Not for sale in California

[War Wagon]

So I'm shopping around for a new lawnmower yesterday (my POS Craftsmen died, but I'll get to that later) and I notice every mower in every store has a label on in that reads "Not for sale in California".

I didn't bother to question any of the sales people what that was about, but I figure it must have something to do with emission controls... on a freaking lawnmower, no less. I wasn't in the market for a chainsaw or a weedwhacker, but I've no doubt the models that are good enough for 49 other states aren't welcome in California.

Calis', is there anything your state legislature won't try to over-regulate?

Anyways, back to that POS Craftsmen. I really hadn't had it all that long, maybe 5-6 years. The self propelled transmission went out on it 2 years ago and I spent $125 getting that fixed so I'm not pushing that heavy sumbitch around. I'm too old for that shit. Now it won't stay running. I can get it started, but it dogs out in a few minutes. I know it has something to do with the governor or carbueration, but I'll be damned if I take the fucker back to the shop again and throw more good money after bad.

I've been loyal to Craftsmen tools (and Briggs and Stratton engines) for many years, but I don't think I can go that route again. Fool me once... any suggestions on a decent mower that won't shoot craps in less than 5 years? I was looking at this Husqvarna model, anybody have any experience with those?

[smackaholic]

Lawn mower motor carbs are extremely simple. If you have the slightest bit of mechanical inclination, you should be able to clean it out. I have to go through this procedure every year with mine. If I used some gas stabilizer or just ran the damn thing once a month during the winter for a few minutes, I could probably avoid that as well.

And yes, it is about emissions. But don't worry about it being a cali thing. Give barry another year or so and we will all be dealing with cali standards.

[Wolfman]

first EPA federally approved lawnmower under new White House promoted guidelines !

[socal]

Yep. Emissions are the issue. You can get electric mowers in these here parts.

Then again, there won't be any grass to cut when the water runs dry.
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[Mikey]

Low NOx and they use very little fuel, but the CO2 emissions are presumably pretty high.

[smackaholic]

Low NOx and they use very little fuel, but the CO2 emissions are presumably pretty high.

and if you're from certain rural areas, your social life is taken care of to boot.

[Trampis]

Put a new spark plug in it. If your too cheap for that, take the old one out and run a wire brush over it and put it back in. Should run fine after that.

As far as a reco of what to buy, everything is cheap crap. Buy one from a shop your friendly with so when you take it in to get worked on you wont feel like youve been plungered.

[Derron]

Put a new spark plug in it. If your too cheap for that, take the old one out and run a wire brush over it and put it back in. Should run fine after that.

The main thing wrong with all these small engines is the goddamn ethanol gasoline ( 10%) that you have to burn in them. We have a dozen or more small engines and about 8 in the mid range 25 to 38 hp. The poor performance of these engines running the E10 was very time costly last year, and we needed to make them run dependable.

Air cooled runs a bit hotter, and is more dependable with the E10 than the water cooled higher horsepower ones. That is 10% fucking WATER soluble material in your hydrocarbon fuel...that alone will fuck things up. It took us about a year to try and get them to run right on the E10. The water cooled ones ran hot, the cylinder head temps were high, and it was fucking near impossible to keep them running consistent. Timing was problematic and always being dinked with, detonation very unpredictable.The air cooled were a bit more predictable, but still pretty tempermental.

Solution came from some experimentation and trial and error. We found the solution and have very few problems now, but there is an increased cost, but it is minor since the engines will actually run and make us money. Fuck the air pollution factor...

1. Run a mid grade unleaded with synthetic 2 cycle oil at a 50:1 ratio in all gas engines. 4 cycle, 2 cycle, it makes no
difference to the 4 cycle. They run fine.

2. Run a fuel stabilizer in all gasoline fuels, at all times. We use a product call Sta-Bil. We tried a few and this works the
best. It helps ignite the alcohol in the gasoline, since the alcohol does not burn off as fast as the hydrocarbon fuel, and
it tends to be more residual in the combustion chamber, thus the water you see pouring out exhaust pipes.

So far so good with these changes. Another thing I do is add some aviation gasoline and that has solved all problems. I siphoned out a couple of gallons one day and ran it in a couple of small engines at about a 70/30 ratio , 30 av gas. Works good, but kind of spendy at $ 4.79 a gallon right now..but that is what all the quad people run, with additives as well.

I just know how easy the plane engine starts and never misses a beat with the 110 octane in it. There is no fucking ethanol in the av gas.

So we now have our engines running and performing a lot better, and have defeated the purpose of the ethanol in the gasoline. I still run B10 in the diesels, with no problems at all.

Take that you environmental whackos.

[LTS TRN 2]

Yo, wagoneer, why don't you consider actually getting some exercise while not subjecting your neighbors to your droning, stinking, riding mower? You could use a little exercise, couldn't you?

[Sirfindafold]

Bought a Craftsmen push mower a little over 13 years ago. Use it once a week for about 7 months out of the year. I've changed the blade 4 times. Never changed the oil, air filter or spark plug. Starts on the first pull every time.

who gives a fuck?

[War Wagon]

Derron, sounds like good advice. I'll try some of those things.

Yep. Emissions are the issue. You can get electric mowers in these here parts.

You can't buy a gas powered lawnmower, of any type, in California? I figured maybe they just had to have stricter emmision controls, like cars...

You have got to be kidding. That's fucking brilliant. Tell me you're kidding.

What about a chainsaw, a weedeater, etc? Is it illegal to even own or use one? Are there like environmental cops patrolling residential neighborhoods and handing out tickets for having the audacity to use one?

[socal]

You can still get gas-powered mowers here. Chainsaws, too. What else would we use to deforest the money groves?

The weedeaters are electric here in southern California. I don't know if it's statewide. Might be.

There are no emission cops stealthily combing neighborhoods before dawn in black Prius's.

[Mikey]

I've got a gas powered string trimmer. I only run it on government holidays, though.

[Derron]

You can still get gas-powered mowers here. Chainsaws, too. What else would we use to deforest the money groves?

The weedeaters are electric here in southern California. I don't know if it's statewide. Might be.

There are no emission cops stealthily combing neighborhoods before dawn in black Prius's.

Won't be long. All the new Tier regulations for trucks are pretty restrictive. I have a 95 Freightliner that I run into CA several times a year. It has a rebuilt Cummins 400 hp engine. The engine was rebuilt in 2001. But it is still a 1995 engine / truck and as such will not be able to run in CA after this year, even with less than 100K on the rebuild, and about 490K on the truck. Guess it is not going to CA anymore. We used to haul lily bulbs from spots around Brookings, OR to the processing plant in Smith River, CA. A distance of about 9 miles, but in different states. We could still do the Oregon portion, but why ?

Even more restrictive in the Port of / Bay areas of CA...complete ban on some diesels in those areas.

I can do the same thing with pesticide applications in the same area. I have applied a pesticide on one portion of the field that is in Oregon, and could not in another portion less than 20 feet away in CA, since the state line ran through the field. Same water shed, same drainage, different state...duh..

More government interference in commerce.

Fuck them.

[Derron]

I've got a gas powered string trimmer. I only run it on government holidays, though.

So you run it at least once a week ?

[Derron]

Are there like environmental cops patrolling residential neighborhoods and handing out tickets for having the audacity to use one?

Since the Messicans are the ones using them, no self respecting Cali would do that shit himself..then the environmental cops could give Juan a ticket, Juan files it in the chicken shit file, and uses another ID the next time the '"GREEN" police jack him up.

And my nieces husband bragged he got their lawn mowed for $ 30 last week by the local Messicans. I told him he got fucked at $ 30..he should have not paid more than $ 20.

[socal]

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SHUDDER!

sin,

Agent Fu's $54,000 SUV

[War Wagon]

You can still get gas-powered mowers here.

whew, that's a relief. I was begining to think you folks had gone completely over the edge...

So, spell it out for me. What's different about a gas mower that can be bought in Cali vs. one in the rest of the free world?

There are no emission cops stealthily combing neighborhoods before dawn in black Prius's.

Of course not.

You fucks don't even roll out of bed until 10:00 am, much less start mowing the yard before noon.

[socal]

whew, that's a relief. I was begining to think you folks had gone completely over the edge...

So, spell it out for me. What's different about a gas mower that can be bought in Cali vs. one in the rest of the free world?

I think the ones sold in Cali now meet EPA standards for 2011 or 2012.

Of course not.

You fucks don't even roll out of bed until 10:00 am, much less start mowing the yard before noon.

I logged 5.5 miles this morning, and 4.0 this afternoon. It's Mikey and Van that won't roll outta bed till past noon rubbing boners and all.

[War Wagon]

Bwa...

[socal]

In at 5:57.

No mowing today. I'll leave it to Juan on Thursday.

[smackaholic]

DO you fukks in cali have to drag your lawnmowers down to the emissions station every year? What if you move to cali? Do they make you get rid of your dirty mowers? I'll bet the wetbacks are running illegal exhausts on theirs.

[socal]

I'll bet the wetbacks are running illegal exhausts on theirs.

Derron's an illegal?

Que the fuck?

[indyfrisco]

Got a Snapper rider for the big stuff.

By big stuff you mean sledding down the hill with the rider riding you?

[ChargerMike]

"What's different about a gas mower that can be bought in Cali vs. one in the rest of the free world?"


...what derron said, it's juan's problem!

[Derron]

So I drive it down the road to the repair shop. So today, I get to walk back up there, then drive the 'Red Rider' back home. It's amazing how slow that thing is when you're crossing a highway and cars are bearing down on you.

Next time back off the alcohol a bit.

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[indyfrisco]

So I drive it down the road to the repair shop. So today, I get to walk back up there, then drive the 'Red Rider' back home. It's amazing how slow that thing is when you're crossing a highway and cars are bearing down on you.

Next time back off the alcohol a bit.

Bwa!

"I think I crapped my pants!"
- Steve_the_Shrubber