ExiledInIllinois Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 That's actually very beautiful, exiled...the closest i've seen is on the trent severn waterway in Ontario...different but also impressive. Looks like a great place to work. That was shot in 1992 when things were still pretty toxic! Looking straight through the picture is towards Gary, Indiana (SuperFund area at one time). The water never froze when the steel plants were running full tilt... Now it freezes 2 feet thick! Bald eagles now roost to the left of the picture in the prairie there. Towards the bottom of the picture is the Lake Michigan pool... That elevation fluctuates wildly and is the reason the controlling works (and lock to get around it) is there... Also quite a excellant bass fishery. The pool on the top picture is the lower pool (towards the MS river)... That stays static. The whole facility serves as a control lock... Supplying the water to Illinois WaterWay and acting as a guard lock against the wild fluctuations of Lake Michigan... Much like Lock 8 on the Welland does with Lake Erie. Who says we haven't helped our enviro? Everybody slacks the CAW's (Chicago Area Waterways)... But in the last 20 years, quite a turn around. Just this year they took it off the most endangered rivers list and believe it or not stuck the Grand River (Ohio) on the list! Yet, old sterotypes are hard to break. Whatevr is being done, it is being done helping the environment WHILE industry and shipping continue to flourish! On another note... You can see the dam/controlling works with its four sluice gates in the middle... That is all that separates the MS and Great Lakes basin... What's not saying a hawk or eagle picks up fish on one side and drops it on the other? ;) Oooops, sorry to hijack the thread... It is a pain in the butt to mow and plow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
/dev/null Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 looks good! does it cut in reverse? or do you have to do some mods? Yes it cuts in reverse. But you have to hit a warning button before putting it into reverse or it will stall the engine. Yes, I've stalled the engine several times doing that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kegtapr Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 Good information..any wat to tell which is which? i'm thinking this http://www.sears.com/craftsman-42-in-21hp-briggs-stratton-hydrostatic-turn/p-07128851000P?prdNo=9&ViewAll=true might be a husky and the $1150. 42 inch i looked at today is an mtd. Yep, that's the one I own. Tears through my 0.7 acres. I have some small hills that it does fine with, if you have any larger hills you may want something with a little more power. I can feel it struggle a little when I turn into the steepest part of my yard. The only thing that concerns me with it is when you oversteer with the turn tight and hit a bump or depression, i'm always afraid something in the steering assembly is going to break. Hasn't happened yet so it may be stronger than I think. Whatever mower you end up with go hydrostatic, shifting on the fly is so much nicer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanker Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 I bought a craftsman last spring, has treated me well. More features than a big box deere for a lower price. Turn-tight is nice to have, don't have to swing wide as often. My only concern would be Sears ceasing to exist as a company if it doesn't turn things around. BTW, most Craftsman mowers are made by Husqvarna, I believe the very low ends are MTD. Sears doesn't manufacture anything that I'm aware of. All of their appliances are made by other companies and branded with Sears/Kenmore. The only thing anyone might get nipped for on a Sears bankruptcy would be any time remaining on a service agreement. There will be parts for their machines available for decades to come. Most of the decent quality lawn mowers will last for years without needing much servicing. I've had a 42" Sears rider mower for about ten years that I rebuilt the deck once about four years ago. It's got their "hydro" drive (auto tranny) which allows me to mow in reverse. I guess its old enough to not have the advanced safety features. Sears Parts Direct will be around even if the unthinkable happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fan in San Diego Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 Lawn?? What's that?? Seriously though I've lived in CA for about 30 years and have never owned a lawn mower. We've got a decent back yard at the new place but put in pavers, decomposed granite and planter boxes. Lawnmowers ? What is that? I've hired landscape contractors for the last 20 years. Havn't needed any lawn care tools since then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdog1960 Posted August 22, 2012 Author Share Posted August 22, 2012 Lawnmowers ? What is that? I've hired landscape contractors for the last 20 years. Havn't needed any lawn care tools since then. me too. bought a used jd from the home seller when i bought a new house....and i really enjoy mowing. and the cold beer after. weed eating not so much. drove the deere x300 today. very impressive and solid. kawasaki engine. 4 year warranty. salesman guaranteed 10 years use (but not in writing). of course, he said i wanted a "real" john deere and that it was an investment and not a throw away item. not buying that but trying to talk myself into it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kegtapr Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 ....salesman guaranteed 10 years use (but not in writing). of course, he said i wanted a "real" john deere and that it was an investment and not a throw away item. not buying that but trying to talk myself into it. Tommy: Let's think about this for a sec, Ted. Why would somebody put a guarantee on a box? Hmmm, very interesting. Ted Nelson, Customer: Go on, I'm listening. Tommy: Here's the way I see it, Ted. Guy puts a fancy guarantee on a box 'cause he wants you to feel all warm and toasty inside. Ted Nelson, Customer: Yeah, makes a man feel good. Tommy: 'Course it does. Why shouldn't it? Ya figure you put that little box under your pillow at night, the Guarantee Fairy might come by and leave a quarter, am I right, Ted? [chuckles until he sees that Ted is not laughing] Ted Nelson, Customer: [impatiently] What's your point? Tommy: The point is, how do you know the fairy isn't a crazy glue sniffer? "Building model airplanes" says the little fairy; well, we're not buying it. He sneaks into your house once, that's all it takes. The next thing you know, there's money missing off the dresser, and your daughter's knocked up. I seen it a hundred times. Ted Nelson, Customer: But why do they put a guarantee on the box? Tommy: Because they know all they sold ya was a guaranteed piece of ****. That's all it is, isn't it? Hey, if you want me to take a dump in a box and mark it guaranteed, I will. I got spare time. But for now, for your customer's sake, for your daughter's sake, ya might wanna think about buying a quality product from me. Ted Nelson, Customer: [pause] Okay, I'll buy from you. Tommy: Well, that's... Tommy/Richard Hayden: ...What? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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