I started cutting lawns in 4th grade and back then you had a throttle cable so you could rev the engine. I would always go full throttle and my dad would yell at me to slow down the engine. All part of my love for engines. Rev it up baby.
Back then the baggers were crap side shooters and the bag got full it would almost tip the mower over and the bag was a biyatch to empty with some stupid zipper.
maybe I got issues.....
Another vote for the Honda HRX217, probably best push mower I have ever used. The blade stop and "clip director" are awesome features.
Couple of (IMHO) caveats:
Pretty heavy mower, if you have to move it around much, especially into a pickup bed, it get tedious.
To me, it seems like a really long mower. Front of the mower to back of the handle seems like an afternoon stroll. I am always getting twisted up in corners and around obstacles. The length may also be part of what makes it seem so heavy, it really doesn't have any great lift points to put it into a pickup.
It bags well, and it mulches pretty well. There isn't a good discharge system if you like that route on occasion. You can leave the rear flap down with no bag, but it clogs, and makes a mess. Had that trouble over the past Summer on a rent house I was mowing every 2 weeks, to high to mulch, no good discharge option.
Those are nit picking, it's a great mower.
We were supposed to get two demos of these Husqvarna automowers at the garden I manage, but then the Corona Virus struck. Can’t wait for travel restrictions to clear so we can get them set up.
Very cool technology and will pay for themselves over time. All you have to do is edge.
Uncle David (Forum Supporter) said:I see a lot of love for Honda here. I'd like to offer a dissenting opinion.
I bought a Honda push mower (not self-propelled, so maybe I'm off topic and should shut up and go away) in 2016 or so, after my late 80's vintage box store mower was finally close enough to death that I decided to let it go. The Honda starts easily and runs flawlessly - Honda definitely knows how to make engines. But the entire rest of the mower is an enormous pile of "meh". I see absolutely no features that make the rest of the mower stand out from what I could get at Lowes Depot for half the price. I was especially annoyed by the front wheels, which, in order to not fall off, had to be so tight that the mower was really, really hard to push. When rolled across my garage floor, it would stop within 5 feet or so. Maybe the self-propelled feature covers this up entirely, but I'd call it a major design flaw. The rear wheels have ball bearings (a great idea!), so I bought two more of those and put them on the front and now the mower rolls like it should. It would have cost Honda an entire extra $4 (retail!) to put ball bearing wheels on the front.
And another thing. There's no oil drain plug. The engineer in me sees that as leak prevention, a cost savings, and an opportunity to remove one more part that a retail customer can screw up. But it's just cheap dammit. One has to tip the entire mower and drain the oil through the oil fill tube. Frankly, that works OK, but I Just. Don't. Like it.
Also, it doesn't cut wet, heavy grass as well as my old box store mower. It never stalls, but it loads up with grass until no more grass is discharged. The discharge area is a hole stamped in the side of the deck, so there is metal on the bottom side of the discharge. That adds strength and rigidity, but that's where the grass hangs up. Honda's solution to this issue is to instruct users to not cut wet, heavy grass. But I usually cut grass on Saturday mornings, because that suits my schedule, and the grass is frequently damp. Next time, I'm looking for a discharge that is unobstructed down to the ground.
Would not buy again. Insufficient value for the money.
I'll probably go electric next time, but the technology just wasn't where I needed it to be when I was shopping for this one.
Honda mowers do violate my low-complexity/engineering rule. Especially the hydrostat drive. Just more to fail.
Something about a bulletproof gas engine on a steel deck with a belt/gear drive just suits my simplicity cravings. When the deck rusts, that's about the time I find another freebie in a trash pile.
I don't think the wet grass problem is a Honda anomaly. Any time you cut wet grass it's going to get clogged up.
I have a Toro Timemaster 30" and it is the bees knees.
Great cut. Very fast with almost another 30% coverage over your standard 21" mower. Not significantly larger when parked in the garage. I can cut my whole yard in 15 minutes. Weed whack, leaf blow, edge, clean the sidewalks takes around an hour start to finish. Nicest feature is the safety just cuts off the blades and lets the engine run unstead of having to restart every time I want to move something or pick up trash.
If you are feeling saucy you can also get the Exmark version which is built a little more heavy duty.
Only thing I wouldnt recommend is the key start vs the pull start. Mine is the key start and its just not necessary.
In reply to M2Pilot :
Wife had on of those hondas for 10 years, one of the front wheels got tweaked but still works.
Edit: This is apparently a zombie thread.
I have one of these from Tractor Supply. A Cub Cadet SC500Z. I really like the castors on the front. No clue who the engine is made by, but it starts on the second pull every time and has for 10 years. I've changed the oil once and the blade once and other than that it leaves me alone and just does the job.
I don't care about the brand, I buy the cheapest on sale and use them for 10 years without so much as changing the oil. The decks seem to rot out around then. In my case this all equates to a max of 520 hours of use over the 10 years.
What matters the most to me is that it has to be front wheel drive. You can lift the front wheels to break traction and get into corners and back out or to make sharp turns, where as the rear drive models you have to use the lever like 10 gazillion times to mow the lawn. Guaranteed that the cable is going to break before the 10 year mark.
Toyman01 (Moderately Supportive Dude) said:Edit: This is apparently a zombie thread.
I have one of these from Tractor Supply. A Cub Cadet SC500Z. I really like the castors on the front. No clue who the engine is made by, but it starts on the second pull every time and has for 10 years. I've changed the oil once and the blade once and other than that it leaves me alone and just does the job.
Just was given one of these. Seems to be more of an industrial machine than my Husqvarna, but it has a lot slower speed.
Uncle David (Forum Supporter) said:
And another thing. There's no oil drain plug. The engineer in me sees that as leak prevention, a cost savings, and an opportunity to remove one more part that a retail customer can screw up. But it's just cheap dammit. One has to tip the entire mower and drain the oil through the oil fill tube. Frankly, that works OK, but I Just. Don't. Like it.
I have a toro like that. The manual states that I'm only supposed to add oil when it gets low and not ever drain and refill.. When this thing conks out, I'll buy electric or a robotic automower.
Having recently switched from a self propelled to a human propelled push mower, I have to ask, why self propelled? Heavier, slower, more parts to break. It was the self propelled that broke on mine, and it's hell trying to use without it.
Replaced it with the cheapest 21" craftsman they had at tractor supply. Takes me HALF the time to mow the push mower parts now, between the weight decrease and the gears not fighting me for the pace. Much much much easier getting it into the weirder parts of my yard that require carrying the mower up steps as well.
Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) said:Toyman01 (Moderately Supportive Dude) said:Edit: This is apparently a zombie thread.
I have one of these from Tractor Supply. A Cub Cadet SC500Z. I really like the castors on the front. No clue who the engine is made by, but it starts on the second pull every time and has for 10 years. I've changed the oil once and the blade once and other than that it leaves me alone and just does the job.
Just was given one of these. Seems to be more of an industrial machine than my Husqvarna, but it has a lot slower speed.
Since this zombie thread got awoken by a canoe, I'll update.
I sold the Club Cadet, kept the Husqvarna. Wife hated the CC bag design (she mows, I do all of the rest), and it was slow.
The Husqvarna is an HU775EX, rear wheel drive. It's been a tank. We enjoyed using a Honda that we gave away when we were living in rentals, but this gets it done. We've often considered buying another Honda mower, but that puts it in the wants versus needs category.
Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) said:Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) said:Toyman01 (Moderately Supportive Dude) said:Edit: This is apparently a zombie thread.
I have one of these from Tractor Supply. A Cub Cadet SC500Z. I really like the castors on the front. No clue who the engine is made by, but it starts on the second pull every time and has for 10 years. I've changed the oil once and the blade once and other than that it leaves me alone and just does the job.
Just was given one of these. Seems to be more of an industrial machine than my Husqvarna, but it has a lot slower speed.
Since this zombie thread got awoken by a canoe, I'll update.
I sold the Club Cadet, kept the Husqvarna. Wife hated the CC bag design (she mows, I do all of the rest), and it was slow.
The Husqvarna is an HU775EX, rear wheel drive. It's been a tank. We enjoyed using a Honda that we gave away when we were living in rentals, but this gets it done. We've often considered buying another Honda mower, but that puts it in the wants versus needs category.
We still have the Cub. Since we only bag the yard about twice a year the bagger isn't an issue. It still starts on the 1st or 2nd pull. I still do little to no maintenance to it.
In reply to Toyman01 + Sized and :
I don't doubt that the Cub is a far better machine than the one we kept. I didn't get to pick.
Retro grouch moment, I miss my 70s lawn boy 2 stroke self propelled. Always started on the first or second pull, wired the throttle to full open, since it was a 2 stroke who cared. Adjusting the drive was a 10 second job. Ran that sucker for almost 40 years until the compression was down to 75 PSI. My EGO electric is falling apart after 5 years and parts cost is through the roof.
ditch the the lawn altogether and go native landscaping. Self fertilizing, self mulching, and self pollinating can’t be beat.
Self-moved trimmers will save you investment. You can slice through thick grass with a self-impelled trimmer without using additional work on the grounds that the cutter precisely pushes ahead through testing regions in your yard. You can visit my website which is at the top guide elements to consider while purchasing a self-pushed grass cutter.
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