Higher End Mower to recommend to Customers

[yeehaw1960]

I hate that I can't recommend more than one brand of push mower that will last the "everyman" (with little or no maintenance experience) a very, very long time.

I don't recommend anything medium to high end to "Joe Six Pack" anymore other than the middle of the road or better Honda's. Anything else still holding on to their prior quality? Ariens maybe? I saw a basic Ariens rider last year that was a Poulan/Craftsman with orange paint. The only part of a Toro that is as tough as it was in the past is the deck. Even the wheels and the handles are weak and brittle. I know most everything else gets squirted onto the assembly line from the same vat of $%#* and is painted different colors.
Even when I do get a person hooked on the idea of a Honda, I warn them to just go to Walmart if they're not going to walk their yard for debris and mark the water shutoffs, roots, etc before they mow, or if they loan their mower out to neighbors.

The only positive side to Toro is the replacement parts aren't as expensive now if you buy them on line. I got a new front "transmission" (assembled in Mexico) for $53 (free shipping) on Ebay for a guy, and it only took 20 minutes to install it. Still a $125++ job at a "real" mower shop though.

Any success or horror stories???

 

[JHZR2]

Cant say one way or another, but Ive always felt that the plastic deck Honda mowers were pretty neat. Granted, you can buy 4-5 flathead Briggs cheapies for the price... Not self propelled, but cheap

 

[skyactiv]

All I can say is that about 14 years ago, I debated between the cheapest Honda push mower and a Lawn-Boy 2-stroke. I'm glad I bought the Lawn-Boy. There are plenty of good mowers other than Honda. Honda does make great mowers however.

 

[CT8]

Does the average Joe six pack maintain their mowers?

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Honda

 

[Merkava_4]

TORO 22296 or 22298

Most popular professional mower in California.

Personally, I think I'd like the Zone Start 22295 or 22297

 

[440Magnum]

Toro with a Briggs & Stratton (non E-series). Will run forever unless someone actually drains all the oil out, or hits something hard enough to bend the crank. The E-series is an OHV replacement for the old pulsa-jet carb'd flatheads, and has the same "won't start once its a season or two old" problems. All the other Briggs engines are great.

 

[jeepman3071]

I repair quite a few mowers every year. I have been recommending Toro to many of my customers looking for a new mower. There are a few reasons for this. I have had good luck with my Toro equipment, and parts are cheap and easy to find. I find the personal pace mowers nice to use as well.

The big thing for most people is that Toro is the middle of the road option. They offer many nice features like blade stop, personal pace, and electric start on some of the more expensive ones, but aren't as pricey as the Honda. I like Honda engines, but I've repaired quite a few of their mower self-propel transmissions. They are also pretty expensive mowers, and last year I had a customer who hit a stump and bent the crankshaft on a 1 year old Honda mower. The repair wasn't cheap. I find a Personal Pace Toro with a Briggs suits most customer's needs and is a happy medium between bottom of the barrel MTD junk and an expensive Honda.

Craftsman also makes some decent mowers, but the quality seems to be hit or miss. It really depends on the customer too and how they maintain and use the mower. I have some customers that have had a WalMart special Murray mower for 10+ years and love it, and some like the other guy who buy a brand new Honda and destroy it in under a year.

 

[MI_Roger]

My tale of woe:

25-30 years ago I was in the market for a new mower. I wanted one with all the bells and whistles, but also one that would last me a lifetime with good care. I bought a Bolens (they were not owned by MTD at that time) self propelled, mulcher, with side discharge and bagger option. A good chunk of change but this was said to be the best in the market at the time.

Fast forward to 2002. The rings on the piston snapped and scored the bore destroying the engine. Bolens was now part of MTD and making junk, and no one else used the Bolens specific B&S engine with the 90 degree side exit PTO (apparently Sears had sold some rebranded Bolens mowers at one time). Because of zero new engine sales B&S had stopped making the engine.

To keep the mower I would need to buy a new B&S engine, a new block with the specially machined bore for the side PTO, a new crankshaft with the special gear for the PTO, new PTO shaft, and special seals. Then pay for the labor to disassemble the new engine so that all its internals could be moved into the special side PTO block.

$$$$$$$$$$$

The Mower Shop Salesman tried to get me to buy a Cub Cadet, saying it was the best mower available. I reminded him that I had done that once before and got burned by the future unavailability of a key supplier part.

I bought a Troy Bilt. Cheaper than even a Toro, but I won't feel bad when it finally gets a terminal condition.

 

[yeehaw1960]

RE: Does the average Joe six pack maintain their mowers?

We all know (sadly) that they don't.

 

[JTK]

I paid-up for a good mower back in 2011 with my Snapper commercial ninja mulcher.>>> http://www.mowersdirect.com/Snapper-7800968-Lawn-Mower/p15428.html It was just over $600 shipped at the time. 190cc briggs engine with an oil filter. Steel wheels with ball bearings, heavy steel deck, handlebar with extra steel bracing. Rear differential with the old school disc-o-matic drive system which is pretty awesome.

My main complaints are it's heavy and loud. The engine is quiet, but the blade/deck noise is brutal. It has an actual throttle lever, but it doesn't do much. It doesn't allow you to actually idle the engine. You've got fast and max RPM with the throttle control. It starts with one pull, is easy on fuel and mulches extremely well for me. Would I pay this much for a 21" mower again? Probably not. Like you say, whack that blade against something un-mowable and it goes from a $700 mower to a boat anchor in a fraction of a second.

 

[yeehaw1960]

If the person is not interested in high dollar, I just direct them to Walmart for the cheapest one with the features they want. I just tell them that 139cc with no brand name or Kohler on lower end mowers amounts to Chinese engines. I have to admit though that I've run across more than a few newer "Chondas" that start easy, run smooth, and seem quite powerful. Maybe they've finally turned a corner.

I forgot all about Snapper (from a dealer).

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: yeehaw1960
I forgot all about Snapper (from a dealer).


Yes, the Snapper Hi-Vac Commercial 21 is very popular with gardeners who want a lot of suction for bagging tall fescue and rye grass. But it's not a mulching mower at all.

 

[JTK]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4

Yes, the Snapper Hi-Vac Commercial 21 is very popular with gardeners who want a lot of suction for bagging tall fescue and rye grass. But it's not a mulching mower at all.


The hi-vac bagger isn't intended to mulch, but the ninja model is quite the mulcher. Fitted with their ninja mulching blade and a mulch plug, the Snapper commercial 21" I own and linked to above mulches extremely well. I wouldn't say it's quite as good a mulcher as a Toro Super, but the power the 190cc has makes up the difference.

 

[bubbatime]

Originally Posted By: yeehaw1960
I hate that I can't recommend more than one brand of push mower that will last the "everyman" (with little or no maintenance experience) a very, very long time.


Never heard of the Toro Super Recycler line from a Toro dealer? 25 year mowers. About $600. Cheaper in the long run than buying a cheap mower every 5 years. Plus provides a superior cut.

 

[jeepman3071]

Originally Posted By: bubbatime
Originally Posted By: yeehaw1960
I hate that I can't recommend more than one brand of push mower that will last the "everyman" (with little or no maintenance experience) a very, very long time.


Never heard of the Toro Super Recycler line from a Toro dealer? 25 year mowers. About $600. Cheaper in the long run than buying a cheap mower every 5 years. Plus provides a superior cut.


Love the Super Recyclers. A guy down the street has one he fitted a 2 cycle suzuki to from another Toro. That thing is a beast.

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: JTK
The hi-vac bagger isn't intended to mulch, but the ninja model is quite the mulcher. Fitted with their ninja mulching blade and a mulch plug, the Snapper commercial 21" I own and linked to above mulches extremely well. I wouldn't say it's quite as good a mulcher as a Toro Super, but the power the 190cc has makes up the difference.


There must be some kind of disadvantage to mulching. My next door neighbor professional gardner, says he never mulches. He uses Snapper Hi-Vacs.

 

[bchannell]

Almost every year my son, who owns a construction business, and is friends with a Lowe's store manager or three, get a chance to buy mowers in bulk. Left over, year end models, returns, etc. Of all the mowers that we get, and we've had a bunch, I like Husqvarna and Troy-Bilt. I'm currently on the third year with my TV XP self propelled. It is one super mower, it mulches, side discharges and bags well. Many mowers don't do all three well. I know a lot of folks think TBN is not what it used to be, but the mowers are really good. Husqvarna would be my close second pick.

 

[Justin251]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Originally Posted By: JTK
The hi-vac bagger isn't intended to mulch, but the ninja model is quite the mulcher. Fitted with their ninja mulching blade and a mulch plug, the Snapper commercial 21" I own and linked to above mulches extremely well. I wouldn't say it's quite as good a mulcher as a Toro Super, but the power the 190cc has makes up the difference.


There must be some kind of disadvantage to mulching. My next door neighbor professional gardner, says he never mulches. He uses Snapper Hi-Vacs.


Just depends on the type of grass he has and what you plan to do with the lawn.

If you're putting fertilizer,feed, etc on it regularly then there is no need to mulch.

 

[punisher]

Originally Posted By: bchannell
Of all the mowers that we get, and we've had a bunch, I like Husqvarna and Troy-Bilt.


I bought a 21" Troy-Bilt (MTD) with a GCV160 on it about seven or so years ago. It was an emergency replacement for a Sears/AYP/Tecumseh powered unit that suddenly decided it was tired of life (plus I had some killer Lowe's coupons). Expected the worst, but except for oil changes and one air filter, it has been flawless. Sips gas to.

A couple times a year I look at the Toro Super Recycler, and try to justify it.....but I can't. http://www.mowersdirect.com/Toro-20382-Lawn-Mower/p8128.html