silverpro series lawnboy

[Scott]

Just curious on what you guys would do.

I have only four yards that I do with a trim mower due to all the nooks and crannys. My current honda is going in the dump. I will give her a proper, heave ho' after 5 years of great service.

I found two SilverPro lawnboys for $299 each (if I buy both, he'll drop the price some mo'). They both are 2cycle, 6.5(or 5.5 can't remember) duraforce engines. Honda's run about a grand and I could get both of these babys obviously for less. I could park one and use the other one until it falls apart.

[Jack D.]

2/6.5hp Powered Duraforce LB's are worth more than 6 Honda 4 stroke montrosities.

Goto J-Thomas & purchase the LB. Steel/Bearing Wheels & replace the plastic.

http://www.j-thomas.com/

[Phillip Baker]

Jack, thanks for the J-Thomas web site!!! I needed a new place to buy parts online. Is thier service good? I'm in Texas DFW area.

[Scaper-S2k]

I bought 2 last year brand new for about $329 each. They had the 6.5hp 2 cycles. I did it because some said they were great mowers.

All my employees hate them. The only thing I can say is okay is the weight, they are fairly light. Other than that, I find no benefit at all. None.

The engines have NEVER purred, both idled up and down since day one. Power is okay, but I would hope so from a 6.5hp. They don't mulch as good as the Toros. And the off set wheel is the stupidest thing going. They say it is for better trimming? That's pure stupid. The wheel sticks out the side FARTHER than the side of the deck, so close ups are no better whether you use the front to get close or the side of any other mower. Quite dumb. The choke cables are a joke too.

For commercial work, we must go over many many curbs. The off set wheel throws off the whole process. When you tip up the back to back over a curb, the front of the deck digs in to the pavement. If you go up the curb, lift the front up. But once the front is up you raise the back.....front digs into the turf. Mowing the top arch of a hill low? The offset wheel causes scalping. If you need it for a steep hill, while pushing it, it can dig in as well.

One doesn't get used anymore. It leaked a some fuel from the carb or somewhere and I said "it's not worth looking at".

Go figure, my Toros, the residential models are still doing great.

If I had a way to get them to you Scott, you could have the Lawnboys free of charge buddy!



I just don't find them nearly as productive as a Toro mulcher for what we do. I will never own another one, even if they were 1/2 price. If they would change the off set wheel, I may consider them again because they are light.

[Jack D.]

Not surprising that Mr. Skaper & his crew of Lawn Monkeys do not appreciate the Lawnboy/Duraforce versatility, power & maneuverability...he still believes Toro belt drives to be the Cat's Meow...

If you have at least a Grade 3 education you will have no difficulting dealing w/and finding advantage w/ the superior LB design.

[Scott]

Erich,
you know I had one of those residential Toro's for about a week. Just wasn't happy with it. My honda was in the shop, and I picked one up for the week and even though it was a consumer brand, I took it back (after I mowed my yards :-))
I probabaly won't be happy with anything unless it's a Honda but $300 is the right price at this time of the year.

PS. Starting to really dive into my EOS. Playing with the programing features. I talked to a buddy of mine that works for the local paper (one of their main photo guys) and he's got some serious stuff, or should I say he has all the access he needs to whatever he wants. He rates the EOS very high for the novice and even the near purest hobbyist. Once he heard that I owned one, he went off the deepend in verbage that was pretty foreign to me. I just gave him the usual "uh huh" and deer in the headlights look.
This next week I'm gonna get some shots at my other career, USAF, and see what I can create. Last week we had a burner run at night and those are really impressive.

Did ya get that Oly? or an UZI?

gotta run,, and light some explosives off!!!

[Scaper-S2k]

Scott, it depends on which Toro you get. We buy the same model each time, not sure of the number. My Dad has one model and it isn't the best. One of my Foremen bought a Toro for his Dad and it wasn't a good model either. The cheesy looking Toro's that have the same deck design as their high wheel mower isn't too good. Heck, they may not even make the ones we use now. I bought them on and off for years. The last time I needed to buy a few was about 2-3 years ago. They are sturdy, and mulch great. I think they still produce them, but not sure. They hold up well.


Good to here you are mastering the EOS. It will only get better. I went with the Oly 8080. Still getting use to it of course. The Uzi 2100 is still on my wish list but haven't seen any on E-bay. The Oly gives great results. Of course we own 2 different beasts. You have a great SLR, and I have a great non SLR. Benefits to both, I just didn't want to carry all that stuff. I will possibly get the next model of the EOS though. I have yet to get into hardly any of the features on the Oly. I just haven't had the time. I have got nice results though, even on mostly auto.

Check it out....

http://www.avalawnlandscaping.com/images/full/Dry4.jpg

Not too bad Huh!

[Elwood]

Scott, the lawnboy is a good mower. While I agree with Scaper on the offset wheel design, there are some facts about lawnboys that Scaper may not know about. First, NEVER mess with the choke. Leave the machine wide open at all times. Prime it a few times and pull the cord. When they are cold, you may have to prime a couple times when they start to die, but when they are warm, one pull and you are off. Like I said, NEVER move the trottle cable off full throttle.

I don't like treating equipment that way, but it is how the lawnboy engines work best. As for the leak, it is probly comming from the air filter. It gets soaked with the oil/gas mix and eventually leaks a bit. No biggie, just let it go. I have never had any power shortages with them, but I have never mulched with one. Just discharge and bag with the rear bagger.

For what you are wanting, just buy one and it will cut 4 lawns per week for several years.

[Scaper-S2k]

Yes Elwood, that may be correct, I agree. But why should we have to go through that stuff when a Toro will do the same thing, but without all the little problems and or design quirks???

Maybe I have been lucky with the model of Toro we buy? Maybe I just hate the green color of the Lawnboy?

[Jack D.]

While Jack D. does favor the Proline/Suzuki in Self-Propelled models, purely for durability reasons, the LB's have advantages over the aforementioned Toro's.

The 6.5hp Duraforce has better torque & will dramatically outperform the 5.5hp Suzuki in discharge & mulch mode in eXtreme Lush conditions. The LB is app. 10-15 lbs lighter which makes the push model perfect if any lifting is required or for very small areas. Jack D. equips. subdivision crews w/1 of each type.