[cmarti]

At the risk of sacrilage......I am having some struggles with my 10323Duraforce and was hunting a backup trim mower. Please don't tell my Duraforce, she will be furious.:crybaby: I was looking at 10642 with a Briggs, or last years with a Honda. I used to think the B & S were indestructable, but on another site they were being bashed for giving up sleeves and bearings. The Prices are around 300$ and the fit and finnish seem good. Any comments appreciated.

 

[wsninstp]

Quote: Please don't tell my Duraforce, she will be furious.


The Duraforce is a "he" (Lawnboy) vs. the Lawngirl w/ Honda, Briggs or Tecumseh. That's what has been said here, anyway. :ROF

I don't have anything but 2 cycle Lawnboys, so I can't help much with opinions on the ones you are looking at. I'm sure someone will chime in shortly.

 

[cmarti]

Quote:

The Duraforce is a "he" (Lawnboy) vs. the Lawngirl w/ Honda, Briggs or Tecumseh. That's what has been said here, anyway. :ROF

.

Point taken and understood.
To me all equipment is a she, all the way back to my Roadrunner. I would not take care of boy the way I baby my machines. The month this one has had, it is definitely a *&^%$.

 

[petr]

If your looking for a back up mower, why not find something cheap? I've found quite a few 4 stroke Lawn-boys for free. They didn't need anything and run great. Or you could try to find a 2 stroke to restore. Check Craigslist or even Freecycle in your area. Just a thought.

Pete

 

[tarheelman]

At the risk of sacrilage......I am having some struggles with my 10323Duraforce and was hunting a backup trim mower. Please don't tell my Duraforce, she will be furious.:crybaby: I was looking at 10642 with a Briggs, or last years with a Honda. I used to think the B & S were indestructable, but on another site they were being bashed for giving up sleeves and bearings. The Prices are around 300$ and the fit and finnish seem good. Any comments appreciated.

A couple of questions:

1. What are the struggles you're having with your 10323?
2. Is the electric start of the 10642 worth its nine pound weight penalty?

Personally, I wouldn't trade my DuraForce for anything---it's got more torque than any other mower engine I've ever used. It'll even mulch (yes, I said mulch) thick, nine inch fescue without stalling and without leaving large clumps of clippings behind.

Having said that, if you're bound and determined to replace your DuraForce, the 20" Home Depot L-Bs are small and light enough to be almost as easy to maneuver as a staggered wheel deck. I just wish Toro had resurrected OMC's 20", rear discharge steel deck from the 1980s for them instead of using a rear discharge version of MTD's 20" side discharge deck. isgus:

 

[lawnboy dan]

i admit to using a 4 stroke lawnboy. i use it on my worst jobs that i dont want to put a 2stroke tru-like very dusty dirty lawns

 

[cmarti]

A couple of questions:

1. What are the struggles you're having with your 10323?
2. Is the electric start of the 10642 worth its nine pound weight penalty?

Personally, I wouldn't trade my DuraForce for anything---it's got more torque than any other mower engine I've ever used. It'll even mulch (yes, I said mulch) thick, nine inch fescue without stalling and without leaving large clumps of clippings behind.

Having said that, if you're bound and determined to replace your DuraForce, the 20" Home Depot L-Bs are small and light enough to be almost as easy to maneuver as a staggered wheel deck. I just wish Toro had resurrected OMC's 20", rear discharge steel deck from the 1980s for them instead of using a rear discharge version of MTD's 20" side discharge deck. isgus:

Well, I will not part with the Duraforce, but sudden surging is annoying. I have cleaned carb, replaced the air vane and spring, and put new gaskets on the intake. Exhaust port maintenance has been done religiously, but never any build up. I have to be honest, the intake and carb design on the duraforce has some weaknesses. Besides being a joy to assemble, the low
speed jet placement in the carb had to be designed by a heavy drug user. I will drill it out or replace if the surging comes back.

I will not get the electric start, so I must have copied the wrong model #.
I like the fit and finnish on the 4 cycles and the specs seem right. My worry is over the Aluminim Alloy Cool Bore B & S engine. I wonder how it will hold up
over time without a sleeve. Maybe nothing to worry about.

Thanks

 

[cmarti]

If your looking for a back up mower, why not find something cheap? I've found quite a few 4 stroke Lawn-boys for free. They didn't need anything and run great. Or you could try to find a 2 stroke to restore. Check Craigslist or even Freecycle in your area. Just a thought.

Pete

Great thought and Good idea, I will keep my eyes open.

It must be the green paint that draws me to the new LB when I am in Home Depot. I just am not trusting about the the newer B & S technology.

Thanks

 

[tarheelman]

Well, I will not part with the Duraforce, but sudden surging is annoying. I have cleaned carb, replaced the air vane and spring, and put new gaskets on the intake. Exhaust port maintenance has been done religiously, but never any build up. I have to be honest, the intake and carb design on the duraforce has some weaknesses. Besides being a joy to assemble, the low
speed jet placement in the carb had to be designed by a heavy drug user. I will drill it out or replace if the surging comes back.

I will not get the electric start, so I must have copied the wrong model #.
I like the fit and finnish on the 4 cycles and the specs seem right. My worry is over the Aluminim Alloy Cool Bore B & S engine. I wonder how it will hold up
over time without a sleeve. Maybe nothing to worry about.

Thanks

If the surging returns, drilling out or replacing the low speed jet is a good idea. Another possibility is increasing the tension on the governor spring by one click (if you haven't done this already). I replaced the low speed jet on my DuraForce with one for the R-Tek---this fixed the surging.

I'll admit that the DuraForce's carburetor is more difficult to access and work with than the metal Walbro carb on my F-series engine. However, IMO, that's a minor annoyance that the DuraForce's abundant torque more than makes up for.

Although I'd prefer to see them sold at dealers, IMO, the 20" Home Depot L-Bs are closer to what a L-B should be than the ridiculous Insight (a.k.a. Lawn-Girl) models are/were. According to the specs on L-B's website, they're as light as the steel deck DuraForce units. Moreover, as I've said before, thanks to their small size, the new L-Bs are almost as maneuverable as a staggered wheel L-B. Keep the oil changed annually on the Briggs, make sure the deck's underside stays clear of grass buildup, and you should get at least ten years out of one. (After all, the Briggs couldn't be any worse than a V-series engine! :ROF)