New blade for Honda 21" push mower

[DriveHard]

I only mulch as my mower has no side discharge, and I don't bag my clippings. Small, city lawn of about 0.5 acres. I have run the OEM blade twice, and a "superior" aftermarket Honda clone blade once. I don't like the mulching blades with the raised teeth on the back edge, as they burn more fuel, and bog the engine down. The OEM blades never seemed to do a very good job, always leaving streaks of standing grass. They also "bog instantly" in that I will be mowing along and all of a sudden A huge chunk of clippings lets loose and kills the engine. Is there an alternative single blade old school mulching blade that can be used on a Honda that currently uses the dual blade?

This is the blade set I have today...and it didn't do any different/better than the OEM blades.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VSF49CP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I was thinking of getting a snapper 21" Ninja blade and drilling it out to fit on my Honda...my snapper had the best cut of any push mower I have used...alas it is dead, and everybody steered me to this Honda as a replacement.

 

[Hall]

The OEM blades never seemed to do a very good job, always leaving streaks of standing grass. They also "bog instantly" in that I will be mowing along and all of a sudden A huge chunk of clippings lets loose and kills the engine.

One thing I don't like about my Honda is how poorly it handles taller grass. I always tried to mow at least once a week but often in the the spring, our grass would grow very fast and I'd have to mow 2x/week but if I didn't (or couldn't - rain), it would be a bear to mow. I always felt the engine was under-powered (wished I had the 190cc engine instead of the 160cc) and never considered it was the blades. Sorry can't help with blade suggestions though....

 

[jeepman3071]

One thing I don't like about my Honda is how poorly it handles taller grass. I always tried to mow at least once a week but often in the the spring, our grass would grow very fast and I'd have to mow 2x/week but if I didn't (or couldn't - rain), it would be a bear to mow. I always felt the engine was under-powered (wished I had the 190cc engine instead of the 160cc) and never considered it was the blades. Sorry can't help with blade suggestions though....

Also check to see what RPM the engine is running at. I've seen several Honda mower engines that came from the factory that were barely above 2000 RPM. You can tweak the governor spring a bit to get more RPM. The engines are rated for 3600, but for a lawn mower I usually run between 3100-3200 RPM. I set my own Toro Super Recycler with the Honda GCV160 to this and it helped a lot.

 

[TheLastWord]

I only mulch as my mower has no side discharge, and I don't bag my clippings. Small, city lawn of about 0.5 acres. I have run the OEM blade twice, and a "superior" aftermarket Honda clone blade once. I don't like the mulching blades with the raised teeth on the back edge, as they burn more fuel, and bog the engine down. The OEM blades never seemed to do a very good job, always leaving streaks of standing grass. They also "bog instantly" in that I will be mowing along and all of a sudden A huge chunk of clippings lets loose and kills the engine. Is there an alternative single blade old school mulching blade that can be used on a Honda that currently uses the dual blade?

This is the blade set I have today...and it didn't do any different/better than the OEM blades.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07VSF49CP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I was thinking of getting a snapper 21" Ninja blade and drilling it out to fit on my Honda...my snapper had the best cut of any push mower I have used...alas it is dead, and everybody steered me to this Honda as a replacement.

Exactly, which Honda mower?

 

[Hall]

Also check to see what RPM the engine is running at. I've seen several Honda mower engines that came from the factory that were barely above 2000 RPM. You can tweak the governor spring a bit to get more RPM. The engines are rated for 3600, but for a lawn mower I usually run between 3100-3200 RPM. I set my own Toro Super Recycler with the Honda GCV160 to this and it helped a lot.

I'd like to think it's now set to the proper factory spec. At one point, the multiple springs and levers that control the throttle, governor, etc got pulled by some brush and was running noticeably faster than normal. Between those springs/levers, I wasn't able to get it adjusted well and could only go by ear. I ended up taking it to a shop where they fixed it.

 

[Dave9]

I was always content with a simple, single blade that just raised up in the back to provide the suction to pull clippings back up to recut for mulching. I'd get a 2nd blade to just make it convenient to have a spare one sharpened ahead of time to put on when changing blades, but otherwise, never retired any blades, just resharpened them. 2 sets of blades have lasted ~25 years on my riding and push mowers and they're nowhere near worn down too much to just resharpen and keep using.

When the grass was mucky/damp in spring and taller than I'd like, I just mowed a lot slower when using a push mower, and a little slower with a riding mower. What does the underside of the deck look like, the condition? You probably have grass building up then falling off in clumps.

I don't like the mulching blades with the raised teeth on the back edge, as they burn more fuel...

Is there any way around that? If the mower is doing more work, it's going to burn more fuel whether due to spinning more blade, setting higher engine RPM, or going forward slower so it takes longer per area.

Similarly one of the popular US solutions for a 0.5 acre lawn would be a small zero turn mower... uses more gas, but unlikely to bog down as much as a 21" Honda push mower.

 

[DriveHard]

Thank you all for the replies so far.

If I remember right, it is a GCV170 engine (HRN frame?)
This is pretty much it.

Honda 21 in. 3-in-1 Variable Speed Gas Walk Behind Self-Propelled Lawn Mower with Auto Choke HRN216VKAD - The Home Depot

The Honda self-propelled 3-in-1 variable speed lawn mower with new GCV 170 engine and auto choke offers a simple, adaptable and reliable design. It efficiently adapts the mowing speed to match your stride

www.homedepot.com

I mow at least once a week, and sharpen in spring and about half way through summer.
No way will I go anything ride on, and am in good shape, and enjoy the walk while I mow.
I already have the engine "turned up" to 3000 rpm...yes I know that uses more fuel. It was set around 1800 when I bought it. I might turn it up to 3200.
I pressure wash the deck every 4-5 mowings...maybe I should do it every time?

I'm thinking of going with these...seem to be a slightly different design than a direct OEM copy.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CQ18SR34?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

 

[DriveHard]

I'm thinking of going with these...seem to be a slightly different design than a direct OEM copy.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CQ18SR34?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

Well, those were a bust...the bolt down holes for the upper (closer to mower deck) blade were way to big, and the lower blade was too long (hit frame). I am going to modify the blade to fit and see, but not looking good out of the box.

 

[Nukeman7]

Well, those were a bust...the bolt down holes for the upper (closer to mower deck) blade were way to big, and the lower blade was too long (hit frame). I am going to modify the blade to fit and see, but not looking good out of the box.

Those green 8TEN blades are not made to fit your Honda HRN216 mower with the residential GCV engine. They are specifically sized for the Honda Commercial mower HRC216 model which has the industrial GXV engine. The blades are not interchangeable.