lawn mowers (1 Viewer)

[ClintS]

The JX75 has had cable issues and a few reports of broken decks. Given the same cost, I would not mess around and would get the Honda.

Agreed, dont mess with the JD. Im on my 6th season with my Honda and it started on the second pull after being in storage over winter. It cuts perfectly, I really like the poly deck so easy to keep clean when cutting wet grass. Also enjoy the hydrostatic drive. Put new wheels (~$20 for two) on it end of last season, was suprised how worn the rear tires had gotten, it pulls better now with tread on them

 

[Brian Perry]

Went with the Honda commercial HRC216...probably way more than I need but I don't plan on buying another mower for a long time (unless I eventually get a riding mower for a future home).

 

[Chris PC]

How big are your lawns?

 

[Dennis Nicholls]

i bought a Craftsman from Sears last year and hated the thing. Basically the thing clogged constantly; I had to stop every few minutes to clean the chute out. In the end the little cover over the side discharge hole popped off as I brushed against the house and I spent 45m trying to get it back on... I nearly threw the mower across the yard. Instead I dug out the reciept and discovered the return policy expired in two days. whew! I loaded it in the trunk and took it back. . . . After much research and debating between the Honda HRX and the Toro SR4 I settled on the Toro.

I finally gave up using a B&D corded lawnmower. The two problems which overcame me were (A) the engine just wasn't powerful enough and the blade would stall out and (B) the rear bagging chute was too small and would clog up after only one pass unless the lawn was so dry that it was turning brown.

I'd used a corded electric for over 25 years but my lawn here in Boise is so much thicker than anything I'd seen in San Jose (free irrigation water may have something to do with it.)

I don't get the Consumer Reports book every year and my newest one is the 2006 edition. It gave the Toros the top marks for rear-bagging without clogging so that's what I bought. Home Despot sells the #20330 for $279. It appears to do the job for me - cuts through horrible tall grass and fills the rear bag without clogging.

Oddly enough the 2006 CR rating for the Honda mowers were BLACK DOTS for not clogging with rear bagging - the worst of any mowers tested.

 

[DaveF]

The Honda HRX was tops for CR, but it was $800. I went with a mid-level Toro, rated similarly to the Hondas but 30% cheaper. If the price is OK to you, the HRX seems the single-best walk-behind mower you can get. (My priority was mulching, with infrequent bagging.)

 

[DaveMcS]

Just a heads up...MTD Corporation is the owner of Troy-Bilt, Cub Cadet, YardMan, White Outdoors, Yard Machines and Bolens.

 

[Johnny Angell]

Time to bring this thread to life. My Honda HRR216VXA (bought in 2005) has lost it's self-propelled capability. I'm sure it could be repaired and probably cost me less than a new mower, but this mower has always seemed under-powered. It's horsepower is 5.5bhp with 3600 rpm. If the grass was a little too tall it would always give me problems. The mower would start to stall and I'd pull back to prevent it or sometimes it would just stall completely. It's cutting width is 21" and while there are wider mowers, I have some tight spots caused by fences that would prevent me from wanting a wider mower. I've started looking at electric mowers on Amazon. I'm thinking with electric, there's less maintenance, no spark plugs or oil to change, which I typically don't do my self. If I go electric there's corded and and battery powered. I think corded would be an incredible PITA, dragging the cord around, moving it when it gets in the way, and it will. So I'm thinking of battery operated. I've noticed there are models with the battery built-in and removable. Built-in seems like a lousy idea since when the battery goes, you have to take it into the shop, so I'm giving preference to removable battery. Many of the battery electrics are not self-propelled but that's why I'm replacing my current mower. Just how easy is it to push an electric, non-self-propelled mower? The ones that are self propelled cost $100 or more than those without and since it takes juice to propel them, the battery doesn't last as long. Since I consider my current mower under-powered, I wonder how much power I need in an electric? I've seen 12 amp, 24 volt and 36 volt mowers. I think our lot is about a 1/4 acre (including the house) and we have a front, track, and 2 strips of grass on each side. It's not a large yard, but not tiny either. On one side of the house, it's rained recently (or watered) it can get boggy with some standing water. Do I have to worry about running an electric through an inch of standing water? Here's a link to an interesting non-self-propelled mower by WORX: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003BJG8SA A Black & Decker self-propelled: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004JMZH3A A Black & Decker non-self-propelled: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002YK4UZU The WORX has a quiet and power mode. I think its doesn't really get any quieter, but uses less power in the quiet mode. So if anyone has any ideas on an electric mower please let me know. If you've got one, please chime in. Is it self-propelled or not and if it's not, how you do you like that? I haven't decided on electric, so if you've got a gas powered recommendation, I'd welcome that too. It needs to have more oomph than my current mower. Thanks a lot.