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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!

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.

reynoldston said:

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.

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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.

peafam69 said:

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.

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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:

reynoldston said:

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:

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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.

peafam69 said:

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.

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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.

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.

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?

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

mowerguy said:

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

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

Rubber pieces more than plastic. The common complain over the years with ethanol has been that it eats away at older types of o-rings and some diaphragms/gaskets.

But back to the OP's original comment. It does sound like that guy wants to sell you a new unit. And while there is a difference between a Honda you get at a big box store and one you get at a true power equipment dealer, the difference is in the body, not the motor.

And I think your problem might be gas related, just not ethanol. I only put name brand gas in anything I own. Sunoco, to be exact. (*) And even name brands can be not so good. My son had trouble with Shell gas in his car. And while Sta-bil is a decent product, nothing beats just running it dry at the end of the season. Another thing I do is to run Sea Foam in everything all year long. It does some of the things that Sta-bil does, and helps to keep carbon deposits down, something that is a bigger problem in these air cooled(higher temps) and higher revving(2 stroke trimmers,chainsaws...)engines.


(*) Probably a comment for The Front Porch, but I chose Sunoco because it doesn't come from the Middle East.

peafam69 said:

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!

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My wife has cut 2 acres of grass for the last 3 years with a 20 inch cut Honda walk behind and it has never missed abeat.It would be the Honda for me

you have recieved good info so far, if the mower ran last year when put away properly (run tank dry) turn off fuel line if so equipped. the mower should run fine this year, add gas turn fuel line on and start. If you get a new mower Honda is best but Snapper is close second. Do not keep this crap they call fuel in any small engine equipment for longer thsn 2 months.....

I would give the honda you have 1 more shot. Look on the web and find a new carb for yours. I just replaced carbs for 2 hondas for under a hundred bucks and they were commercial. Then like some above said, turn off the gas and run dry every time. The other thing I do is I buy non ethanol gas for all my mowers. Cost a little more but worth it. I also use staybil in the gas. Lastly, I heard something the other day that makes sense, always leave your small engine stuff with a full tank of gas. If it has less than full, there is more air next to the gas, which can't help but draw moisture. P.S. The carbs I bought came with the jets all set, ready to bolt on and start. To get to the carbs you have to pull the tank off, while off, make sure you rinse them and the gas line out with plenty of fresh gas. good luck.

reynoldston said:

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

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Regarding Honda Carb and other issues,
Hello all,
As I am a new member, I don't want to come off as an expert. I purchased a new Honda HRR216VXA Rear drive bagger, mulcher (walk behind). I bought it Sept., 2011. It started running rough after a few cuts. Very sandy here. I kept it clean after every use, with new gas and stabilizer. At the end of the season I let it run out of gas, etc., and this spring, I took it to the dealer that I bought it from for a tune-up. I was surprised that they replaced the entire carb ($20.?) Total for sharpening blade, new carb, oil, plug, adjust. My air filter was new, but I asked for another for later, totalling $100. Now, that's $600 since Fall. I have been mowing my grass since I was a kid, and quality always trumps, but I don't know if Honda is a good deal at that price. Go know...MB

I too was having carb probs with a commecial honda and was looking at 80 to 100 to rebuild carb at shop. Looked on line for my model and bought a brand new carb for around 40 and bolted it on myself. worked like a champ. I buy non ethanol gas and use stabil. I have also been told to keep the tanks full and there is less air to condensate to water. Sounds like I need to run the carbs out of gas after each use also. All the honda's I've seen have a shut off. good luck

go with the honda it will never let you down