How many ft lbs is enough?

[Floyd1]

Used push mower I was looking at was a fluke. I'm considering buying a new self propelled. My old mower was a B&S 190cc 6.75 ft lbs.

Seems like most of the new ones come in a 150cc 6.25 ft lbs or 163cc 7.25 ft lbs

How noticeable, if at all, would the 6.25 vs the 7.25 be?

I prefer the model with the 6.25 but don't want to regret the lower power.

 

[Leo99]

I'd go with more torque if you have hills.

 

[Audios]

I dont think youll see any difference unless youre really working the mower. I was thinking about this the other day cutting my lawn, how much power do we really need to trim and throw it? Mowers, like cars, seem to be getting heavier and heavier as well as more bulky. I use my neighbors early 90s 3.5 hp murray to do her house, and it honestly feels so much easier to use than my troy bilt with a 6 hp.

 

[Supersonic]

I had a Husqvarna with a Kohler motor, nothing wrong with it if you wanted something big and powerful and didn't mind wearing ear plugs. But it just turned out to be so loud that I got rid of it and went back to a smaller motor. Don't remember the exact size.

 

[skyactiv]

Height matters. Both will struggle if one expects to mulch/cut tall neglected grass. If one mows like they should, the smaller engine should be fine.
Mower comfort matters and this is the shape of the most comfortable mower handle in my opinion. This isn't the mower you want I'm guessing, this is to illustrate the handle shape.

 

[Rolla07]

I have 140cc mower and it does fine.

 

[Snagglefoot]

Ain't no replacement for displacement. No one wishes they had less torque.

 

[sloinker]

The new Cummins 6.7 turbodiesel is 1000 foot pounds. That would make a hellacious mower!

 

[LubeFiner]

I have a Honda HRR with the GCV 160 and it works just fine. Purchase the one you like the best and be done with it.

 

[Lubener]

Mulching is what works the engine. If you plan to mulch, go with the more powerful engine.

 

[Linctex]

If you let the grass get really tall each time, get the bigger engine.

If you keep the grass cut pretty regular, the smaller engine will do just fine.

 

[Dave9]

Originally Posted by Snagglefoot
Ain't no replacement for displacement. No one wishes they had less torque.

Heh, in this one case I'd rather a smaller 3.0-3.5HP non-self-propelled mower. I don't have huge hills but do have obstacles to mow around. If a larger lawn, riding mower instead. If a larger budget, zero turn sized to the lawn.

To me self propelled walk behind just brings extra expense/maintenance/failure for the propulsion system. I mow just as fast pushing it myself, but again I don't have "huge" hills, but half my lawn is a hill.

 

[AnthemBassMan]

Originally Posted by Dave9
Heh, in this one case I'd rather a smaller 3.0-3.5HP non-self-propelled mower. I don't have huge hills but do have obstacles to mow around. If a larger lawn, riding mower instead. If a larger budget, zero turn sized to the lawn.

To me self propelled walk behind just brings extra expense/maintenance/failure for the propulsion system. I mow just as fast pushing it myself, but again I don't have "huge" hills, but half my lawn is a hill.


This is why I love my old Lawn Boys! They both weigh between 47 and 55 lbs. The John Deere 14SB I used to have was listed in the manual as weighing 120 lbs!! And those two little 3.5hp 2 strokes out mowed my 14SB with the 5hp Kawasaki in the same grass, so it was sold.

L8R,
Matt

 

[Snagglefoot]

By the way, the SAE J1940 standard is at 2600 rpm, but the carb might be tuned to run it at only 2400 rpm. Honda's 2019 specs were at 2400 rpm.