Recommend A Good Push Mower

[Bangaroo]

I am buying my first house...so excited to finally get to mow my own lawn! Now I need a good mower. I want one that will last a long time. I don't mind ordering it and putting it together while the house negotiations are underway. I won't be able to mow until the middle of September but I want a mower! Gotta be push...self-propelled maybe...don't have too...I want a good engine...Honda?

Tell me what push mower you would buy from what y'all have learned...my dad always bought the cheapest 3.5 Briggs And Stratton they had for sale at Wal-mart. I wanna splurge. I cain't afford a Porsche but I can afford a real nice mower.

This all started when I mowed a guy's yard with a Snapper that he bought in 1974 brand new...in 2005 it was still chomping like a boss!

TYFYT

 

[Turk]

Well, you'll hear lots of opinions, but TORO is about the best.

I got a TORO from 1990 that I inherited from my Dad and it runs fantastic. No issues! Others I know that have TORO's love 'em and have similar experiences. There you go!

 

[Quest]

Honda engined Sears Craftsman mower gets my vote.

ditto with Poulan version of Honda push mowers in Costco.

I'm gradually shying away from the most recent release of B&S, citing numerous quality-related issues that plagued their line of products in terms of reliability, etc.

My 2c's worth.

Q.

 

[Donald]

Toro is among the top. Airens with a Kohler engine would also be on my list (and its in my barn).

Stay away from anything MTD. They have pretty much ruined all the OPE companies they have bought. Troy Built use to be made in Troy NY, near Albany. You could go to the factory on demo Saturdays and buy the demo models. Its been a long time since they were made in Troy.

 

[OtisBlkR1]

I like B&S motors...

 

[Hermann]

I'm in my 7th season on a Home Depot $139 Chonda powered mower. Its the basic model with the only frills being adjustable wheels. I really love the manual choke. It runs great and start on the first pull if you pull hard and always on the second. I kinda like to slosh around a little oil before it lights off anyway.

The GF bought a Toro with personal pace and its starts easy and vibrates more. The Personal Pace thing is an acquired taste. She paid about $350 on a $50 off deal about 3 years ago. Easy to change oil on it.

Good luck, and dont think about the other toy(s) you could have had with the difference.

 

[JHZR2]

How big is your yard? That's an important thing.

I don't see $1000 as a big splurge personally, so if $600 is in your budget for a nice mower, I'd go with a plastic deck Honda that you can independently declutcb the blade.

I've heard good about toro but no idea which models.

I'd go shopping at the local professional mowing shops. I think you'll find better stuff and info there. Don't be afraid to have them price match though.

I have always thought that finding a nice, barely used lawn boy from 20 or 30 years ago would be neat.

My yard is a 30 minute mow - pretty small. I got the cheap B&S flathead mower because I personally liked the idea of being able to run near any junk gas in there without worry. And it does it well.

 

[Astro14]

I haven't bought a mower in decades (tractors, brush-hog, and other OPE, but not a regular mower...).

But I will second the advice to go to a dedicated, professional shop. They will know the product inside and out, give you the pros and cons of each choice and you'll have the parts/service available if you buy what they've got in stock. Here in VB, we're in Stihl country (still love my Husky chainsaw, though) and the local shop stocks every part for everything they sell. They service them too...

 

[TFB1]

Originally Posted By: Quest
Honda engined Sears Craftsman mower gets my vote.

Yeah, after the POS MTD deck rots out in five or six years, you can put the engine on a old Snapper and run it another 15-20 years... A couple years ago you could buy a Snapper with Honda power(as well as other engines), but since B&S bought the company I believe only their engines are available...

2004 Honda from rusted out Craftsman, now mounted on 1983 Snapper deck...

 

[JTK]

There's a LOT of threads in this forum on this topic.

You can't go wrong with a Toro Super Recycler Not a regular "Toro Recycler". Gotta have the Super. Aluminum deck and superior mulching.

 

[Bangaroo]

Originally Posted By: Hermann

Good luck, and dont think about the other toy(s) you could have had with the difference.

What is a "Chonda"?

 

[Bangaroo]

Originally Posted By: Bangaroo
Originally Posted By: Hermann

Good luck, and dont think about the other toy(s) you could have had with the difference.

What is a "Chonda"?


Ok...I have GoogleFu and now I know especially that I don't want a Chonda...

 

[j_mac]

If you will have alot of leaves to pick up in the fall, then it is a MUST that you get a bagging mower! Unless you have another machine for picking up leaves, there is no easier way than simply "mowing" your leaves. I have two 200 year old White Oak trees in my yard. I have a metric [censored]-ton of leaves to pick up every year. The bag gets full quick, but it saves on a tremendous amount of work to do the job any other way will require.

 

[JTK]

I'm completely surrounded by trees, including a huge ancient Oak. All I ever do is go over them with my mulcher and powder them up. I'll quickly spread the leaves out with my blower first if I have to.

I've heard it's not the best for your lawn. As long as it's green I'm happy.

Joel

 

[Spazdog]

Originally Posted By: Donald
Toro is among the top. Airens with a Kohler engine would also be on my list (and its in my barn).

Stay away from anything MTD. They have pretty much ruined all the OPE companies they have bought. Troy Built use to be made in Troy NY, near Albany. You could go to the factory on demo Saturdays and buy the demo models. Its been a long time since they were made in Troy.


I got an MTD Troy-Bilt with a Briggs and Stratton 6.25 flathead for a housewarming gift from my father in 2006.

It still looks new. It still runs new. When I change the oil, it comes out as clean as it was when I put it in. I re-use the Troy-Bilt's oil in my 15 year old 3.5 hp B&S side-discharge mower that I use to cut the green-belt behind my house (rodent, reptile, and insect abatement)

Either through dumb luck or my neighbors intense attention to detail, my deck height is the same as his $500 Honda. When we mow on the same day, you cannot tell where my yard ends and his begins.

It is not a professional grade machine but it has been reliable and it cuts real well. I do not like any of the other MTD products I have, but I do like the mower just fine.

 

[KrisZ]

I got a basic model Lawn-Boy 10603 as a house warming gift. It's got a Kohler Courage XT-6 engine that starts up after one or two pulls and it never bogged down yet in tall and wet grass.
I don't have a big or hilly yard and when I was asked what mower I wanted as a gift I honestly wanted something basic with no electric start or self propelled gizmos, plus I did not want my family to spend a ton of money.

I honestly can't see how this mower can simply fall apart after few years. Maybe it will, IDK, but the engine seems stout even though it's made in China, the wheels look pretty sturdy and the deck has a nice and what seems to be a very durable paint. With oil changes and periodic deck cleanings I think it will serve me well for years to come.

 

[Clarence_Iba]

Have two craftsmen with the 6.5HP B&S. Indestructible motors.

 

[GumbyJarvis]

I have a Husqvarna with a Kohler Engine
I love that little beast even though I have no idea about it or how to say it (Hussy F@rt on You is what I call the thing)

http://www.lowes.com/pd_372791-63311-HU775H_4294747213__?productId=3606308&Ns=p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1

 

[Errtt]

I bought a Honda HRX a few years ago. Works great - never a issue.
Has the quad cut blade and it gets more stuff in the bag compared to the other mowers I had previously.
Bought a Echo Weed-Wacker same time & it still runs like the day I bought it too.
Last fall, bought a Echo blower that works nice.
Now if I can get the kid to use the stuff more often with the exception of the weed-whacker because he done more landscape damage with it than good - wife's rule now.

 

[bxd20]

My personal experience: 25 year old B&S powered, still starts on the first pull, rear wheel drive chassis.