Lawnmowers?

Originally posted by rdangerer
Good info Dexter. I'll take a look at Honda when my POS wears out. Thanks.
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You're welcome, Rob. If you're serious about your mowing, then this is the machine for you!
 
I just got rid of my John Deere and bought a new Toro with all the bells and whistles. I must say it is 10 times better than my John Deere!!!
 
Attention workout nuts... cardio ahead...

I'm going against the grain... If you have a lawn that is large enough that you cant do it with a weed wacker, you might just want to pickup a Craftsman nonpower'd pusher. 6hp or so is enough to wack most anything, and its a mighty good workout! Just look for cast iron cylinders and change the oil maybe twice a year... sparkplug when it gets hard to start... I've had one since 86!
 
The last thing I need is more cardiovascular workout! ;) I picked up a Toro self propelled and am very happy. It was only $350 with a $25 rebate so the hit to the wallet wasn't too bad either. If it doesn't last for 10 years I won't be heart broken since we'll probably hire a lawn service eventually anyway.
 
Nice... I've still got a toro also (helps when you've got a semi-farm...) think its an 18 inch cutting path. Ok so it's an OLD toro... got it running a few years back, havent cut anything with it! :cool:
 
I know I'm reserecting an old thread but I thought why not keep all the info in one place???

Anyway I'm considering a toro personal pace mover here and I'm wondering what people could tell me about these specifically...

My other chose would be the Husqvarna 5521rs here I have chainsaw of theirs and I'm impressed with the amount of thought they put into there designs to make it easy to use.

Thanks!
 
Ive spent quite a long time as a boy on my grandparents farm using a plethora of mowers... even a scythe and a deck mower towed behind a John Deere 2440 tractor... 2 acres of lawn and 5 acres of pasture will give you a workout. Anyway, in defiance of my grandfather who swears by a JD for everything, I honestly cant think of a better small motor than an OHV (over head valve) Honda. Although, a JD rider is the best rider Ive ever used and certainly has more miles on it than any other residential mower (its 12yrs old, has hydrostatic drive, and Ive rebuilt the motor twice, put 3 pairs of blades and rebuilt the suspension myself)
For a walkbehind, the blade cutoff is nice, BUT for me, its easier to tilt the mower back on its rear wheels and ease it across the walkway. To me, its a lawnmower for the love of Mike, I firmly believe in K.I.S.S. and anything else is something to waste my money on. Also, I dont believe in electrics, simply that the only lawnmower to ever "cut" grass is a reel mower (ask your dad), a "modern" deck style chops the grass and as an electric motor slows, you'll notice it a couple days later. If you get 1200 ft of orange elec. cord... I just wanna see that. If youre thinking electric, get a wide reel mower... theres always a few on eBay, and they do make modern ones too

Nate
 
http://www.lawnboy.com/mowers/silverpro.htm

This is what i got, my yard was designed by Satan but the mower eats it up. The self propelled wheels are in the back and the clutch for them is its only little handle thing that hast to be held down and it works like a charm, It has an easier time getting up the hills than i do. I do not have the bagging system and don’t think i need it. My back yard (yard w/ dogs ) gets mowed half as often as the front cause it's less visible and i don’t like defending the mower cause of my dogs. Even w/ the grass and weeds at knee heights it still does a pretty good job.
 
The Toro has been good to me so far. It started up on the third pull even after the long hard cold winter. Probably would've started on the first pull if I had thought to check the gas first. :)
 
BTW, the Toro Featherlight or whatever it is called, the little snow thrower they sell.....Holy smokes did that thing rip through the snow this year! I couldn't believe the job it did and we have a rather large and steep driveway so it was great to be able to clean it right up in about 20 minutes. And the best part-no back aches! :)
 
If your lax in your equipment upkeep, such as not draining ALL the gas out of the tank and carb I recommend one of the briggs and stratton powered mowers, the Honda and JD mowers cost significantly more to repair when the time comes. I was a Cub Cadet,Kubota, Lawnboy, Honda, John Deere, Snapper, Toro, Wheelhorse, Scag, Gravely, Excell, Blackhawk, Echo, Stihl, Homelite, Weedeater , green machine , mechanic for several years. The engine is prime consideration ,Kawasaki makes an excellent ohv engine that is easily the equal of Honda for ease of starting and quiet operation, tune ups run the same for both but the hondas have a unique two bladed cutting arrangement that cost twice as much to have sharpened the fee is per blade. Look for one that has a cannister type oil filter, they have a pressurized oiling system for longer life when mowing on slanting lawns. Toro has an on demand type of self propel system that automatically adjusts its forward speed to match your walking speed, some will make you adapt to their speed which might be too fast or too slow for an individual . An aluminum cast deck lasts longer than a steel deck unless you go mowing in a rock garden frequently.
 
I'm probably going against the grain on this one. I've learned this the hard way. NEVER BUY A MOWER WITH A HONDA ENGINE!!!!!!! The only thing this piece of crap does well is dain my wallet. I paid $400 for this pile of self-prop. junk that stays broke. I swear I think I could cut the grass better with my LM Micra. Even the self propel part doesn't work right. In the grass the wheels just spin(no the grass isn't high or wet). The only time it gets any traction at all is when I'm going across the paved part of my driveway to cut the grass on the other side. It can almost make it across without much help from me. A big help that is. This Hunk-O-Junk is only 2 years old, but there is a very good chance I will be taking a little trip with it the summer. I plan to wait til a nice afternoon and gently load it in the back of my truck. Drive to the range, and gently unload it at the 100yd maker. And then I plan to put a bunch of bullets thru the block!!! I may even set it on fire, but I have made up my mind yet. For me I'm going back to a Murry mower with a Briggs & Stration engine. Had the last one for 7 years and only had it in the shop once and that was because the string broke from old age. Honda make a GREAT car, but their mower engines ain't worth spit!!!!!!!!!!
 
CUTIGER 3 said:
Spend the money and buy a Deere. You'll be glad you did :D
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Ditto :)...great piece of equipment. I've also had a Honda, which I also liked, but it wasn't in the performance class with the JD....
 
While Honda engines are legendary for their reliability, it's still a Honda and you have to deal with the Honda mentality. Like the beautiful Honda HRA-21 sitting in my shed unused because the belt that makes the self propelled feature work broke and every lawnmower shop and Honda dealer I contact can onl ytell me that Honda says it's obsolete and there is no cross reference information available. Luckily, I only paid $50.00 for it used so I don't feel a taken advantage of as I would had I paid $600.00 for it new.

I'm on my second Craftsman 22" with a 4 hp Briggs & Straton motor. The first one never wore out, I just gave it to a friend who had just bought a house because I'd got a smoking deal on a used Honda (this was before I found out the belt couldn't be had). To solve my problem, I bough another Craftsman 22" 4hp B&S powered rear bagger at a garage sale for $20.00. It's in a little better shape than the one I gave away, but is the same model and will just chug along all day. The first one I had for ten years and it was well used when I got it. It's still running strong, but my idiot buddy couldn't live with a used old Craftsman, so he bought a $600.00 Honda to impress his neighbors with. I'd recommend hitting a few garage sales and pick up a self propelled Craftsman cheap. It's a lawn mower, high technology is not required. If you get out this way, I'll sell you the HRA-21 for the $50.00 I hav einvested..:)

John
 
I recently purchased a JA65 Deere trade-in from the local JD shop. Excellent mower at a very good price. It has a five speed trans and I've found that fourth is the perfect mowing speed. The Briggs engine is easily serviced and parts are readily available. I also have a rider but I've been using this Deere for exercise (which is the reason I bought it). The added benefit is that it makes the lawn look twice as nice than mowing with the rider.

Don't buy new. Look around for these trade-ins at your local dealer. I paid a little over half the price of a new mower. :)
 
We've been really happy with the MTD machines. We only use them to trim around trees, driveway, mow ditches etc. as we have enough yard that we use a 60" woods mower behind a Kubota L2350 for the rest.
The decks have improved in quality, and the briggs and stratton engines have been good. We basically abuse the hell out of them with what we mow and they hold up well.
I will say this about horsepower, get the as much as you can. Its not that a 4HP engine won't cut most grass, its that they aren't built as heavy as a 6hp engine. The bigger shaft and heavier motor is much less prone to damage from hitting large rocks, tree roots, landscape timbers etc. We had a couple in the 4HP range bend shafts after hitting large rocks while mowing along the road (coming off of dump trucks etc., didn't see it till it killed the mower) The 6 HP on the other hand bent a blade 90 degrees and still purrs like a kitten.
 
I purchased a Honda self-propelled mower in 1988. It was a small 3.5hp, aluminum deck, no bag... the cheapest self-propelled they made... about $475.
I've changed the oil twice in 16 years and replaced the drive wheel twice (about $35) and haven't done anything else. I never drain the gas at the end of the season, never clean it, never changed plugs. With the compression release it starts up first pull, every time.
One of the best products I've ever purchased.
 
Just for some context...What kind of lawns do you all have?

My yard is very hilly and bumpy (I'm hoping to fix this,but not this year), but it's not that big...60X130 over all I think.

The hondas seem a little bit expensive to me...maybe something with a honda engine but a different deck?

Thanks for your help!
 
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