Need some opinions on a new lawn mower

[musgofasta]

I'm in the market for the first time for a self-propelled walk behind lawn mower. I've always had hand-me-down mowers from others. But I clearly need to upgrade now that I have a significantly larger yard to mow now. I'm in the $500 or so range.

Most of my initial research says pay the extra for the Honda mowers, or at least find a Honda powered mower. Has Briggs & Stratten fallen off in recent years? Other friends insist they're almost all the same and buy a mid-range one on sale and it will be fine.

I like the zero-turn front wheel models, but not sure if I even need that feature. And of course more power always helps.

Any recommendations of brands to look at or avoid?

[pdupler]

Mom bought dad a Honda commercial mower in 1984 and its still going strong and you should see his yard! I've had a couple of Sears mowers with the Honda engines. The first was great for 8 years but got stolen out of my storage shed. The one I replaced it with is now about 8 years old and I'm having an issue with the choke pull-off. Someone told me tho that the Sears/Hondas were actually Honda designs made under license and not real Hondas. I never researched it but as much as Dads has been used and for so long, I wish I'd bought one just like it, but the Sears was half the price.

[bbpschools]

i have a briggs and stratton powered murray lawn mower and its not self propeled but it has lasted somthing like 30 years and it still works just fine. not very powerful though only 3.5 hp

[dvdrose18]

My thoughts:
You can not compare old mowers and new mowers. The old mowers will last forever if properly maintained, the newer stuff for the most part is cheep crap.

I don't care for Honda mowers, never had one personally, but something just doesn't seem right about them. I may very well just be biased.

The newer OHV Briggs and Stratton engines are garbage, Our newer (2007?) Snapper is already on its second 700 series engine, and it's already starting to burn oil. Sure, I do about 8 lawns with it ~10k Sq. ft. each, but the old I/C engines on my mowers from the 90's are still running strong. Don't know about their commercial line. Snappers have always been my favorite mowers, as they have the best deck/grass catcher design that I am aware of.

Craftsman mowers are garbage, the decks/grass catchers are poorly designed, and their deck wash system is just hog wash.

What I look for in an engine:
- Cast iron sleeve. A must for durability
- Dual component air filters. Paper/foam combination. Especially if you have a dusty yard or pick up dry leaves or similar
- Accessible oil drain plug. I don't believe in turning an engine over to drain the oil out the fill tube.
- Gas tank size. it is a royal pain to have to refuel your mower twice just to cut your lawn
- Engine speed. I hate low RPM engines. sure they may be quieter, but they don't respond well to a heavy load. Also, some mowers don't have a throttle lever, the engine is on or off. probably not a big deal, but I like to be able to tell the mower what to do, and it irritates me when I can't adjust the throttle.

What I look for in a mower:
- ground speed. Pet peeve, I like to walk fast, and most mowers aren't fast enough for me. Variable speed is a must if you have to mow around trees/gardens
- mowing deck design/suction. Aluminum decks don't rust, but I find that they still oxidize, and even occasionally will crack. Are there any square corners that are going to trap moldy/smelly grass clippings? does it have enough oomph to pick up heavy leaves or wet clippings?
- Power drive design. Front wheel drive is awesome if you have a steep hill you need to mow up, but if it uses plastic planetary type gears in the front wheels, be prepared for them to strip out. Powered high wheels can be nice if you have a lot of exposed roots or very uneven ground
- Bag size. If you bag the clippings, or pick up a lot of leaves in the fall, a large bag is a real time saver, but be careful, mowers like craftsman shoot the clippings into the bottom of the bag, and never fill the bag more than half way, especially if the grass is damp.
- Ground height. Make sure the mower adjusts so heights suitable for your type of lawn.
- Location of pull start. I find that pull cords that run up to the handle are actually more difficult to pull.

I hate plastic. The more plastic a mower has on it, the more I am prone to think it is junk. Not law, but just what I have observed.

Probably more than you ever wanted to know, but it is something I deal with on an almost daily basis, and little things bother me when I have to put up with them every day.

[kenash]

Originally Posted by musgofasta

I'm in the market for the first time for a self-propelled walk behind lawn mower. I've always had hand-me-down mowers from others. But I clearly need to upgrade now that I have a significantly larger yard to mow now. I'm in the $500 or so range.

Most of my initial research says pay the extra for the Honda mowers, or at least find a Honda powered mower. Has Briggs & Stratten fallen off in recent years? Other friends insist they're almost all the same and buy a mid-range one on sale and it will be fine.

I like the zero-turn front wheel models, but not sure if I even need that feature. And of course more power always helps.

Any recommendations of brands to look at or avoid?

Being a car guy like you, I look around, when I had to make this decision, it was a Toro, aluminum deck self propelled. Mine is 12 years old. except for cleaning the fuel bowl every year or two, It's starts on the first pull.
Good Luck!

[S281SC]

I've been converted. Bought my first Honda.

In my 4th season of mowing with this one. Still smooth & quiet. Starts 1st pull EVERY time.

[silversport]

I'll admit it, I have a POS craftsman. This is its sixth summer. Once a year I change the oil, change the filter, sharpen the blade, and scrape the build up off the bottom side of the deck. Still runs like the day I bought it. I don't catch my clippings so don't have to deal with the poor catcher design.

That said, I also consider it disposable; when it breaks, it likely won't get repaired.

[John_Del]

I replaced a Honda self propelled with a Toro Personal Pace, and am amazed by it after 7 seasons. My actual lawn is about an acre, and I like the walk for some extra exercise. The Toro doesn't have any controls on it for the drive; you just push the handle and it goes from neutral through a pretty good walk pace and every speed in between, like a CVT. Pulling it back in reverse is not powered, but the drive system doesn't drag on it either.

The Honda had continuing problems with the drive system, and I finally dumped it. The Toro's system is amazing. I haven't had to even adjust it in the time I've had it, and I don't even have a clue how it works. I don't know what kind of engine it has, only that it's either a Briggs or Tecumseh (6 or 6.5hp). It has a primer bulb on the side of the carb, and it starts first pull, even after a winter with old gas in it. No problem with the engine despite only having two oil changes in 7 years.

I think I'll change it today....

John


EDIT: Many years ago, my older brother walked into a family owned hardware store to buy a Cub Cadet garden tractor. The owner's son kept pushing him to buy a Honda, which my brother didn't want. His old CC was bullet proof and that's what he wanted. The kid told my brother that the Honda had an "automobile" type engine. My brother said he wasn't surprised, as Honda cars had lawnmower engines in them for years.

True story.

[Coleman]

I have a Honda we bought new in 86, still mow a small dog area with it. Have it tuned every 3 or 4 years at Honda. Bought a hydrostatic walk behind mulcher a few years ago and have been very pleased. My neighbor has a Sears and has had nothing but problems, esp with the grass catcher.

My father in law has a top of the line Toro. I like it too and it has been an excellent mower for many years. I actually prefer the bagger on it over my 86 Honda.

My mom has a Lawnboy two stroke plain jane model that has outperformed my Honda as far as longivity. It has to be 25+ years old and still going strong!

Pic below is NOT my mower, but thought it added some humor since this is a car forum!

[sportsroof69]

Originally Posted by dvdrose18

My thoughts:
You can not compare old mowers and new mowers. The old mowers will last forever if properly maintained, the newer stuff for the most part is cheep crap.

I don't care for Honda mowers, never had one personally, but something just doesn't seem right about them. I may very well just be biased.

The newer OHV Briggs and Stratton engines are garbage, Our newer (2007?) Snapper is already on its second 700 series engine, and it's already starting to burn oil. Sure, I do about 8 lawns with it ~10k Sq. ft. each, but the old I/C engines on my mowers from the 90's are still running strong. Don't know about their commercial line. Snappers have always been my favorite mowers, as they have the best deck/grass catcher design that I am aware of.

Craftsman mowers are garbage, the decks/grass catchers are poorly designed, and their deck wash system is just hog wash.

What I look for in an engine:
- Cast iron sleeve. A must for durability
- Dual component air filters. Paper/foam combination. Especially if you have a dusty yard or pick up dry leaves or similar
- Accessible oil drain plug. I don't believe in turning an engine over to drain the oil out the fill tube.
- Gas tank size. it is a royal pain to have to refuel your mower twice just to cut your lawn
- Engine speed. I hate low RPM engines. sure they may be quieter, but they don't respond well to a heavy load. Also, some mowers don't have a throttle lever, the engine is on or off. probably not a big deal, but I like to be able to tell the mower what to do, and it irritates me when I can't adjust the throttle.

What I look for in a mower:
- ground speed. Pet peeve, I like to walk fast, and most mowers aren't fast enough for me. Variable speed is a must if you have to mow around trees/gardens
- mowing deck design/suction. Aluminum decks don't rust, but I find that they still oxidize, and even occasionally will crack. Are there any square corners that are going to trap moldy/smelly grass clippings? does it have enough oomph to pick up heavy leaves or wet clippings?
- Power drive design. Front wheel drive is awesome if you have a steep hill you need to mow up, but if it uses plastic planetary type gears in the front wheels, be prepared for them to strip out. Powered high wheels can be nice if you have a lot of exposed roots or very uneven ground
- Bag size. If you bag the clippings, or pick up a lot of leaves in the fall, a large bag is a real time saver, but be careful, mowers like craftsman shoot the clippings into the bottom of the bag, and never fill the bag more than half way, especially if the grass is damp.
- Ground height. Make sure the mower adjusts so heights suitable for your type of lawn.
- Location of pull start. I find that pull cords that run up to the handle are actually more difficult to pull.

I hate plastic. The more plastic a mower has on it, the more I am prone to think it is junk. Not law, but just what I have observed.

Probably more than you ever wanted to know, but it is something I deal with on an almost daily basis, and little things bother me when I have to put up with them every day.

This is good information.

For the record, I have the largest lawn tractor that Crapsman offers. At the time I purchased it, I knew they weren't great quality, but it was the best option at the time, financially. I have used it for 3 summers, and 185 hours. Every summer I have to replace something on the deck because it breaks. I got on it a few weeks ago, and the Briggs wouldn't start, so I threw some parts at it (and mower parts are outrageous), and was still unable to get it to run.

After talking with my lawn mower repair man, I adjusted the valves, and got it to start, but it was still running poorly. I decided to try and finish my lawn for the 3rd time, and about half way through, the brace that holds the front of the deck up broke. By this time, I was so mad I couldn't hardly stand it. So, while I was waiting on my part from Sears to fix the deck, I had the repair man check out the engine, since it was still running poorly. It turns out the compression release mechanism has malfunctioned, therefore, not doing it's job, which resulted in too much pressure on the camshaft, and ruining it. A camshaft costs $325!

Aside from that, Sears will no longer get parts to fix their products. In case people didn't know, they were bought by K-Mart 2 years ago, and they're customer service is GONE. I bought a $2000 mower from them, and when they're piece of junk broke, I had to pay the shipping to get the part. I just think that's absurd. I bought it from them, and they should carry the parts for it.

As I stated, I knew Crapsman mowers weren't the best, but 185 hours, and all these problems? Give me a break. I told the lawn mower man to keep it, and cut me a deal on a 54" Hustler with a Kawasaki, so now I have a great mower that I won't have to worry about for a long, long, time.


Another thing to consider is maintenance. Don't buy a mower form somewhere they don't have a full service mechanic on staff. If you can't get your hands on the guy that works on it, go somewhere else. Basically, that rules out Home Depot, Lowes, Sears, ect..... You want a product that the dealer will work on, and stand behind.

[fonebooth]

walk behind i dont think anyone makes a better engine than Honda--

i have a Honda with stainless deck bought from costco-- made in canada (by Murray?)- will never rust- i havent seen it there this year. works well-- you want an alum or stainless deck IF you can find it..

too bad your not closer when we bought our last house it came with honda brand 6.5hp self propelled-- dont need it just havent bothered to CL it..

for a rider-- has to be a Real JD or Kubota.. my sears tractor i worked on more than my car after it was 8 years old--when the starter died it was $200+ to replace it--

the JD 455 diesel i have now is a fine toy! i dont even bother to work on it myself as the local JD dealer has a winter special usually and for $199 they come and get it-- and check it all over and sharpen blades and do oil change.. remove the deck and lube everything..

hydrostatic is great..

[musgofasta]

Thanks everyone for the replies - I really was leaning toward one of the Craftsman professional models, until I started reading the reviews. And the B&S engines (Breaks and shutters) seem to be universally negatively reviewed also.

Tractor Supply has a Cub Cadet brand one that I want to look at. But as of today I'm pretty much set on one of the Honda's at Home Depot. I'm getting a new gas weed-trimmer as well as all sorts of other stuff.

Might open a credit account for the 10% discount to take the sting off the grand total...

[mikemstang66]

sears craftsman mowers have always treated me well and cost was very resonable .

[sportsroof69]

Craftsman isn't what it used to be. Those mowers are JUNK, and Sears customer service is long gone. The local small engine shop says he has at least one a week come in with the same problem I posted above. I highly reccomend purchasing from a dealer with an on staff mechanic.

[Fast68back]

When I got a hand-me-down Honda I put my craftsman to the curb.....