Lawn Mower Advice

[TigerDude]

I love my Honda. Probably need to find a used one for $300 tho. It has the paddle speed things. Haven't had to fix that drive system yet, but it's probably coming after about 3 yrs.

I liked my Toro personal pace mower, but you have to change the sheaves every 2-3 years. It works by putting pressure on sheave halves against a v-belt, so there is always wear going on. It finally needed a new transmission so it was junked.

I haven't priced Snappers in 20 years, but liked my rubber-wheel-on-a-disk rear drive one. You could see everything that needed repair right in the open.

 

[Wamsutta]

I just picked up a New Honda HRR216PKA, I've only used it once this season, but it seems to be a solid mower, it has a twin blade (basically offset) and didn't have any issues with some heavy grass the other day.

Does it push fairly easy?

 

[TigerDude]

After hearing feedback I'm going to take a look at this:

Honda 21" Mower

It's $100 more than I was wanting to spend right now but it sounds like it'd last a long time. Any new feedback?

Looks a lot like mine except mine has the thing where the engine can stay running and stops the blade while you empty the bag or get a drink. Not a big thing 'cause it starts up on the first pull every time.

You won't be disappointed.

 

[stihlntime]

Honda from a Honda dealer not the junk sold at box stores with the crappy price point GC series engines.

 

[Hiball]

Does it push fairly easy?

I've only mowed once so far this season, I didn't notice anything abnormally difficult compared to my previous Craftsman push mower.

Honda from a Honda dealer not the junk sold at box stores with the crappy price point GC series engines.

I run a GC series on my husqvarna tiller, after 4 years it's been solid, always starts within 2 pulls when cold. Curious? What makes them junk? NM, a quick Google shows the comparison, aluminum bore versus cast iron, lots of plastics versus metal. It will probably outlast the rest of the tiller.. Lol

 

[PBCampbell]

For toughness, get a briggs powered Sycamore....Oh wait, those are long gone. Maybe a John Deere Silver Series....Oh wait, those are long gone. How about a Lawn Boy 2 stroke.....Oh Wait....See where this is going, lol.
As for model to model, it doesn't make a whit of difference where you buy. High end buy from a dealer, although not too many commercial walk behinds offered these days and that wasn't were the OP was looking anyway.
It's largely Toro, MTD, and AYP, pick your chassis and your engine and drop your money.

 

[Virgil Cain]

My Honda is 15 years old and mows about half an acre every week from about now till late November. Haven't really had any trouble out of it.

 

[CSRPenFab]

I've got a Husqvarna HU700H rear drive, with Honda power...

Great mower...

Less than $ 400.00 at a bunch of places...

Wish I'd bought mine about 5 years ago...

+1 to the Husqvarna mowers. I dumped a Lowes Troy Bilt Honda powered mower for a Hisqvarna a few years ago. Go to a commercial landscape place and get a good one, not the **** that Lowes sells. Mine has a 120cc Honda motor and a blade brake clutch. It ran me about $450 but has been bullet proof.

The blade clutch is really nice when mowing since it allows the bag to be emptied without shutting down and restarting.

 

[Skin]

Wow, that *****. I thought Toro was good. I guess it's a big box store hunk o' chit.

Its a matter of price point and how much you use it. Toro Recyclers are fine for weekly mowing of about a half an acre of flat lawn at most. Lots of holes/rocks etc.. you'll murder the drive in no time. If you mow a lot you buy something that can take the abuse. Simple as that. In their defense I also never see rust issues like he's describing without leaving equipment outside exposed or someone mowing wet grass all the time and letting it pack against the deck. The Super Recyclers are a much nicer mower though on the level of Honda. Its funny people don't want to spend more than 300-400 that they might use 50+ hours a season but they'll have no problem dropping 3x the amount on a snow blower that will get used 2-5 hours a season.

 

[four.cycle]

hmmm... looks like we just had a similar discussion two months ago:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=317536

ANY mower sold at Home Depot, Lowes, Costco, or Walmart is a low-end "consumer" model designed to fail within a few years. Low end this season is about $150 - high end maybe $400.

Real lawnmower: lawnmower shop. Ariens, Snapper (old style "Hi-Vac"), maybe Husqvarna commercial series. Be prepared to spend $600 - $700 for a good mower.

As I mentioned in the other thread, I don't work on Hondas, so I can't offer any opinion on them.

Second hand market is usually glutted with dead mowers for the next two months or so - check Craigslist, find an oldie and fix it. Way mo' betta than most of the **** you can buy today. (Besides, you're going to beat the piss out of it anyway, so who cares what it looks like?)

 

[Skin]

ANY mower sold at Home Depot, Lowes, Costco, or Walmart is a low-end "consumer" model designed to fail within a few years. Low end this season is about $150 - high end maybe $400.

Blanket statement which isn't true. First of all lets clarify something, the OP has 2 TENTHS of an acre. A $200-$300 mower is not going to just explode on him after a "few years". People are going overboard if they think he NEEDS a $600 mower. Second HD sells base model Toros (SR restricted to dealers) and Hondas all the way up to their high end consumer models in the $700-$800 range. I prefer small dealers for communication and service but saying all they sell is 'junk' is just flat out incorrect.

 

[four.cycle]

^ unless you go to a Toro dealer the Toro you buy at any big-box retailer is a "consumer" model with a thinner deck. NOT the same animal.

the word "junk" is not in my post above. false attribution.

 

[Skin]

^ unless you go to a Toro dealer the Toro you buy at any big-box retailer is a "consumer" model with a thinner deck. NOT the same animal.

the word "junk" is not in my post above. false attribution.

Nope. Toro does not offer or sell special "thin deck" models solely to HD. Never have. If the model numbers are the same at HD then its the exact same machine whether you go to a small dealer or HD.

Forgive my assumption of you classifying their stuff as 'junk', I guess you were being kinder when you said they sell "low end consumer models designed to fail in a few years"-but not "junk".

 

[drink]

I used my Craftsman high wheeled push mower earlier today. It started right up and worked good. Boy does it need a good bath!

 

[Virgil Cain]

hmmm... looks like we just had a similar discussion two months ago:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=317536

ANY mower sold at Home Depot, Lowes, Costco, or Walmart is a low-end "consumer" model designed to fail within a few years. Low end this season is about $150 - high end maybe $400.

Real lawnmower: lawnmower shop. Ariens, Snapper (old style "Hi-Vac"), maybe Husqvarna commercial series. Be prepared to spend $600 - $700 for a good mower.

As I mentioned in the other thread, I don't work on Hondas, so I can't offer any opinion on them.

Second hand market is usually glutted with dead mowers for the next two months or so - check Craigslist, find an oldie and fix it. Way mo' betta than most of the **** you can buy today. (Besides, you're going to beat the piss out of it anyway, so who cares what it looks like?)

I bought my Honda new at Home Depot 15 years ago for $400.

Apparently it didn't get the memo that it was supposed to fail in a few years. Still going strong.

 

[bryan750]

I got a honda self propelled at home depot around 12 years ago and the only problem are some surface rust spots on the outside of the deck otherwise it runs like new.

 

[Whitworth]

A lot of discussion over a occasional use, low hours piece of consumer grade merchandise. Just buy whatever $300 -$400 mower is on sale, wherever's most convenient.

Quality, who cares? It will eventually rot out, break or strip gears, but by that time you likely won't be able to find parts for it anyways, and you really never wanted to be rebuilding stupid carburators anyways.

Your price per year use of the product will be more than fair.

Buy another one then. Rinse and repeat.

 

[jd_1138]

A lot of discussion over a occasional use, low hours piece of consumer grade merchandise. Just buy whatever $300 -$400 mower is on sale, wherever's most convenient.

Quality, who cares? It will eventually rot out, break or strip gears, but by that time you likely won't be able to find parts for it anyways, and you really never wanted to be rebuilding stupid carburators anyways.

Your price per year use of the product will be more than fair.

Buy another one then. Rinse and repeat.

That's sort of like circular logic. "Who cares if the gears strip out because eventually the gears will strip out."

For $400 you can buy a nice Honda that will last a long time if maintained with oil changes, spark plugs, air filter, etc..

 

[four.cycle]

"It will eventually rot out, break or strip gears, but by that time you likely won't be able to find parts for it anyways..."

Both my 1974 Snapper model # V210 and 1981 Snapper model # 21400 "Hi-Vacs" are still going strong and all the parts are still available.

The 1955 Toro # 2PD isnt' running, but I don't think it will take much - maybe a set of points and a spark plug. Needs new tires, though, which has proven to be a challenge.

 

[GSMotorrad]

ANY mower sold at Home Depot, Lowes, Costco, or Walmart is a low-end "consumer" model designed to fail within a few years. Low end this season is about $150 - high end maybe $400.

Real lawnmower: lawnmower shop. Ariens, Snapper (old style "Hi-Vac"), maybe Husqvarna commercial series. Be prepared to spend $600 - $700 for a good mower.

Consumer, yes, but not necessarily low-end, designed to fail in a few years. Honda's Nexite® deck has a lifetime warranty and will never rust. Commercial motors last 3x as long because they're OHV with cast-iron cylinder sleeves, but it's still all about maintenance. Most homeowners barely have enough time to mow, and don't have the time or want to bother with any maintenance. If you just mow one small lawn a week, and it takes less than an hour of mowing, you'll average maybe 30 hours a year? Even at 50 hours a year, 500 hours from a consumer motor is reasonable, and would last ten years, with proper maintenance. These little vertical shaft lawn mower motors aren't all that expensive to replace anyway, if your deck isn't rusted out by then. Honda's GCV160 is $219.

Commercial mowers are serious machines with fabricated decks and belt driven blades, so the blade hitting something won't affect the crankshaft. You spend the money on a commercial, and you really oughta clean it, and maintain it religiously, because you spent so much on it. It'd be a shame to just run it into the ground. If you only put 50 hours a year on a commercial mower, it could last 3000 hours, which would be 60 years. If you always stored it inside, clean and dry, and touched up any paint chips, maybe.

Commercial mowers are like Semi-Trucks, and consumer mowers are like passenger vehicles. Many people never need more than passenger vehicles.

The RWD Honda HRX217HYA sold at Home Depot is not a low-end mower. It is the Subaru WRX of mowers. For a 21" walkbehind, it sure ain't no slouch.

 

[Todd.Brock]

I thought it was interesting to look at Honda Commercial mowers. The top line consumer model is 100lb, hydrostatic belt drive. The commercial is obviously a cast iron sleeve , steel deck , shaft driven hydrostatic and weighs 125 lb. thst thing is a tank and a half! It's also 1250 bucks.

 

[GSMotorrad]

I thought it was interesting to look at Honda Commercial mowers. The top line consumer model is 100lb, hydrostatic belt drive. The commercial is obviously a cast iron sleeve , steel deck , shaft driven hydrostatic and weighs 125 lb. thst thing is a tank and a half! It's also 1250 bucks.

Thanks for that info, I did not realize their hydros were driven differently. The commercial's wheels are made of Nexite®, what my deck is made of - while my wheels are plastic. I'll upgrade to the Nexite® wheels if they ever give me a problem.

 

[four.cycle]

As I mentioned in the other thread, I don't work on Hondas, so I can't offer any opinion on them.

> again: "I don't work on Hondas, so I can't offer any opinion on them."

 

[GSMotorrad]

> again: "I don't work on Hondas, so I can't offer any opinion on them."

Yeah, because they don't break.

 

[Virgil Cain]

> again: "I don't work on Hondas, so I can't offer any opinion on them."

Well, that's just not true. You did offer an opinion. You said:

"ANY mower sold at Home Depot, Lowes, Costco, or Walmart is a low-end "consumer" model designed to fail within a few years. Low end this season is about $150 - high end maybe $400."

Home Depot, Lowes, etc. etc. certainly sell Honda mowers. According to you, they are "consumer" models destined to fail within a few years.

My 15 year old Honda Harmony purchased at Home Depot disagrees with you.

 

[mrvm]

ANY mower sold at Home Depot, Lowes, Costco, or Walmart is a low-end "consumer" model designed to fail within a few years. Low end this season is about $150 - high end maybe $400.

Real lawnmower: lawnmower shop. Ariens, Snapper (old style "Hi-Vac"), maybe Husqvarna commercial series. Be prepared to spend $600 - $700 for a good mower

Your story may apply to the newer stuff (chokeless/prime bulb-less) at the big box stores but my sub $300 push mowers and sub $1200 tractors from HD/Sears/Lowes from ten plus years back are still running good enough for such a dirty job of cutting. Maintenance is key and ethanol **** we have to use is the real culprit

 

[yamaha0343]

I've got a Husqvarna HU700H rear drive, with Honda power...

Great mower...

Less than $ 400.00 at a bunch of places...

Wish I'd bought mine about 5 years ago...

This is what I came to post. I've had mine 3 years and no complaints. The Honda motor starts first pull every time.

 

[cheechi]

How does the plug look when you pull it?

Sorry been away a few days. Looks used but not overly fouled. But it's dead, as in no spark.

That's the thing Lowe's didn't get, they assumed bad gas or something fouled it. I got to the point where they just GAVE me a plug after I bought two, tried the champion and the E3 the guy said 'try this instead' when I went back he just handed me one and did something in the computer and walked me to the door.

So yeah. Each plug lasted an average of a day, in that one died in a few weeks, one in an hour, and one in 3 days. Don't bother with the math it's solid. 3 beers solid.

 

[TheMadMech]

Thought I'd post results pics.





Got me a brand new Honda 216 at the local yard service equipment shop.

This thing is a beast. I just finished mowing with it and it's awesome. For someone with a city sized yard and mowing only for themselves and not professionally this monster rocks.

This is my clever signature.

 

[Engine]

I would honestly buy a Husqvarna with a Honda GCV160 from Lowes...

I have the one you mention here. Starting the 3rd mowing season with it this year with no problems at all. I've never had to pull it more than once to start except once when it had set up all winter, and then only three pulls got 'er going. The mower is easy to push since it has ball-bearing wheels. Also, after two full mowing seasons, the oil looks like new. But I think I'll change it this week just to have new in it. The Honda engine is excellent, but I think I would have been better off to get the next larger size engine because it tends to bog down a little when cutting high wet grass. Overall, it has been the best mower I've had for the price.

 

[jd_1138]

Thought I'd post results pics.

Got me a brand new Honda 216 at the local yard service equipment shop.

This thing is a beast. I just finished mowing with it and it's awesome. For someone with a city sized yard and mowing only for themselves and not professionally this monster rocks.

This is my clever signature.

Great choice! You can't go wrong with a Honda. And since you bought it at a real shop and not from a big box store, any warranty repairs should go smoothly -- not that you will need to use it.

I am going to buy a Honda mower next week. I had a 10 year old Craftsman that rusted away due to my lazy **** not cleaning the wet grass off the bottom of the deck. The B&S engine was still running strong, though. Gave it to the neighbor for a project.

 

[TheMadMech]

When I got it the guy at the shop says “It's got a great warranty and we handle registering it as time of sale. Also, we jump you to the front of the repair line because you bought from us. Honestly though, the warrenty is a joke because these things NEVER have problems, nice to know though.”

That definitely made me chuckle.

This is my clever signature.

 

[Bluejoe]

I have a Snapper self propelled Hi- Vac with commercial Honda engine. It has the friction wheel as part of the self propelled system. I believe they have the Kawasaki engine on the commercial model. Very nice

 

[Engine]

I have a Snapper self propelled Hi- Vac with commercial Honda engine. It has the friction wheel as part of the self propelled system. I believe they have the Kawasaki engine on the commercial model. Very nice

I had one of those Snapper self-propelled several years ago. The thing must have been made back in the 80's and worked great until the engine finally wore out. The deck was either made of thick steel or cast iron. I don't know, but it was heavy duty.

It cut great and I really liked the friction wheel drive because you could easily adjust the speed while you were mowing. When I was shopping for a replacement I looked at getting another but got slapped silly with sticker shock when I saw the price. But really, if they are made like the old ones, they probably are worth the cost. Thinking about it now, I should have just replaced the engine and kept going with the rest.

 

[NewShockerGuy]

Why does everyone say not to get a Honda or name brand at a big box store? I am on Honda's website and they have the same models listed. I went to the local "landscaping" store and not only did they have the same models lists on Honda's webpage just as HD did, but they were at least $150 MORE.... And as noted all warranty work would be sent to Honda to be done. So why would someone not get it at HD if it's the same model number as listed on Honda's website?

Not trying to stir the pot but I see no need to pay a lot more for something just because it's a smaller business... would be no different than going to a car dealer and paying more money over MSRP than going to a different dealer that can get the SAME thing for less...?

-Nigel

 

[treysoucie]

I had a bit of a Kubota addiction

 

[shoot summ]

I had a bit of a Kubota addiction

I had a Kubota that my neighbor left to me when he passed. It was quite the machine. Ended up with some sort of clutch issue and I passed it on to someone else. Those things flat lift stuff out of the grass with the fan on them.

 

[MShaw]

I have a Toro personal pace I bought from a local dealer. The drive system is ****. I have replaced wheels 3 times in five years because the gears wear out. The drive would lock and not allow me to pull it back without dragging the wheels. I wrote Toro and got a very detailed explanation of what "I" was doing wrong related to an older model. They did not check the serial number I gave them just gave the canned answer. I wrote three more letters over two years pointing this out and requesting help and got no replies. I replaced the transmission and other parts with no help. Finally late last year I drilled and tapped the transmission case and installed a grease fitting. After squirting it full of grease the problem went away. So much for factory help!!!!!!

 

[treysoucie]

I had a Kubota that my neighbor left to me when he passed. It was quite the machine. Ended up with some sort of clutch issue and I passed it on to someone else. Those things flat lift stuff out of the grass with the fan on them.

I managed to rebuild the blade clutches in a few of them. Ive probably cycled through 6 or 7 of those things by now. haha. I ended up selling them all off and now I dont have any mowers. I thought about getting an Ybravo 25" but I may just get a small kubota rider.

 

[honcho]

The Honda consumer mowers are pretty good but I have had transmission failures and while there are some instructional videos on opening up and repairing the transmissions, there is no parts support for them as Honda just replaces the whole unit. I have two so I converted one unit to a push mower by removing the transmission. Not a big deal since my yard is flat.

As for the GCV-160/190 engines that are the common Honda vertical shaft engine, they work great, start easily and if the carb gums up, replacement carbs are cheap and easy to replace. Much easier to replace the carb than bother trying to clean one. The carbs on the GX engines are much more expensive so cleaning is cost if not time effective.