What is the best mower for a homeowner??

[Pete E. Kruzer]

A self propelled, mulching/bagging/throwing clippings. I have a seven year old Toro, it's OK, but it doesn't handle thick grass too well. The underside of the deck cakes very easily. Any recommendations?

[Charles]

For me, small lawn and aversion to small engines that don't start, the Black and Decker battery mower is the best I've had so far. I also am pleased with the service I've had from B&D.

[Phisherman]

Clean the underside, dry, spray with non-stick cooking oil. If your grass is too tall you will need to use the side shoot, then plan to mow sooner next time. No more than 1/3 of the grass blade should be removed at any mowing. Walk across your lawn before mowing to pick up sticks and other objects. If your shoes get wet, wait awhile to mow dry grass only. Wet grass will certainly cake up on most mowers and cause them to bog down. Toro is a good brand.

[Frank]

I had an old front wheel drive Toro that kept breaking down. Bought a rear wheel drive Lawnboy which I like better but grass caking is still a problem. My son was borrowing it when he first moved in his house and now he has a Honda, which he says beats Lawnboy hands down.

I believe Toro and Lawnboy are now the same company which I assume will combine the worse of both names in new mowers in order to save money ;)

[The moderator]

Remove the safety guard from the discharge shoot. This will reduce caking and blow the clippings in a even pattern across the lawn. Always mow with the discharge shoot pointing at the mown lawn, not the un-mown lawn.

[brooklyn1]

I had an old front wheel drive Toro that kept breaking down. Bought a rear wheel drive Lawnboy which I like better but grass caking is still a problem. My son was borrowing it when he first moved in his house and now he has a Honda, which he says beats Lawnboy hands down.

I believe Toro and Lawnboy are now the same company which I assume will combine the worse of both names in new mowers in order to save money ;)

===========

No mystery, all rotary blade mowers clog when mowing overly tall and/or wet grass. Always wait for grass to dry, and if too tall raise the deck for the first pass, then make a second lower pass. Mowing has nothing whatsoever to do with mower brand (if red is your favorite color buy Toro, if green buy a Lawnboy, etc.), it's all about common sense.

[Frank]

I'm sure you're right and I don't know how son's Honda fares on wet grass. In my experience, grass should be absolutely dry before cutting but often this is not possible or convenient.

My preference is still for rear wheel drive.

[brooklyn1]

No mower does well with wet grass. Honda makes a quality machine but it wont mow better than any other brand with wet grass. Mostly what one pays a higher price for is longiviety of the machine, the power of it's motor, and quality/availability of service.

I wouldn't buy any self propelled push mower... if the area is so large that it needs to be power propelled I'd opt for a riding mower. None of the self propelled mechanisms last very long, they arre continuously troublesome, they rob too much cutting power, and they make the mower cumbersome and heavy. If I have to run a mower over so much area that I think I need self propelled then I'd rather ride than walk.

[Dave]

I just bought a new Honda with a neoprene deck housing, self propelled and key start. If I want to mulch I don't have to fool around with attaching a plate, I just move a lever and I can partially mulch of fully mulch. It also has 2 blades and chops the grass real fine. It costs me $700. So, I feel it ought to last me for quite a few years. I had a Lawn Boy 2 cycle mower and was looking for another 2 cycle, but they don't make them any more. The environmentalists wackos petitioned the government saying that they pollute the air. It'll be a matter of time before 2 cycle trimmers will be a thing of the past too. I highly recommend Honda mowers and snow blowers.

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[zxcvbob]

Tall wet grass cuts best with a Weed-Eater with a metal blade. After it dries, you can cut it with the mower.

Don't try to mulch or bag overgrown wet grass. You can do that later when it's under control. Use the side discharge chute.

Does anyone here use a scythe to cut their lawn? I've been looking into it, but not sure if I could keep it sharp enough for fine-textured grass.

Bob

[Frank]

Might agree. I have 0.8 acre lot but heavily terraced. I would not risk taking a riding mower between sloped levels. There is also general planting. Neighbor lended me his rider with cart once to give me some chipped mulch and it was very difficult to maneuver on my lot. Takes me an hour and a half to cut grass but it takes him longer on rider on same sized lot. A zero turn mower might work better but that's starting to get into big bucks.

My Lawnboy's about 10 years old but still starts on the first pull.

[Phisherman]

A self-propelled rear-drive mower is ideal for my 1/2 acre lot. Some areas are steep where a riding is not practical. My Lawnboy lasted

6 years., the Honda (most expensive) lasted 3 years, and my Toro has been going strong for 7 years. I can mow 1/2 acre in about 90 minutes.

[brooklyn1]

With the terrain you describe all you need is an ordinary push mower... and if you're living on that lot your house, driveway, walkways. bedded plants, any shed/outbulding, etc. takes up substantial area... you probably have at the most like .4 of an acre of actual grass to mow... with it "heavily terraced" as you say any kind of self propelled machine would be a hindrance... having to move from one level to another and navagate all kinds of convoluted areas you want the lightest weight narrowest mower you can find. Lawnboy used to make an 18" magnesium deck push mower, no one does anymore. I must have seached for a year for one... all I could find were junked ones and no parts available. I think the last 18" push mower made was a Murray.