Powersmart Lawnmower

The Powersmart DB2194SH.  With 3 in 1, Bagging, mulching, and side discharge options for all the lawn trimmings and leaves.  With a powerful 209cc single cylinder overhead valve engine, it will grind up almost anything.  When it runs.   Easy assembly with the only additional cost of oil and gas to get going.  It is self-propelled mechanism is a bit faster than I would like.  But hey,  a brisk walking pace helps to make up for not getting the exercise from having to push the mower.

I had inherited a Toro zero turn mower and had been using it for the past five years.  The last time I used it, the right hand controller was being pushed all the way forward while only moving the left hand controller forward an inch to make it drive in a straight line.  It keep getting slower and slower as I finished mowing that last time.  The cost to fix it with a new part from the manufacture would have been more than $1500.00 for the part alone.  Thankfully I am blessed with a very good mechanical ability and could have changed the part out myself.  Yet this lawnmower is 15 years old and had worn to the point that the mowing deck was developing holes through it and  slinging grass all over the place instead of sending it out the side discharge, which also needed to be replaced.  I decided that the old lawnmower had decent life and was ready to be replaced.  Plus I could sell the other hydrostatic transmission, and the engine was still good.  It was not smoking or using any oil.  The machine was worth more as parts then it was if it were still going strong.  It would cut  my little urban lawn in 20 minutes. Truly a Timecutter.

I purchased this Powersmart lawnmower because the price of $197.00 could not be beaten for those features.  I was really wanting the bagging feature so I could move the clippings to where I would have liked them, or tossed them out with garbage.  Well they actually sit in bags at the front yard and the garbage men typically ignore them for all but one day a month.  Some people who drive by will grab a bag or two.  I guess using them for a natural mulch instead of spending their money on the overpriced, over engineered plant food and soil combination from the big box retailers.  I like having a nice clean looking lawn that doesn't always look like it left the barber shop and they forgot to blow off the hair clippings. Just thinking about that has my head itching as if I had just left the barber shop.

I set out to bag up all the leaves that fell from the gigantic oak tree in my front yard.  By gigantic I mean a tree that looks as though it is a plant based conjoined twin.  Separating into identical trees about 35 ft from the base.  I tried to measure the circumference, but my 25 ft tape measure, was not adequate for this task.

I have  a larger yard than most urban lots.  Measuring 0.4 acres, setting next to a pharmaceutical chain store.  The leaves will gather in the northeast, northwest,  corners of my yard and fill all of my flower gardens. Covering the area thick enough that, when spring  comes, and the rest of the grass turns back to the lushes green from the dormant dead looking brown it became over winter, the sunshine never reaches it.  This is great for keeping the soil rich in plant sustaining nutrients, and stopping most unwanted plants from growing.

I waited about a week for it to get shipped to my house.  I put it together.  Tighten the scews holding the handles on and the stays to keep the handle and cables in place.  I started up the mower.  It seemed  bit difficult to start.  Nothing has ever been as easy to start as a Husqvarna I had at one time.  To be fair it was the first time to prime the fuel, get the oil to circulate through the mower.  It smoked a bit on the first run.  A little bit is expected  with a new motor as they burn off the oil that was used during the manufacture process.  I mowed a little 10ft by 20ft section the next morning before work.  I don't work until 11am.  I figured the neighbors wouldn't be to upset if I did a little mowing at 9am.   I really wanted to try it out and make sure that it works.  It was only $197 and you typically get what you pay for.  I did check to see if it had a warranty.  It did.  3 years from the manufacturer.  It cut that section easily.  Filled up about 3 bags. I bagged it and I started a compost pile.

The weekend comes and I'm ready to get all these leaves up and throw out some new grass seed and have a nice looking lawn this year.  I start the lawnmower up and get to cutting and bagging up all the dead leaves.  I cut the patio house style yard by the garage. I make a few swipes between the flowerbed and driveway, Dumping the bag about 6 times.  The bag seems to hold more than the last push mower I had.  I mowed the other side of the driveway.  The mower was starting to get harder to start after dumping the bag.  I looked for a choke to see if there was a way to close or open it.  There is no adjustment for the throttle, or the choke.  I put my finger down on the cable that went to the governor and apparently the butterfly valve was a little sticky.  Once I had moved it a bit to make sure it was able to move like it should.  It started up quicker and seemed to be running a little faster, dragging me across the lawn even faster now.  Great seems to keep getting a little better?  Went to dump the bag, it's becoming hard to start again.  I decided to let it cool for a bit as the auto choke is usually controled by tamperature.  It starts and goes again.  I go to dump the bag and came back to the same starting issue.  I pulled and pulled.  I let it cool for 30 minutes.  I came back and pulled the starting cord and it fired off, but it wasn't gaining any RPM.  The cylinder fired off another 5-6 times neither decreasing or increasing in RPM and stops entirely.  I take it to the garage and let it cool for a few hours.  I try to start it again and all i get is that it fires off and fires about 5-6 times every time now and slowly decresses in RPM as it does.

I go to call the customer support manufactures hotline.  They say that their support line is only open 9am-5pm, Monday thru Friday, eastern standard time.  I checked my calendar and daylight savings time isn't over till November 5th.  I guess you get what you pay for.