Need a lawn mower recomendation
 

I have never met any of you but I value this brain trust more than most people I know. I need to buy a new mower and want to buy a self propelled as I am not getting any younger. I am look in the $300-$400 range what do you guys recommend? I have a standard suburban 1/4 acre lot with a slight slope to it.

Thanks

Bernie P

Don't get a John Deere. What a POS. The front wheel fell off, air filter clogs every other use, low HP, slow, etc.

Did I say it was a POS?

Snapper...maybe double the price, go for the snapper "commercial" walk behind with Honda power?

(edit) Mine is a 5 year old version of this one...still going strong. Avoid Briggs engine mowers...they're gutless. The Honda power is the way to go.

http://www.snapper.com/products/walk-behind-lawn-mower/hi-vac/cp2155hv-self-propelled-mower/CP2155HV/

+1 on Honda power

H**** no on a $1000 push mower.

I think you can get a Honda mower for about $450

Was yours a Home Depot sold version?

I have an LX176, and a 425. They both power through anything, and I can't tear them up, or wear them out. Easily serviceable too, 'cept the drive belt on the 176...That was kind of a pain to replace.

+1 on Snapper, my friend just bought 1 and loves it, it has a Kawasaki engine. He said he paid 700$ for it but it retails for 969$.... However you said in the 400$ range I would check out the Toro Recycler. It all depends on if ur bagging or not, if you are Snapper's patent pending deck design is best, if not toro mulcher is "supposed" to b really good for the price

I just purchased a Craftsman 21" cut, big rear wheel, with 675 Briggs Platinum motor, self propelled... $300. out the door with a 2yr warranty... That being said, I am not a fan of Sears or Craftsman products... but I did shop around for my price range and this was the best built unit I could find...

EVERYTHING made for the masses is junk right now... I was saddened when I went to Wally world, TSC and Sears.... everything had plastic wheels and all of the push/self propelled mowers I could find had the height adjusters as just a piece of flexible metal that you would bend and slide around to adjust the height of the wheels... also, I noticed that the decks are getting thinner and they are putting lips towards the inside/under side of the decks (this allows moist grass to collect and rot out the deck) I did not want a Craftsman mower... it just isn't as cool as saying I own a Husqvarna ( what I wanted till I checked 'em out) anyways, I ended up with the Craftsman (Don't know who made it for them) I found no lips that would hold material under the deck, The deck itself seems a hair thicker than the others.. and the height adjusters are actually spring loaded with handles... the only thing that I did not like about it at the time is that it did not have any kind of grip where you hold onto it at... but I have found this to be a non issue since I have used it...

My advice would be as some of the guys stated above go commercial if you can afford it... if not, and you have to go for a "masses" type mower.... go with the Craftsman... for the money I don't think you could go wrong compared to other mowers in the $300. price range... I did notice that they had the Honda mower in the $450. price range there...

Also, another idea that would seem to double your budget but might be another alternative is the weed eater one riding mower at Wal Mart... It was simple looking... small, and was $650....

Hope this helps some...

I got a nice mower at HD for 198.00 on sale for 150.00 works great, though its not self propelled
came with a bag and a side outlet will suck up leaves and grass with the bag attached its easy to use and quite disposable, had for 2 years going strong changed the oil 2 times and cleaned out the air filter once .
The wheels look like Turbo Twists they are silver so I got the Black deck, save your money

Why did I suggest the Snapper commercial despite it's high price?
Toughness! I mow with one about once a week, 1/2 acre of lawn...steel wheels, everything built for commercial lawn service work. One like this will outlast three of the under $400 mass market mowers.

But, your money, your call...

Toro personal pace. The best walk behind self propelled mower that I've ever had, and I have had a few over the years. Go try one. Perfect for your size lawn. I've had mine for about 5 years with NO problems.
Gary

Honda

I had a Honda 10 yrs ago, didn't like it cause it was under-powered .... have they fixed this?

I went green and got the battery mower from Home Depot and am really surprised how good it is, I would have gone gas, a honda no question about that but the noise and starting it freaks the wifey, she does the lawn 8 outa 10 times, so the battery was the way to go , some times we have to make these little sacrifices to keep the warden happy

I've had a 21" Snapper, self-propelled 2-stroke with which I've mowed 3/4A for 10 years. Gone through 3 blades. Can't kill the thing. Auto shut off inop., loud as heck, front wheel bearings are about to go. I need an excuse to get a rider/compact tractor so every time it starts (like clockwork so far) I'm bummed.

+1

Probably not as nice an engine as the Honda, but the Personal Pace handle is great. Push the whole handle forward to walk forward, pull it back to disengage the self propelled drive. Much better than 2 or 3 stupid safety levers you have to grab.

I am on year 8 with mine. 1/3 acre lot.

Had a Snapper before that, total piece of junk that the factory took back. Had numb hands from the frequency vibration it generated at mowing speed.

Stay away from mowers sold at Home Depot, Walmart, etc....

I've read articles about how the big box stores push manufacturers to lower prices, so they push the manuf of the products sold at those stores to different factories.

Snapper pulled out of Walmart because they didn't want to decrease their quality and therefore their reputation. My father had a John Deere that he bought from a JD dealer, he said that the JD mowers at Home Depot weren't remotely the same quality.

I will offer a contrary opinion. Buy an old used Lawn Boy 2-stroke.

They are easy to fix, and when you are done they run forever as long as you mix oil into the gas. I have two, one self-propelled, on a just regular push mower. They are totally reliable.

And the new lawn-mowers have so many safety do-dads that I will never buy one. I know enough to keep my hands and feet away from the blade thank-you.

Yep! Bought it at Lowes. My JD riding mower I bought at Lowes several years before was a POS too. Sold it as part of the house two years ago and bought the POS JD walk behind.

Should have learned my lesson the first time.

I had a toro personal pace I used for 9 years and my son has it for 2 years and it is still going strong. I think they are going to run more than the 300-400 range.

+1 on the Craftsman mower.

I have a Craftsman 22" mower, like this...

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1276393785.jpg

It drives off the back wheels and easily pulls up the slope on my yard. I always use the grass bag and it does a great job of picking the grass up. It works really well in the fall at picking up the leaves too, it's more like a lawn vac the amount of stuff it sucks up and crams in the bag. Like futuresoptions said, it has decent spring loaded height adjusters too. I don't like some of the cheesey steel strip handles you get on some of the mowers. Mine is the electric start version which is a hair over $300, but I think the non-electric start version is about there. I'm really happy with mine and would say it's well worth a look.

The cam gear in Honda motors intended for equipment like lawn mowers and pressure washers, are plastic. No thanks.

Toro's don't cut all that great when compared to snapper. Mine is an aluminum deck, 1985 model I think. I did like the earlier steel deck better.

I have a top of the line Honda Hydrostatic that has been perfect. I have owned it for 5 years and have done nothing but pull the rope and put gas in it. It lives outdoors and always starts on the first pull.

I had a Honda for 13 years. Not enough power, too slow, but surprised the plastic deck held up.

Tried a Husqvarna from Sears, POS. Lots of problems with the self-propelled drive. Sears took it back, and I tried a Craftsman. Same deal, self-propelled problems. I think Husqvarna won the bid to build the Craftsmans for Sears.

Took that back (Sears still has a great return policy) and got a Snapper. Now I am happy, great quality and performance.

+1 for Snapper.

My Son did a ton of research on it - came up with this: Troy-Bilt with a Honda Engine - Lowes has them for $300.


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1276401027.jpg


Hay, 11yr olds know everything! Just ask them!!!

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1276400950.jpg

My Cub Cadet has a Honda motor. Good motor. A few things I look for are 1) Rear wheel drive (helps with hills) 2) One lever height adjustment (the back yard is cut lower than the front) and 3) Easy removal and emptying the grass catcher.

It sounds like we're giving anectdotal info, so I'll pitch in.

Five years ago I bought a Lawn Boy self-propelled bagger for about $300 from Home Depot. I looked at the Hondas and just couldn't see why they were about $200 more.

I've never done any maintenance, only sharpened the blades and add gas. Starts first-pull, every time, even after sitting through the winter. Does a great job and that's what it's for.

If a POS like mine can last five years of mowing 1/3 acre once or twice a week, why buy a $1000 mower? Ego? Fear?

I just bought a Lawn Boy yesterday at HD, hope you are right. Paid $280 for it, self-propelled as well.

Modern mowers are like Compressors. The new are not built to last. All cheap junk unless you go commerical grade. I buy used, get the old stuff that was taken care of......Paid $150 for my used craftsman compressor in 1977. Have already purchased it's replacement, but the old one won't quit.......I don't know anyone that's gotten a new craftsman compressor to last a year.....

I have a 6.75 hp self propelled Craftsman.
I bought it about 10 years ago. Really nice.

I DO NOT maintain it properly, yet it keeps running.
I leave it stored out doors, in the open, rain or shine. I never changed the oil, filter or spark plug.
It always starts and runs wonderfully!

A month or so ago it blew the head gasket.
I called Sears and got a replacement gasket for $8, spent 15-20 minutes changing it out and I have already run it for several hours without a hitch.

Craftsman!


KT

I think I resent that remark....

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1276515878.jpg

Nice ride! You obviously didn't buy that Lowes...

I've heard and read that what's sold at Lowes and HD, is different than what is sold at a JD store. Not sure if it's ture, but the riding mower I bought 5 years ago was built with light weight parts, especially in the deck area. The riding mower conveyed with the house when I sold it 2 years ago. The self propelled JD had the wheel fall of the axle due to a bad weld a few weeks ago. There was no penetration. Had a shop weld it back on. It's a beotch to start as well, even after a new plug, air filter, etc.

LOl...yeah it's the beast., it can pull stumps. Now the big box store models are a little different but still JD not MTD as rumored. JD does build their own light lawn tractors at a plant in TN. They are not rebadged MTDs or Husqvarnas, but they are built to compete with them, and do suffer from some of the same design decisions. such as bushings in place of bearings,light duty transaxles, consumer grade engines. etc.

The beast is a 3 cyl Yanmar Diesel. Full hydaulics, Found it on ebay for $2200.. I added the hydros.



http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1276517830.jpg

+2

I am pretty sure there are two versions. The slightly more expensive one has an oil pump and that motor is supposed to last a lot longer.

use this one, my nephews, and get it done in no time!

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1276554984.jpg

I've had my Honda Harmony from HD for 9 years. It always starts on the first pull, even after been stored all winter. It has plenty of power, and does a good job mulching the grass.

We always had Toro's growing up, and they had the blade clutch/brake, that I never really trusted. I like that the Honda shuts off when you let go of the handle.

The plastic deck hasn't been a problem at all. I've changed the plug and air filter once, not because it needed it, but for piece of mind. I think I've drained and changed the oil just once as well.

I definitely can appreciate quality, and tend to learn towards buying that way, but my lawn isn't that big, and Honda has performed flawlessly.

Bill

Go to your local Snapper dealer. See what they have laying around that is used and they have gone through or what could be last year's model. I have gotten good mileage out of used Snappers for a fraction of the cost of a new one. I have a 33" Snapper rider with 17HP engine and rear bags and snow plow that we bought last spring for ~$400.00. It does a fine job, but is more than what you need...

One of the times Consumer Reports is right. Great mower for the $$. After my pop had his for a few years I followed his advice, for once. Affordable and no issues.

We tried every brand and price ranges.It quieter I can walk up to him when he was cutting and talk without shouting over the noise. Mower engines and need repair. I have an old Honda push mower.Still works great.I just use to stop now that I have a ride