Hey, she loves me. What can I say?And......I thought I had it good, after 40 years of marriage.
Need advice on a lawn mower
- Thread starter KeithB
- Start date
Winelover
North Central Arkansas
shootnlead
Active Member
If you will buy a good quality zero turn...not a Lowes or Home Depot machine....you will not have problems. I have run my Hustler pretty hard...nothing other than typical repairs...blades, one belt, new rear tires, one blade spindle and several batteries in just a few months shy of 10yrs. It is a 21hp Kawasaki engine, 54" welded deck and hydrogear hydraulic drive...will cut grass at 9 mph, but my yard is too rough for that fast...bullet proof with around 1000hrs on it at the present. I am cutting 4acres with it now...and down here, we cut grass 7 months out of the year.
This is my mower...mine is just 10yrs old.
https://www.hustlerturf.com/products/fastrak
This is my mower...mine is just 10yrs old.
https://www.hustlerturf.com/products/fastrak
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I'm mowing 1.9 acres with a Husqvarna 24hp, 48-inch fast tractor. It does fine and will tow a 50-inch lawn sweeper. In the fall, we get the world's supply of pine straw. The sweeper does a good job of getting it cleaned up. I wasn't sure if a zero-turn would pull the sweeper or not.
shootnlead
Active Member
I have about 40 mature pines in my yard...so, I can attest the the pinestraw/cone issue. I pull a 52" sweeper with mine and it is the trick.
Pistolero
Well-Known Member
Keith, that would be a great deal. Plus make a bit of folding money for the hay, or maybe all going
to the mowing. Either way, good deal.
Should be time to get that metal building up before the snow flies. Planning on moving
the shop this year? Can you get three phase power there?
Bill
to the mowing. Either way, good deal.
Should be time to get that metal building up before the snow flies. Planning on moving
the shop this year? Can you get three phase power there?
Bill
KeithB
Resident Half Fast Machinist
I'd be happy to trade the use of the ground and the resulting crop for mowing the unplanted ground. Break even is a win for me, I just don't want to tick off the city officials by not having any mowing at all. There are regs about how high your grass can get, doesn't apply to "gardens" so planting crops is a way around the rules.
Most of the contractors I have talked to are telling me that it takes 3-5 months to go through the design and permitting process (and of course prepping/filling/leveling the ground) and then ten days to two weeks to build the structure and hook up the power, water, and sewer. Looking at a 40' x 64' post frame building, two 10' x 10' overhead doors, 4" concrete slab plus footer, one man door, one window, fully insulated. For very little extra I can get metal roofing with a built in ridge designed to be a clamping point for solar panels (no drilling into roof). Not going solar right away but I want that option for later.
Probably realistic to think about moving in first quarter of 2018.
I can get single phase for very low hookup cost, three phase for some reason is more. I have a rotary phase converter for my 3 phase manual machines, my CNC stuff will run fine on 240V single phase. Right now everything runs fine on a 200A service. Will definitely consult with electrician friend and HVAC contractor before finalizing plans.
Also plan to heat with gas, another hookup there.
Lots of stuff to think about - interior layout, where on the lot to put building, how to orient structure, parking lot/drive design, etc.
Been a long time since I was involved in process of building new structure, I have really been looking forward to moving to a place with enough space to have room to work easily, been looking at places for over a year and kissed a lot of frogs. Not sure I'm kissing a princess right now, maybe just kissing the princesses' plain but steady sister.
Most of the contractors I have talked to are telling me that it takes 3-5 months to go through the design and permitting process (and of course prepping/filling/leveling the ground) and then ten days to two weeks to build the structure and hook up the power, water, and sewer. Looking at a 40' x 64' post frame building, two 10' x 10' overhead doors, 4" concrete slab plus footer, one man door, one window, fully insulated. For very little extra I can get metal roofing with a built in ridge designed to be a clamping point for solar panels (no drilling into roof). Not going solar right away but I want that option for later.
Probably realistic to think about moving in first quarter of 2018.
I can get single phase for very low hookup cost, three phase for some reason is more. I have a rotary phase converter for my 3 phase manual machines, my CNC stuff will run fine on 240V single phase. Right now everything runs fine on a 200A service. Will definitely consult with electrician friend and HVAC contractor before finalizing plans.
Also plan to heat with gas, another hookup there.
Lots of stuff to think about - interior layout, where on the lot to put building, how to orient structure, parking lot/drive design, etc.
Been a long time since I was involved in process of building new structure, I have really been looking forward to moving to a place with enough space to have room to work easily, been looking at places for over a year and kissed a lot of frogs. Not sure I'm kissing a princess right now, maybe just kissing the princesses' plain but steady sister.
F
freebullet
Guest
Sounds nice!
Couple points to consider.
If it snows there you want the driveway facing South or east. It saves very much removal work & ice build up. With less than 1- 2" I don't have to clear it because the sun does it for me. Very very helpful that it gets sun.
Another consideration is having pass thru breeze. Have smaller garage door put on the opposite side of the main overhead. Ideally big one facing South & a smaller one on the north end. Having the ability to let a breeze pass thru the building will help keep you comfortable.
A clear polycarbonate ridge cap lets in enough light, it's worth having.
Another consideration is parking. If you have a little to spare. A neighbor might be willing to help with mowing for some parking or garden space or something.
Hope any of that was helpful & good luck!
Couple points to consider.
If it snows there you want the driveway facing South or east. It saves very much removal work & ice build up. With less than 1- 2" I don't have to clear it because the sun does it for me. Very very helpful that it gets sun.
Another consideration is having pass thru breeze. Have smaller garage door put on the opposite side of the main overhead. Ideally big one facing South & a smaller one on the north end. Having the ability to let a breeze pass thru the building will help keep you comfortable.
A clear polycarbonate ridge cap lets in enough light, it's worth having.
Another consideration is parking. If you have a little to spare. A neighbor might be willing to help with mowing for some parking or garden space or something.
Hope any of that was helpful & good luck!
F
freebullet
Guest
One other thing....
No matter how big a shop is it's almost never big enough.
No matter how big a shop is it's almost never big enough.
KeithB
Resident Half Fast Machinist
Good points. Plan to have A/C in shop (as much for the machines as it is for the humans) but like the idea of being able to open doors for breeze during Spring and Fall. Thinking of orienting ridgeline of building east/west, and having asymmetrical roofline with largest area facing south. More area for some skylight panels and later on some solar panels. There is a hill to the west so I will have early sundowns but the east and south are clear. If I have the driveway coming in the south side of the building and put access and parking on the east I will get the maximum amount of sun on the driveway and parking lot. This would also put doors on side of building away from road; I don't want to have the doors up and have everybody driving by see what's inside.
And yes, I plan to make sure I have room to expand, because I plan on being successful.
And yes, I plan to make sure I have room to expand, because I plan on being successful.
Me too Keith but one has more and larger downsides to it. Never have I needed to mow and first had to imitate an Eskimo. Never have I had the mower stuck in a snow drift. Never have I seen either a shovel or a snow blower with a cup holder for either the ice tea or cold beer. Never have I risked frost bite while mowing.
blackthorn
Active Member
I had a 30x40 foot shop built in 2005. Mistakes I made; Too small! No plumbing! Put overhead doors in the side of the building! Every time it snows, the snow slides off the roof onto the apron in front of the doors. What a pain! I was going to heat with gas, until I found out the gas company was going to charge me to upgrade whatever you call the gizmo that distributes the gas. I decided I was not going to pay extra for using more gas, other than actual usage. I have a wood fired heater. This worked out well because the pine beetles killed all 31 BIG pine trees on my 1.8 acre property. I am still using wood from those trees and I think I have enough for at least 3 or 4 years yet.
Pistolero
Well-Known Member
What about a clerestory for natural light? Just raise the ridge 2 ft and put in a row of
vertical windows; facing south gets most light, some heat gain, which is nice in winter,
but may be undesirable in summer. North facing clerestory will pick up natural sky light on
a bright day, no heat gain in summer, OR WINTER If you are planning on a flat ceiling,
then this changes the roof structure, requires open light path.
The extra cost for three phase is more wires and more sections in a transformer. Gas is great for
heating but I am 900 ft from gas line, they want something like $9 a foot to put in a gas line to
house. Nope, will stick with the propane rather than pay $8K "entry fee" for gas.
Yes, yes, yes to the southern exposure for parking area, man door area to melt off snow naturally.
Solar thermal or solar electric? I have designed both, power my cabin in Colorado by solar electric,
no power bills since '95.....BUT you have to offload all serious loads to propane, or wood, or whatever
and leave solar electric for stuff that has to be electric like lights and computers, etc. You CAN power
bigger stuff but charge for panels and batteries, and inverters gets pretty steep pretty quickly. I have
a 1 KVA inverter in cabin, adequate for my needs.
"Stuff" acts like a gas....expands to fill available volume. Adding more square footage to start is far,
far cheaper than adding it later. I would consider calculating your needs and at least adding 25%, if funding
will stretch that far.
Bill
vertical windows; facing south gets most light, some heat gain, which is nice in winter,
but may be undesirable in summer. North facing clerestory will pick up natural sky light on
a bright day, no heat gain in summer, OR WINTER
If you are planning on a flat ceiling,then this changes the roof structure, requires open light path.
The extra cost for three phase is more wires and more sections in a transformer. Gas is great for
heating but I am 900 ft from gas line, they want something like $9 a foot to put in a gas line to
house. Nope, will stick with the propane rather than pay $8K "entry fee" for gas.
Yes, yes, yes to the southern exposure for parking area, man door area to melt off snow naturally.
Solar thermal or solar electric? I have designed both, power my cabin in Colorado by solar electric,
no power bills since '95.....BUT you have to offload all serious loads to propane, or wood, or whatever
and leave solar electric for stuff that has to be electric like lights and computers, etc. You CAN power
bigger stuff but charge for panels and batteries, and inverters gets pretty steep pretty quickly. I have
a 1 KVA inverter in cabin, adequate for my needs.
"Stuff" acts like a gas....expands to fill available volume.
Adding more square footage to start is far,far cheaper than adding it later. I would consider calculating your needs and at least adding 25%, if funding
will stretch that far.
Bill
Ian
Notorious member
Any plan that can at least break even financially and require no physical effort on your part is the way to go, Keith. My normal suggestions of buying a small herd of sheep or having regular, controlled burns are out of the question. I used to mow two acres of lawn with an 18 HP lawn tractor trailing a 3.5 HP push mower on each side via a homemade singletree and it still took two hours. Haven't mowed grass since 2001 and never plan to again, it's amazing how well Mother Nature can make things look if you eliminate the invasive species and repair construction-damaged dirt properly.
KeithB
Resident Half Fast Machinist
Like the idea of a clerestory for light. Plan on having 12' high clearance in shop, truss frame roof with no ceiling except in bathroom and office.
Indiana just changed net metering law to make solar (electricity) much less economically attractive. Would like enough solar to power lights and office equipment, if the machines are running we're making money and can afford to include power cost in pricing.
Right now we're working in 720 sq ft of garage. A 40' x 64' building is 2560 sq ft. Take away about 250 sq ft for a bathroom and office and we will still have about 3.5 times as much work space. We will also have outdoor storage for some materials that we have to keep inside now. Was going to extend the eave on one side and put in a little fencing to enclose area with a rack to store long stock, outside and dry.
Also can easily put up yard barn type building if necessary to store some tools and outdoor equipment, etc. If it doesn't need to be heated or cooled it doesn't need to be in main building.
Really can't afford (and don't need) a bigger main building right now.
Indiana just changed net metering law to make solar (electricity) much less economically attractive. Would like enough solar to power lights and office equipment, if the machines are running we're making money and can afford to include power cost in pricing.
Right now we're working in 720 sq ft of garage. A 40' x 64' building is 2560 sq ft. Take away about 250 sq ft for a bathroom and office and we will still have about 3.5 times as much work space. We will also have outdoor storage for some materials that we have to keep inside now. Was going to extend the eave on one side and put in a little fencing to enclose area with a rack to store long stock, outside and dry.
Also can easily put up yard barn type building if necessary to store some tools and outdoor equipment, etc. If it doesn't need to be heated or cooled it doesn't need to be in main building.
Really can't afford (and don't need) a bigger main building right now.
Pistolero
Well-Known Member
I'd have to say that 350% beats my "at least 25% more" idea by a lot.
Figure out your light and power needs and then look for a good inverter to meet that
with a good margin. I am using L16s for storage, but if you don't want storage, just
depend on the mains. If you want an independent system for the lights and computer,
then you need batteries, but if you don't intend to be independent (and still have lights
when there is a power outage), then no need for batteries. My current batteries are over
10 years old, going strong. I have a 12VDC system, inverter to 110VAC, use the straight
DC for water pump...not likely something you need, but I pump from a cistern. You want
to point the panels due south and latitude angle or latitude +10 deg if you want more in
the winter, which is a common bias, since there are many more hours in summer, so slight
angular inefficiency is less important. Angular efficiency with the lower winter sun, and shorter
hours is usually getting a bit more power through the day. The exception to due south is if
there is some sort of an solar obstruction, may bias to correct for that. My panels are only
4 by 6 ft, does well for the two of us, but can't leave the TV and stuff on 24 hr, takes power
even when off, keeps the inverter (senses a load) on and wastes too much power.
Bill
Figure out your light and power needs and then look for a good inverter to meet that
with a good margin. I am using L16s for storage, but if you don't want storage, just
depend on the mains. If you want an independent system for the lights and computer,
then you need batteries, but if you don't intend to be independent (and still have lights
when there is a power outage), then no need for batteries. My current batteries are over
10 years old, going strong. I have a 12VDC system, inverter to 110VAC, use the straight
DC for water pump...not likely something you need, but I pump from a cistern. You want
to point the panels due south and latitude angle or latitude +10 deg if you want more in
the winter, which is a common bias, since there are many more hours in summer, so slight
angular inefficiency is less important. Angular efficiency with the lower winter sun, and shorter
hours is usually getting a bit more power through the day. The exception to due south is if
there is some sort of an solar obstruction, may bias to correct for that. My panels are only
4 by 6 ft, does well for the two of us, but can't leave the TV and stuff on 24 hr, takes power
even when off, keeps the inverter (senses a load) on and wastes too much power.
Bill