Lawn mower question

[jhelgesen]

I'm partial to the Husqvarna with the dual trigger control. You can get sears model (rebranded husqvarna) with the same controls. All the motors are similar, but you can get a Briggs or Honda.

[kaisen]

I like the Tecumseh of the late model Toros / Lawn Boys

[Gordo2]

Speaking as a Honda owner, looking for one of the old Lawn-Boy mowers - keep what you have and get it back up to par.

I'm looking for a relatively light weight, self propelled mower to hit my trim areas. While the Honda is nice, and self propelled, it weighs a ton. If you have a lot of turning, backing up and maneuvering to do with the mower - lighter weight is key, and you just can't beat the old 2 stroke Lawn-Boy's in this area.

BTW, the old commercial Lawn-Boy's (with the big red fuel tank) start around $125 for good reason - they last forever. Don't expect that from a newer mower.

Good luck, Gordo

[regency]

I'm a commercial landscape contractor and in the last 21 years, I've seen a lot of equipment, some good and some bad. The best 21's I've ever had were the Suzuki 2 stroke on a commercial Toro deck. Fast, light and super low maint. California took those away along time ago. Now I run nothing but Honda's on Toro Commercial decks. About 6 years ago, Briggs were on the Toro's and the price was about $200 less than the Hondoro's. I bought three that year and they were the worst three mowers I've ever had. All three engines were replaced under warranty and still, I ended up installing Honda engines on all three. I don't buy any equipment powered by Briggs anymore.

I still have my 22 year old Snapper Hi-Vac, I use it at my house and have replaced the original Honda engine with a new Honda engine. For heavy commercial use, the Toro's have a better transmission that the Snappers, IMHO.

Steve

73 911 T MFI Coupe, Aubergine

[911boost]

I have had my Honda for 10 years without a single problem.

[GH85Carrera]

I will work on the mower Wednesday evening and try to figure out what the problem really is. I don't think it is a mechanical engine problem. I suspect a piece of junk in the carb is my problem.

[rick-l]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

I will work on the mower Wednesday evening and try to figure out what the problem really is. I don't think it is a mechanical engine problem. I suspect a piece of junk in the carb is my problem.

Everything Lawn-Boy
Walk Behind Mowers - MyTractorForum.com - The Friendliest Tractor Forum and Best Place for Tractor Information

Get the model number off the plate so you can see what parts breakdown and service manual you need to download. (look in the sticky at the top).

[GH85Carrera]

Thanks for that link. It always helps to have a reference.

[Heel n Toe]

I got a Honda-powered Poulan about 3 years ago... it still runs great, but even before the ethanol advice given here, I had decided to feed it only ethanol-free gas since I found out it's available locally... Ethanol-free gas stations in the U.S. and Canada

[azasadny]

We love our Honda Recycler. It's a "mulcher" and I've never had to use the bag. My father, brother and sister all have the same mower and they are great! Mine is 4 years old and I've replaced the blade twice and the wheels once, which is normal wear and tear.

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by masraum

Snapper makes good mowers. The fact that they pulled out of Walmart's gotta be good.

The Man Who Said No to Wal-Mart | Fast Company

That was a good read. Thanks for posting the link.

[GH85Carrera]

For the one or two of you that might have wondered about my mower problem I found the solution.

I was convinced it was a carburetor problem. I had never touched the carb in the 19 years I have used the mower. I took it off, and there was a bit little fine sand in the bottom of the float bowl. I rebuilt the carb and put back on. The engine ran like crap. I figured maybe I had a brain fart last year a failed to mix in the Sta-Bil so maybe it was bad gas. I poured all that gas in my El Camino gas tank and bought fresh gas and added Sta-Bil. With fresh gas and a fresh rebuild on the carb it ran like crap.

Next on the list was a new spark plug. That was the magic. It runs like new again. A stupid five dollar spark plug. The old plug looked fine but it was NFG.

I figured it was time to get my yard equipment ready so I fired up my string trimmer, walk behind edger & the leaf blower. Everything came to life with no issues.

[regency]

Glad you figured it all out. NFG spark plugs are the best. If the spark plugs didn't work, I was going to suggest a BFH. Think I'm going to buy a set for my 911.

Steve

73 911 T MFI Coupe, Aubergine

[rnln]

We have several dead mower machines in the back yard. Currently, the only gas mower running is the Craftmans. I was going to let them go cheap because they are taking up so much space. Reading this thread, I came out to check on them and found that the two I was going to let go cheap are a Lawn-Boy and Briggs and Stratton. Wow, according to many people here, these are the good brands? Alright, I am going to keep at least the Lawn-Boy .
Thanks guys