Push mower purchasing questions

I've had my Craftsman B+S 6.5 hp mower for 12 seasons now, and its starting to need a few things, and decided to look into new options, and found quite a lot not to like:

1. Most have that plastic front axle, is there an advantage to this, other than them making money off of us buying a new part when it breaks?

2. I'm only interested in a mulching/push mower, and I would prefer to only have to mow once, and not have to mow the same area twice, not have clumps, is HP, torque or another factor I should consider?
I know that HP and torque are crucial, but even with decent numbers(7-8 lb.ft of torque) people are complaining about 2" not getting cut the first time.

3. Honda, B+S, or some other engine for longevity?
*I have been extremely happy with my B+S engine, and tune it up every year, always starts on the first/second pull

I'm really considering just tuning mine up with a new spark plug, oil, air filter and wheels(my main issue right now, they are broken) after seeing all that I have seen in terms of what's available, but I've come this far, so I'm willing to move forward with a new one, instead of dropping $100+ on my 12 y/o one.

Scott you have a very good Briggs engine right there on yours..... Those are almost bullet proof when you maintain them like you have been doing.....

I don't get what you mean by the plastic front axle..... I don't think you have that on yours, unless you mean a new mower with the plastic front end.... Naw I don't care for those......

Is yours a self propelled ???

I would keep the one you have, do the oil change with the new synthetic Briggs oil 5-30, keep the blade sharp and make sure you use NON ETHO gas in it.... You won't have carb issues like that..........

Let us know Mon Ami.........

Pretty tough to beat Honda for reliability, durability and ease of use. I've got a Honda self propelled push mower in the garage for my 11 year old to learn on. Starts up with one pull each time and it's approximately 12-13 years old. I have an AWD Husqvarna self propel that was given to me by my realtor as a gift for purchasing the home. That's usually used in the area around the landscaping and so on, but it also has a Honda engine.

I’ll put my Toro against your Honda any day of the week and it will not cost nearly as much to purchase, to maintain, or use. Mine is 26 years old and going strong.

Why would you keep a push mower for 26 years? Honda is more expensive for a reason but unsure why you'd think it would be more maintenance than the Toro, especially an older one. Our Honda weed trimmer pretty much is the gold standard IMO in terms of durability and reliability. I can throw a blade on it instead of trimmer string and it'll cut down brush with ease. Left outside in the rain for 2 weeks? Starts on the first pull.

HawkFanatic74 said:

Why would you keep a push mower for 26 years? Honda is more expensive for a reason but unsure why you'd think it would be more maintenance than the Toro, especially an older one. Our Honda weed trimmer pretty much is the gold standard IMO in terms of durability and reliability. I can throw a blade on it instead of trimmer string and it'll cut down brush with ease. Left outside in the rain for 2 weeks? Starts on the first pull.

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Left outside, ... in the rain, for 2 weeks .. Hmmmmmmm... THAT.. says a lot about YOUR maintenance !

Did I say Honda was not a good mower? No, I’m comparing Toro to Honda. Why would I keep a mower for 26 years, because it was built to last and still does it’s job very well. I’ve probably worked on equipment older than you, when it was built to last, not abused and then thrown out. You leave your equipment outside and want us to believe you brand ( you did say “OUR WEED TRIMMER” ) is in your opinion the gold standard. You ask about cost to maintain, well if you haven’t figure it out yet, I’m a service tech and have worked on both brands. I’m sure from your comments you have also. Except for carbs Honda parts cost more and repair procedures take longer. Why are you changing the subject to trimmers left outside? The OP asked about mowers and I never compared Toro and Honda trimmers, which would be a different subject. Your opinion is valuable as long as you can back up any claims you make, stick to that.

Boobala said:

Left outside, ... in the rain, for 2 weeks .. Hmmmmmmm... THAT.. says a lot about YOUR maintenance !

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Well, it was a working farm. I misplaced it and found it by the fuel tanks. I've got bigger things to maintain than a weed trimmer! :laughing:

Got a Stihl for home use, but find myself grabbing the Honda most of the time. I've never used a Toro Trimmer. Do they still make the turf equipment over in WI?

If you like working with old equipment, you can work on our Farmall Model M and JD 4020 then. The Farmall is probably the only piece of equipment that we have that will start any day of the year.

Excuses, excuses, I work on a lot of farm equipment and because it was on a “working farm” does not mean it is OK to abuse equipment. Every good farmer learns that in a hurry, as they know that abused equipment means loss of money. Yes, I like working on old engines like Briggs models which have model numbers which are letters, hit and miss engines, and two and three bangers, if you know what I mean. Singer and Maytag engines can be fun, but parts are very difficult to get. If people would learn how to do simple maintainance on their units I would be out of a job, instead of working 40-50 hour weeks in my retirement. If you only have one piece of equipment that you can rely on every day of the year, maybe you better start a better maintainance schedule.