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Outdoor Power Equipment
- Information
Definition of
Outdoor Power Equipment: Speaking broadly,
Outdoor Power Equipment (OPE) consists of any product used outdoors (for
landscaping or building maintenance, etc.) that utilizes an engine to make it
work. Usually, the engine is a gasoline-powered engine; although, both electric
motors and propane-powered engines may be used.
Types of Outdoor
Power Equipment: The most common
gasoline-powered OPE products we represent are:
- Walk behind lawnmowers
- Residential
- Usually 21 inch
- A variety of manufacturers
- Usually 4 hp to 6.5 hp
- A variety of engine manufacturers
- Honda
- Suzuki
- Briggs & Stratton
- Tecumseh
- Kohler
- LawnBoy (originally Outboard Marine Corp. - OMC)
- Two main engine types
- 4-cycle
- Separate gas & oil
- The most common mower engine
- Traditional side-valve design
- Overhead valve (OHV) design
- Uses less gas & oil than a side-valve engine
- Frequently has a cast-iron cylinder sleeve for
durability
- 2-cycle
- Gas & oil mixed
- Lighter than a 4-cycle engine
- Runs at a higher speed than a 4-cycle engine
- Sometimes has a cast-iron cylinder sleeve for
durability
- Dedicated bagging mower
- Usually will accept mulching accessory or side
discharge kit
- Dedicated mulching mower
- Usually will accept bagging accessory or side
discharge kit
- 3-in-1 mower
- Cast aluminum cutting deck
- Deck material of choice
- Lightweight
- Durable - can last almost indefinitely
- Won't rust
- Costs more than steel decks
- Steel cutting deck
- Costs less than aluminum decks
- Rusts
- In cheaper mowers it splits because it is so
thin
- Does not last nearly as long as aluminum deck
- Plastic cutting deck
- No rust
- No denting
- Highly impact resistant
- Color all the way through the plastic
- Can be readily recycled
- Not as rigid as aluminum deck
- Lacks the stable feel of a cast aluminum deck
- Probably all mower decks in the future will be
plastic
- Commercial
- Usually 21 inch
- Usually aluminum decks
- Usually steel wheels with greasable ball
bearings
- Usually engines with cast iron cylinder sleeves
for added engine durability
- Usually 5 hp to 6.5 hp engines
-
Snowblowers
- Single-stage
snowblower
- Lighter and more compact than twin-stage
snowblowers
- Less "systems" - i.e., no transmission, etc.
- Frequently "paddle propelled" with rubber
paddles installed on the auger
- 3 hp to 6 hp
- 4-cycle & 2-cycle engines
- Recoil & electric start
- Excellent for small to average-size lots having
flat, paved surfaces
- Some models will throw the snow up to 33 feet
- Twin stage snowblower
- Larger than single-stage snowblowers
- Utilizes a propelling system
- Wheel drive
- Gear driven
- Hydrostatic (fluid) driven
- More precisely adjustable to snow conditions
- No shifting of gears - easier to go forward or
in reverse
- Track drive
- Gear driven
- Hydrostatic driven
- More traction than a wheel-drive model
- Suitable for steep inclines & hard-to-access
areas
- Uses a slow-speed front auger to feed the snow
into a high-speed impeller which then discharges the snow through an adjustable
chute
- Usually 5 hp to 12 hp 4-cycle engines
- The better twin-stage snowblowers are always
more powerful than the better single-stage snowblowers
- The better units will throw the snow up to 50
feet
- Line trimmer
- Bent shaft
- Straight shaft
- Usually more powerful than bent-shaft units
- Unlike bent-shaft trimmers will accept cutting
blades for tall weeds & brush
- Usually uses a 2-cycle engine
- Walk behind intermediate
mowers
- Usually 36 inch to 60 inch
- Gear driven or hydrostatic driven
- Usually used by lawn maintenance professionals
- Tractors
- Selected for larger, more demanding work
- Will normally accept accessories such as a
tiller or snowblower
- Defined as lawn tractor or garden tractor
- Garden tractor is invariably a better unit than
a lawn tractor
- Cutting deck sizes usually range from 30 inches
to about 50 inch
- Cheap tractors are just that
- Better tractors are a bit pricey but will last
almost indefinitely
- Usually offer the options of mulching, bagging
or side discharging
- Riders
- Residential
- 25 inch to about 38 inch
- 8 hp to 12 hp
- Usually offer the options of mulching, bagging
or side discharging
- The good ones are good; the cheap ones are cheap
- Commercial
- Out-front cutting decks
- Mid-mount cutting decks
- Usually hydrostatic transmission
- Dual hydrostatic design drives each wheel
independently allowing for "zero-radius" turning
- Extremely fast & manuverable
- Can mulch, side discharge or bag depending on
design
- Usually used by lawn maintenance professionals
- Chainsaws
- 12 inch long cutting bar to an average of 36
inch cutting bar
- A better saw runs more smoothly - i.e., less
vibration
- The key to a good chainsaw is the power to
weight ratio - i.e., as powerful as possible yet as lightweight as possible
- A good chainsaw will last indefinitely in
residential or light commercial use
- Tillers/Cultivators
- Tillers are front tine & rear tine design
- Tillers will break hard sod
- Cultivators are not primarily designed to break
sod
- Cultivators are, rather, designed to cultivate
existing gardens
- Some units are classified as tiller/cultivator
and will do a bit of each task
- Pressure washers
- Cold water pressure washers
- Hot water pressure washers
- Steam pressure washers
- Gas & electric models
- Average 800 psi to 3000 psi
- A variety of accessories for many different
applications
- All the better units have brass pumps & usually
ceramic-coated pistons for durability
- The German pressure washers are considered the
best in the world
- Leaf blowers
- Hand blowers
- Electric
- Limited power & life expectancy
- Limited range - i.e., "married" to the cord
- Gas
- More powerful than electric blowers
- Last much longer than electric blowers
- Much more mobility & versatility than electric
blowers
- Usually utilize 2-cycle engines
- Back pack blowers
- More power than hand blowers
- Easier to use than hand blowers
- Always use gas (2-cycle) engines
- Ground (walk-behind) blowers
- Always gas powered
- The most powerful type of common leaf blower
- The better ones use dual air discharge for
enhanced performance
- The better ones are made of plate steel for
durability
- The better ones use air (pneumatic) tires for
ease of use
- With air tires the unit "floats" across the lawn
- With solid tires the unit gets "trapped" in
roots & hollows in the lawn
- The better ones can blow air from the front or
from the side
- Outdoor vacuums
- Can be used to vacuum parking lots, curbs,
warehouses, lawns, etc.
- The good ones will gobble everything including
glass bottles and cans
- The good ones can convert with an intake hose to
clean garden beds or difficult-access areas
- The good ones last indefinitely
- Gas generators
- Honda makes the best gas generators in the world
- A generator usually uses a 4-cycle engine
- Honda makes the best small 4-cycle engines
available
- Long run times and quiet operation are important
- You don't want to have to refill it with gas
every two hours
- You don't want to lie awake listening to your
generator
- Easy-start is important
- Different family members may have to start it
depending upon circumstances
- Reliability is mandatory - i.e., if it doesn't
work, it is useless
- Generator sizes vary
- Standard generators range from 350 watt units to
6500 watt units
- "Click"
wattage chart to see
the wattage requirements of different types of appliances - i.e., refrigerator,
sump pump, furnace, etc.
- A generator should be purchased to supply the
necessary power for specific or important appliances - i.e., you can't start a
2200 watt (surge) furnace induction motor with a 1000 watt generator
- Generators vary enormously in price as a result
of quality differences
- A generator is a type of insurance policy
- If the furnace can't run & so can't heat the
house in winter the water pipes may freeze
- If the sump pump can't run a finished basement
might get flooded with water
- If the refrigerator can't keep the food cold,
etc.
- Generators can be used as "stand-alone" with
extension cords from the generator supplying power to different appliances
- The ideal way to use a residential or office
generator is to have a certified electrician install a transfer switch which
then enables the generator to supply electricity to various circuits in the
house
- In this situation, once the generator is
operating the usage of various appliances in the house is to simply turn them on
as usual, etc.
- Other Products
- There are other, more specialized Outdoor Power
Equipment products such as power sprayers,
pole pruners, hedge trimmers,
etc. We carry them all; but for the sake of brevity (?) have listed above the
main OPE equipment. Simply contact us
if you have questions on other OPE products.
NOTE: It is vital to periodically run any OPE
Product with a gasoline engine to ensure that the gas in the fuel system does
not break down and go "bad". A majority of all service-related problems are a
direct result of bad fuel. Frustration is defined as owning a nice snowblower
that won't start when the snow finally comes .....
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