Lawnmower buying time

OK guys, what do you think the best push mower is these days? My John Deere has given up after about 15+ years. The Kawasaki engine was great until today. Bad knock (started that last year) and it stopped. I'm not sure if it is worth rebuilding.

The new JD mowers use B & S engines and, IMO, they are just not all that durable. Any opinions?

I had a Cub Cadet years ago and it was crap after 3 years, a Craftsman after

4 years. Both were a long time ago.

How about self propelled reliability? It was subject to breaking in the past, but may be more durable today.

I'm also thinking Honda. Never had one but they seem to have a good reputation.

Reply to
Giganews
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Hi, JD with Kawasaki engine is good one. I still have it and after 14 years it still works like new. Only thing I did was replace spark plug once, oil change couple times, and sharpen the blades when needed.

Honda mower is pretty good as well.

Reply to
Tony Hwang

They should. The price tag is a little over $400 for cheapest model. OTOH, Consumer Reports rated Honda ahead of all others by a wide margin. Some other brands, like Husqvarna and Toro, are using Honda motors. They ain't cheap, either.

nb

Reply to
notbob

Seems like there are two major categories. The $150 to $200 and the $400 to $600. If I go the cheap route, I'm sure it will be junk in three to four years. The others I have some hope for longer life.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

"Tony Hwang" wrote

If they still made them with the Kawasaki, I'd buy another. They show B&S on them now.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

My across-the-street neighbor had a John Deere last year, it was a piece of junk and she returned it after having a lot of things go wrong right at the beginning so the store took it back.

Reply to
hrhofmann

I've had two JD rear drive rear baggers. I'm not sure what engine. One I bought around late 90's and the other about 3 years later because I'm stupid and didn't learn from the first one. One of them was model JX75 or something similar.

I bent the crank severely on the first one when I hit a small stump hidden in grass. Quotes to rebuild or replace the engine were about the same....75% of cost of whole new mower. The crank was bent and bottom bearings were toast. One shop said they might be able to straighten the crank, but couldn't be sure it would work and wanted

50% of cost of whole new mower to try. Since it was busy season in the shop, any repair was going to take 3-4 weeks during which times I'd have to borrow or rent another mower...so I just bought another one.

Stupid, stupid, stupid. The self propelled transmission crapped out about 1 month out of warranty. I bent the crank on this one too, when it barely scalped a high root. This time it was bent just a little and I've just lived with the vibration since I only use it for trimming as I now have a tractor. I've had much cheaper mowers that would not have even slowed down when hitting that root, let alone bending the crank.

I suspect the issue is the style of blade clutch JD uses. It moves the blade several inches farther away from the engine bearing than it would be without the clutch, and this gives a lot more leverage when the blade tip hits something.

I've concluded the JD's are overpriced , unreliable, and expensive to fix.

I'd try the Honda if I were you. Or go the cheapie route and figure on replacing it every 4 years or so.

Frankly, the cheapies are often a lot lighter and easier to maneuver.....

Paul F.

Reply to
Paul Franklin

My Honda is only beginning its fourth season but it starts first time every time with just a gentle pull of the cord. The only thing I've had to do to it was blow out the air filter and change the oil.

Reply to
krw

I used to go the cheapie route. They were always a pain in the neck and got worse from there. I bought the Honda when we moved here; what a difference!

I haven't found that to be the case. The Honda is really easy to maneuver around. I always hated mowing the lawn with my last Crapsman. This thing makes mowing a much thicker (Zoyzia vs. Creeping Red Fescue) lawn a piece of cake.

Reply to
krw

-snip-

My neighbor [who works on lawnmowers and small engines] sold me a used Honda for $150 7 years ago. It was probably a few years old when I got it. Someone traded it in- he tuned it up.

I change the plug & oil every year and clean the air filter. It doesn't know what the inside of a garage looks like. I throw a piece of tin over it for the winter. It takes 2 pulls to start in the spring. After that- 1 will do it. It has a completely different sound than any other mower I've walked behind. More like a sewing machine than a mower.

Don't know if they're built like this still-- But I'd give $150 for a

10yr old one if I needed a mower.

Jim

Reply to
Jim Elbrecht

The other day I started my 1985 lawnboy again, It been maintenance free but I dont think they make the 2 strokes anymore. HD has Honda, one for 350 non power drive I think, one for 389 online, I think thats the best buy you can get, for another location I bought a Toro a few years ago, its been fine except it clogs way to easy on damp grass and I think ive always heard a bearing knock when I dont use 30w, it says I can use multi grade but I should not hear bad bearings on a new machine, if that is what I am hearing, im not sure. Honda at CR magazine is top rated.

Reply to
ransley

I agree about the lawnboy 2 strokes. My old one, 19 years, is still out at our lake house. I had to fix the self propel transmission, no parts needed, I just flipped over a bit that was broken on one side. And replace the muffler. It's that version where the muffler/ expansion chamber is under the deck. They just eventually rust out. I think I might have put a carb kit in it once. It still starts right up. The deck is starting to be pretty shabby but hasn't fallen apart yet.

My newer one at our main house is 8 years old now. I have not done anything to it but it is and always has been finicky about starting. Usually takes 4 or 5 pulls. They moved the muffler above the deck.

Long ago I had one of their really old ones. Back when they made them with cast aluminum decks. That one was perfect. Indistructable deck and maintenance free 2 stroke.

I'll miss the two stroke mowers. I mix one 2 1/2 gallon can of oil and gas and use it in everything, mower, trimmer, edger, chainsaw, and blower.

Reply to
jamesgangnc

A lot of ppl still haven't experienced a Honda. Actually, an amazing company. I've been involved with them since my high school days, when they were flooding our country (US) with cheaply priced motorcycles. I've owned a couple of their motorcycles and one car. I was also a motorcycle mechanic at one time and have worked on a lot of brands, including Honda.

The car completely turned me around. Till then, I was a died in the wool Mopar man and totally disgusted with the Japanese quality myth. By that time, I'd already amassed a garage full of dead Japanese stereo and photo equipment that had barely made it to the end of warranty before expiring. My '87 Honda Civic Hatchback was different. Best car I ever owned.

I bought it with 120K on the odometer and proceded to commute 70-90 miles per day for the next several yrs. It was the Sport Injected model (Si) and a total joy to drive. Got 36 mpg, would smoked any of the old Brit roadsters I'd once owned on a road coarse, and reliable as a brick. I finally sold it with 255K on an engine that still purred and got 34 mpg. I replaced one starter, one muffler, one set alt brushes, 2 velo joints and one tranny ($160!). It was 19 yrs old.

I've since had a lot of experience with Hondas. A very close friend lived off one of their self starting generators for 6 yrs. It provided all power and ran flawlesly the entire time. In CA, Hondas are worth their weight in gold. Last longer than Mercedes and Beemers, and are worth more at resale.

There are very few things in this world I will trust, hands down, sight unseen. A Honda is one. Buy one and see why.

nb

Reply to
notbob

I found a guy that had a bunch of them as he repaired them and got a new deck about 10 years ago, mine is push so I have little to break. Its a great little motor, it is a commercial grade boat motor. Second pull and it going on maybe 26 years. on 4 strokes i get about 10-12 years.

Reply to
ransley

My self propelled Honda is going into it's third season.

Easy to start but needs a couple of pulls.

Mulching cut is perfect and mower does not clog even when grass is wet.

I'm not real crazy about variable drive and having to use thumbs but I'm more used to it after these few seasons but my right thumb is still recovering from a winter sprain caused by a fall on ice.

Oil is easy to change and air filter is easy to clean. There is a fuel shut off valve so you can over winter with gas in the tank but run the carburetor dry. This is Japanese quality where they continue to make things better instead of cheaper as done in the US.

Over the years, the first Japanese stuff into the US after the war was crap but continued to get better and now are the highest quality. I switched to their cars in the late 80's.

Reply to
Frank

Add another vote for Honda. I bought one way back around 1980. I have worn the rubber off the drive wheels twice (and it is getting ready for the third set), replaced a clutch cable once, one new plug and fuel filter. Change oil 1x year. I used it for mowing a very large place, 2 acres some years.

Starting? Same here, 1 pull every time still except for the first start in the spring.

I bought a new Honda about 15 years ago figuring the old one was about worn out. It still sets in the the shed only having been used a few times for trial.

One complaint I have is the gearing on the mechanical gear boxes. 1st is too slow, high is a bit fast. The one in the shed is 3 speed. I don't know what high gear would be used for, I can barely keep up with it walking fast.

I also have the Honda rototiller.

They are 'spendy' but worth it.

Harry K

Reply to
Harry K

I have a 15 year old self-propelled, walk behind Snapper in the shed that still starts on the first or second pull. I don't remember the last time it was tuned up. I hit a stump with it during about year 5 or 6 and had to have the crank straightened and new seals installed. I figured it was a short-timer then, but it keeps running just fine; and still looks pretty good. We sold my in-law's Snapper rider in the estate sale about five years ago, and that machine was our inspiration to buy the walk behind. My wife and I have been married for 44 years and it seems like it was was used by them or by the family during much of that time.

Obviously, I don't have much of a problem with Briggs. We owned Toro riders and push machines before the Snapper. Pretty good machines until you start replacing parts - then VERY expensive to own. A carburetor for the Toro/Honda costs about 2-3 times a Briggs unit. Ditto other parts.

Like others have mentioned earlier about other upper-end brands - Snapper isn't cheap. That is, unless it outlasts 2-3 of the Sears, Murray or other lower-end machines.

RonB

Reply to
RonB

Gee for 105 bucks I picked up a weedeater mower at K mart, a push type used once, the buyer returned it having decided they needed self propelled which i dont like.

for 105 bucks its cheaper to buy one that way, normally about 150 bucks.

i dont understand why people spwend a grand on a mower its just grass

Reply to
bob haller

de quoted text -

I had a Honda Harmony self propelled and it lasted about 7 years. On the plus side it's dual mulching blade and deck design gave the lawn the nicest, smoothest cut and mulched the grass into very small pieces that disappeared. It was quiet and always started very easily.

The downside was that at about 7 years the transmission wore out. It was $135 online just for the tranny. It was clear from the failure that it was just normal wear that caused it to fail. And to replace the tranny is a big headache, you wind up having to remove all kinds of bushings, shims, screws, etc. I'm good at fixing things, but after winding up with two egg cartons worth of parts that all have to go on again just right, that factored into my decision to replace it with a new Sears fpor $160 that I found on Ebay.

The Sears has significantly more power than the Honda and goes easily through heavier grass where the Honda would bog down. Doesn't leave as nice a finish on the lawn. But one big advantage is that the Sears has a variable speed drive that uses just a belt and pulley system . That gives true variable speed as opposed to the Honda that had 3 speeds via the geared tranny. And it actually broke too, due to the spring. Took a pair of pliers and 10 mins to get it going again. A replacement spring is $5

So, all in all, I'm not as impressed as some of you with Honda, especially given the large price premium. You could buy 2 or more Sears for the price of one Honda.

Reply to
trader4

Honda engine in Toro brand mower works well here since

2008. Its front-wheel SP mechanism jams up with soil/ clippings every second year if uncleaned, but that is easy and it works well.
Reply to
Don Phillipson

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