Need to buy a new self propelled mower

The Ancient One

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Hi,
I am new to this forum and joined primarily because I need to buy a lawn mower for this coming season and would like input from members.
About me: I am 86 yrs old, 5'3" and weigh in at 135 lbs. Yeah, I am a little guy.
About the yard: Located in southeast Pennsylvania just over 1 acre with about 1/3 acre in lawn. There is hardly a level spot in the yard and the only straight line is along the street. There are over 50 large trees (1 to 3 feet in diameter and 100 feet tall) and numerous smaller trees. I mention this because the lawn mower gets by far its hardest workout in the fall because it is necessary to use the basket to catch the mulched leaves.
About the mower: Must have or be- walk behind, self propelled (preferably variable speed as apposed to self paced - if there really is a difference), rear wheel drive, easy to use height adjusters, and 3-in-1 deck. Other would be nice features -key electric start (with a self charging battery) and a control to stop the blade from moving while the engine still is running. The closest that I have found so far is a Craftsman but unfortunately it has front wheel drive. I know the Toro meets most of these requirements but I have had nothing but problems with them and would like to get away from them.

Your thoughts about what mower I should consider will be greatly appreciated.
 
Joined
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Hi,
I am new to this forum and joined primarily because I need to buy a lawn mower for this coming season and would like input from members.
About me: I am 86 yrs old, 5'3" and weigh in at 135 lbs. Yeah, I am a little guy.
About the yard: Located in southeast Pennsylvania just over 1 acre with about 1/3 acre in lawn. There is hardly a level spot in the yard and the only straight line is along the street. There are over 50 large trees (1 to 3 feet in diameter and 100 feet tall) and numerous smaller trees. I mention this because the lawn mower gets by far its hardest workout in the fall because it is necessary to use the basket to catch the mulched leaves.
About the mower: Must have or be- walk behind, self propelled (preferably variable speed as apposed to self paced - if there really is a difference), rear wheel drive, easy to use height adjusters, and 3-in-1 deck. Other would be nice features -key electric start (with a self charging battery) and a control to stop the blade from moving while the engine still is running. The closest that I have found so far is a Craftsman but unfortunately it has front wheel drive. I know the Toro meets most of these requirements but I have had nothing but problems with them and would like to get away from them.

Your thoughts about what mower I should consider will be greatly appreciated.

I didn't see you mention a budget you wanted to stay under. If that isn't a major concern, I would check out the Honda line of mowers. The HRX series has models that can check-off all of your requirements. I have been running Honda mowers commercially for years and love them. They are pricey, but worth it in my opinion.

If you have any other question just ask! Welcome to the forum, and good luck on your search for a new mower. :smile:
 

Rivets

Lawn Royalty
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I know that you want to stay away from Toro, but the 20384 model will meet all your needs, plus it has a 5 year warranty. Honda also has a unit, model HRX217VLA, which has all you want, but the variable speed is dial controlled, plus it also has a 5 year warranty. Both units are built to last and the biggest difference is how the operator controls the speed. Sounds like you want quality, so please stay away from any unit will a steel deck, you'll regret it next year. I'm a Toro guy, so all I'll add is Good Luck in your search. If you have any other questions, as to comparing exact models, please post back and we will answer them for you.
 

BlazNT

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I know that you want to stay away from Toro, but the 20384 model will meet all your needs, plus it has a 5 year warranty. Honda also has a unit, model HRX217VLA, which has all you want, but the variable speed is dial controlled, plus it also has a 5 year warranty. Both units are built to last and the biggest difference is how the operator controls the speed. Sounds like you want quality, so please stay away from any unit will a steel deck, you'll regret it next year. I'm a Toro guy, so all I'll add is Good Luck in your search. If you have any other questions, as to comparing exact models, please post back and we will answer them for you.

Stay away from steel deck?
 

The Ancient One

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I didn't see you mention a budget you wanted to stay under. If that isn't a major concern, I would check out the Honda line of mowers. The HRX series has models that can check-off all of your requirements. I have been running Honda mowers commercially for years and love them. They are pricey, but worth it in my opinion.

If you have any other question just ask! Welcome to the forum, and good luck on your search for a new mower. :smile:

I should have given a price range but I forgot. I'm hoping to stay under $500 if possible. I did see one that met all of my "must haves" and "would be nice features" and then some. It was a Honda but it sells for a little over $800. There are a number of mowers that have all of the necessary features for under $500. I have noticed that a number of mower manufactures use either a Briggs and Stratton or a Honda engine. If I go without the electric starter and the roto-stop I will want an engine that starts easily after it has been running for awhile. This is a major concern in the Fall when I use the bag catcher to collect the mulched leaves and have to stop and start the mower 30 or 40 times. I have been leaning toward the Honda line because I like the twin blade feature that they all seem to have. I have a snow blower with a Honda engine and it never takes more than one pull to start no matter how long it has been sitting or how long it has been running. It is my understanding that Briggs and Stratton is the major manufacture of small engines and that it has many different engines, some are very good and others not so good.
Do you think it makes any difference which of these engines I should use?
 

primerbulb120

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Get a Honda. Manual choke if you can find it.



Briggs and Stratton just completely redesigned their line of push mower engines a few years ago, and the new design has a lot of problems. The older Briggs engines were solid and dependable, the newer ones not so much.
 

Rivets

Lawn Royalty
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I doubt very much you will find a quality mower with the needs you have in your price range. You may have to look for a good used one. That being said, please, please, please stay away from steel decks.
 
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