In 2004, I thought I would go ahead and cough up the bigger bucks and buy a John Deere lawn mower, thinking that it would last a very long time. Cost was approximately $900. Two years ago, the blade clutch failed, costing about $360 to repair. Yesterday, it's transmission failed, and even the guys at the repair shop said it would cost far more to repair than to buy a new mower. That's nine years, at $140/year.
The mowers I had typically bought previously cost around $300 and lasted 6 to 7 years. With no blade clutch and simple drive mechanism, there are typically no major maintenance events, that I can't fix myself, until the ultimate failure of the housing or drive. That's $43 to $50 per year. I replaced the Deere with a Toro for $388 including tax. It only needs to last 3 years to be ahead, not including the cheaper cost for Briggs & Stratton parts versus the Kawasaki/Deere.
Not what I expected. Sad, too, since the Kawasaki engine on the John Deere would have probably lasted 20 years or more. I took it to the dealer and donated it to their used parts supply. And, John Deere has stopped selling walk-behind mowers. The John Deere dealer now sells Honda, with their lowest cost self-propelled bagger/mulcher model priced at $429. The higher price for maintenance and parts for the Honda, plus their new "twin-blade" mulching system, made the Toro look just fine, supported by good Consumer Reports reviews.
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Welcome
This commentary seeks to identify and promote simple perspectives on difficult issues. The hope is that small contributions of insight, and perhaps a little twisted logic, might help slowly, but progressively, make the world a better place.
Sure, that's a lofty goal. But, honestly, why not? Can't really hurt anything, and even a little help along the way is better than just doing nothin'.
Enjoy.
Sure, that's a lofty goal. But, honestly, why not? Can't really hurt anything, and even a little help along the way is better than just doing nothin'.
Enjoy.
About Simpernetic Research
Simpernetic comes from a combination of simple and cybernetics. Cybernetics is the study of cyclical systems of cause and effect, where actions toward a goal produce a response, which leads to further action, continuing toward the attainment of the eventual goal.
Simple is just simple. So Simpernetic Research searches for systematic simplicity, sometimes light heartedly and sarcastically, to help reveal importance, value, and perspective.
The current movement in America toward nationalization and socialism, which have both been proven multiple times to be precursors to catastrophic failure of governmental and societal systems, is a substantial concern. Comments associated with this movement sadly lose their light heartedness, and sarcasm degrades to pure criticism. Sorry.
Other than that, hopefully this is just a fun place to discharge some otherwise pent up creative energy.
Simple is just simple. So Simpernetic Research searches for systematic simplicity, sometimes light heartedly and sarcastically, to help reveal importance, value, and perspective.
The current movement in America toward nationalization and socialism, which have both been proven multiple times to be precursors to catastrophic failure of governmental and societal systems, is a substantial concern. Comments associated with this movement sadly lose their light heartedness, and sarcasm degrades to pure criticism. Sorry.
Other than that, hopefully this is just a fun place to discharge some otherwise pent up creative energy.
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