Please allow me to explain some facts about the different types of sand. As a contractor and someone who has worked in a concrete plant you better know what type of snd you need for the job you are doing. With that said lets began. Sand is either dug up in a quarry or dredged from a pond, lake or a sand quarry that they hit a spring in and filled with water. All commercial sand is washed so it can be graded for size and type. You have to go out and dig up your own if you want to get unwashed sand ( which is not recommended for landscaping ) to be used as fill sand or what we call sandbox sand. First thing to fall out of the washer is mason sand. Next is concrete sand followed by fill sand which contains some clay. Next is gravel base and is made-up of lots of clay and small gravel.This is what you typically find on ball diamonds and clay tennis courts or as a base for a gravel driveway or path through your garden. It can be packed down so hard you would think it was concrete with a colored dye in it untill it rains. Dogs, cats, kids and husbands get in quite a bit of trouble when it rains because of this stuff. Next is pea gravel. This can be used to cover the gravel base or partly fill holes like lateral lines where you need good drainage or placed under downspouts to keep the water from making a canyon of you lawn and it gives it a decorative look. Just remember to use something to keep the gravel in place or your mower becomes a machine gun when you mow around It. A lot of people use it in flower beds and around the base of trees too for decorative look. Rock gardens look neat and pea gravel mixed with river rock works well for this. Next comes river rock. Used as I just mentioned in place of the pea gravel ecept not on lateral lines or sewer pipes or any other underground lines and pipes. Although it does work well for drip irrigation or soaker hose. Then the last is river stone. Good for decorative landscaping and filling in wash outs or anywhere you need the water not to erode the ground beneath them.

Ain't much you can do, except make yours look really nice, and folks will naturally be drawn to the sight of yours, in contrast to his rotten looking yard! His novel mower is probably an experiment. He'll get discouraged when it finally quits on him.

I've had a Toro lx427 for about one year bought it used I will tell you if you buy one used take down all the part numbers and verify the part numbers are for a Toro mine is hard to find parts for because it's been modified so be carful when buying one and ask the right questions 1 has the deck been replaced if so from what model or was it new from factory by the way those are over 300 for just the bare shell 2 when was the last time the oil was changed 3 does it have a new motor as they have an hour meter on them 4 when was the drive train last serveced 5 has there been any modifications to the drive system other wise yes very good mower I use mine at my house and I also use it on others lawns very good mowing very good with a plow not sure about a thrower but yes I'm sure it will do fine with one mine has a 20 horse Kohler couage very good motor I would suggest if you get a thrower to get the weight rack not the wheel weights wheel weights are more expensive I know stupid but true I've done my research and get a set of chains they are about 70 for a set of two be carful on which ones you buy some are quick release and the prongs break easy better off buying the ones that slip over the tires and strap in

Thanks for all the responses. I'll google the suggestions. I still haven't found an exact fabric match for a lawnmower bag. I did get the bag from grasscatchersusa.com and it appears to be excellent quality. In the meantime I had an idea that has worked well. I went to a yard sale and bought a pile of several big heavy fabric duffle bags, backpacks, and suitcases. I hand sewed 2 of the suitcases together, cut a hole in the end of one and attached a fabric tube with a drawstring to attach it to the leaf vac. I sewed nylon webbing to them to hang them off the leaf vac handle. I cut a hole on the side of one and sewed a piece of shade clothe on to allow air to get out. So far so good, plus they hold more than the original bag, are easier to empty because the zipper on top opens nearly the entire bag. Best of all, it cost just $2 for the pile of old fabric suitcases, plus my time sewing it (about 3 hours). If I find a source for lawn mower bag fabric I'll post it. I haven't found even a universal bag, so I'm beginning to think the fabric might be proprietary. -hald