ANOTHER lawnmower thread

Alright hivemind, I need a recommendation for a self-propelled gas lawnmower. I have a lawn that's about 1/4 acre, but a full third of that is a STEEP hill - probably close to a 10% grade.

Before anyone goes there: I'm too lazy to use a reel mower. BTDT. The grass will get too tall for me to cut with one. Electric is a neat idea, but I'm sick of shoving my non-self-propelled gas mower up the hill...electric ain't gonna fix that.

I've got a cheap gas pushmower right now. It was a hand-me-down from my grandfather when he passed. It's a 4.5 horse Briggs. It works. It never fails to start. But:

-It's LOUD. Like make-all-the-neighbors-go-inside loud. I thought maybe it needed a new muffler, but I put a new one on and it's just as loud.

-It doesn't really have the balls to cut the grass when it gets really tall. Part of our yard pools water if there's been any rain recently, and the grass gets tall and thick there.

-The discharge chute clogs up really fast. It gets old having to stop, poke it out, and start the mower again.

My budget is $350-$400. I would like something that will last as long as possible for my budget. I like the idea of AWD or at least RWD because apparently most FWD mowers have a hard time with steep grades. I want the flexibility of mulching, side discharge, or bagging. No strong feelings on high wheel vs. low wheel. I'd consider used if someone can give me a recommendation for a particular model or make and some points on what to look for. Here's the frontrunner right now: Poulan mower It's on sale for $350 right now.

I'm also considering a couple of different Husqvarnas at Lowes...I'd love to buy the $499 Husky with the Honda engine, but I don't know if my budget will stretch that far. Any input is appreciated.

All I will say is something with a Honda engine, whatever brand is on the mower. Stretch the budget if you have to.

a 4 stroke that uses an oil pump opposed to just splash lubrication

Got mine from a guy at work for $25 and has never failed me in the past five years. I can see if he has a self-propelled one sitting around and ask for a price. He rebuilds and resells.

spitfirebill wrote: All I will say is something with a Honda engine, whatever brand is on the mower. Stretch the budget if you have to.

+1. I paid $700 for a Honda self propelled mower in 1990. I still have it, it still works, and its never needed more than typical maintenance. Cheap mowers aren't cheap.

I bought my mom a Lawn boy with a 4 stroke motor a couple years ago. No priming needed, self propelled and even after all her abuse (she does not take care of it, will leave it sitting out half the winter etc) it still started up on the third pull when I just pulled it out of her shop. Oh and it gets used by her and at least one of her neighbors. It does good and refuses to die.

I have a Toro that i bought from our local independent outdoor shop. I works very well. I like the personal pace variable speed and rwd. I think it was around 3 bills.

People buy lawnmowers? I keep getting free ones that need the carb bowl cleaned out and a fresh spark plug.

I believe you could purchase several goats and still be under budget. Goats are good on hills.

I've never worn out a mower. I kill them because roots and other stuff migrate up and I hit them. I do like FWD self propelled mowers. Turning is easier.

I've had a couple of fwd mowers and a while back tried out a RWD Honda unit from Lowes. I hated it! After a month I took it back and exchanged it for a fwd Husky with a Briggs engine and it's been perfect ever since.

I think the Honda motor I got was bad though, it smoked. Nevertheless turning the RWD was tougher than just lifting the front wheels slightly the way you do with fwd. this was on some nasty hilly property too.

always go FWD, so when you add in the force of your pushing it makes it like a Haldex AWD system

My neighbor would borrow my $35 Craftsman once a year when her Honda inevitably broke.

Not saying "Craftsman rules, Honda sucks."

I'm saying you can't go wrong with a sub-$100 initial investment. Small engine repair guys always have used stuff for sale.

Betty brings her Lawnboy in for repair. Repair guy quotes her $100. Betty says "berkeley it. I'm buyin one o' them Hondas everyone says to get."

Repair guy gives her $0-$50 for it, replaces a $0-$10 part, sells it for $100-$150.

Anyway, I refuse to buy that stuff new. Roll the dice and keep a couple hundred bucks in your pocket.

Also: My yard is steep as berkeley too. I prefer RWD. The only time I need the propulsion is going uphill or side to side; uphill, it's naturally putting the power down to the rear wheels. Side to side, it's easier to "drift" it than have the front wheels "drag" it. My $.02 YMMV.

mazdeuce wrote: I've never worn out a mower. I kill them because roots and other stuff migrate up and I hit them. I do like FWD self propelled mowers. Turning is easier.

That's what happened to mine last year as well I was using it to mulch leaves on the property behind mine that no one takes care of until I finally do it and hit a nice stump and that was the end of that one

I've got one like this. RWD self propelled. It's going on 3 years old. Never fails to start and my 11yo could cut the yard with it when he was 8.

Tractor Supply used to carry them.

I am on the Honda bandwagon. For my yard, the RWD works better than FWD. I did look at the Husquavarna 4WD with Honda before I bought, but the reviews were not great.

My old Honda that I replaced (a 1988 model) ended up having the recoil starter spring break. Before that, I had to fix the clutch cable a couple times and obv oil, plug, filter and blade sharpening.

I looked seriously at the Gravely, but the dealer here was backordered. IIRC they use the Subaru engine.

In an ideal world you'd find a Honda with the plastic body and the front casters on ebay. I couldn't find one.

Also: FWIW: The local small engine repair dude buys & keeps & swears by any and all pre-chinese-made Briggs & Stratton and Tecumseh stuff.

I'm not an expert, but I'm guessing anything you'd buy new at HD or Lowes is made in China, FWIW.

Old enough to have an adjustable high speed jet is usually my metric for "good" outside of Honda.

With regards to your old machine:

Loud is the fault of the small and cheap mufflers that typically came with the older machines of long ago. Use a larger more expensive muffler and it will be far quieter. A little creativity may be needed in order to fit one. At the worse, a section of pipe and perhaps an elbow.

4.5 HP B&S stalling in tall grass is more indicative of a dull blade than a weak engine. Sharpen or replace the blade. In fact with the improvements in modern blades, I'd simply suggest replacing it, with one of the more expensive hardened blades. They go for a long time and cut very well.

Discharge chute blockage can be improved with a better blade as well. More slicing results in smaller bits that tend to fling out better. If there is a drop down chute cover, make sure it lifts easily so the grass can come out freely. You may want to rig a catch to hold the chute cover completely up when in really thick reas. Also clean and smooth the deck and chute area so grass doesn't stick and mat.

foxtrapper wrote: With regards to your old machine: Loud is the fault of the small and cheap mufflers that typically came with the older machines of long ago. Use a larger more expensive muffler and it will be far quieter. A little creativity may be needed in order to fit one. At the worse, a section of pipe and perhaps an elbow. 4.5 HP B&S stalling in tall grass is more indicative of a dull blade than a weak engine. Sharpen or replace the blade. In fact with the improvements in modern blades, I'd simply suggest replacing it, with one of the more expensive hardened blades. They go for a long time and cut very well. Discharge chute blockage can be improved with a better blade as well. More slicing results in smaller bits that tend to fling out better. If there is a drop down chute cover, make sure it lifts easily so the grass can come out freely. You may want to rig a catch to hold the chute cover completely up when in really thick reas. Also clean and smooth the deck and chute area so grass doesn't stick and mat.

A turbocharger will also solve both problems.

Make sure you do a build thread.

I've never worn out a push mower, except the time the deck rusted out. I usually donate mine to someone who needs one and buy another. Craftsman or yard sale is my go to. My current yard is landscaped so I don't need a push mower which is a blessing after the last one.

We have a 20 year old Toro. Would buy again

1. Buy a muffler.

2. You said electric is out, but I had good luck with a 15hp GE Elec-Trak. Got rid of it when I thought the batteries were going. The local GE R&D center had its chemical building sunk into the ground, if something bad happened they could just push dirt on top of the building. The low CG of the Elec-Trak made mowing possible.

3. (but noisy) There was a 45 degree angled hill at work that was very difficult to mow. One clever summer hire used a Flymo with a rope tied to the handlebars; he walked across the op of the hill with the mower on a rope. Get to the end, lower it down 24 inches and repeat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-jU3TQ8Jp0

In reply to Toyman01:

This!

Best. Idea. Ever.

I have always done free/cheap mowers and always had tons of success. Bravenrace said cheap mowers aren't cheap, but I disagree. They are such simple things. I had a Poulan with a B&S 6hp that I got for free out of a dumpster. It took no parts to make it run, just dumped the water out of the bowl. I ran it like that for 5 years, then it needed a $1.29 spark plug. I gave it to my neighbor when I moved and its still running 5 years later. Heck, I had two mowers before the divorce that I got for free and I would have given them to you except I sold them to a buddy for $10.

I worked in small engine repair for years. Honda does make one heck of an engine, but their axle drives are not the greatest. The gear units are weak, and some of the really nice ones have an actual, fluid-filled, pump-driven hydro unit. They cost $360 to replace and have no servicable parts... and I saw my fair share in the shop.

Contrast that with something simple like a Toro or Lawn boy (same thing) and its a belt, a spring, and a gearbox.

I will also strongly recommend NOT getting a new one. You will wish you had instead jammed a red hot poker in your hootus. I don't care how much stabilizer you use, the carb is full of brass. Ethanol will get crusty in there and it will absorb water. Older small engine carbs will run on nearly anything, including 10-year-old nasty gas. New EPA-regged lean carbs will likely give you fits every single spring and three times during the summer. I fought with them day in and day out for years.

Also take a look at the deck. Compare a new steel deck with an old one. Some of the mowers I worked on were starting to rust through after two years, or someone stepped on it and they wonder why all four wheels don't touch the ground anymore.

If you want a good mower, either get the $700 honda with the plastic deck, or buy a $10 whatever from 1985. Both will do equally well, both will last a lifetime, and parts are dirt cheap. The only real difference is, well, $690.