes and laundry. My water bill is $70 without watering my yard. Summer it's running more like $120+
     
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  31. Jeffrey Lebowski

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    in months i'm not running irrigation my water bill is $25 (pretty much the minimum charge)

    it'll hit $125 in summer months though with irrigation and kids playing on waterslides and stuff.

    Side note: I live in the southeast cost of living probably balances out.
     
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  32. Dale Doback

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    What brand?
     
  33. tmank87

    tmank87 Well-Known Member

    I've got a Stihl Kombi with a straight shaft stick edger and also an Ego multi head with the same. Prefer the straight shaft over the curved.
     
  34. Where Eagles Dare

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    I wish I could get well water in Atlanta, but it's so deep it is pretty expensive to drill a well. Worst part about Atlanta is 90% of our bill is for using the sewers. So they assume all your water is going down a drain. Want to get an outside meter so they don't count your water going to the sewer. Want to do that? That's like 5-7 grand. :killme:
     
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  35. Det. Frank Bullitt

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    If you were buying tools for the yard today, would you go gas or battery powered?
     
  36. The Hebrew Husker

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    Sprayed this around my foundation and windows and what not yesterday. Before I was done I noticed an ant hill right at the edge of my driveway/garage so sprayed it. Came out this morning to like 100+ dead or dying ants. Wow.
     
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  37. tmank87

    tmank87 Well-Known Member

    Few things

    1. I think I'll have a gas powered mower and blower (for heavier duty) for the foreseeable future.
    2. Which types of yard tools do you need and are you invested in a battery like because you own other tools (Milwaukee, DeWalt)? Milwaukee's quiklok system is pretty slick.
    3. How much turf are you maintaining at home? Like 3/4 acre and below I'd definitely consider electric.

    The ease of electric is very nice, but there is no doubt a finite life on them especially if you don't care for them properly (leaving them charging all the time). I also don't find that maintaining gas is terrible arduous, anyway. A few simple things and these commerical units can run forever if just using on your property. The commercial gas units are much more powerful, no doubt - but you don't necessarily need that power for most use cases.

    Long story short, I use my Ego for trimming/edging and my gas units for blowing/mowing.
     
  38. The Hebrew Husker

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    Also in classic fashion, have a plumber coming out today to check on these things. Of course, since I made the appointment it’s like every leak has become super minimal if not stopped.

    Figure I’ll still have him look at it, and change one of the valves I have an issue with every time I turn the system on/off, but still.
     
  39. NothingIsOT

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    If you’re low maintenance like me, battery definitely. If you got a big lawn or want performance, gas.

    Gas smells up your house, obviously need to be careful when handling, can be a pain the first time using post winter. That’s why I don’t want to deal with it.
     
  40. Det. Frank Bullitt

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    I don't need anything, I was just curious to hear from you, obv you have some cred in here.

    I'm maintaining a little under 10k sq ft of turf, which is like 1/3 acre. All gas here. It would take property downsizing, or converting a lot of that to other uses (garden beds etc) for me to consider battery.
     
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  41. dirtybert

    dirtybert Well-Known Member

    I have Stihl battery powered blower and trimmer and a stihl gas edger. They’ve all been great, but if I had any more land than this I’d probably go gas on all of them. I’m on about 1/4 acre for reference.
     
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  42. tmank87

    tmank87 Well-Known Member

    I agree with that. I actually picked up an Ego head off a guy from offer up last year just to see what all the fuss was about. I think it had fallen off the back of a truck sort of deal, so the price was right. I always knocked them but it's convenient and mostly powerful enough. I didn't get rid of my Kombi head though...
     
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  43. UncleJesse

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  44. Det. Frank Bullitt

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    Gave it a go and my yard is presently too uneven, as I have various scalped points. No time to look into levelling these days, but that's going to be on the back of my mind for a future project.

    Image is a little unfair due to shade, but I might give it one more go. Left is 1.75 and right is 1.25.

    upload_2021-6-1_16-10-2.png
     
  45. tmank87

    tmank87 Well-Known Member

    Nice, now raise it up a notch and get ready to mow. It'll really start getting thick if you can just stay on top of it.

    Edit: the reason you're seeing more brown at a lower height is because you have cut off all the green leaf. If you continue to always mow at that height, it'll always be brown. That's why you want to raise up a notch. If it gets too long from not mowing you may scalp at your new height. Then you need to lower back down and restart the process. It's what a lot of the Bermuda guys refer to as a "height of cut (hoc) reset".

    Speaking of leveling, I've got 10 yards of sand coming tomorrow to start leveling this weekend. Aeration yesterday. Harvesting the cores is a job..

    Excuse the edge, that's my next project.
    PXL_20210531_132825643.jpg
     
    #1745 tmank87, Jun 1, 2021
    Last edited: Jun 1, 2021
  46. NothingIsOT

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    Do you do sand, sand plus soil, or pure soil?
     
  47. tmank87

    tmank87 Well-Known Member

    Just sand for me. I'm not looking to amend my soil, I've got good dirt. Will backfill the holes and also level. Looking to change the profile over a few years (if I don't move) while also improving drainage. Dirt will breakdown over time and lose its "leveling" properties. Sand will not.
     
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  48. Det. Frank Bullitt

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    Before I reply, just covering the basics: my mower can do .5" increments, with 1.25" the lowest, then 1.75", 2.25", etc.

    If I follow, you are saying after that first cutting at 1.25", to make subsequent cuts at 1.75"? On paper, there is no difference then between having always cut at 1.75"....unless I'm not aware of the benefit of that single cut at 1.25 (?).

    Also, I was thinking about taping my wheels (or some other modifying measure to increase mowing height) to get finer control over mowing height. 1/2 inch is a pretty big gap between notches. Such a tweak would likely get me out of the scalp zone.
     
  49. tmank87

    tmank87 Well-Known Member

    That's right, cut the area you went to 1.25 at the next height up. Would be great it that was 1.5, but 1.75 will suffice. You have to stay with cutting. If the grass grows to 3" and you go out to cut at 1.75 you're going to get that same appearance even at a higher cut. You're essentially scalping the green leaf off and seeing brown stems, from there raise the height slightly and keep up with the mowing - could be every day or 2, depending on how much you've fed it. With Bermuda always do an initial cut slightly lower than your maintenance height. If your maintenance height gets away from you, lower it down and start over (reset).

    You're too low if your blade is literally hitting the dirt and skulling the grass.
     
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  50. arrdub

    arrdub Well-Known Member
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    Find someone to love you like this man loves his lawn

    but seriously you may now be the new master of the thread
     
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