Q. My dad and I have been mowing some lawns commercially on the side for the past 7 or 8 years. I have one job that is about 6" to 8" tall when we mow it and it is not like city grass, it's like grass that grows in the country. It is about 5 or 6 acres of that with little trees that try to grow in the grass. That yard takes about 5 or 6 hours of mowing each time. The rest of my yards are in town and a lot smaller. For the jobs I have right now I have been using a 2007 Cub Cadet Tractor mower, 24 horsepower, 50" cut that I bought this year and I works we'll but I bought it used and it already has some problems. I recently narrowed down my selection to a mower with 24+ hp and a 42" + cut zero turn mower under $3,500. It has to be durable and be able to do this job and not fall apart. I was looking at the 2013 Hustler Raptor (23 hp Kawasaki engine, 54" cut with a really strong deck and build for $2,899) and a Bad Boy MZ Magnum (27 hp Briggs and Stratton motor and a 54" deck built also really strong for $3,499) I would much rather have more hp but I heard someone say that the Kawasaki motor runs so much better, but is it as powerful as the 27 hp Briggs and Stratton motor? Any suggestions on other ztr mowers and and answer to this question of which one would be better for my job(s) would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Answer
That cub is a hard mower to beat. I think I would look and see how much to repair it first.
Two-stroke engines where fuel must be mixed with oil?
xoxo
I am doing a report for chemistry class.
Here is the article link:
http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2013-09-16/national/42103020_1_blowers-engine-air-pollution
I am writing about how two-stroke engines are environmental hazards. The article states that this type of engine lacks an "independent lubrication system," so "fuel has to be mixed with oil."
What does this mean? Does this worsen the environmental hazards, or affect the combustion?
Answer
Two stroke engines have some definite advantages. That is why they are popular. As a farmer and forest worker, I need to defend these engines.
In chain saws, they are smaller, lighter, simpler, faster, and more powerful than a four stroke for someone working in the bush with the chain saw in his/her hands.
They have no warm up time, so they are good for emergency water pumps, gen sets and the like, for fire departments. I keep a small two stroke generator at my work site, so I have portable electricity available. It is small, light, and easy to carry around.
Again, they have no warm up time for cold weather operation, in machines like snowmobiles.
These engines do need to have the oil mixed directly into the gasoline. I can remember back in the "old days", mixing ratios as much as 16:1. That is 16 parts gasoline to one part oil. Those engines smoked, and perhaps were a little bit polluting. They are always small engines, and therefore to not burn a lot of fuel/oil mix, as larger engines might.
The engines that were developed after that used mixes of, typically, 32:1. You might see a bit of smoke from the burning oil, but not much.
The newer engines run on mix ratios of 50:1, and as little as 100:1. In addition, the newer oils are much less polluting.
A lot of outboard engines now are four stroke, where the oil is in a separate sump, and there is virtually no oil consumption.
A lot of environmentalists get very excited when two stroke engines are mentioned. I think, as a regular user of such engines, that the issue is VERY exaggerated. These engines, although not perfect, have a lot of advantages over four stroke engines in certain applications. I would not suggest changing car engines to two stroke, the four stroke engines are more suitable. But, in certain applications, the two stroke is much more suitable.
The difference between the two engines:
In a four stroke engine, (car engine, or most lawn mowers, for example), the oil is in a sump in the bottom of the engine. The crankshaft splashes the oil around inside the engine, and there is usually an oil pump to circulate oil to moving parts like bearings. The oil does not go to the combustion chambers. There is essentially no oil consumption unless something is wrong.
In a two stoke engine (chain saw) the oil is mixed with the fuel. The oil goes through the lower part of the engine to lubricate bearings and moving parts, before it is transferred up into the combustion chamber. In this case, the oil is burned with the gasoline. The oil is consumed as you burn the gasoline in the engine.
The newer two stroke engines have a separate tank for oil and gasoline. The oil is "auto-mixed" in the carburetor, so that the oil/fuel mixture is constant, and correct. This has reduced pollution from these engines a lot.
The other issue is bio-degradable oils, that do not affect the environment nearly as much as the older types of oil did.
Unless the environmental activists can find another type of engine that does the same job and does not weigh any more, I will keep my two stroke chain saws. I would not want to double the weight of my chain saw, just because somebody who has never been in the bush says I am making a bit of smoke. I have to work with that machine all day.
By profession, I am a robotics technician (automated production equipment), and a licensed automotive and truck and coach technician. I was for a number of years an educator with a B.Ed. I am a licensed forestry technician, and a few other things too. I run a farm. Where do the environmentalists thing that their food, and the wood to build their houses, is going to come from ? I know about machinery. You use the machine that is most appropriate to do a job. In a car, a two stroke engine is not practical. In a chain saw, and some other applications, a two stroke engine is exactly what is needed. You use the most practical machine to do a particular job.
I hope that helps you a bit. There is a lot of information on the subject, and not just information produced by the environmentalists.
Write your story, but do it from both points of view. Above all, learn from it, and have fun while you do it.
If you have any questions, you can connect with me. Feel free.
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