Scrib

I don't really have a "budget" for a mower, since you can't really spend more than $500-$600 for any type of a push/self-propelled mower.

Any thoughts? Something that bags and mulches... Needs to be self-propelled. Reliable... Ya know... The important stuff.

Thanks.

eclipse23

:in_before_shawnS_token_'mymoweristhebest'_reply_w/pics:

Always Dirty

Something like this?

Chaptorial

Those are the ones Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor used to make.

Slimey

I have a Toro with 6.5 HP that I think I got for about $300-$350 at Home Depot a couple years ago.

It has a guaranteed-to-start system which is guaranteed to start on the first or second pull for (I think) three years. So far, I've not had to pull it three times!

It's real easy to push with self propelled wheels. It has nice safety features (auto engine cut if you let go of the handle), and mulches.

A lot of mowers have some of the same guts. The Toro has a Tecumseh engine which IIRC, gets good ratings.

Slimey

Oh, I forgot to say -- the Toro comes is a flashy fire engine red that looks great when Zaino'ed!!!


This is the one I have -- the Personal Pace series recycler mower http://www.toro.com/home/mowers/recycler/20017.html

Zapata

www.honda.com i have one and love it.

Shawn S

Sometimes you have to pay for quality. I’ve never had a “cheap” mower last more then 2-3 years.
I recommend Honda with Hydrostatic drive of course.
700 bucks though.

I’ve had mine since 97 and it still starts on the first or second pull even after sitting for the entire winter.

TypeSKid

Do you zaino your mower Shawn?

Shawn S

No, but I do hose it off after every use.
The “Xenoy” deck still shines like new.

The big kicker for me buying the Honda is it has a “Blade Clutch”.
What that means is when you let go of the safety bar, the blade stops spinning in a few seconds but the engine keeps on running.
This is great when you need to stop and move lawn furniture, pick up a tree branch, stone or the occasional errant GOLF BALL from the course across the street.
The engine keeps running until you pull back the safety bar and continue cutting.

I think others have copied this feature by now, but Honda was the first.

lrutt

I might recommend that you get a regular push mower. Most people don't get that much exercise the way it is, a little pushing never hurt anyone.

I just bought a new Craftsman mower. My wife asked why I didn't get a self propelled one. I told her at 47 yo I need the exercise. She didn't disagree.

Just a suggestion.

Shawn S

True, but it’s still better exercise then a rider.
You still have to WALK the entire area, you just don’t have to PUSH anything.

My lot is nearly 2 acres, but it’s mostly wooded.
After subtracting the house, driveway, planting beds & woods, I probably still have about 1/4 acre to cut.
It takes me between 2-3 hours depending how high it is.
I also have lots of tricky hills & obstacles to go around so a rider doesn’t work too well for me.
I have an old one I got for free, but it doesn’t have a cutting deck and all I use it for is pulling a cart.

Shawn S

They offer Honda engines on some of them now, so maybe they’re better, but here’s my experience:

My last mower before the Honda was a Craftsman and I killed it in just over one year.
After two failed repair attempts I had had enough and went up to Sears and demanded my money back.
They wanted to subtract 50% of the value because it was used.
I talked to the store manager and they wouldn’t budge.

I threatened to roll it into the showroom on a busy Saturday afternoon and start it up to show all the potential customers how well it ran.
They just laughed at me.

When I returned 10 minutes later pushing the mower through the front door they quietly pulled me aside and gave me the full 100% refund.

Scrib

2 acres... I'm surprised you don't have a riding mower for that.


I figured Honda was the way to go. I didn't realize you could spend $700 on a small-deck mower.

I'll have to start looking around. I didn't realize HD sells Honda products. There's a local shop that sells them, but I'm sure they have their automatic 10+% markup.

Eggplant-EX

I have a Honda self propelled. Hard ot beat that one. Most of the lawn care companies use those too.

Crazy Bimmer

Get him --------->

phil2

Gixxster

In high school, me and a friend had a small lawn mowing business. We would cut an average of ~25-30 yards per week. We had 2 Toros and 1 honda and never had a problem with either brand.

dallison

i bought one in april a troybilt from lowes.
it was 200$ 6.5 hp, bagger, side discharge, and mulch all in one.

nice mower but the blade came loose and is in the shop already. i should get it back soon.

decent size gas tank also

Chaptorial

Doesn't everybody?

Moog-Type-S

x2

Shawn S

Like I said, there’s a good amount of it that’s wooded and I don’t cut that.
Plus we have a long driveway and lots of other obstructions all around the lot.
There are also two large decks and a pool in the backyard.
Even if I had a tractor I’d still have to spend an hour or so doing the tight spots by hand.

Gilgamesh

I ake care of some large lawns for the business and some other things we have around here, I'm mostly responsible for about 2-3 acres of actual grass.

We have a rider for the big parts, a Scott (mfg by Deere) and also 2 Honda HRC216, 6 HP commerical Hydrostatic mowers, can mulch, or bag your choice. They are great mowers, and all I would ever use for a walk behind mower. They are the commercial grade, so there were a little expensive, but 6 years and they are still running strong as the day we bought em...just change the oil, stabilze the fuel and clean the air filter.

Also, check out honda's 4 stroke gas trimmers (if ya need one)....quiet...very quiet...they are pretty sweet.

Scrib

So I can plan on $700 for a Honda mower?

Crazy Bimmer

Or pay $20 every other week to the :thief:

Comes out less than buying a mower.

Shawn S

I’ve heard some people say that the “name brand” stuff you buy at places like Home Depot & Lowes isn’t the same quality that you get via the local shops.
Supposedly they subcontract the work out to the lowest bidder and corners are cut.
I’m not sure if this is true or if it’s just the local shops bitching about lost sales.

One thing I like about the small shops is the customer service you get.
When I bought my Honda, it came fully assembled and inspected with a full tank of gas.
The sales guy went through every operational feature from setting the cutting height to maintenance intervals.
After that they loaded it up on the truck for me and called a few days later to see if I had any questions.

At Home Depot, it comes in a box and you’re on your own as far as setup & information.

Scrib

Ok, so which model?

http://www.hondapowerequipment.com/law.htm

Scrib

Every other week???

My dad has to cut it two to three times a week. Shit is growing out of control.

Two weeks, and I'd be living in the amazon.

phil2

Wow Jesal I didnt know you mowed lawns fo so cheap

Slimey

How big is your yard? How often do you think you'll have to mow? I would guess these are the important questions to ask. Personally, I did not need an industrial strength mower -- just one that would get the job done and last many seasons.

It takes me about 10-15 minutes to mow the front and back -- so maybe 1/2 hour total at most, about once every 1 1/2 weeks. My yard isn't that big and I cannot see the justification for an expensive (albeit high quality) Honda mower. My motor also starts without issue after a cold winter on the first pull.

I think the electric starters are too gimmicky. If you have trouble pulling the cord, you might as well hire a lawn maintenance crew. It ain't that hard.

Go to your Home Despot or Lowes and a lawnmower shop and see what's out there. A lot of mowers share the same engines and blades -- the differences are in the construction, starters, wheels, etc.

eclipse23

Yeah but what is the average cost difference between the two. I'm not going to pay an extra $100 to get a phone call in 3 days and 5 minutes of training I could do by reading the manual.

Scrib

The local shop recommends the:

HRX Series
HRX217TDA
HRX217HXA

Of course, they're the ones Shawn and others are referring to. 599 for the TDA, $699 for the HXA. I guess the only difference is the HXA has a clutch in it, so when you let go of the handle, the blades stop spinning, but the mower keeps running.

Scrib

I'll have over 1/4 or so of an acre to mow. About 12,000 square feet. And it's a corner lot.

I figure it'll take me over an hour to do.

With all the rain we see during the spring months, grass grow fast here. And the fertilizer makes it awfully thick. So a shitty mower won't cut it. (No pun intended).

phil2

You deserve to cut your limbs off if you are too stupid to operate a lawnmower

Slimey

My only other thought -- for $700 that you're going to drop in the mower, I'd consider hiring somebody.

Rates vary a lot across the country -- in LA, no one mows their own lawn because a crew will come weekly for $50-100/month. Since I've moved to PA, I got quotes more like $300/month for a lawn half the size, so I do it myself.

Price around both mowers and service and see what the cost analysis yields.

Slimey

Damn 5 minute edit ----

...and since you're moving into a new neighborhood, you may want to scout out what the local kids want for the job. It may be quite cheap and it's a good way to be a friendly neighbor.

phil2

Nothing better than a stupid :thief:/

Scrib

Well, even if it's $15 per cut for a kid to do it, it'll need it two times a week, so that's $30.

Say from March to November as cutting time... That's 8 months... Roughtly 4 weeks to a month.

So that's about $960 annually to have a kid cut my grass. I'll buy a mower and get some exercise.

GreenMonster

You really can't go wrong with the honda. It might be a little more expensive then the others, but it'll probably be the last mower you'll ever buy (if properly maintained).

I've got about 17,000 sq to cut, so since I'm lazy, I got a used 1987?? craftsman rider for $100. It's on it's 3rd season w/ me.

Slimey

You need some growth retardant in that grass.

Bi-weekly? That's a lot of mowing.

Did you ever try mowing less? -- I've heard the more you mow, the more your grass grows, and the more you'll have to mow.


Maybe you should buy a goat or a cow. It might be even more cost effective and in the end you can use it for food!