Lawn Mower Help

[boykinlp]

Since I had the corrective surgery on my hammertoes, caused by my cancer radiation treatments, I have been able to cut my own grass.:D While I really am happy about this, my push mower is just a little too much for me to use. It wears me out. So, I am in the market for an inexpensive self propelled mower. My sister has a Honda, and I think they are nice, but they are more expensive than I prefer. My mowers in the past have all had Briggs and Stratten motors, but that is not a necessity now.

I am not cutting a large lot. It is about .3 acres. My yard used to be mostly fescue grass, but in the 5 years that I wasn't able to cut it, aerate it, or overseed it myself, it has been mostly taken over by Bermuda grass. It is mostly flat, but I do have a fairly long trench/mound combination that diverts water down my driveway, that I also cut with my lawn mower. I normally do not bag my clippings, but want the option to do so.

So, what do you folks suggest? Thanks, in advance, for your suggestions.
Larry

 

[mdf9183]

I bought a Pulsar 21 in self propelled at Home Depot about $270 back in June. Does a good Job.

 

[MRB1]

Honda. The initial difference in cost vs B&S, will justify itself in the long term. I'm also in the self propelled market replacing a John Deere J46 mower (JUNK) with anything Honda. B&S engines last me three years, and that's stupid.

 

[acco40]

Best bang for the buck is the Toro 22” Self-propelled mower. If you take care of a mower, it will last you years. My Lawn-boy is 30 years old and my Toro, which I just sold was 10+ years old. Nothing wrong with it, just wanted a wider mower.

Always change the oil, lube the drive mechanism, treat the gas prior to storage and drain the carb, and lube and adjust the cables.

Best of luck to you.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[ralph7]

Briggs and Stratton motor will last as long as anything.
Put Stabil in your gas and change the oil every 2 seasons. I use the mulch function, it saves a lot of bending over.
Some self propel systems are better than others, you may need to buy new drive wheels on some because the plastic gear inside wears out.
The main thing is to use a fuel stabilizer!
I have bought high dollar mowers for as little as $10 because someone used straight ethanol laced gas and it went bad within a few months. A $20 Amazon carb and I have an easy money sale.:)

 

[gregintenn]

Honda…always worth the price.
I looked around and found a slightly used one to leave at my mother in law’s house. The choke was sticking. Evidently, the guy selling it had no idea what the problem was. I got it for a song, fixed the choke, and it’s been perfect for several years now.

 

[Tom S.]

As a former US auto worker, I hate to recommend foreign made products but... Honda powered mowers are really reliable both for starting and operating. The only thing I have against them were the earlier ones used a steel housing which would eventually rust out and was a pain to replace and costly too. I believe they are aluminum now.

Yes, they cost a bit more but worth it IMHO. Maybe you could consider getting one used?

 

[gregintenn]

I’d look at a used, rear engine Snapper riding mower for your application.

 

[HenryT]

Help the economy, pay a kid to do it.

 

[michael1000]

I purchased a Yard man, by MTD back in '97 and it works great. this year I broke down and put in a new spark plug and air filter. I also agree on Sta-bil in the off season. make sure to run the engine to get it into the carb.

 

[RichardWA]

Honda…always worth the price.
I looked around and found a slightly used one to leave at my mother in law’s house. The choke was sticking. Evidently, the guy selling it had no idea what the problem was. I got it for a song, fixed the choke, and it’s been perfect for several years now.

It must have the auto choke system. The honda engine on my mower has auto choke and it is a real pain. After 6 years I have give up fixing it and just stick something in the linkage to hold it open

 

[boykinlp]

Help the economy, pay a kid to do it.

Thanks for all the responses so far.

Henry, I had been doing this, but when you were used to doing your own yard work for years, and HAVE to pay a kid because of health problems, it just feels good to be able to get out and do it myself now. I do still have to get the kid to do it when the trimming needs to be done, because I am not supposed to carry a weed eater around anymore.:(

BTW, since I first posted this thread, I have been surfing the net and do want to put Honda in my choices. But, there seems to be a TON of models, with like one letter differences in the model number. What model number might be the best for my application and price?
Larry

 

[max]

Watch garage and estate sales. Most towns have a guy or guys who work on mowers, they always seem to have something for sale.

 

[STCM(SW)]

As a former US auto worker, I hate to recommend foreign made products but... Honda powered mowers are really reliable both for starting and operating. The only thing I have against them were the earlier ones used a steel housing which would eventually rust out and was a pain to replace and costly too. I believe they are aluminum now.

Yes, they cost a bit more but worth it IMHO. Maybe you could consider getting one used?

That's what I have. Best bang for the buck as far as I'm concerned. Always starts I'm too old not to have one that won't
move by its self.:)

 

[acco40]

When I sold my Toro, I got this one:

Honda HRX217HYA Mower | 21" Walk Behind Mower | Honda Lawn Mowers

I got it for a number of reasons:

1) It has the NeXite® deck. This high impact resistant material does not dent, rust, or corrode over time. So durable it comes with a lifetime warranty!

2) It has "cruise control". So you can separately set the maximum speed you want to walk when pushing the handle bar lever all the way forward. My back yard has a steep section and even with a full bag of clippings, the mower will climb the hill. No assistance required for me. I just steer it.

3) The bag has a very high capacity so I don't have to stop and empty it as much.

4) It has a blade stop/clutch so I can stop the mower, move the throttle back, empty the bag, re-attach and go. No need to stop the engine.

5) It has a lever that allows you to determine if you want to catch all the clippings, none of the clippings, or somewhere in between. No need to place a chute in the discharge like some other mowers.

6) Very easy to start. One pull every time.

7) The wheels have ball bearings and not bushings.

8) It has a rear discharge, so I can get close to the bushes and other obstacles I mow around regardless in which direction I mow.

9) It has an adjustable handle plus it folds flat for storage.

10) It is quieter than a B&S engine.

11) And lastly, it cuts evenly and completely, so you get a perfect looking yard.

Does it cost more than other mowers. Absolutely, put it will be the last mower I ever buy so I plan on using it, God willing, for a long time.

You might be able to find a use one as fall approaches, so keep an eye out.

Best of luck no matter what you choose.

Stu

 

[6518John]

I recommend the Greatest Of All Time brand mower,

Get him a water bucket and stake him out. Move as needed.

 

[Maddog 521]

I can't suggest a mower but I have a question. Is your driveway concrete? If it is be sure the water running down it don't start eroding away the dirt under it. My SIL had that problem and it turned into a huge problem.

 

[gregintenn]

It must have the auto choke system. The honda engine on my mower has auto choke and it is a real pain. After 6 years I have give up fixing it and just stick something in the linkage to hold it open

That’s it. Apparently there’s a small metal tube filled with wax. The wax gets hot and pushes out a tiny shaft from the end of the tube to shut off the choke. That apparatus works, but all the linkage has to be perfectly adjusted and aligned. It’s sort of a Rube Goldberg affair. No big deal, but it seems more German than Honda.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

No matter how new shiny and awsome they look in the show room, once you roll over that first pile of dog poop, the bloom is off the rose and they become just another tool in the shed that WILL give you problems at some point. Never forget that.

 

[Jessie]

That’s funny Caj. That’s also a reason I use a riding mower.

 

[boykinlp]

The Toro Super Recycler Model 21385 looks like it may be a good one.

Now that Summer is over, will the lawn mowers be marked down, or were the Labor Day Sales the last ones until spring. I figured getting a deal on last year's model might be the best choice.
Larry

 

[doublesharp]

That Toro is a good one and now is the time to buy. I'm using a Husqvarna with a Honda engine that I bought at Rural King's fall closeout about 10 years ago. Starts 1st or 2nd pull and self propelled still works good.

 

[TX-Dennis]

I switched to an EGO battery mower three years ago. It's self propelled and cuts as well as anything I've ever owned. BUT - my lot is about half the size of yours, so you would probably need an extra battery. I can do my whole yard and alley and still have nearly a half charge left, but you probably couldn't do yours on a single charge.

 

[Ranger17]

I went from an older Toro to a new Honda a couple years ago and could not be happier. Plenty of power, a lot of adjustments blending the % between mulch and bag, etc and was worth (for me) the cost.
My SIL got an Ego battery powered one and loves it, he does have a smaller yard but has extra batteries anyway from his Ego trimmer and blower. And as the Ego is quieter than a gas powered unit he has more flex for what time of day he cuts.

 

[len917]

Bought an EGO a couple of months ago 56v, self prop. Great machine. Surely worth the investment $500 +/-
Between that and my tractor, I look forward to cutting the grass

 

[boykinlp]

Looked at Lowes and Home Depot today. Both were almost out of push style mowers, but expect more in kinda soon. Hopefully, I'll catch some in stock during a post summer sale!:fingers crossed:
Larry

 

[jeffrefrig]

EGO is the best. No gas. Plenty of power. Enough power for my big yard.

 

[OLDSTER]

Only two choices in a "walk behind" lawn mower.; Honda and Toro. Simply compare prices with equal options. :)

 

[ace22]

if i was buying new gas powered i'd go honda, but i switched to battery 3 years ago with a 60v craftsman. i bought it on clearance then found out they were discontinuing the 60v which meant no more future support so 2 years ago i switched to greenworks 60v and sold the craftsman.
besides the mower i also have the greenworks snowblower, hedge trimmer, blower, chainsaw, etc since then so i have plenty of batteries and zero problems so far.
i still have a cheap murray gas mower that i bought before the craftsman and kept as an emergency back up but haven't needed it.

when it comes to lawn and power tools i'm 100% battery!

 

[hittman77]

I’m on my 2nd self propelled Honda push mower …. Yeah, it was in the $425 range but I get about 12 YEARS out of them. If you can, bite the bullet and get a Honda.