New member: Buying a new push behind lawn mower - Snapper or Honda

peafam69

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  • / New member: Buying a new push behind lawn mower - Snapper or Honda
I have almost an acre with gardens taking up about 30% of the area. I am in the market for a new mower and

Sorry this posted before i could finish. I am looking at the Snapper P21875 or the Honda HRX. I am not very educated on what is best, but i am looking for a good reliable machine that can be used by myself and my 12 year old son. I have an entry level Honda at this time but have had nothing but carb issues each year. Please let me know what you think of the choices or if there is another machine i should be considering.

Thank you!
 

reynoldston

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  • / New member: Buying a new push behind lawn mower - Snapper or Honda
My question is why are you having carburetor problems and by getting a new mower would you still have the problems? Of course it's always nice to have a new mower nothing wrong with that.
 

peafam69

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  • / New member: Buying a new push behind lawn mower - Snapper or Honda
My question is why are you having carburetor problems and by getting a new mower would you still have the problems? Of course it's always nice to have a new mower nothing wrong with that.

Great question. The service center suggested the lower end Hondas carb metal reacts with the ethanol. They could continue to work on it but suggested making an investment in a machine that was not a low end big box retailer purchase. I am not yard savvy and prior to this lived on a farm in VA where it was mostly fields so a nice lawn was not critical. Now i live in GA in a neighborhood and need to step up my game a bit.
 

reynoldston

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  • / New member: Buying a new push behind lawn mower - Snapper or Honda
Great question. The service center suggested the lower end Hondas carb metal reacts with the ethanol. They could continue to work on it but suggested making an investment in a machine that was not a low end big box retailer purchase. I am not yard savvy and prior to this lived on a farm in VA where it was mostly fields so a nice lawn was not critical. Now i live in GA in a neighborhood and need to step up my game a bit.

I am going to say that sure sound like a story I wouldn't buy. I have seen hoses react with the ethanol but not metal. Even new mowers have hoses. I have seen the metal react with water and have heard that the ethanol draws water front the air but yet to have the problem myself. I sure don't want to discourage you from a nice new mower but I would say repairs on the old one would be cheaper and be just as good. Just something about something new that gives you that nice feeling.:smile:
 

peafam69

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  • / New member: Buying a new push behind lawn mower - Snapper or Honda
I am going to say that sure sound like a story I wouldn't buy. I have seen hoses react with the ethanol but not metal. Even new mowers have hoses. I have seen the metal react with water and have heard that the ethanol draws water front the air but yet to have the problem myself. I sure don't want to discourage you from a nice new mower but I would say repairs on the old one would be cheaper and be just as good. Just something about something new that gives you that nice feeling.:smile:

I will have it checked out at another repair shop - thanks for the advice. I have 4 boys so i am never in the mood to buy something new if i can fix something i have. I just dont want to keep dropping $80-100 fixing a lawn mower that only cost $300 to start. This is the third time in 3 seasons i have had to take it in. I always use Stabil in the fuel and my other lawn equipment never as issues just the mower.
 

reynoldston

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  • / New member: Buying a new push behind lawn mower - Snapper or Honda
I will have it checked out at another repair shop - thanks for the advice. I have 4 boys so i am never in the mood to buy something new if i can fix something i have. I just dont want to keep dropping $80-100 fixing a lawn mower that only cost $300 to start. This is the third time in 3 seasons i have had to take it in. I always use Stabil in the fuel and my other lawn equipment never as issues just the mower.

I sure agree with you on that one. If you are spending that kind of money for repairs it sure not worth it. Seeing I am doing the repairs and had a customer that came to me with a repeat problem like that I would work with them. I will turn a job down if I don't think it would be in the customers best interest. There is no reason for your mower to have any more problims then the rest of your equment.
 

jimrs

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  • / New member: Buying a new push behind lawn mower - Snapper or Honda
15 or 20 years ago I had the same problem with the Honda carbs. It was not the corn in the gas it was the cheap metal that they used in making the carbs. I now have bought a new Honda after having Kubota, (no longer sold in U.S.A.) Cub Cadet, and Snapper. The Kubota was the best it lasted over 18 years the Cub lasted 4 weeks and the Snapper a few years. The key to keeping the Honda running is to turn off the gas and run the carb dry. Leaving the gas in the carb over a period of a few months will mess the carb up to the point of having to buy a new carb or new mower.

I'm very particular with my mowers as I'm getting old and don't like to mess with them much. The Cub Cadet was the worst walk behind I have ever owned it would not pull itself worth a darn. The Snapper drive always needed a new belt to keep moving. I live on a slope, but only use the mowers to trim around stuff and get into place the lawn tractor can't go. The Kubota would climb a tree and it cranked the first pull every year for 18 years. I wish that they still imported them here even at the high cost it was a great mower. It was around $600 this was in the mid 1980's.
 

reynoldston

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  • / New member: Buying a new push behind lawn mower - Snapper or Honda
I was always under the impression that Honda was one of the best along with Kawasaki. Am I seeing something here that is negative. The only Honda engine I have is a old generator and the only carburetor problem I ever had was the fuel lines deteriorated and plugged the carburetor. This is the first time I ever heard of gas destroying a carburetor. Shouldn't a carburetor be made for gas? What would sitting in carburetor cleaner over night do to one?
 

mowerguy

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  • / New member: Buying a new push behind lawn mower - Snapper or Honda
i have serviced a good number of push mowers this winter that have had carb issues. the carbs arent made to handle the ethanol in the gas now. a few i had to replace the complete carb. on others it was just a two dollar diaphram. ethanol can eat the cheap plastic carbs up if it sits in there over a period of time
 

reynoldston

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  • / New member: Buying a new push behind lawn mower - Snapper or Honda
i have serviced a good number of push mowers this winter that have had carb issues. the carbs arent made to handle the ethanol in the gas now. a few i had to replace the complete carb. on others it was just a two dollar diaphram. ethanol can eat the cheap plastic carbs up if it sits in there over a period of time

now this is a differant story. I thought they said eat the metal up not plastic?
 
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