I bought one of these for our church parsonage last night:
http://www.craftsman.com/craftsman-22inc...mp;blockType=G1
Priorities, as given to me, were self-propelled and inexpensive. I also had to buy a few tools last night, so I did both purchases at Sears. This deck is one of the few lower cost FWD mowers with a steel front end (vs. the plastic that's more common today).
Interesting to me is this has Briggs' new "Just Check & Add" engine. From what I can tell, it's one of their new smaller OHV engines (that replaced the age-old "Classic") with a few changes that enable the user to never change the oil. Briggs says this new EXi engine will replace their other age-old engine, the "Quantum".
http://www.briggsandstratton.com/us/en/engines/push-mower-engines/exi
I guess the air filter is supposed to be beefed up, as well as a redesigned oil fill tube, in order to keep foreign debris out of the engine. And they said that the engine also runs cooler, resulting in less oil consumption and less oil breakdown.
http://www.basco.com/Newsroom/{809FB5D7-88BB-403F-85DD-E8239B396DE0}
I ran it for about 10 minutes across some of my own front yard last night and I rather like it (the engine). It started on the first yank of the cord. It has the "Ready Start" auto choke. I don't care for that, but you can't get one with a manual choke or primer bulb at this price range anymore. The engine has a funny exhaust note -- it sounds like my grandpa's old Ford 8N. It seems to cut well. I'm used to nicer mowers, and the handle is real chintzy to me and the deck has tons of flex, so I don't care for those "features".
But, in terms of service at a church parsonage, I'm sure this mower will do well.
http://www.craftsman.com/craftsman-22inc...mp;blockType=G1
Priorities, as given to me, were self-propelled and inexpensive. I also had to buy a few tools last night, so I did both purchases at Sears. This deck is one of the few lower cost FWD mowers with a steel front end (vs. the plastic that's more common today).
Interesting to me is this has Briggs' new "Just Check & Add" engine. From what I can tell, it's one of their new smaller OHV engines (that replaced the age-old "Classic") with a few changes that enable the user to never change the oil. Briggs says this new EXi engine will replace their other age-old engine, the "Quantum".
http://www.briggsandstratton.com/us/en/engines/push-mower-engines/exi
I guess the air filter is supposed to be beefed up, as well as a redesigned oil fill tube, in order to keep foreign debris out of the engine. And they said that the engine also runs cooler, resulting in less oil consumption and less oil breakdown.
http://www.basco.com/Newsroom/{809FB5D7-88BB-403F-85DD-E8239B396DE0}
I ran it for about 10 minutes across some of my own front yard last night and I rather like it (the engine). It started on the first yank of the cord. It has the "Ready Start" auto choke. I don't care for that, but you can't get one with a manual choke or primer bulb at this price range anymore. The engine has a funny exhaust note -- it sounds like my grandpa's old Ford 8N. It seems to cut well. I'm used to nicer mowers, and the handle is real chintzy to me and the deck has tons of flex, so I don't care for those "features".
But, in terms of service at a church parsonage, I'm sure this mower will do well.