The Lawnmower That Refuses To Die is starting to show rust holes in the
deck! Yay! We can ditch it! (we've had this thing for 18 years; for
about 16 of that it's been too hard to start for SWMBO, so I've been
doing a lot of the mowing).

Now we live on a place that has a significant amount of grass on a 20-30
degree slope. It's too steep for our narrow-tread tractor (at least _I_
don't have the balls to go driving on it!), and the area is pretty
sizable. I'm assuming that we want to get a self-propelled mower instead
of a riding, because of the slope.

Anyone have any mileage with a largish self-propelled mower that works
good on slopes? I'm looking for something that'll bag, but being able to
take off the bag and just fling the grass when I'm opening up new
territory would be nice.

--
www.wescottdesign.com

Tim Wescott wrote:

The Lawnmower That Refuses To Die is starting to show rust holes in the
deck! Yay! We can ditch it! (we've had this thing for 18 years; for
about 16 of that it's been too hard to start for SWMBO, so I've been
doing a lot of the mowing).

Now we live on a place that has a significant amount of grass on a 20-30
degree slope. It's too steep for our narrow-tread tractor (at least _I_
don't have the balls to go driving on it!), and the area is pretty
sizable. I'm assuming that we want to get a self-propelled mower instead
of a riding, because of the slope.

Anyone have any mileage with a largish self-propelled mower that works
good on slopes? I'm looking for something that'll bag, but being able to
take off the bag and just fling the grass when I'm opening up new
territory would be nice.

--
www.wescottdesign.com

Did y'all post to the wrong group? This is rec.crafts.metalworking, here
we just weld or pop rivet patches on the holes in our mower decks and
keep on going...

Don't know if you can find one, but Gravely makes a line of commercial
mowers. Quality like you used to expect. I have three commercial 12s, one
with a 52" deck. I've never paid more than $1200 for a unit and normally got
a lot of other attachments.

Karl

On Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:48:12 -0500, Tim Wescott
wrote:

The Lawnmower That Refuses To Die is starting to show rust holes in the
deck! Yay! We can ditch it! (we've had this thing for 18 years; for
about 16 of that it's been too hard to start for SWMBO, so I've been
doing a lot of the mowing).

Now we live on a place that has a significant amount of grass on a 20-30
degree slope. It's too steep for our narrow-tread tractor (at least _I_
don't have the balls to go driving on it!), and the area is pretty
sizable. I'm assuming that we want to get a self-propelled mower instead
of a riding, because of the slope.

Anyone have any mileage with a largish self-propelled mower that works
good on slopes? I'm looking for something that'll bag, but being able to
take off the bag and just fling the grass when I'm opening up new
territory would be nice.

I have a HR215 HXA Honda. It has a hydrostatic transmission. You start
it and then engage the blade. About 20 years old. I'll bet anyone who
shows up with a hundred dollar bill that it will start on the first
pull. Cost about $900 then. Now about $1200.

Like Pete says, this one has a patch riveted over the hole worn
through by scrubbing the flowerbed curb.

On Mon, 17 Aug 2009 16:54:21 -0500, Pete C. wrote:

Tim Wescott wrote:

The Lawnmower That Refuses To Die is starting to show rust holes in the
deck! Yay! We can ditch it! (we've had this thing for 18 years; for
about 16 of that it's been too hard to start for SWMBO, so I've been
doing a lot of the mowing).

Now we live on a place that has a significant amount of grass on a
20-30 degree slope. It's too steep for our narrow-tread tractor (at
least _I_ don't have the balls to go driving on it!), and the area is
pretty sizable. I'm assuming that we want to get a self-propelled
mower instead of a riding, because of the slope.

Anyone have any mileage with a largish self-propelled mower that works
good on slopes? I'm looking for something that'll bag, but being able
to take off the bag and just fling the grass when I'm opening up new
territory would be nice.

--
www.wescottdesign.com

Did y'all post to the wrong group? This is rec.crafts.metalworking, here
we just weld or pop rivet patches on the holes in our mower decks and
keep on going...

Well, after I toss the rest of the mower I'm going to keep the engine for
aluminum casting stock -- does that count?

Besides, y'all are a smart group, and likely to select a mower for it's
ability to manfully cling to side hill, not 'cause it's a pretty shade of
green, or because you liked the sales guy's long lashes as he explained
the self-start feature.

--
www.wescottdesign.com

On Mon, 17 Aug 2009 17:53:51 -0500, aasberry wrote:

On Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:48:12 -0500, Tim Wescott
wrote:

The Lawnmower That Refuses To Die is starting to show rust holes in the
deck! Yay! We can ditch it! (we've had this thing for 18 years; for
about 16 of that it's been too hard to start for SWMBO, so I've been
doing a lot of the mowing).

Now we live on a place that has a significant amount of grass on a 20-30
degree slope. It's too steep for our narrow-tread tractor (at least _I_
don't have the balls to go driving on it!), and the area is pretty
sizable. I'm assuming that we want to get a self-propelled mower
instead of a riding, because of the slope.

Anyone have any mileage with a largish self-propelled mower that works
good on slopes? I'm looking for something that'll bag, but being able
to take off the bag and just fling the grass when I'm opening up new
territory would be nice.

I have a HR215 HXA Honda. It has a hydrostatic transmission. You start
it and then engage the blade. About 20 years old. I'll bet anyone who
shows up with a hundred dollar bill that it will start on the first
pull. Cost about $900 then. Now about $1200.

Like Pete says, this one has a patch riveted over the hole worn through
by scrubbing the flowerbed curb.

If I _liked_ the existing mower I'd do that. We bought it 18 years ago
when we had a dead flat suburban back yard to mow; now I have a hillside
that's (a) bigger and (b, snivel, whine) steep.

--
www.wescottdesign.com

"Tim Wescott" wrote in message
...
If I _liked_ the existing mower I'd do that. We bought it 18 years ago
when we had a dead flat suburban back yard to mow; now I have a hillside
that's (a) bigger and (b, snivel, whine) steep.


You have the wrong solution to the problem.

Rather than replacing the lawn mower, replace the lawn with something like
ice plant. It takes very little water, it chokes out all the weeds and you
can spend your time doing something other than yard work!

--

Roger Shoaf

About the time I had mastered getting the toothpaste back in the tube, then
they come up with this striped stuff.

http://www.lawnbotts.com/lawnbott_manual/index.html

As the young folks say, w00t!

--Winston

Well, your could take your "narrow-tread tractor" and add wheels to the
rear, making it a dually. Just have to make some spacers -- good metal
project.

"Tim Wescott" wrote in message
...
The Lawnmower That Refuses To Die is starting to show rust holes in the
deck! Yay! We can ditch it! (we've had this thing for 18 years; for
about 16 of that it's been too hard to start for SWMBO, so I've been
doing a lot of the mowing).

Now we live on a place that has a significant amount of grass on a 20-30
degree slope. It's too steep for our narrow-tread tractor (at least _I_
don't have the balls to go driving on it!), and the area is pretty
sizable. I'm assuming that we want to get a self-propelled mower instead
of a riding, because of the slope.

Anyone have any mileage with a largish self-propelled mower that works
good on slopes? I'm looking for something that'll bag, but being able to
take off the bag and just fling the grass when I'm opening up new
territory would be nice.

--
www.wescottdesign.com

"Tim Wescott" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 17 Aug 2009 16:54:21 -0500, Pete C. wrote:

Tim Wescott wrote:

The Lawnmower That Refuses To Die is starting to show rust holes in the
deck! Yay! We can ditch it! (we've had this thing for 18 years; for
about 16 of that it's been too hard to start for SWMBO, so I've been
doing a lot of the mowing).

Now we live on a place that has a significant amount of grass on a
20-30 degree slope. It's too steep for our narrow-tread tractor (at
least _I_ don't have the balls to go driving on it!), and the area is
pretty sizable. I'm assuming that we want to get a self-propelled
mower instead of a riding, because of the slope.

Anyone have any mileage with a largish self-propelled mower that works
good on slopes? I'm looking for something that'll bag, but being able
to take off the bag and just fling the grass when I'm opening up new
territory would be nice.

--
www.wescottdesign.com

Did y'all post to the wrong group? This is rec.crafts.metalworking, here
we just weld or pop rivet patches on the holes in our mower decks and
keep on going...

Well, after I toss the rest of the mower I'm going to keep the engine for
aluminum casting stock -- does that count?

Besides, y'all are a smart group, and likely to select a mower for it's
ability to manfully cling to side hill, not 'cause it's a pretty shade of
green, or because you liked the sales guy's long lashes as he explained
the self-start feature.

Well, I aint got no stinking lawn, but I got a mower. 33 HP John Deere
Diesel with a King Kutter stump jumper. I reckon it ain't gonna pretty-efiy
yer lawn, but it will cut just about anything. Even a contractor grade
rubber water hose somebody left out front before the brush got to thick to
find it. I gotta admit it did bog down a little when it found the garden
hose for me. But it kept going. The next pass for the rest of the hose
also found a 6" fallen branch laying over it, and now I know what real world
use there is for field grade bolts. They use a grade 2 field bolt as a
shear pin at the input portion of the drive assembly on the stump jumper.

After I put in s stock of field grade bolts I experiemented a little. It
would chop up that log or the hose just fine, but sucking up both at once
was just too much for it.

So, yeah some of us select our mowers for toughness and longevity... AND
there is even some metal content in my post. So there.

Bob La Londe
www.YumaBassMan.com

On Aug 18, 12:08*am, Tim Wescott wrote:

Now we live on a place that has a significant amount of grass on a
20-30 degree slope. *It's too steep for our narrow-tread tractor (at
least _I_ don't have the balls to go driving on it!), and the area is
pretty sizable. *I

Anyone have any mileage with a largish self-propelled mower that works
good on slopes? *I'm looking for something that'll bag, but being able
to take off the bag and just fling the grass when I'm opening up new
territory would be nice.

--
www.wescottdesign.com


Besides, y'all are a smart group, and likely to select a mower for it's
ability to manfully cling to side hill, not 'cause it's a pretty shade of
green, or because you liked the sales guy's long lashes as he explained
the self-start feature.

--www.wescottdesign.com


Kind of depends on what you consider a significant amount of grass.
My neighbor lent me a zero turn walk behind mower with a 60 inch deck
and a 18 hp engine. I don't have much in the way of hills, but I
think it would do as well as anything on slopes. I would not want to
cut more than four or five acres with it. More than that and I want to
ride. Look on Craigslist and Ebay for zero turn mowers. I believe the
one he lent me was an Exmark. But no bag. Not too many of the
commercial mowers have bags, but there are some.

Dan

On Aug 18, 2:15*am, " wrote:

Anyone have any mileage with a largish self-propelled mower that works
good on slopes? *I'm looking for something that'll bag, but being able
to take off the bag and just fling the grass when I'm opening up new
territory would be nice.

--
www.wescottdesign.com


I forgot to mention that I saw a commercial mower today with a mower
deck that was in two parts and hinged so each half followed the
ground. I did not notice if it was a walk behind or a rider.

Dan

On Aug 18, 6:48*am, Tim Wescott wrote:
The Lawnmower That Refuses To Die

Get a pair of sheep - low maintenance, automatic height adjustment,
auto steering, recycles grass to motive fuel, conversational ability
on par with most wingers, and you can eat them if they start plotting
against you....

Andrew VK3BFA.

Anyone have any mileage with a largish self-propelled mower that works
good on slopes? I'm looking for something that'll bag, but being able to
take off the bag and just fling the grass when I'm opening up new
territory would be nice.

Like one of the other guys (was it Karl?) said, an old 12 HP Gravely
walk behind would work. I used to mow some pretty steep slopes with
one of those. I had dual wheels on each side and a 40" deck. If the
steering brake isn't worn out, it works ok. The newer solution
probably would be a walk behind zero turn mower. The old Gravelys
were all gear driven with a differential between the two big drive
wheels. Once you had the dual wheels and anything wider than the 30"
mower on them, you really needed the steering brake attachment to make
them easier to use. Actually the old original 8 HP Gravelys with the
30" deck may do the job for you without dual wheels and they're very
maneuverable without a steering brake. Now I use a Grasshopper zero
turn for my 4A. The Gravely's been retired to winter snow blowing.

RWL

On Mon, 17 Aug 2009 19:16:19 -0700 (PDT), Andrew VK3BFA
wrote:

On Aug 18, 6:48*am, Tim Wescott wrote:
The Lawnmower That Refuses To Die

Get a pair of sheep - low maintenance, automatic height adjustment,
auto steering, recycles grass to motive fuel, conversational ability
on par with most left wingers, and you can eat them if they start plotting
against you....

Andrew VK3BFA.


True enough.



Whenever a Liberal utters the term "Common Sense approach"....grab your
wallet, your ass, and your guns because the sombitch is about to do
something damned nasty to all three of them.

On Mon, 17 Aug 2009 16:34:22 -0700, the infamous Winston
scrawled the following:

http://www.lawnbotts.com/lawnbott_manual/index.html

As the young folks say, w00t!

FOUR GRAND for a Jewish lawnmower? Pass. g

--
If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the
thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power
to revoke at any moment. -- Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

On Aug 17, 10:29*pm, GeoLane at PTD dot NET GeoLane at PTD dot NET
wrote:
Anyone have any mileage with a largish self-propelled mower that works
good on slopes? *I'm looking for something that'll bag, but being able to
take off the bag and just fling the grass when I'm opening up new
territory would be nice.

Like one of the other guys (was it Karl?) said, an old 12 HP Gravely
walk behind would work. *I used to mow some pretty steep slopes with
one of those. *I had dual wheels on each side and a 40" deck. *If the
steering brake isn't worn out, it works ok. *The newer solution
probably would be a walk behind zero turn mower. *The old Gravelys
were all gear driven with a differential between the two big drive
wheels. *Once you had the dual wheels and anything wider than the 30"
mower on them, you really needed the steering brake attachment to make
them easier to use. * Actually the old original 8 HP Gravelys with the
30" deck may do the job for you without dual wheels and they're very
maneuverable without a steering brake. *Now *I use a Grasshopper zero
turn for my 4A. *The Gravely's been retired to winter snow blowing.

RWL

Actually, the ones back in the 40s were 5 HP. Then to 6.6 HP, then to
7.6 HP in the late 60s. No changes in displacement though - just cams
and carburetors and compression - with a good dose of marketing hype -
so the torque was all about the same and most people notice little if
any difference in power. These were the Gravely T head engines, with
pressure oiling - good on hills.

Dual or even triple wheels, or axle extensions, would be a real plus
on steep slopes.

The 30" decks are the heavy bush hogs which aren't the greatest for
finish mowing, but there are larger decks with multiple spindles which
give great cuts. Or reel mowers, single or gang.

John Martin

On Mon, 17 Aug 2009 16:54:21 -0500, "Pete C."
wrote:


Tim Wescott wrote:

The Lawnmower That Refuses To Die is starting to show rust holes in the
deck! Yay! We can ditch it! (we've had this thing for 18 years; for
about 16 of that it's been too hard to start for SWMBO, so I've been
doing a lot of the mowing).

Now we live on a place that has a significant amount of grass on a 20-30
degree slope. It's too steep for our narrow-tread tractor (at least _I_
don't have the balls to go driving on it!), and the area is pretty
sizable. I'm assuming that we want to get a self-propelled mower instead
of a riding, because of the slope.

Anyone have any mileage with a largish self-propelled mower that works
good on slopes? I'm looking for something that'll bag, but being able to
take off the bag and just fling the grass when I'm opening up new
territory would be nice.

--
www.wescottdesign.com

Did y'all post to the wrong group? This is rec.crafts.metalworking, here
we just weld or pop rivet patches on the holes in our mower decks and
keep on going...
Or make new stainless steel decks to keep40 year old mowers going for
another 25 or so.

On Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:10:50 -0500, Tim Wescott
wrote:

On Mon, 17 Aug 2009 17:53:51 -0500, aasberry wrote:

On Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:48:12 -0500, Tim Wescott
wrote:

The Lawnmower That Refuses To Die is starting to show rust holes in the
deck! Yay! We can ditch it! (we've had this thing for 18 years; for
about 16 of that it's been too hard to start for SWMBO, so I've been
doing a lot of the mowing).

Now we live on a place that has a significant amount of grass on a 20-30
degree slope. It's too steep for our narrow-tread tractor (at least _I_
don't have the balls to go driving on it!), and the area is pretty
sizable. I'm assuming that we want to get a self-propelled mower
instead of a riding, because of the slope.

Anyone have any mileage with a largish self-propelled mower that works
good on slopes? I'm looking for something that'll bag, but being able
to take off the bag and just fling the grass when I'm opening up new
territory would be nice.

I have a HR215 HXA Honda. It has a hydrostatic transmission. You start
it and then engage the blade. About 20 years old. I'll bet anyone who
shows up with a hundred dollar bill that it will start on the first
pull. Cost about $900 then. Now about $1200.

Like Pete says, this one has a patch riveted over the hole worn through
by scrubbing the flowerbed curb.

If I _liked_ the existing mower I'd do that. We bought it 18 years ago
when we had a dead flat suburban back yard to mow; now I have a hillside
that's (a) bigger and (b, snivel, whine) steep.

For steep lawns nothing beats an old 2 stroke commercial Lawn Boy.
They stink, but lubrication is not an issue. I know guys that tie
ropes on them and pull them up and down banks you can hardly
stand/walk on.

Larry Jaques wrote:
On Mon, 17 Aug 2009 16:34:22 -0700, the infamous Winston
scrawled the following:

http://www.lawnbotts.com/lawnbott_manual/index.html

As the young folks say, w00t!

FOUR GRAND for a Jewish lawnmower? Pass. g

Look at it this way,
My little robot vaccuum cleaner keeps the floor
nice and shiny. I don't have to do anything but
push the button and lift extension cords out of
its way. (OK and empty the bin when finished.)

It doesn't steal stuff and so far, it costs me 82c
a day (and falling).

I could enlist the help of an onboard supervisor
and through the magic of camouflage, barely tell
when he is doing his job:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ-jv8g1YVI

(OK, not really my cat.)

--Winston

On Aug 18, 12:16 pm, Andrew VK3BFA wrote:
On Aug 18, 6:48 am, Tim Wescott wrote:

The Lawnmower That Refuses To Die

Get a pair of sheep - low maintenance, automatic height adjustment,
auto steering, recycles grass to motive fuel, conversational ability
on par with most wingers, and you can eat them if they start plotting
against you....

Andrew VK3BFA.

Well, you didn't need to modify the post Gunner - I didn't specify
right or left. (Not being paranoid, are you?) Extremists of both
persuasions are a danger to us all......ignorance, prejudice,stupidity
- neither side has a monopoly on them.
Andrew VK3BFA.

On Aug 18, 1:18 pm, Gunner Asch wrote:
On Mon, 17 Aug 2009 19:16:19 -0700 (PDT), Andrew VK3BFA

wrote:
On Aug 18, 6:48 am, Tim Wescott wrote:
The Lawnmower That Refuses To Die

Get a pair of sheep - low maintenance, automatic height adjustment,
auto steering, recycles grass to motive fuel, conversational ability
on par with most left wingers, and you can eat them if they start plotting
against you....

Andrew VK3BFA.

True enough.

Whenever a Liberal utters the term "Common Sense approach"....grab your
wallet, your ass, and your guns because the sombitch is about to do
something damned nasty to all three of them.

Blast - got that address wrong. Thank God it wasn't the launch code
for a nuclear weapon. You can work it out Gunner .
Here in Oz, lawn mowing sheep are usually called Victor, after a well
know local lawn mower manufacturer.

Andrew VK3BFA.

On Mon, 17 Aug 2009 22:54:51 -0700, the infamous Winston
scrawled the following:

Larry Jaques wrote:
On Mon, 17 Aug 2009 16:34:22 -0700, the infamous Winston
scrawled the following:

http://www.lawnbotts.com/lawnbott_manual/index.html

As the young folks say, w00t!

FOUR GRAND for a Jewish lawnmower? Pass. g

Look at it this way,
My little robot vaccuum cleaner keeps the floor
nice and shiny. I don't have to do anything but
push the button and lift extension cords out of
its way. (OK and empty the bin when finished.)

It doesn't steal stuff and so far, it costs me 82c
a day (and falling).

What, $300 a year for that kind of inefficiency?

Q: How long does it take for a Roomba to clean every inch of a 10x10'
room? It takes 5 minutes with my vacuum, going both X and Y
directions for best cleaning.


I could enlist the help of an onboard supervisor
and through the magic of camouflage, barely tell
when he is doing his job:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ-jv8g1YVI

(OK, not really my cat.)

Cuuuuuute.

--
If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the
thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power
to revoke at any moment. -- Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

Winston wrote:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ-jv8g1YVI

--Winston
I take it that black thing hanging down behind
the saucer is what does the cleaning. :-)
...lew...

Larry Jaques wrote:

(...)

What, $300 a year for that kind of inefficiency?

Yeah but every day it cleans, it costs me less!

Billy Mays and I go 'way back. (Grin).

Q: How long does it take for a Roomba to clean every inch of a 10x10'
room? It takes 5 minutes with my vacuum, going both X and Y
directions for best cleaning.

About 20 minutes. Who cares?
That's 20 minutes I get to spend designing stuff or fixing stuff
or making stuff! You know, Fun Stuff!

Plus, if I let it run for the entire hour, it cleans two more rooms.
Whats Not To Like!

Honestly, if I were Electrolux or Kirby right now, I'd be
chittin bricks.

I could enlist the help of an onboard supervisor
and through the magic of camouflage, barely tell
when he is doing his job:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ-jv8g1YVI

(OK, not really my cat.)

Cuuuuuute.

That is a brave cat.

--Winston

Lewis Hartswick wrote:
Winston wrote:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ-jv8g1YVI

--Winston
I take it that black thing hanging down behind
the saucer is what does the cleaning. :-)
...lew...

Well, half of the cleaning anyway.

Otherwise, how can I believe him when he says
he's 'multitasking'?

--Winston

Winston wrote: about Rhoomba

We bought one of those a few years back. It threw a tread then the
battery died, right before they sent us an upgraded smart charger.

Haven't used it since. Now I'm wondering if I should buy a battery
($$$$) or just buy the newest model.

Have they improved much in the last two years?

On Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:48:12 -0500, Tim Wescott
wrote:

snip
Anyone have any mileage with a largish self-propelled mower that works
good on slopes? I'm looking for something that'll bag, but being able to
take off the bag and just fling the grass when I'm opening up new
territory would be nice.

Here is one example:

http://www.remotemower.com/commercial-models.php

"Professional lawn care providers are using the SRX22T
remote control commercial lawn mower on slopes up to 70
degrees. One man, equipped with a remote control commercial
lawn mower, is in control of the slopes and ditches, instead
of 6 or 8 men with weed eaters..."

This isn't the one I was thinking of, obviously there are
more out there...

--
Leon Fisk
Grand Rapids MI/Zone 5b
Remove no.spam for email

On Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:28:58 -0400, Leon Fisk wrote:

On Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:48:12 -0500, Tim Wescott
wrote:

snip
Anyone have any mileage with a largish self-propelled mower that works
good on slopes? I'm looking for something that'll bag, but being able
to take off the bag and just fling the grass when I'm opening up new
territory would be nice.

Here is one example:

http://www.remotemower.com/commercial-models.php

"Professional lawn care providers are using the SRX22T remote control
commercial lawn mower on slopes up to 70 degrees. One man, equipped
with a remote control commercial lawn mower, is in control of the slopes
and ditches, instead of 6 or 8 men with weed eaters..."

This isn't the one I was thinking of, obviously there are more out
there...

You _*******_!

Now I'm either going to have to stop doing paying work until I get one
built, or I'm going to have to pine away 'cause I can't find time to
build one!

@#$%!

(Did you notice the price? $10K!!! Maybe I should build some myself --
although I bet that's $3000 for the mower and $7000 for liability
insurance).

--
www.wescottdesign.com

On Tue, 18 Aug 2009 08:24:03 -0700, the infamous Winston
scrawled the following:

Larry Jaques wrote:

(...)

What, $300 a year for that kind of inefficiency?

Yeah but every day it cleans, it costs me less!

....until next year when it breaks and costs you an extra few hundred.


Billy Mays and I go 'way back. (Grin).

eGAD! What a confession.


Q: How long does it take for a Roomba to clean every inch of a 10x10'
room? It takes 5 minutes with my vacuum, going both X and Y
directions for best cleaning.

About 20 minutes. Who cares?

Does it turn itself off after finishing, or do you consider it done in
20 and shut it down yourself? I'll bet the latter, and I'll bet
you're wrong about it.


That's 20 minutes I get to spend designing stuff or fixing stuff
or making stuff! You know, Fun Stuff!

Plus, if I let it run for the entire hour, it cleans two more rooms.
Whats Not To Like!

Isn't that last sentence a question?


Honestly, if I were Electrolux or Kirby right now, I'd be
chittin bricks.

Why? Won't they just come out with their own $8k model?

NOW WITH HIGH-TRACTION WHEELS AND FUZZY LOGIC!



I could enlist the help of an onboard supervisor
and through the magic of camouflage, barely tell
when he is doing his job:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ-jv8g1YVI

(OK, not really my cat.)

Cuuuuuute.

That is a brave cat.

Yeah, where most animals run from the sound, that cat hops on. Hmm,
maybe it's both deaf and horny. That thing -has- to vibrate, huh?
That'd 'splain it.

--
If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the
thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power
to revoke at any moment. -- Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

On Tue, 18 Aug 2009 08:01:10 -0600, the infamous Lewis Hartswick
scrawled the following:

Winston wrote:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ-jv8g1YVI

--Winston
I take it that black thing hanging down behind
the saucer is what does the cleaning. :-)

No, that's just the duster.

--
If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the
thing itself, but to your estimate of it; and this you have the power
to revoke at any moment. -- Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

1. you can buy tread repair kits from a seller on ebay for $5
2. you can buy batteries from a different seller (actually 8 or 9 sellers)
for $37
3. read the irobot site and see if the new features attract you - the very
early ones had a cubmersome way of cleaning them - that is improved - they
work and do their job - but note that the docking stations for the newer
ones are just a tiny bit different from the earlier ones and a new one won't
dock in an old station
"RBnDFW" wrote in message
...
Winston wrote: about Rhoomba

We bought one of those a few years back. It threw a tread then the battery
died, right before they sent us an upgraded smart charger.

Haven't used it since. Now I'm wondering if I should buy a battery ($$$$)
or just buy the newest model.

Have they improved much in the last two years?

Larry Jaques chiseled into the graffiti:
On Tue, 18 Aug 2009 08:24:03 -0700, the infamous Winston
scrawled the following:

Larry Jaques wrote:

(...)

What, $300 a year for that kind of inefficiency?
Yeah but every day it cleans, it costs me less!

...until next year when it breaks and costs you an extra few hundred.

What a pessimist! Actually, one did break. It cost me
a phone call to have the replacement part sent under
warranty. All better now. (Note to self, don't scoot it
with your foot while it is running.)

No problems since then.

Billy Mays and I go 'way back. (Grin).

eGAD! What a confession.

See? I *can* still frighten the natives!

Q: How long does it take for a Roomba to clean every inch of a 10x10'
room? It takes 5 minutes with my vacuum, going both X and Y
directions for best cleaning.
About 20 minutes. Who cares?

Does it turn itself off after finishing, or do you consider it done in
20 and shut it down yourself? I'll bet the latter, and I'll bet
you're wrong about it.

You would lose that bet. Most of the time.
If you isolate it to one room, it will consistently find it's
charging base and automatically dock when it is finished cleaning.
It is a gas to watch it park.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LS-rY...eature=related

You already knew I was easily amused though.


That's 20 minutes I get to spend designing stuff or fixing stuff
or making stuff! You know, Fun Stuff!

Plus, if I let it run for the entire hour, it cleans two more rooms.
Whats Not To Like!

Isn't that last sentence a question?

Hey, did you want proper punctuation in *this* newsgroup.

Heh. It's a little like nails on a chalkboard, ain't it?

Honestly, if I were Electrolux or Kirby right now, I'd be
chittin bricks.

Why? Won't they just come out with their own $8k model?

NOW WITH HIGH-TRACTION WHEELS AND FUZZY LOGIC!

I dunno. I really don't think they have the agility to
come up with a competing product.

Soon after the introduction of the Roomba, I think it
was Kirby that came out with a commercial featuring a
convincingly animated upright vacuum cleaner, shown
cleaning up a room by itself, handle flying in the breeze.

It was brutally honest, as ads go.


(...)

Yeah, where most animals run from the sound, that cat hops on. Hmm,
maybe it's both deaf and horny. That thing -has- to vibrate, huh?
That'd 'splain it.

Still, that first experience with the Roomba had to be fairly
traumatic for Mr. Kitty.

--Winston

Bill Noble wrote:
1. you can buy tread repair kits from a seller on ebay for $5
2. you can buy batteries from a different seller (actually 8 or 9
sellers) for $37
3. read the irobot site and see if the new features attract you - the
very early ones had a cubmersome way of cleaning them - that is improved
- they work and do their job - but note that the docking stations for
the newer ones are just a tiny bit different from the earlier ones and a
new one won't dock in an old station
"RBnDFW" wrote in message
...
Winston wrote: about Rhoomba

We bought one of those a few years back. It threw a tread then the
battery died, right before they sent us an upgraded smart charger.

Haven't used it since. Now I'm wondering if I should buy a battery
($$$$) or just buy the newest model.

Have they improved much in the last two years?

I really like the 530.
Just picked up two more of them as refurbs from the iRobot
Outlet Store.
http://store.irobot.com/shop/index.j...goryId=2804607

They work great.

--Winston

On Tue, 18 Aug 2009 21:13:10 -0700, Larry Jaques
wrote:

On Tue, 18 Aug 2009 08:01:10 -0600, the infamous Lewis Hartswick
scrawled the following:

Winston wrote:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ-jv8g1YVI

--Winston
I take it that black thing hanging down behind
the saucer is what does the cleaning. :-)

No, that's just the duster.

Wrong again. Grounding strap. YEOWWWW!

Pete Keillor

On Tue, 18 Aug 2009 13:54:15 -0500, Tim Wescott
wrote:

snip
(Did you notice the price? $10K!!! Maybe I should build some myself --
although I bet that's $3000 for the mower and $7000 for liability
insurance).

OH Ya! I noticed the price Still would be fun to run one
a few times.

This is the one I was thinking of:

"The Spider IDL02:

Based around the capability of remote operation, the Spider
Slope Mower offers a safer alternative to the maintenance of
sloped terrain.

The patent-protected design of this machines travel ensures
excellent properties and stability even when changing
driving directions on a steep slope. In areas with rapidly
changing slopes and in places where other machines can
hardly move, the slope mower SPIDER and its original "dance
step" are absolutely unsurpassable." See:

http://www.slopecare.com/spiderslopemower.html

If I remember right, it wasn't any less expensive...

Maybe something like this would work:

"The SSM38-72D SuperSlopeMaster„¢ from Kut Kwick is in a
class all its own when it comes to extra heavy-duty
commercial steep slope mowing. In fact, it is the only mower
manufactured in the U.S. that is engineered and tested to
perform on slopes up to 40°.

The SuperSlopeMaster„¢ is designed to cut rough terrain,
including heavy grass and weeds. It has a powerful 38 HP
Yanmar diesel engine and 1/4€� steel deck, with three 3/8€�
flat cutting blades. And, the SuperSlopeMaster„¢s skid
steering mechanism, through its twin, closed loop hydraulic
systems, offers the great maneuverability and power that is
required to mow steep slopes. Machines with steering wheels
are not as maneuverable and cannot operate on steep slopes."
See:

http://www.kutkwick.com/superslopemaster.htm

There is another commercial unit that I have seen that uses
two wheels and you ride like a motorcycle. A mowing deck to
your right and left. The "cycle" trys to stay straight up
and down, the decks can move like wings. I'll see if I can
find info if you are truly interested. I'm sure it is $$$
though. Marketed towards municipalities for mowing slopes.

--
Leon Fisk
Grand Rapids MI/Zone 5b
Remove no.spam for email

Tim Wescott wrote:

On Tue, 18 Aug 2009 14:28:58 -0400, Leon Fisk wrote:

On Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:48:12 -0500, Tim Wescott
wrote:

snip
Anyone have any mileage with a largish self-propelled mower that works
good on slopes? I'm looking for something that'll bag, but being able
to take off the bag and just fling the grass when I'm opening up new
territory would be nice.

Here is one example:

http://www.remotemower.com/commercial-models.php

"Professional lawn care providers are using the SRX22T remote control
commercial lawn mower on slopes up to 70 degrees. One man, equipped
with a remote control commercial lawn mower, is in control of the slopes
and ditches, instead of 6 or 8 men with weed eaters..."

This isn't the one I was thinking of, obviously there are more out
there...

You _*******_!

Now I'm either going to have to stop doing paying work until I get one
built, or I'm going to have to pine away 'cause I can't find time to
build one!

@#$%!

(Did you notice the price? $10K!!! Maybe I should build some myself --
although I bet that's $3000 for the mower and $7000 for liability
insurance).

I've not looked at this particular unit, however if you think $10k is
out of line for a commercial grade mower, I'd suggest you look at what
the commercial grade ZT mowers like the Ferris, SCAG, and the like go
for.

Bill Noble wrote:
1. you can buy tread repair kits from a seller on ebay for $5
2. you can buy batteries from a different seller (actually 8 or 9
sellers) for $37
3. read the irobot site and see if the new features attract you - the
very early ones had a cubmersome way of cleaning them - that is improved
- they work and do their job - but note that the docking stations for
the newer ones are just a tiny bit different from the earlier ones and a
new one won't dock in an old station

Ours is Pre-Self-Docking, so that alone is a big improvement.
I would also like to see those "room barriers" in a smaller size.

"RBnDFW" wrote in message
...
Winston wrote: about Rhoomba

We bought one of those a few years back. It threw a tread then the
battery died, right before they sent us an upgraded smart charger.

Haven't used it since. Now I'm wondering if I should buy a battery
($$$$) or just buy the newest model.

Have they improved much in the last two years?

On Wed, 19 Aug 2009 07:00:02 -0400, the infamous Pete Keillor
scrawled the following:

On Tue, 18 Aug 2009 21:13:10 -0700, Larry Jaques
wrote:

On Tue, 18 Aug 2009 08:01:10 -0600, the infamous Lewis Hartswick
scrawled the following:

Winston wrote:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQ-jv8g1YVI

--Winston
I take it that black thing hanging down behind
the saucer is what does the cleaning. :-)

No, that's just the duster.

Wrong again. Grounding strap. YEOWWWW!

Knowing where it connects to the driver, that's a Roger!

--
You know, in about 40 years, we'll have literally thousands of
OLD LADIES running around with TATTOOS, and Rap Music will be
the Golden Oldies. Now that's SCARY! --Maxine

"Bill Noble" wrote in
:

OK, I've got a question for the Rhoomba owners. I think they are a neat
idea, but our house has hardwood floors with big pieces of area carpet
filling in most of the space in any given room. There's usually a 4" to
6" border of hardwood showing around the edges. The carpet is ~ 3/8" to
1/2" thick.

Am I correct in assuming that a Rhoomba can't handle the transitions from
carpet to hardwood very well? I could unlease one is a room and move it
and the charging station to each room, but at that point I might as well
haul out the Sears-sucker canister vacuum.

Doug White