Need opinions on self propelled mowers

[cbrick]

I hate the idea of going to Japan for something as simple as small engines but I have to admit Honda has small engines down pat, just tough to beat. I've been hearing all sorts of not so good things about Briggs & Stratton motors over the last few years. I've been watching the local want ads last year and this year for a used riding mower and almost across the board the only ones being sold are Craftsman and with Briggs motors. Makes ya wonder why people are only selling Craftsman mowers and none of the other brands are being sold used.

Rick

[osteodoc08]

I hate the idea of going to Japan for something as simple as small engines but I have to admit Honda has small engines down pat, just tough to beat. I've been hearing all sorts of not so good things about Briggs & Stratton motors over the last few years. I've been watching the local want ads last year and this year for a used riding mower and almost across the board the only ones being sold are Craftsman and with Briggs motors. Makes ya wonder why people are only selling Craftsman mowers and none of the other brands are being sold used.

Rick

I've got a Cub Cadet LT1045 I bought new in 2007 or 2008. It has a Kohler 20hp on it. It starts easily even after left all winter. Even last weekend, I fired it up for the first time. Started up and ran beautifully. I've been using synthetic in it after the initial 25 hr break in. The mower deck is vibrating badly and probably need new spindles. I've abused this thing and it keeps on working. I'm very happy with it. Now that I think of it, I've never had a B&S motor. It's always been Tecumseh, Kohler, Kawasaki or Honda.

[oldred]

The mower deck is vibrating badly and probably need new spindles.

Could be or it could also have an out-of-balance blade due to damage or improper sharpening. Since retirement I run a small machine shop part time for the purpose of maintaining farm equipment for the locals and during the Spring/Summer I do a heck of a lot of mower repair and I honestly believe that improper blade maintenance is by far the NUMBER ONE cause of mower failure! I see destroyed spindle (quill) bearings, cracked decks and serious engine problems all due to out-of balance blades. Folks don't seem to think a thing about sharpening a blade and never giving the balance a second thought but balancing that blade is critical to a mower's life and I wouldn't even think of sharpening one without balancing it afterward. Another problem that's closely related is trying to use blades past their service life, 90% of the cutting is done with the tip thus the tip wears MUCH faster and tends to wear off rounded at the corner. Sharpening the edge and leaving this tip rounded is death to spindle bearings and decks but it's hard to convince people that it's cheaper in the long run to replace badly worn blades, the entire edge needs to be cut back enough so that it's straight all the way to the tip but with badly worn blades this means sometimes too much of the blade needs to be removed.


Not a season goes by that someone brings his/her mower to have bearings replaced or the deck welded and it's often the same story, complaining about everything being cheaply made and not meant to last but when I point at that wobbling blade and ask if they have balanced it all I get is a blank stare! A blade balancer only costs about five dollars and just takes a few extra minutes but it can save a person hundreds and prevent a lot of aggravation and downtime.

[osteodoc08]

Could be or it could also have an out-of-balance blade due to damage or improper sharpening. Since retirement I run a small machine shop part time for the purpose of maintaining farm equipment for the locals and during the Spring/Summer I do a heck of a lot of mower repair and I honestly believe that improper blade maintenance is by far the NUMBER ONE cause of mower failure! I see destroyed spindle (quill) bearings, cracked decks and serious engine problems all due to out-of balance blades. Folks don't seem to think a thing about sharpening a blade and never giving the balance a second thought but balancing that blade is critical to a mower's life and I wouldn't even think of sharpening one without balancing it afterward. Another problem that's closely related is trying to use blades past their service life, 90% of the cutting is done with the tip thus the tip wears MUCH faster and tends to wear off rounded at the corner. Sharpening the edge and leaving this tip rounded is death to spindle bearings and decks but it's hard to convince people that it's cheaper in the long run to replace badly worn blades, the entire edge needs to be cut back enough so that it's straight all the way to the tip but with badly worn blades this means sometimes too much of the blade needs to be removed.


Not a season goes by that someone brings his/her mower to have bearings replaced or the deck welded and it's often the same story, complaining about everything being cheaply made and not meant to last but when I point at that wobbling blade and ask if they have balanced it all I get is a blank stare! A blade balancer only costs about five dollars and just takes a few extra minutes but it can save a person hundreds and prevent a lot of aggravation and downtime.

Thanks for the advice. I put on a new belt and took off the blades to isolate the deck. Made sure all the spindles and pullies were tight and still no dice. I just replaced them last year. Doesn't take long, but just irritating. The PTO is fine too and that and the engine him along nicely if PTO engaged and no belt.

[Reaper]

+1 on osteodoc's post. I've had my Honda mower for 5 years with no complaints. Mine usually starts on the first pull though. Knock on wood.

[dbosman]

My FIL bought a Honda mower some where North of 30 years ago. He used it for a couple of years. Then it sat unused for over a decade. First pull of the starter and it worked just fine and has continued to work just fine. I use Stabil in the gas and change the oil.

[dbosman]

It's not a ditch. It's part of a rain garden. Plant a wide variety of native flowers and leave it to grow and bloom.
Seriously, it takes about three years for the flowers to thrive, but after that you'll have a patch of prairie to be admired. No more ditch mowing and you'll be providing native cover for wildlife.

I have a riding mower but I need a walk behind for my ditch. I bought the Husqvarna self propelled and I am happy ( and I use the term loosely as I don't like mowing) with it.

[wgr]

Anything that can't be cut with a riding mower or planted in flower beds gets sprayed with roundup. Arthritis.

+1 on that

[winelover]

Self propelled is the only way to go, IMO. I owned only two mowers since 1986. First was a Toro with their 2 cycle GTS Engine. I got over twenty years of rough service out of that mower. I even used it to keep open trails on my deer hunting lease and mow a 300 yard shooting lane. I purchased that mower just about when the 4 cycles were becoming popular. I asked the dealer why they still offered the 2 cycles. His response was that the commercial cutters preferred them, especially when cutting on slopes or hillsides. Seems that the "oil splash" system, used on the 4 cycles, wasn't conducive to long engine life.

I bought a Honda with a Hydrostatic Transmission, Cast Aluminum Deck and rubber tires, when I got tired of taking the Toro over to my Dad's house to mow his lawn. I purchased this from the same dealer, I bought the Toro from. The Home Improvement stores were selling Honda, but they were the ones with Cast Resin decks, synthetic tires and transmissions with set speeds. Even though this dealer sold both brands, I went with his recommendation on the Honda.

Eventually, the Toro got to the point where parts weren't available and I just left it with the dealer to cannibalize. The Honda, I took with me to Arkansas, where I swore I was through with lawn maintenance. That almost worked until we got Bella, our Boxer. Now, I cut the shoulder of our gravel drive so she doesn't have to walk in the tall grass, reducing the source of tick infestations.

The Honda is over 10 years old but still starts on the first pull. All I ever do is run the fuel out at the end of the cutting season, change the oil yearly and clean the air filter. Plugs, every other.

Winelover

[Epd230]

I have had a Toro self propelled with the personal pace system. I love it.

I am on a 1/4 acre lot on the side of a hill. The gear box has shown wear for about the last three years, but It is still working.

I would not hesitate to buy it again.

[bobthenailer]

I have a SP Lawnboy gold series been using it to cut my 3 lots thats on a down grade starting from the front street , been using it for 22 years with no problems just regular upkeep, except ign modules im currently on my 3ed replacement, i bought the last one through NAPA , there about 1/2 the cost of the ones i bought at the Lawnboy dealer, i did get the first one under warrenty

[FISH4BUGS]

That Honda one is a beast. A friend bought one last year. Pretty sure you can ride it if you wanted to. But it's really heavy for a push mower. I'm still partial to the Toro self pace system. Any one where you just select a gear is not intuitive when using it.

My Toro Self Pace is new....and frankly I don't feel a lot of help from it. I like the mulching part, and keep all the trimmings for compost....but I sure as heck don't feel the love from the 'self propelled" part......sometimes I wonder if it even is working.......

[garym1a2]

Being I am in Florida where the grass grows most of the year I use a push mower. I find most self propel mowers too slow and the mulchers won't cut enough during the summer. I just find a push mower (Briggs type) with big wheels and lots of HP. Last one lasted 8 years, this one is on year 4. I mow about 90 minutes a week with it.

[DHurtig]

A word of advice about Honda mowers. When you check the oil, don't just pull the dipstick and look before you start. Pull the dipstick, wipe it off, put it back in, pull it in again and look. Many Honda mowers have a raised grid on the plastic dipstick that holds oil even though the oil level is below the dipstick. It will look like there is oil in there when there isn't. Don't ask me how I know.

[Dave C.]

Be sure to get a rear wheel drive mower.

Dave C.

[oldred]

A word of advice about Honda mowers. When you check the oil, don't just pull the dipstick and look before you start. Pull the dipstick, wipe it off, put it back in, pull it in again and look. Many Honda mowers have a raised grid on the plastic dipstick that holds oil even though the oil level is below the dipstick. It will look like there is oil in there when there isn't. Don't ask me how I know.

You got that right!!!! I completely forgot that one but I have seen it too and would have mentioned it myself if I had remembered it, your post just might very well have saved someone an engine!

[osteodoc08]

You got that right!!!! I completely forgot that one but I have seen it too and would have mentioned it myself if I had remembered it, your post just might very well have saved someone an engine!

Good point.

Dont screw it back in when checking it. Unscrew, Pull it, wipe it, insert to where the threads on the dip stick kiss the oil fill hole threads and read it. DONT TIGHTEN DOWN AND THEN CHECK OR IT WILL READ FALSLY HIGH.

[Elkins45]

I have a SP Lawnboy gold series been using it to cut my 3 lots thats on a down grade starting from the front street , been using it for 22 years with no problems just regular upkeep, except ign modules im currently on my 3ed replacement, i bought the last one through NAPA , there about 1/2 the cost of the ones i bought at the Lawnboy dealer, i did get the first one under warrenty

The Lawn Boy 6.5 HP Gold Series self-propelled is the best walk behind mower in the history of civilization. The fact that the EPA forced the end of the 2 cycle mower is enough to make me hate them forever.

If you can find a two stroke Lawn Boy on Craigslist then grab it and never look back. I bought a used one just so I can have a spare if mine ever goes. If you need to mow on a slope it will outlive 3-4 splash lubricated 4 stroke engines because they seize from oil starvation.

[cbrick]

I put an end to my lawn mower drama. I was going to get the Husqvarna 53 inch cut riding mower with the Kohler engine. A bit more mower than I needed but it had the features including the engine I wanted. Then I also needed a push mower for areas the riding mower wasn't practical. I've been paying a yard service $40 to mow twice a month and when I figured I could pay him for over 6 years to make up for the cost of the riding mower plus I don't have maintenance, fuel or have to mow an acre I decided to keep the yard service.

I went looking yesterday for push mowers and based on recommendations in this thread I looked for some specific features, rear wheel drive for example. I bought a Snapper with large rear wheels, one lever height adjustment rather than height adjustment on each wheel. It has adjustable speed from barely moving to faster than I want to walk behind it. It has a Briggs engine I wasn't real happy about but with a 2 year bumper to bumper warranty I bit the boolit and bought it. Tried it out yesterday afternoon and the rear wheel drive did an impressive job on uphill slopes. Time will tell.

Now I need to keep paying the yard service, mow smaller areas myself, weed whack all the rest, maybe winter ain't so bad after all.

Rick

[Wadestep]

I live in sw Florida and have a sarlo self propelled mower powered by a Briggs engine. It is now 19 years old and going strong. The only thing is it won't idle anymore, but it has never broke in 19 years of continuous use. I brought it in once about 2 years ago just for the fun of it. Figured a 17 year old spark plug should be changed out. Just don't feed them ethanol gas.