New Honda HRX217VYA

[cbpeck]

Hi guys,

I bought my first mower earlier this week, a Honda HRX217VYA ( http://powerequipment.honda.com/lawn-mowers/models/hrx217vya ). I paid $630 at Home Depot across the border in Oregon (no sales tax). I'm looking forward to getting it out of the box and into service. We don't have a big yard - about a quarter acre - but I wanted a quality mower that would give an excellent cut and provide reliable service for years to come. Only time will tell, but I'm optimistic that I made a good choice. Your forum was instrumental in my decision, so thank you!

Here's my intro: http://www.lawnmowerforum.com/new-members/31067-hello-richland-wa.html

Any recommendations for the new mower? Break in, maintenance, etc?

Again, thanks so much.

 

[lawn mower fanatic]

So your mower has the new Select Drive? That is a new feature and I was curious as to what people think of it. Let us know once you get to use it.

 

[robert@honda]

Any recommendations for the new mower? Break in, maintenance, etc?

Again, thanks so much.

Be sure to fill-out and mail in the registration card (or register online at Click here to register your new Honda online) and mark the date-of-purchase on or after March 1; this will automatically add +1 year of factory warranty to your mower.

The first oil change should be done at either 30 days or 5 hours of use, whichever comes first. Use SAE 10W-30 oil. Subsequent oil changes are at 50 hours/6 months. More scheduled service items are listed in the Maintenance chapter of your owner's manual.

The single biggest service issue for lawn mowers is a clogged carburetor due to stale/decayed fuel. To avoid this problem, either treat the fuel in the tank with stabilizer to extend its life, or fully drain the fuel tank and carburetor. Draining is strongly recommended if you don't expect to use the mower for 45 or more days. Only fill the tank with fresh fuel. If available in your area, pay a little extra per gallon and get ethanol-free fuel.

 

[cbpeck]

So your mower has the new Select Drive? That is a new feature and I was curious as to what people think of it. Let us know once you get to use it.

View attachment 25211

Yes, it does have select drive. I spent a little while debating whether or not I wanted a new drive mechanism that had not been reviewed. Ultimately, it appears to be a relatively simple cable mechanism with little that could go wrong, and it is more ergonomic than the smart drive system that I really did not care for. I considered the model with the hydrostatic transmission that is so popular, but I think I might like this better, and I saw several reviews mentioning having to service the transmission. Cable throttles just seem simpler and more reliable to my non-engineering oriented brain.

I'll be sure to post my first opinions after I use it.

 

[cbpeck]

Be sure to fill-out and mail in the registration card (or register online at Click here to register your new Honda online) and mark the date-of-purchase on or after March 1; this will automatically add +1 year of factory warranty to your mower.

The first oil change should be done at either 30 days or 5 hours of use, whichever comes first. Use SAE 10W-30 oil. Subsequent oil changes are at 50 hours/6 months. More scheduled service items are listed in the Maintenance chapter of your owner's manual.

The single biggest service issue for lawn mowers is a clogged carburetor due to stale/decayed fuel. To avoid this problem, either treat the fuel in the tank with stabilizer to extend its life, or fully drain the fuel tank and carburetor. Draining is strongly recommended if you don't expect to use the mower for 45 or more days. Only fill the tank with fresh fuel. If available in your area, pay a little extra per gallon and get ethanol-free fuel.

Robert,

Thanks for the tips. I will definitely follow your recommendations for oil changes. Any benefit to full synthetic over conventional oil?

We do have a station in town that sells 90 octane ethanol free gas, and that's what I plan to use in the mower and Echo trimmer. It is significantly more expensive, but in small quantities the cost difference is negligible. I drive older cars ('00 Mercedes & '93 Toyota) and abhor ethanol, but it's hard to avoid these days.

Thanks again.

 

[charley95]

Yes, it does have select drive. I spent a little while debating whether or not I wanted a new drive mechanism that had not been reviewed. Ultimately, it appears to be a relatively simple cable mechanism with little that could go wrong, and it is more ergonomic than the smart drive system that I really did not care for. I considered the model with the hydrostatic transmission that is so popular, but I think I might like this better, and I saw several reviews mentioning having to service the transmission. Cable throttles just seem simpler and more reliable to my non-engineering oriented brain.

I'll be sure to post my first opinions after I use it.

I agree on your opinion about the Hydro. I bought the VKA last may without the hydro and love it, less mechanicals to fail.

 

[cbpeck]

I agree on your opinion about the Hydro. I bought the VKA last may without the hydro and love it, less mechanicals to fail.

Thanks for the feedback. My VYA is the same is your VKA, but with a blade brake. I have three kiddos under the age of 5, so my lawn is riddled with matchbox cars, nerf darts, etc. We stay on the kids about picking up after themselves, but there's always something that gets left behind. That's why I opted for the blade brake.

 

[robert@honda]

Robert,

Any benefit to full synthetic over conventional oil?

There a LOTS of opinions about this, but here's my take:

1. It does not matter if you use synthetic or petroleum-based oil in your Honda mower.
2. What DOES matter is that you change it per the maintenance schedule. Don't buy into the hype you can run synthetic oil longer between changes.
3. Be sure to use SAE 10W-30. This works quite well in 99% of mowing environments.

 

[skipmarr]

Would like to hear how the NEW Select Drive compares to the Hydrostatic. I currently have a Toro Super Recycler with Personal Pace - lots of hills - and am considering Honda. But what tranny to go with??

 

[lawn mower fanatic]

Would like to hear how the NEW Select Drive compares to the Hydrostatic. I currently have a Toro Super Recycler with Personal Pace - lots of hills - and am considering Honda. But what tranny to go with??

I haven't used the Select Drive or Smart Drive controls, but I just feel the Hydrostatic cruise control on the HYA is on a higher level. If you press on the drive bar the full way down you can go one speed, but if you let off of the bar a little you can change your speed. So in my opinion the HYA does the work of the Select Drive/Smart Drive, and more.