Joel, the Snapper disc drive does look/sound complicated, but I think it has some key advantages over other rear-propelled systems:
1:Everything is out in the open, where it can be easily cleaned & inspected
2:It is reliable and has good performance- ground speed can be smoothly adjusted on the fly to any setting between the low and high limits
3:It's been around a long time with very few changes, and you can still get replacement parts for just about any Snapper ever made. Case in point- When we bought our house a couple of years ago, there was an old Hi-Vac mower left in the basement by a previous owner, vintage 1986. The steel deck had some dings and surface rust, but was in very good shape overall considering its age. During winter 2009, I decided to see if I could get it going again. Didn't have any luck with the old 3.5 HP B&S motor, but was able to find a new 4 HP B&S motor online for $110 shipped to my door. Replaced the engine, and with another $50 worth of parts from the friendly local Snapper dealer, replaced other worn/missing parts, including new blade, blade hub, rubber drive tire, etc. Even gave it a new paint job. Using the owner's manual and parts diagrams downloaded from the Web, I was able to completely disassemble the rear axle/drive system and get it back together with little issue. Much easier than changing a carb on a Honda mower engine, I might add....
Machine runs/mows like new. Gave it to my new son-in-law as a practical wedding gift, then went out and bought myself a new one. I've owned John Deere & Honda mowers in addition to Snappers, and from now on I'll choose a Snapper from a dealer over other brands of walk-behind mowers. Yes, the mowers at the dealer are expensive, but they are worth it if you plan to keep them beyond a few years. The newer one I have now may easily outlast me! BTW, the commercial versions you have linked in your note are probably overkill for most homeowners. I have a standard model, and it is still much more "heavy-duty" than the cheap mowers at the big-box stores.
I think the Hi-Vac with the Ninja blade mulches just fine. Some will argue that the cut is not as good as Toro's & Honda's, but I can't tell any real difference between the Snapper and the Honda I had that used the dual-blade mulching setup. As you know, the Hi-Vacs are among the best for bagging.
1:Everything is out in the open, where it can be easily cleaned & inspected
2:It is reliable and has good performance- ground speed can be smoothly adjusted on the fly to any setting between the low and high limits
3:It's been around a long time with very few changes, and you can still get replacement parts for just about any Snapper ever made. Case in point- When we bought our house a couple of years ago, there was an old Hi-Vac mower left in the basement by a previous owner, vintage 1986. The steel deck had some dings and surface rust, but was in very good shape overall considering its age. During winter 2009, I decided to see if I could get it going again. Didn't have any luck with the old 3.5 HP B&S motor, but was able to find a new 4 HP B&S motor online for $110 shipped to my door. Replaced the engine, and with another $50 worth of parts from the friendly local Snapper dealer, replaced other worn/missing parts, including new blade, blade hub, rubber drive tire, etc. Even gave it a new paint job. Using the owner's manual and parts diagrams downloaded from the Web, I was able to completely disassemble the rear axle/drive system and get it back together with little issue. Much easier than changing a carb on a Honda mower engine, I might add....
Machine runs/mows like new. Gave it to my new son-in-law as a practical wedding gift, then went out and bought myself a new one. I've owned John Deere & Honda mowers in addition to Snappers, and from now on I'll choose a Snapper from a dealer over other brands of walk-behind mowers. Yes, the mowers at the dealer are expensive, but they are worth it if you plan to keep them beyond a few years. The newer one I have now may easily outlast me! BTW, the commercial versions you have linked in your note are probably overkill for most homeowners. I have a standard model, and it is still much more "heavy-duty" than the cheap mowers at the big-box stores.
I think the Hi-Vac with the Ninja blade mulches just fine. Some will argue that the cut is not as good as Toro's & Honda's, but I can't tell any real difference between the Snapper and the Honda I had that used the dual-blade mulching setup. As you know, the Hi-Vacs are among the best for bagging.
