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Best lawnmower to buy (1 Viewer)

Timely bump. I destroyed the blade on our 20 year old push mower last week. Borrowed a self-propel to finish the job and decided I'm finally upgrading to it. I was used to finishing the yard with the push and being wiped out. With the self-propel I finished then did another hour of work. I don't want any frills - just a reliable self-propel. Any recommendations?

 
MAC_32 said:
Timely bump. I destroyed the blade on our 20 year old push mower last week. Borrowed a self-propel to finish the job and decided I'm finally upgrading to it. I was used to finishing the yard with the push and being wiped out. With the self-propel I finished then did another hour of work. I don't want any frills - just a reliable self-propel. Any recommendations?
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Honda

 
Honda for sure. I've had mine 15 years and I've only had to replace the spark plug once. Starts first pull everytime.

 
Any thoughts on a used rider? Pros/cons? We bought a new house and moving to a much larger lot, from an 1/8 acre yard that I could push mow in a half hour. I don't want to drop $2-3k+ or whatever and the wife is actually the one who suggested it so I'm good on that front. Don't need anything fancy, just maybe a cup holder or 2 for beers.

Brands or things to look for? I assume 30-36" deck should be sufficient.

 
Dreamer said:
Honda for sure. I've had mine 15 years and I've only had to replace the spark plug once. Starts first pull everytime.
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I bought one two summers ago that has a "no oil change lifetime guarantee."  I know nothing of engines, so this was music to my ears.  Started on the second pull the first time out of the shed, and the first pull every time since.

The only thing I would do different next time is get a more powerful self propelled version.  The style I got was something called "you own pace" or something like that with a subtle propel assist, not full self propelled.  It really does nothing.

 
My son moved back home and brought his ego lithium with him got it from Home Depot I use my Deere tractor for the back but this battery powered motor is the cats a** for my front yard 

 
Keerock said:
I got the EGO and absolutely love it.  Got the edger/trimmer combo.
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I ended up buying the Ego. Mowed a yard for the first time in 24 years. Weird experience being able to converse with the wife across the yard while mowing. Kind of defeats the purpose. 

 
I have a self propelled Craftsman that's 22 years old. I've used it rather sparingly for the last 4 because I got lazy and got a rider. The rider (Huskee) broke a belt so I dragged out the pushmower. Started right up last week after sitting though the Jersey winter with a fuel stabilizer put in in August and mowed my almost 3/4 acre yard without a hiccup. The thing has some serious torque. I could probably till my yard by holding the thing in place and letting the wheels chew up the ground.

If you're shopping riders, here's a pretty good site if you don't mind getting too far into the weeds  ;) Tractor Review

ETA: One caveat that I've come to learn about sites like this as there tends to be a lot of people posting with and axe to grind.  Look at it as ifo for thinks to look out for when I'm kicking tires

 
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Bull Dozier said:
I bought one two summers ago that has a "no oil change lifetime guarantee."  I know nothing of engines, so this was music to my ears.  Started on the second pull the first time out of the shed, and the first pull every time since.

The only thing I would do different next time is get a more powerful self propelled version.  The style I got was something called "you own pace" or something like that with a subtle propel assist, not full self propelled.  It really does nothing.
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Correcting myself here.  My memory was that I bought a Honda, however, mowing last weekend I realized it is a Toro.  Toro with the "no oil change lifetime guarantee."  Absolute great decision for someone like myself who is no good at tinkering with engines.

While at Home Depot over the weekend, I was looking at the battery powered mower, and will definitely try that next time around.

 
I'm on Year 2 of my Kobalt self-propelled mower, and I absolutely love it.  My wife and I lived on a one-acre lot in the country for about 20 years, so I needed a riding mower for that, and I kept a push mower around for dealing with trees and other miscellaneous stuff.  In late 2018 we moved into town onto a quarter-acre lot.  I had a strong interest in going electric so I didn't have to deal with gasoline, oil, and noise, and after doing some research I ultimately opted for a Kobalt over the Ego because it seemed to offer somewhat better battery life at the time I made the purchase, but I doubt you can go wrong with either.

First, I love how quiet this mower is.  I can listen to podcasts or whatever very comfortably while mowing.  This is a massive selling point for these things.

Second, I love that I don't spend 45 minutes breathing in fumes and smelling like gasoline when I finish.  Not a huge deal since I'm showering anyway, but mowing is just so much more pleasant when there's no petroleum involved.

Third, there's that "45 minute" part.  I can cut my lawn at a fairly leisurely pace in 45-50 minutes and still have plenty of battery left over.  I was prepared to shell out for an extra battery if I needed another to get the lawn done all at once, but that hasn't been necessary.  I know people say that batteries degrade over time so maybe this will be a bigger problem down the road, but I'm not too concerned.

Part of my happiness is going from a rider to a walk-behind.  I hated maintaining the riding mower -- dealing with the battery, PIA blade-replacement, oil changes, etc.  Any walk-behind was going to be a big quality-of-life enhancement for me.  But I really can't recommend electric enough for folks who have smaller yards.  They're pricey, but I didn't buy a new house to skimp on stuff like this. 

 
My old Ariens maybe has 1-2 years left.  The first start is fine, but it's getting harder to restart after dumping a bag.  I change the oil every year and just replaced the air filter and spark plug.  Didn't really help with the restart issue.  Could put some work into it, but not sure how much I want to mess with a 16+ year old mower.

The 80 volt Kobalt for $499 at Lowes looks pretty tempting.  Should have enough run time for my yard.

 
IvanKaramazov said:
I'm on Year 2 of my Kobalt self-propelled mower, and I absolutely love it.  My wife and I lived on a one-acre lot in the country for about 20 years, so I needed a riding mower for that, and I kept a push mower around for dealing with trees and other miscellaneous stuff.  In late 2018 we moved into town onto a quarter-acre lot.  I had a strong interest in going electric so I didn't have to deal with gasoline, oil, and noise, and after doing some research I ultimately opted for a Kobalt over the Ego because it seemed to offer somewhat better battery life at the time I made the purchase, but I doubt you can go wrong with either.

First, I love how quiet this mower is.  I can listen to podcasts or whatever very comfortably while mowing.  This is a massive selling point for these things.

Second, I love that I don't spend 45 minutes breathing in fumes and smelling like gasoline when I finish.  Not a huge deal since I'm showering anyway, but mowing is just so much more pleasant when there's no petroleum involved.

Third, there's that "45 minute" part.  I can cut my lawn at a fairly leisurely pace in 45-50 minutes and still have plenty of battery left over.  I was prepared to shell out for an extra battery if I needed another to get the lawn done all at once, but that hasn't been necessary.  I know people say that batteries degrade over time so maybe this will be a bigger problem down the road, but I'm not too concerned.

Part of my happiness is going from a rider to a walk-behind.  I hated maintaining the riding mower -- dealing with the battery, PIA blade-replacement, oil changes, etc.  Any walk-behind was going to be a big quality-of-life enhancement for me.  But I really can't recommend electric enough for folks who have smaller yards.  They're pricey, but I didn't buy a new house to skimp on stuff like this. 
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Does this mulch?  My yard is 3/4 acre and takes 3 hours to mow so I'd need a stable of batteries.  But if it doesn't mulch well, I'm out.

 
Keerock said:
Does this mulch?  My yard is 3/4 acre and takes 3 hours to mow so I'd need a stable of batteries.  But if it doesn't mulch well, I'm out.
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Yes, it seems to mulch just fine.  Your yard is a lot larger than mine, though, and yeah you're going to want more batteries.  They're quite pricey, so that's a real downside to electric.

 
I do the front yard and sides the total is about 4500 sq ft. Takes about 30 minutes mulches fine there are only 5 height adjustments I’m currently at number 4 since I like my grass a little long. Get four cuttings on single charge like to speed adjust , plus I was out at 7 am before he got too hot and did not disturb a soul. 

 
IvanKaramazov said:
Yes, it seems to mulch just fine.  Your yard is a lot larger than mine, though, and yeah you're going to want more batteries.  They're quite pricey, so that's a real downside to electric.
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I just bought the Kobalt 80v self-propelled mower with a 6 Ah battery for $499.  I see replacement 6 Ah batteries are ~$400.  :shock:   I hope the original lasts several years. 

 
IvanKaramazov said:
I'm on Year 2 of my Kobalt self-propelled mower, and I absolutely love it. 

Third, there's that "45 minute" part.  I can cut my lawn at a fairly leisurely pace in 45-50 minutes and still have plenty of battery left over. 
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I must be doing something wrong.  First mow with the Kobalt 80v self propelled with a 6 Ah battery and I got 45 minutes total out of it.  That  includes the time I was dumping bags and the mower was off.  I need about another 15-20.  I was about to give it rave reviews (other than the bag size), now I'm going to have to bring it back if I can only get 45-50 minutes out of it.  :(  

ETA:  Somethings not right.  I have a measuring wheel I use for my job, and measured the grass area I mow.  ~10,000 sq. ft.  That's less than 1/4 acre.  (1 acre = 43,560 sq. ft.)  No way should this mower not be able to handle that on one charge.

 
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WDIK2 said:
I must be doing something wrong.  First mow with the Kobalt 80v self propelled with a 6 Ah battery and I got 45 minutes total out of it.  That  includes the time I was dumping bags and the mower was off.  I need about another 15-20.  I was about to give it rave reviews (other than the bag size), now I'm going to have to bring it back if I can only get 45-50 minutes out of it.  :(  

ETA:  Somethings not right.  I have a measuring wheel I use for my job, and measured the grass area I mow.  ~10,000 sq. ft.  That's less than 1/4 acre.  (1 acre = 43,560 sq. ft.)  No way should this mower not be able to handle that on one charge.
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I’m getting over an hour with my battery. If the grass is long, wet, or you run the self propelled speed up high, then that would cut into the time.  

 
D-Day said:
I’m getting over an hour with my battery. If the grass is long, wet, or you run the self propelled speed up high, then that would cut into the time.  
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Flat lawn with self propelled on the second to the lowest setting.  Lowest is a little too slow, next setting is a little too fast.  Grass was a little wet and I did cut it a little short this time, but it was previously mowed on Tuesday.  Will see how it does the next mowing a notch up and decide if I need to return it.  I would really like for it to work out.

 
D-Day said:
I’m getting over an hour with my battery. If the grass is long, wet, or you run the self propelled speed up high, then that would cut into the time.  
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Mowed again with it this afternoon. Raised the deck a notch and used the self propel sparingly to get the momentum going. Had 3 bars left when I was done. :shrug:

Grass wasn't as long as the previous mowing but still a little damp.  The mower only got into high power a couple times. 

I'll keep it. It's light enough to not have to always use self propel on my lawn. Not the end of the world if I get behind on mowing and have to recharge to finish. I can always have a beer while it's recharging.  :)

 
WDIK2 said:
Mowed again with it this afternoon. Raised the deck a notch and used the self propel sparingly to get the momentum going. Had 3 bars left when I was done. :shrug:

Grass wasn't as long as the previous mowing but still a little damp.  The mower only got into high power a couple times. 

I'll keep it. It's light enough to not have to always use self propel on my lawn. Not the end of the world if I get behind on mowing and have to recharge to finish. I can always have a beer while it's recharging.  :)
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I also bought the snow blower, so I have two batteries.  I only used the snow blower once, but it did fine with 2-3 inches of wet snow. 
 

 
D-Day said:
I also bought the snow blower, so I have two batteries.  I only used the snow blower once, but it did fine with 2-3 inches of wet snow. 
 
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I was also thinking about the snow blower. Solves the battery issue. Not like you would use the blower and mower on the same day. 

 
WDIK2 said:
I was also thinking about the snow blower. Solves the battery issue. Not like you would use the blower and mower on the same day. 
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Check Lowes website for a sale on trimmer, blower (1st generation) and 2.5 battery for $160.  Battery alone is about $130.

 
I'd like to take a minute to recognize a girl that's been in my life for 19 years. She had a great life and never let me down.  Well woke up to a puddle of oil in the shed. It appears she couldn't hold on any longer. It may be a quick fix, who knows but I decided it was time to let her go.

RIP my Honda beauty.

That being said, my new one is like going from a honda civic to an Escalade.  What a beautiful new machine.  It's like being married for 20 years and then marrying a 25 year old... :excited:

One last pic of the old with the new

https://imgur.com/FuTfKKq

Eta: yes the grass needs work, it took awhile to find the new Honda mower I wanted :)

 
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belljr said:
I'd like to take a minute to recognize a girl that's been in my life for 19 years. She had a great life and never let me down.  Well woke up to a puddle of oil in the shed. It appears she couldn't hold on any longer. It may be a quick fix, who knows but I decided it was time to let her go.

RIP my Honda beauty.

That being said, my new one is like going from a honda civic to an Escalade.  What a beautiful new machine.  It's like being married for 20 years and then marrying a 25 year old... :excited:

One last pic of the old with the new

https://imgur.com/FuTfKKq

Eta: yes the grass needs work, it took awhile to find the new Honda mower I wanted :)
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Which one did you get?  I bought the Honda with the GCV 200 engine.  HRX217.  Best walk behind mower I've ever had, and I've had most of the higher end non-commercial walk behinds (Snapper, Toro Super Recylcer, etc) over last 25 years.

 
flranger said:
Which one did you get?  I bought the Honda with the GCV 200 engine.  HRX217.  Best walk behind mower I've ever had, and I've had most of the higher end non-commercial walk behinds (Snapper, Toro Super Recylcer, etc) over last 25 years.
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HrX217VYA .  It doesn't have electric start but it was literally the last model that wasn't the base model within an hour

 
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belljr said:
HrX217VYA .  It doesn't have electric start but it was literally the last model that wasn't the base model within an hour
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You'll love it.  Great power.  Sometimes it takes two or three pulls first go, but awesome cut and options with Versamow.

 
The Honda HXR series is what a lot of commercial lawn care businesses use.  I'm a member of lawnsite.com forum and the hondas are a favorite over there, especially the HRX series.  

Those guys usually mock the quality of anything residential grade..  Understandable since they make a living off their mowing equipment they can't tolerate stuff that doesn't last or doesn't do a great job.   The Honda HRX is of of the few they rave about.  Great mower.  You did well.

 
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